Federal employees get a new source of “official time” rules.

Federal employees have a new source to make sure they are complying with official time laws. A new Federal Labor Relations Authority (FRLA) training video for federal employees, unions and managers highlights the types of work that count as working time, such as contract negotiations or challenging an existing bargaining unit. FRLA’s nine-minute video, narrated by its deputy general counsel Bill Kirsner, also touched on work that is not part of official time, such as recruiting members or collecting dues.
Agencies continue to respond to the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene in the southeastern United States. More than 3,500 federal employees were deployed to support Helene’s efforts. This includes more than 1,000 employees of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. FEMA deployed 40 StarLink communications satellites to help with power outages in affected areas. The Department of Health and Human Services, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Small Business Administration are also responding. The storm is responsible for widespread destruction and the deaths of at least 120 people in six states.
James-Christian Blockwood has been elected as the next president and CEO of the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA). Blockwood will start working at NAPA on January 1. He will replace Terry Gerton, the academy’s longest-serving leader. Gerton ends his eight-year tenure at NAPA later this year. Blockwood is a member of the academy and has experience as a nonprofit executive and former senior executive in the federal government. Most recently, Blockwood served as executive vice president at the Partnership for Public Service, where he oversaw its programs and the organization’s strategic planning efforts.
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is launching a new service to make it easier for companies to work with the agency as part of its ongoing transformation efforts. The IRS Appeals Office is conducting a pilot program for corporate group mailboxes that will run through March 31, 2025. This new feature allows large companies with multiple representatives to communicate securely with the IRS online. It offers 24/7 access and streamlines communication while enabling secure documentation sharing and faster case resolution. Eligible businesses may request access by contacting their designated appeals officer.
The next phase of the Pentagon’s Replicator initiative will focus on countering small drones. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says he expects Replicator 2 to provide greater protection against small, uncrewed air systems. Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks will oversee development of the plan. Austin says he expects Replicator 2 to become part of the 2026 defense budget request. Defense officials have until the end of 2024 to finalize the plan.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recommends that the Department of Defense (DoD) review its Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Program guidelines. In fiscal year 2022, 40% of small business awards worth approximately $1.8 billion were from open themes. GAO found that some DOD components’ open topics were too similar to their conventional topics, narrowly defining their needs and limiting the ability of small companies to promote their innovative solutions.
Happy new fiscal year. Lawmakers avoided a shutdown last week by passing a resolution to continue government operations through the end of December, saving agencies time and effort to prepare for a partial shutdown. New data from the Peter G. Peterson Foundation shows that agencies are subject to continuous resolutions for longer and longer periods of time. This includes full-year CRs in 2007, 2011 and 2013. From 2011 to 2024, the foundation says CRs accounted for 45% of the federal fiscal year. For example, in 2023, agencies survived under the continuing resolution for 175 days, the most since 2017. In 2025, agencies have already reached 81 days.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) plans to test new tools to help agencies migrate to post-quantum cryptography. In a new strategy released last week, CISA says it doesn’t have the tools needed to detect whether a federal system is using encryption vulnerable to quantum attacks. As part of its post-quantum strategy, CISA plans to launch a pilot program for automatic crypto discovery and inventory tools. The agency then plans to incorporate these tools into its continuous diagnostics and mitigation program.
The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) is launching a $708 million data labeling contract called “Sequoia.” NGA released Sequoia’s request for proposals (RFP) yesterday. The full request for quotation is confidential. In the case of a single order, the order fulfillment period is a maximum of seven years. This is NGA’s largest data labeling initiative to date. The agency says it will help develop artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities.