FederalDaily - June 28, 2005
TSP Open Seasons Perish This Week
Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) open seasons and the restrictions on contribution
elections which are tied to open seasons end this week—on July 1. Participants
must continue to file contribution elections with their agencies or services,
and the agencies and services must continue to implement the elections by deducting
contributions from participants' pay and reporting these amounts to the TSP
each pay period. The new rules do not affect the waiting period new employees
covered by the Federal Employees' Retirement System must serve before they
become eligible for agency contributions to their accounts. Also, there are
no changes to contribution allocations or interfund transfers, which can be
made at any time by using the TSP Web site or the ThriftLine or by submitting
an Investment Allocation form to the TSP.
:: Back to Top ::
New OPM Director Confirmed
The Senate recently confirmed Linda Springer as the new director for the Office
of Personnel Management (OPM). President Bush nominated Springer in March.
Springer, of Pennsylvania, will be replacing Kay Coles James, who resigned
in January. Meantime, Dan Blair has been acting OPM director. Springer recently
served as controller and head of the Office of Federal Financial Management
in the Office of Management and Budget. Before joining the administration,
she was senior vice president and controller of Provident Mutual. Before that,
she served as vice president and product manager for Penn Mutual Life Insurance
Company. She received her bachelor’s degree from Ursinus College in Collegeville,
Pennsylvania.
:: Back to Top ::
Agencies Challenged to Protect Property from Terrorism
The threat of terrorism has made physical security for federal property assets
a major concern, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), particularly
for agencies such as the Department of the Interior (Interior) and the General
Services Administration (GSA). GAO said Interior faces a range of major challenges
in protecting national icons and monuments from terrorism—these include
balancing security and public access as well as securing assets in rugged,
remote areas. Since September 11, 2001 , Interior has improved security at
high-profile sites and developed physical security plans, GAO said. GSA’s
challenges include balancing security and public access, securing federally
leased space and adjusting to the transfer of the Federal Protective Service
from GSA to the Department of Homeland Security, GAO reported.
:: Back to Top ::
Preventing Agencies from Paying Journalists
The House on June 24 approved an amendment sponsored by Rep. Ric Keller, D-Fla.,
to prevent the use of taxpayer dollars to pay journalists to support or oppose
partisan legislation. Keller introduced his amendment after the Department
of Education's recent hiring of Armstrong Williams to promote certain legislation
in interviews, articles and speaking engagements, without disclosing the agency’s
payments. Keller said with the passage of his amendment to the education spending
bill, it will be illegal for the federal government to pay journalists, media
commentators, PR firms and other private contractors to bias their news coverage
in an attempt to support or defeat legislation.
:: Back to Top ::
|
