FederalDaily - January 9, 2006
Mileage Reimbursement Drops 4 Cents
In the Jan. 6 issue of the Federal Register, the General Services
Administration (GSA) issued a final rule regarding the mileage reimbursement
rate for federal workers who use privately owned automobiles on official travel.
The reimbursement rate is dropping 4 cents—from 48.5 cents per mile to
44.5 cents. The reason: the IRS recently established a 44.5 cent rate, and
GSA is prohibited from exceeding the IRS rate. The final rule is effective
for travel performed on and after Jan. 1, 2006.
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New DoD Cell Phone Policy
The Department of Defense (DoD) said its installations have begun implementing
new cell phone restrictions for drivers on military bases. A new regulation,
published in the Federal Register last April, stated that anyone driving
a motor vehicle on a DoD installation cannot use a cell phone unless the vehicle
is safely parked or the driver is using a hands-free device. Although there
is no deadline for installations to implement the restrictions, John Seibert,
assistant for safety, health and fire protection for DoD, said he expects most
installations will do so this year. Each installation will determine the punishment
for violation of the rules, he said.
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Labor Department Investigates Mine Explosion
The Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA)
on Jan. 4 launched its investigation into the underground coal mine explosion
at the Sago Mine in Upshur County, W.Va. The explosion killed 12 miners and
seriously injured one miner. “The purpose of MSHA’s investigation
is to determine what caused the explosion and whether any safety and health
standards were violated,” said David G. Dye, acting assistant secretary
for mine safety and health. An independent team of MSHA mine safety professionals
will evaluate all aspects of the accident and response, including potential
causes, compliance with federal health and safety standards, and how emergency
information was relayed about the trapped miners’ condition.
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Problems with Whistleblower Protections
Passage of the Civil Service Reform Act may have been a double-edged sword
for federal whistleblowers. A Congressional Research Service (CRS) report on
national security whistleblowers, which was issued on Dec. 30, concluded that
the whistleblower protections promised in the Civil Service Reform Act did
not materialize. “Part of the gap between promise and practice with regard
to whistleblower protections resulted from the complex and in some ways conflicting
values placed in the statute,” the CRS report stated. That meant that
although the statute intended to protect whistleblowers, it also intended to
make it easier to hold federal employees accountable for their performance
(and fire them). “Ironically, if a supervisor found a whistleblower’s
charges to reflect on poor management within the agency, or if a whistleblower
threatened to release information embarrassing to the supervisor, it might
now be easier to sanction or remove the whistleblower,” the report stated.
To view the report, go to www.pogo.org/m/gp/gp-crs-nsw-12302005.pdf.
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