Tech

House passes GSA transparency bill to track tech projects

Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, said he introduced the bill to respond to the agency's misrepresentations about the capabilities of the government-run digital identity service Login.gov.

Tech

SSA launches a public data hub for customer service goals

The new online portal offers a look at how the agency is doing, as its new commissioner passes his 100-day mark on the job.

Tech

Connolly presses EPA on air quality IT with new bill

Legislation the Virginia Democrat introduced Tuesday would codify watchdog recommendations to assess decades-old systems at the EPA.

Tech

States get streamlined access to Treasury’s Do Not Pay system for unemployment

The move comes as federal agencies have worked with states to combat the rise in jobless aid fraud following the pandemic.

Tech

IRS considers the future of its Direct File pilot

The agency hasn’t decided if it’ll field the program long term but does say that user feedback of the tool has largely been positive.

Management

House panel advances bill to make federal contracting easier to understand

The Plain Language in Contracting Act would require agencies to use easy-to-understand language for certain procurement notices pertaining to small businesses.

Management

Bipartisan group looks to push IRS towards simpler math error notices

The IRS MATH Act would require the tax agency to send more specific, straightforward notices when it corrects simple math errors on tax returns.

Management

New rule cements sustainability mandate for federal buyers

A new update to the Federal Acquisition Regulation is meant to help the government meet goals for net-zero procurement by 2050.

Tech

100,000 have used IRS Direct File to submit their tax returns

The agency has not yet determined whether the pilot program for the tool will be extended into a permanent offering.

Oversight

HHS removed Login from its grantee payment system after funding theft

Hackers used data from a federal contracting hub to steal funding from seven grantee organizations in an HHS breach that occurred last year. Both HHS and GSA say that Login.gov was not compromised or connected to the theft.

Management

Senate bill looks to chop through red tape in procurement

The bipartisan legislation aims to both expand access to special acquisition authorities and give new, innovative contractors more opportunities to work with the government.

Oversight

Lawmakers propose extending pandemic analytics center beyond 2025 sunset

Oversight officials say that the Pandemic Analytics Center of Excellence needs to survive past the looming sunset date, unlike a similar analytics center used to oversee stimulus spending that shuttered in 2015.

Management

Top women officials say there’s more work to do on gender balance in government tech

Women seem to be far more common in government’s top tech leadership positions than they used to be, but “we are far from done,” one such leader warns.

Tech

New White House policy mandates safeguards for federal AI use

The White House also announced new hiring goals for AI talent, a request for information on the procurement of AI and more.

News

NAPA's Terry Gerton to step down

The longest-serving president of the influential public policy group is leaving at the end of the year.

Tech

IRS has some of the oldest tech in government — it’s trying to change that

Agency leadership views the “historic funding” provided under the Inflation Reduction Act as an opportunity to get out from under the list of needed tech improvements that have long plagued the IRS.

Management

Biden seeks more than $500M for customer experience in 2025 budget

New digital service teams and a focus on the "voice of the customer" are among the CX funding requests in the FY2025 budget request.

Tech

Tech questions at the border

Critics say the Customs and Border Protection app CBP One is glitchy and unfair to migrants.

Management

Civil Rights commission digs into government use of facial recognition

The tech poses “serious threats to our fundamental rights,” the chair of the commission said during a Friday briefing.