Friday, December 6, 2019
Articles from across the Web that we at the IBM Center for The Business of Government found interesting for the week of November 25 – December 6, 2019.

Fast-Track Hiring. Federal News Network reports: “Each of the military services has faced workforce challenges in their maintenance depots over the past several years. Congress has responded with new authorities that let the Defense Department sidestep the traditional hiring system to fill those vacancies. . . . . It’s taken a while to make use of direct hiring, but military officials now say the authorities have turned out to be invaluable.”

Eliminating Paper Records. Federal News Network reports: “The National Archives and Records Administration caused a stir in the records management community this summer when it set deadlines for agencies to digitize their historic, permanent records before the end of 2022. . . . NARA expects to release supplemental guidance in the first quarter of calendar year 2020.

Visiting Tatooine. Government Executive reports: “The Defense Digital Service brings in civilian and military personnel for two-year “tours of duty.” Its first satellite office opened on Nov. 20 in Augusta, Georgia, and was named “Tatooine,” after Luke Skywalker’s home planet in the Star Wars series.

Two-for-One Rule. Federal News Network reports: “. . . acting OIRA Administrator Paul Ray told members of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee that OIRA has seen “tremendous success” with the so-called “two-for-one” executive order. . . . If confirmed as the administration’s permanent OIRA administrator, Ray said he would help agencies move beyond what Committee Chairman Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) called the “low-hanging fruit” of outdated federal regulations.”

Data Science Reskilling Pilot. Federal News Network reports: “As the Trump administration explores new ways to teach federal employees in-demand skills, the Census Bureau has taken the lead on this goal by launching its own data science reskilling program.”

Progress on Evidence. The Government Accountability Office released a new report on agency implementation of leading evidence-based approaches that: “(1) describes selected agencies’ actions that align with direction from Congress and OMB to strengthen evidence-building activities and (2) examines the extent to which selected agencies’ processes for coordinating those activities reflect leading practices for collaboration.”

This Week on The Business of Government Hour:

Ash Carter, former Secretary of Defense and author of “Inside the five-sided box: lessons from a lifetime of leadership in the PentagonWhat it is like to run the largest enterprise in the world, the U.S. Department of Defense? What are some of the challenges facing a Secretary of Defense? What leadership lessons can be learned from Ash Carter? Join host Michael Keegan as he explores these questions with Ash Carter, former Secretary of Defense and author of Inside the five-sided box: lessons from a lifetime of leadership in the Pentagon.

Broadcast Schedule: The show airs Monday at 11 a.m., and Friday at 1 p.m. on Federal News Network 1500AM WFED

 

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