Federal Drive with Tom Temin

OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, is in the business of ensuring safe practices in the nation's employment sites. The pandemic has made things busy and a little difficult for the agency. Federal Drive host Tom Temin got an update from Nadira Janack, the director of the Baltimore-Washington OSHA area in Linthicum, Maryland. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Joe Biden, in signing an executive order to raise the bar on federal customer experience, said last week that much of the work outlined in the EO “sounds like a simple thing,” but would nonetheless be consequential. As it turns out, several presidents have found this matter to be consequential, but far from simple. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A look at four selected agencies, some large some small, shows the government has work to do in order to fulfill the aims of the Data Act. One reason is the White House has failed to issue detailed agency guidance as the 2018 law requires. Federal Drive Host Tom Temin talked about all of this with the director of strategic issues at the Government Accountability Office, Michelle Sager. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission recently concluded audits of cybersecurity practices of electrical grid operators. It found they mostly comply with legally required cyber measures. But that doesn't mean the grid is free of cyber-related danger. Federal Drive host Tom Temin got an analysis of this exercise from energy regulatory lawyer and senior counsel at Akin Gump, Scott Johnson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For federal contractors, 2021 comes to an end with no appropriations for 2022 until halfway through the fiscal year. This as they deal with a flurry of head-spinning executive orders from the Biden administration. Federal Drive host Tom Temin got a summary of the issues during his interview with the executive vice president for policy at the Professional Services Council, Stephanie Kostro. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Science and Technology Directorate at the Homeland Security Department has two names for a reason. It funds science, but the goal is to transfer science into deployable technology. Now the directorate has awarded grants to two universities -- one on each side of the country -- to improve how research and development activities transition to products. The project is called S-and-T Analysis and Management of Innovation Activity, or STAMINA. Federal Drive host Tom Temin spoke with Directorate's acting director for technology scouting and transition, Michel Kareis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Postal Service, during its busiest season, is seeing an uptick in COVID-19 quarantines among its workforce. Despite this challenge, USPS data shows the agency provided a significantly higher level of service this year, compared to widespread mail and package delays it saw in December 2020. USPS data shows it delivered more than 90% of first-class mail on-time so far in the first quarter of fiscal 2022. That’s a significant improvement, compared to the 78.44% of first-class mail delivered on-time for the same period in FY 2021. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Like it or not, there was one topic we couldn't stop talking about in 2021. Yes, that vaccine mandate consumed conversations at your agency this year. So did questions about when federal employees would return to their offices. In the meantime, agencies have been setting new telework and remote policies. Federal News Network's Nicole Ogrysko joined us to explain why agencies are further along in answering some of those questions over others. And why all three topics might remain part of the conversation for federal employees going into 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some 500 colleges and universities host Reserve Office Training Corps programs. The Navy Federal Credit Union has expanded its scholarship program to include all of them. For an update, the credit union's vice president for branch operations, Matt Lawson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2021, federal chief data officers settled into their jobs. This as the Biden administration's management agenda called for better agency stewardship, program evaluation and service to the citizen. All of it requires both data and federal employee data literacy. For a review and what to expect in 2022, Federal News Network's Jory Heckman. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Defense budget request from the Biden administration is a bit of an outlier, as these things go. It was submitted later than ever, and is an amalgam of Biden and Trump administration priorities. It's also the first in 20 years to come with no overseas contingency fund request. Or not exactly. For the important messages the budget is sending, we turned to the Director of Defense Budget Analysis at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Todd Harrison. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A hacker and even a reporter, thankfully not one of ours, are among those on a new federal advisory panel. The Cybersecurity Advisory Committee held its first meeting this month. It has the task of helping the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency boost U.S. cyber defenses. Federal News Network’s Justin Doubleday reports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Chief Human Capital Officers Council recently got a revival from the Biden administration. The cheekos are pondering the future of federal work. They've rewritten the council's charter. They hope of help modernize the federal workforce. My next guest says the Council needs to model the behaviors it hopes to foster. Joining the Federal Drive, long-time federal workforce guru Bob Tobias. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Senior Executives Association has launched a first-ever awards program for its members, federal senior executives. The thinking is, the Presidential Rank Awards program is fine as far as it goes. But it leaves many worthy people unrecognized. Joining the Federal Drive with more on the program, SEA President Bob Corsi. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sexual assault and harassment at sea has been a problem for cadets at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. Twice in recent years it's had to interrupt its Sea Year program, under which students spend time on U.S. flag merchant vessels to gain experience. Recently one mariner I interviewed said the Coast Guard is lax in dealing with reported incidents. For the Coast Guard's response, I spoke with Rear Admiral John Mauger, the assistant commandant of the Coast Guard for prevention policy. And with Michael Berkow is director of the Coast Guard Investigative Service. You hear Mauger first. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices