FCW Insider: Jan. 2

Under a new rule proposed by the Office of Personnel Management, agencies would be able to offer reinstatement and higher pay grades to former federal employees who are looking to return to government after acquiring new skills. Lia Russell has more.

Two years after bots flooded the Federal Communication Commission's public comments system over net neutrality, a new report finds publicly available AI tools make it easier than ever to overwhelm public feedback on federal websites. Derek B. Johnson explains.

Quick Hits

The Office of Personnel Management offered its first guidance on the implementation of the paid family leave benefit included in the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act. OPM Director Dale Cabaniss set up a point of contact for human resources officials in a Dec. 27 memo to agency chiefs.

The Inspector General at the General Services Administration said in a recent report that two key pricing tools used by acquisitions personnel aren't helping get taxpayers the best value on services. The report recommended that GSA's Federal Acquisition Service stop using two labor pricing tools until better policy and guidance are available and further urges FAS to use such tools as one piece of a "larger negotiation strategy" and to do more to ensure that their data is accurate and up-to-date.

The Merit Systems Protection Board opened 2020 with a record backlog of appeals – 2285 according to the most recent data. MSPB has been operating without a quorum on the board to make decisions on appeals since January 2017, leaving federal employees seeking redress on their complaints in limbo. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee has approved two candidates to serve on the board – enough for a quorum – but those nominations are still awaiting action on the Senate floor.