The Public Manager Magazine Article
Navigating Federal Notices: September 2015
September 2015 roundup of the latest reports, orders, and memoranda from the key federal oversight and policy organizations.
Thu Sep 10 2015
A roundup of the latest reports, orders, and memoranda from the key federal oversight and policy organizations.
Agencies, Not OPM, to Determine Whether Conferences Qualify as Training
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) no longer will issue memoranda regarding whether conferences qualify as a training activity. Agencies must now make the sole determination based on specific criteria:
The announced purpose of the conference is educational or instructional.
More than half of the time is scheduled for a planned, organized exchange of information between presenters and audience, which meets the definition of training in section 4101 of title 5 of the U.S. Code.
The content of the conference is germane to improving individual or organizational performance.
Development benefits will be derived through the employee's attendance.
OMB and Treasury Release Federal Spending Transparency Data Standards
As part of the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act of 2014, departments and agencies must improve the transparency of spending data, including data for all federal funds made available to or expended by federal agencies and entities receiving federal funds. The Department of the Treasury and the Office of Management and Budget have issued data standards. This is relevant to managers because they must comply with the standards for their administration of budgets.
https://max.gov/maxportal/assets/public/offm/DataStandardsFinal.htm
OPM Modernizes Family Leave Policies to Recruit and Retain Talent and Improve Productivity
OPM, under the direction of a presidential memorandum, updated the family leave policies for childbirth, adoption, and the placement of a foster child. This brings federal policies in alignment with leading practices in the private sector and ensures that government remains an ideal work environment for talent looking to start or expand a family.