FederalDaily - August 18, 2005
Changing Financial Disclosure Regulations
The Office of Government Ethics is proposing to revise the executive branch
regulation regarding confidential financial disclosure. Specifically, OGE is
proposing to clarify the criteria for designating confidential filers, change
the reporting cycle from a fiscal year to a calendar year cycle and change
the reporting date, eliminate the requirement to report diversified mutual
funds, eliminate the requirement to report the type of income derived from
assets, and eliminate the requirement to report such liabilities as student
loans and credit card debt. The Federal Register for August 12 contains a notice
regarding the proposed changes to the regulation. Public comments on these
proposed rule amendments must be received in writing on or before October 11,
2005.
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Military Uniform Makers File Discrimination Complaint
On August 9, workers from military uniform contractor American Power Source
announced the filing of a discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The complaint contains allegations that African-American
sewing machine operators, the majority of the workers at the plant, have been
recalled from a layoff earlier this year at a far lower rate than comparably-skilled
white employees. It further alleges that black workers have had their wages
slashed by as much as $3 per hour over the last six months. The EEOC complaint
was signed by approximately 20 workers. American Power Source is a uniform
contractor that supplies military uniforms. Its sole customer is the U.S. government
and the company has received more than $32 million from the Department of Defense
since 2002.
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Senator Calls for Better Body Armor
Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D., on August 16 expressed concern over the quality
of body armor used by U.S. troops serving in Iraq. Johnson wrote a letter to
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. "The strength and persistence of
the insurgency in Iraq makes replacing outdated body armor for our troops an
absolute imperative," said Johnson. "It is unacceptable to place
a single soldier in harm's way without proper protection." His letter
continued to say that the Defense Department has acknowledged it will take
several more months before all currently issued body armor is upgraded. Difficulties
have arisen from the limited production capacity of the small number of companies
that make the armor, as well as from a shortage of an advanced fiber that is
used to make the enhanced plates.
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AF Plans to Retrain Thousands
More than 3,000 Air Force (AF) staff and technical and master sergeants have
been identified to receive retraining vulnerability notices, the AF announced
recently. The retraining program is designed to help balance the enlisted force—to
move noncommissioned officers (NCOs) in specialties with surpluses to those
with shortages. Officials asked these Airmen to submit their choices of shortage
career fields they would most like to retrain into or to apply for special
duty assignments no later than October 14. If voluntary measures are unsuccessful,
the Air Staff will implement Phase II, involuntary retraining. Vulnerability
listings were posted on the Air Force Personnel Center's Web site on August
1 and will be updated weekly at https://www.afpc.randolph.af.mil/enlskills/retraining/retraining.htm.
Anyone interested in more details about the program can contact his or her
local military personnel flight.
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