FederalDaily - September 28, 2005
Legislation Addresses Criminals in National Cemeteries
Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., introduced legislation last week in an effort
to close the loophole allowing the burying of murderers convicted in state
(but not federal) courts in national cemeteries. Mikulski has asked for an
inquiry following the placement of convicted killer Russell Wagner’s
remains in Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors in July 2005.
National cemeteries “should not be tainted by the remains of convicted
murderers,” Mikulski stated. Federal law already prohibits murderers
from being buried in national cemeteries. However, if someone is tried for
the same kind of crime in a state court, they can be buried in national cemeteries
if they are eligible for parole. Mikulski’s bill would put a stop to
that.
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DHS, NTEU Argue over Personnel Changes
A union requested that federal court hold oral argument on a motion by the
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to narrow the court’s injunction
preventing implementation of segments of a new personnel system at the agency.
The National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) announced on Sept. 26 that the
court granted the request for oral argument, and scheduled the arguments for
Sept. 28. NTEU has argued that the DHS personnel regulations go beyond the
personnel authority granted the department in the Homeland Security Act (HSA),
which established DHS. While DHS has asked the court to narrow her injunction,
NTEU has urged it to maintain the injunction.
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Per Diem Rules Waived for Hurricane Katrina
In a Sept. 2 General Services Administration (GSA) bulletin, the agency announced
waivers of certain provisions of the Federal Travel Regulation for temporary
duty (TDY), or relocation travel of employees to areas impacted by Hurricane
Katrina. The reason for temporarily waiving certain FTR provisions is that “ it
is expected that finding lodging facilities and/or adequate meals may be difficult,
and distances involved may be great resulting in increased costs for per diem
expenses,” the bulletin stated. The changes are in effect from Aug. 29
through March 1, 2006 . For TDY travel, agencies may authorize actual expense
reimbursement for per diem expenses on a blanket basis for employees traveling
to areas affected by Hurricane Katrina, up to 300 percent (rounded to the next
higher dollar) of the applicable maximum per diem rate for the locality.
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TSA Employees Fired for Stealing
Three former Transportation Security Administration (TSA) maintenance workers
have pleaded guilty to theft of government property, according to the Department
of Justice (DOJ). They admitted they stole items that had been confiscated
from airline passengers. According to the plea agreements, all three men worked
out of a maintenance area where items that were confiscated from passengers
were stored. TSA confiscates prohibited items such as tools, knives and other
potentially dangerous objects during pre-flight screening. Once seized, the
prohibited items become the property of the U.S. government. DOJ said two of
the men admitted stealing hundreds of high value items such as knives and Leatherman
tools. Some of the items stolen were sold on e-Bay. All three men were fired
by TSA. For more, see www.usdoj.gov/usao/waw/press_room/2005/sep/lyons.htm.
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