FederalDaily - September 19, 2007

OPM Seeks Updated Review of Clearance Process

Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Director Linda Springer said her agency is doing a much better job in reducing background investigation times for the federal government’s personnel clearance process and wants another Government Accountability Office (GAO) review to document those improvements. Springer said that since the last report on the matter was issued in September 2006, OPM has cleaned up its act. “Considerable improvement has occurred in the period subsequent to the date of the data used in the field work for that report,” Springer said in a Sept. 17 letter to lawmakers. “I believe that if Congress asked GAO to conduct an update to this review, they would find that substantial progress has been made.” To see more, go to: www.opm.gov/news/opm-requests-new-gao-report-on-background-investigations,1325.aspx

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GSA Publishes New Site Design Guidebook

The General Services Administration (GSA) on Sept. 17 announced the publication of a new guide that offers detailed direction in designing site security for federal buildings. The new GSA Public Buildings Service Site Security Design Guide lays out the process security professionals, designers and project managers should follow to create a secure federal workplace. The guide’s approach is applicable to nonfederal facilities as well, said David Winstead, GSA commissioner for the Public Buildings Service. The 152-page guide highlights lessons learned in a variety of test cases from around the nation. The guidebook follows security standards developed by the Interagency Security Committee that outline required analysis and performance benchmarks for federal buildings. “GSA’s highest priority is to provide federal customer agencies with safe, secure and productive workplaces in order to carry out their missions,” Winstead said. To see more, go to: www.gsa.gov/ssdg

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Redesigned Kids’ Government Web Site Debuts

The General Services Administration (GSA) has launched a redesigned Kids.gov Web site, intended to be a family-friendly Internet portal where kids can learn about their government. The new design links to more than 1,200 Web pages from government agencies, schools and educational organizations, said GSA Administrator Lurita Doan. The site is organized into three broad categories: Grades K-5, Grades 6-8, and Educators; and is further divided into subjects like arts, math and history. “The new Kids.gov site was designed with kids in mind,” said Doan. “It’s simple to navigate and has interesting, educational content on a wide array of subjects.” Kids.gov is managed by the Federal Citizen Information Center, a division of GSA's Office of Citizen Services and Communications. To see more, go to: www.Kids.gov.

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