House delays budget bill – Plus the DorobekINSIDER’s 7 Stories

On GovLoop Insights’ DorobekINSIDER:

• “Performance management strikes fear in the hearts of virtually everyone, from the employee, to the manager to the senior leader, performance management is almost universally disliked,” said Tom Fox. But we’ve got four steps to make it easier.

The SEVEN stories that impact your life

1. House Republican leaders have delayed the vote on a new budget bill for the 2014 fiscal year until next week in an attempt to muster greater support among party members. Currently, opposition on the budget bill is coming from conservatives that believe that the legislation must be more aggressive in its efforts to defund Obamacare. Both The Hill and Washington Post report that if Congress cannot pass a budget bill by the end of this month, the government will shut down on October 1.

2. The Merit Systems Protection Board has resumed the review of furlough appeals this week, notifying applicants that their case has received a docket number and will be presented before a judge. The Board had previously suspended the review of furlough cases in order to process the more than 32,000 appeals that had arrived in recent weeks. The Washington Post states that most of the appeals are from employees seeking back pay for unpaid days that their agencies required them to take off as a result of sequestration-led budget cuts. These employees have completed the required number of days, which have been reduced at most agencies.

3. The GSA has extended the deadline for its $60 billion OASIS contract from September 17 to October 10. Federal Times reports that GSA has also changed its contract proposal to make it easier for small businesses without a long history of work with the federal government to compete for the contract.

4. DHS conducted a presentation yesterday before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs that highlighted the top ten challenges of the agency. The Senate’s report on the presentation noted that despite DHS’ large amounts of spending on border and port security, the agency is unable to prove that these areas have become more secure as a result of such spending. A full list of the organization’s challenges is available on the Senate Committee’s webpage.

5. The number of sexual assaults reported to the Navy has increased by approximately 50 percent in the past year. Navy officials contribute this rise to a growing number of sailors, who feel that they can report a sexual assault to officials and believe that action will be taken to remedy the situation. Federal News Radio states that Navy officials expected this increase in assault reports as the organization demonstrated that sexual assault cases will be taken seriously and resources offered to victims.

6. The Department of Health and Human Services confirmed yesterday that the data system supporting the application of Obamacare is secure and ready for the program’s launch on October 1, 2013. Reuters reports that the system, known as the Hub, will be used by healthcare exchanges to communicate with federal agencies regarding the management of health insurance.

7. The National Park Service is launching a new website that will offer distance learning programs and professional development opportunities for teachers. Federal News Radio reports that the site will have lesson plans and park resources related to more than 125 academic subjects.

DorobekINSIDER water-cooler fodder

• Treadmill Desks Make Inroads From White House Complex To Google: Treadmill desks could become a $1 billion business, according to the chief executive of one maker of the devices. A group of BuzzFeed employees build their street tread by testing one out.

*Image from Adam Inglis