Quick Hits

*** The White House named two dozen winners for its Gears of Government Awards on May 6. Margaret Weichert, acting director of the Office of Personnel Management and deputy director for management at the Office of Management and Budget, said in a conference call with reporters that all the winners in the program impacted their agency's mission. She added that the White House was careful to look for agency work outside the Washington, D.C., area for consideration for the contest, as well as effective programs inside the beltway. The winners will be honored at a ceremony in the White House later this month.

The winners and their accomplishments are detailed on the Performance.gov website. The announcement comes during Public Service Recognition Week, which kicked off Sunday with the list of 2019 Service to America finalists.

*** Stan Collender, a leading expert on the federal budget with a remarkable ability to make that dry subject both interesting and funny, died late on May 3 at the age of 68. A former staffer for both the House and Senate budget committees, Collender maintained that focus on fiscal policy throughout his career -- writing books, newspaper columns and blog posts on the topic, and serving as a frequent source for FCW and countless other media organizations.

*** The House Committee on Oversight and Reform will take up a slate of bills May 8 that would lock in health coverage during government shutdowns. Under current law, feds must pay premiums directly to carriers for vision, dental and long-term care insurance in the event of a shutdown that lasts longer than three consecutive pay periods. The committee also plans to take up the White House Ethics Transparency Act, a bill that would make granted ethics waivers public and available online on the website of the Office of Government Ethics, and on the website of the agency employing the covered employee.