FederalDaily - December 21, 2005

USPS Purchasing Changes Are Positive But Still Flawed

Efforts by the United States Postal Service (USPS) to streamline its purchasing regulations have been fairly successful and were praised by a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released last Thursday. But, the GAO stressed that continued oversight and changes to the USPS ombudsman function are still necessary. Initiatives the USPS has taken include:

• issuing streamlined regulations;
• leveraging its buying power when dealing with suppliers; and
• establishing a new process for resolving disputes between USPS and suppliers, which includes the ombudsman.

The report did express concern that the ombudsman—which should be impartial—reports to the USPS. In addition, GAO felt the ombudsman decision-making authority should not be binding. USPS agreed to reassess the ombudsman changes and oversee continued implementation of the new policies and practices. For the full report, go to www.gao.gov/new.items/d06190.pdf.

:: Back to Top ::

Ex-Army Intelligence Specialist Deported

Osama Musa Al-Ferahin, a trained Army intelligence specialist stationed at Fort Huachuca, Ariz., was deported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials for lying on his naturalization application. Al-Ferahin did not reveal that he was simultaneously married to a U.S. citizen and Spanish national. He served one year in prison for fraud prior and before beginning immigration proceedings. An immigration judge initially ruled that his lie was immaterial, but ICE won an appeal to retry the case. Rather than continue the legal proceedings, Al-Ferahin agreed to be deported back to Jordan. Patricia Vroom, Chief Counsel for ICE in Arizona, stated that "his case shows how ICE is using all of its tools to target those whose schemes undermine the integrity of our nation's legal immigration system and potentially put our nation at risk."

:: Back to Top ::

NTEU Criticizes IRS Telephone Assistance Cutbacks

The National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) sharply criticized a proposed Internal Revenue Service (IRS) plan to reduce the available time of telephone assistance by 15 hours per week, or 20 percent. In a statement released Dec. 16, NTEU President Colleen Kelley called the move an “absolute outrage,” and questioned the policy in the face of Congressional directives to make telephone help line service a priority. The NTEU quoted language in the 2006 Transportation-Treasury Appropriations bill, which instructs the IRS commissioner to “allocate resources necessary to increase phone lines and staff to improve the (IRS) 1-800 help line service.” The planned change is set to take place on Jan. 23, 2006, which the NTEU claimed is the peak season for the telephone tax assistance the IRS provides.

:: Back to Top ::

DOE Cites Contractors for Nuclear Safety Violations

Dec. 16 the Department of Energy (DOE) announced that UT-Battelle, LLC and Fluor Hanford Inc.—both DOE contractors—would be fined $110,000 and $206,250 respectively for nuclear safety requirement violations. UT-Battelle was reprimanded for failure to comply with established radioactive material inventory limits at storage facilities, while Fluor Hanford had violated Technical Safety Requirement (TSR) regulations at plutonium finishing plants. DOE Assistant Secretary John Shaw stated, “Our goal is to have work conducted in a manner that protects workers, the public and the environment.” DOE did reduce the portions of the penalties in lieu of the corrective actions taken by both firms.

:: Back to Top ::

Rules Changes to Protect Military Members Returning to Civilian Jobs

Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, applauded the U.S. Department of Labor’s final regulations protecting military personnel returning to the civilian workforce, which enhanced portions of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA). Specifically, the regulations clarify health and retirement benefits protections. In a Dec. 16 statement, Boehner stated, “I am pleased that these regulations provide greater certainty for men and women serving in the military, as well as their employers.” The new provisions require immediate reinstatement to the employee’s health plan. Also, returning servicemembers are to be viewed as continuously employed for the purposes of calculating pension plan contributions and deferrals.

:: Back to Top ::