FederalDaily - May 19, 2005
House Subcommittee Passes Bills Benefiting Feds
The House Subcommittee on the Federal Workforce unanimously approved three
pieces of legislation benefiting federal employees:
- H.R. 994 allows retired federal employees and military personnel
to pay their federal health care premiums with pre-tax dollars
and provides active duty military personnel with an income
tax deduction for their supplemental insurance premiums.
- H.R. 1765, the "GOFEDS" Act, allows federal employees
who receive the federal student loan repayment benefit to take
the benefit tax-free.
- H.R. 1283 requires federal agencies to provide tax-free transportation
fringe benefits to federal employees in and around Washington,
D.C., and also permits agencies to transport employees to and
from mass transit stations.
For more on this story, see the upcoming May 23, 2005, issue of Federal Employees
News Digest.
:: Back to Top ::
Army Whistleblower’s Accusations Lead to Suspension
The Office of Special Counsel (OSC) on May 17 issued its findings regarding
an investigation by the Army into whistleblower allegations that officials
at Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG), Department of Law Enforcement (DLES), were
engaged in mismanagement and other misbehavior. APG is a research, development,
testing and training facility for military equipment and weapons. OSC reported
that the Army partially substantiated the whistleblower’s accusations
that a lead dispatcher at the DLES Communications Center was negligent and
made violent and threatening statements to co-workers. Because of the whistleblower’s
allegations, the dispatcher was suspended for 30 days without pay, ordered
to attend counseling and was reassigned to a different squad.
:: Back to Top ::
Information Sharing Hindered by Security Clearance
Process
Sharing information with nonfederal officials is one way the federal government
works to prevent potential terrorist attacks. The Coast Guard has lead responsibility
in coordinating maritime information sharing efforts. The Government Accountability
Office (GAO) recently reported that the major barrier hindering information
sharing has been the lack of federal security clearances for nonfederal members
of committees or centers. By February 2005—or four months after the Coast
Guard developed a list of 359 committee members who needed a security clearance—28
of the 359 members had submitted the necessary paperwork for a security clearance.
Coast Guard field officials did not clearly understand that they were responsible
for contacting nonfederal officials about the clearance process, GAO reported.
As the Coast Guard proceeds with its program, one way to improve the submission
of paperwork involves educating nonfederal officials about the clearance process.
:: Back to Top ::
Keeping Combat Pay While Hospitalized
The Senate Armed Services Committee approved a provision ensuring that wounded
soldiers—including active duty, National Guard members and Reservists—do
not lose their combat pay allowance while they are in hospital. Sen. Hillary
Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., said she hopes the full Senate will also pass the provision. "It
is unacceptable that our service members can lose their combat pay while they
are recovering," she said. Under current law, when soldiers are sent to
military hospitals in the U.S., they lose their combat pay allowance after
90 days. The new provision, approved as part of the FY 2006 Department of Defense
Authorization bill, allows wounded servicemembers to continue to receive combat
pay as long as they are hospitalized.
:: Back to Top ::
|
