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NEWS: Jan. 23, 2012 Efficiency | The Nation Performance-Management Experiment Hits Snags The federal government's experiment with a new performance-management system is getting underway at five agencies, but there are signs of potential trouble. The president of the largest federal union dismissed the program as "human resource make-work," and the Labor Department has dropped out without explanation. >> Federal Times Performance Focus Sought for Federal COOs A new push to improve performance also could change how the federal government chooses agencies' chief operating officers: A recommendation by the Association of Government Accountants would bake performance tracking into the COO's job description. >> Federal News Radio Program Management | Washington State Civil-Commitment Program Plagued with Problems In 1990, Washington became the first state to pass a civil-commitment law to detain child molesters, compulsive rapists and other offenders deemed too dangerous to set free. The controversial program has been plagued by runaway legal costs, a lack of financial oversight and layers of secrecy, the Seattle Times has found. >> Seattle Times State: Detroit's Social-Services Programs Poorly Managed Detroit is managing federal funding so poorly that it's risking the loss of future dollars for social-service programs, according to a preliminary review by state officials of the city's finances. >> Detroit News Governmental Operations | The Nation Deal Likely to Prevent More FAA Shutdowns Congressional lawmakers have reached a deal on a long-term funding bill for the Federal Aviation Administration that is likely to prevent shutdowns of the beleaguered agency for the foreseeable future. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said a compromise was reached on labor provisions that had held up an agreement. >> The Hill Report: Cityhood Unaffordable for East Los Angeles East Los Angeles' dream of becoming a city, deferred for more than a half-century, appears to be on the brink of collapsing once more. A new report concluded that the unincorporated neighborhood would not be able to financially sustain itself as a city. >> Los Angeles Times
Mayor Outflanks Union to Reopen Libraries on Mondays Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced a plan to reopen branch libraries on Mondays by rehiring 65 laid-off union workers and relocating 25 other employees from the downtown library. Emanuel made the move without the cooperation of the library employees' union, which has engaged in contentious negotiations with him over the plan. >> Chicago Tribune Court: Sex Offenders Can't Be Barred from Libraries In a decision that could have nationwide implications, a federal appeals court ruled that a policy barring registered sex offenders from public libraries in Albuquerque was unconstitutional. >> Reuters Technology | The Nation 25,000 NOAA Workers Now in Google's Cloud In what is being called the largest transition to Google's cloud-based e-mail and collaboration to date, Unisys announced the completion of a $11.5 million project to move 25,000 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration employees and other users to the Google Apps for Government platform. >> Washington Technology Pentagon Agency to Host V.A. Health Records The Department of Veterans Affairs will begin moving data-center operations that support its electronic health records to data centers operated by the Defense Information Systems Agency in March, and officials expect to complete the transition in slightly more than a year. >> Nextgov
Remote Region to Get Border Patrol Outpost The U.S. Border Patrol announced that it is building an outpost in New Mexico's Bootheel, one of the last unguarded regions between the United States and Mexico. The remote area where Genonimo made his last stand has seen growing lawlessness as drug dealers and human smugglers have sought out less-traveled routes. >> AP/Las Cruces Sun-News Border Patrol Agent, Jailer Arrested in Smuggling Sting A U.S. Border Patrol agent and an Arizona State Prison corrections officer trapped in a sting operation were arrested on charges that they conspired to help traffickers smuggle drugs from Mexico. >> Reuters Contracting | Washington, D.C. I.G. No Wrongdoing Found in Lottery Contract The city's inspector general has concluded that there is insufficient evidence that any city council members acted improperly when they selected a new lottery vendor and voted to legalize online gambling. But the report says Chief Financial Officer Natwar M. Gandhi improperly added the online-gambling provisions to the contract. >> Washington Post
Clemency Grants Favored Whites Roughly two-thirds of the more than 200 prisoners granted commutations or pardons by outgoing Gov. Haley Barbour were white, while the racial makeup of the state's prison population is the inverse: about two-thirds black. A Barbour spokesperson said race played no factor in the decisions to grant clemency. >> Reuters New Governor Boots Trusties from Governor's Mansion Mississippi's new governor, Phil Bryant, said state prison trusties are no longer working at the Governor's Mansion, a decision that could mark the end of the decades-long practice. >> Jackson Clarion-Ledger >> Follow GovManagement on Twitter >> Share this edition:
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“I don't remember much from that horrible day, but I will never forget the trust you placed in me to be your voice.” U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona, who sustained severe injuries a year ago in the Tucson mass shooting in which six people died and 13 were wounded, announcing in a Web video that she will resign from Congress this week to concentrate on her recovery >> Arizona Daily Star | More quotes DATAPOINT 66.9 Score, out of 100, on the latest American Customer Satisfaction Index measuring public satisfaction with federal services for 2011, a 2.3-point increase that followed a 5-point decrease between 2009 and 2010, while the score for trust in the federal government dropped from 41 in 2010 to 36 in 2011 >> Government Executive | More data VIEWPOINT Technology Taming an IT Behemoth The Defense Department is an information-technology behemoth run amok: 772 data centers, 15,000 networks, 70,000 servers and an IT staff of 90,000 employees. But hampering efforts to downsize and consolidate is the reality that DoD employees and managers view their individual agencies as unique components. That sense of identity and mission makes sense for many things those agencies do, but not for administrative functions such as running an email service, operating a data center or maintaining a network. >> Federal Times | More commentaries UPCOMING American Enterprise Institute Discussion: "The Literacy Challenge: Getting Reading Right in More Classrooms" Jan. 24, 10-11:30 a.m. ET, Washington, D.C. Center for American Progress Discussion: "God and Politics: Examining Religion in the 2012 Election" Jan. 24, noon-1:30 p.m. ET, Washington, D.C. International City/County Management Association Web conference: "Installing Solar on Municipal Facilities" Jan. 24, 1 p.m. ET Public Technology Institute and School of Public Affairs and Administration Webinar (for governments): "Utilizing Appreciative Inquiry as a Tool for Collaboration and Innovation" Jan. 24, 2 p.m. ET American Society for Training and Development TechKnowledge Conference & Exposition Jan. 25-27, Las Vegas American Enterprise Institute and Mercatus Center Discussion: "The Policy and Politics of Public-Sector Employees in the 2012 Elections" Jan. 25, 8:30-11 a.m. ET, Washington, D.C. Center for American Progress and Truman National Security Project Discussion: "President Obama and a 21st Century Military" Jan. 25, noon-1:30 p.m. ET, Washington, D.C. American Enterprise Institute Discussion: "The Muslim-American Muddle: Where Do Muslims Fit in American Society?" Jan. 25, 1:30-3 p.m. ET, Washington, D.C. Public Technology Institute CIO and Leadership Summit West Jan. 26-27, Mesa, Ariz. Heritage Foundation Discussion: "Beyond the Individual Mandate: Why ObamaCare Must Be Repealed" Jan. 26, noon-1:30 p.m. ET, Washington, D.C. National Association of State Personnel Executives Mid-Year Meeting Jan. 27-29, Washington, D.C. >> Full events listings |
