Each year, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which authorizes trillions in government programs, is seen as a ‘must pass’ piece of legislation to which lawmakers can add various amendments relating to military and civilian personnel matters. Last week, U.S. Senators Rob Portman (R-OH) and Brian Schatz (D-HI) introduced the Deepfake Report Act as an amendment to the Senate’s FY 2021 NDAA.

The Office of Personnel Management issued guidance on several elements of annual leave and other paid time off (PTO) last week in a memo from Acting Director Michael Rigas to agency heads. The memo clarifies and provides additional resources for employees on annual leave “use or lose” provisions impacted by COVID-19, restoration of annual leave, compensatory time off for travel, compensatory time off for overtime, credit hours, and disabled veteran leave.

This week, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Senators Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) introduced the Lawful Access to Encrypted Data Act. The bill would require service providers and device manufacturers to assist law enforcement in accessing encrypted data or devices necessary for investigations after a court issues a warrant based on probable cause that a crime has occurred.

House Government Operations Subcommittee Chairman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) sent letters to the Inspector General (IG) offices of 24 federal agencies requesting they develop assessment plans for reviewing their agencies’ plans for reopening. The letters criticize a lack of cooperation with oversight bodies from the Office of Management and Budget and Office of Personnel Management.

This week on 60 Minutes, Norah O’Donnell and the CBS investigative team did a deep dive into the federal agency responsible for providing federal employees with appeal rights should they be disciplined, demoted, or fired: the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB). Since 2017, the MSPB has lacked a quorum of board members, preventing it from fully functioning. For over a year, the board has not had any members at all.

Congressional Democrats introduced a legislative package this week to address policing issues as law enforcement accountability makes national headlines. The 135-page package entitled the Justice in Policing Act includes a host of changes to federal and state law enforcement practices and increases federal oversight over state and local police departments.

Several companies have announced plans to suspend cooperation with the federal government on facial recognition technology. Both IBM and Amazon announced this week concerns that, absent proper regulation, the technology could replicate biases that lead to racial profiling or improper use. Amazon has given the federal government one year to impose stronger regulations on the technology’s use.

Amid national conversations regarding race in the United States, the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) has launched an online portal to provide Americans with additional resources to both reflect on their own history with race and lead conversation about race. The portal provides targeted guidance for educators, parents or caregivers, and people committed to equity, as well as a multitude of resources delving into the history of race and racism.

Legislation introduced by Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) to expand the jurisdiction of the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) to include alleged DOJ attorney misconduct will be taken up next week during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.

The Census Bureau has issued a Request for Information (RFI) to help determine their cybersecurity acquisition strategy for the next decade. The RFI solicits information on industry best practices on cybersecurity and seeks recommendation on how to best acquire the knowledge and expertise to meet cybersecurity needs over the next ten years.

The Postal Service is testing a daily temperature check “proof of concept” in Northern Virginia and Oklahoma City for employees reporting to work and returning from quarantine.

Officials at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) sat down with GovExec to discuss the plan for recalling federal employees to their offices. Officials indicate that the government will take a piecemeal approach based on different regions and agency needs.

The Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery (SIGPR) Expedited Hiring Authority Act allows the SIGPR to bypass the current government hiring process to allow the office to quickly ramp up oversight operations.

This week the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA) supported several legislative items aimed at assisting law enforcement during Police Week. FLEOA began the week by announcing a lawsuit against the state of New Jersey over their preemption of the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act (LEOSA). On the legislative front, the organization representing some 28,000 federal law enforcement officers across 65 federal agencies supported initiatives ranging from assisting with the pandemic response to filling gaps in law enforcement protections abroad.

The Senior Executives Association announced a new task force last week to develop management assessment models for federal agencies. The task force marks the second phase of the Project on Assessing Management Quality. The first phase recently concluded with a special report on how agencies can determine if their offices are well managed.

The Department of Labor (DOL) has issued guidance for federal employees for filing claims under the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act due to the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19). All federal employees who develop COVID-19 while in performance of their federal duties are entitled to workers’ compensation coverage.

Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) has introduced legislation to require the Department of Justice (DOJ) to work with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop guidance and training for law enforcement to identify and combat domestic violence during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Federal Employee Education and Assistance Fund (FEEA) has expanded their Coronavirus Hardship Program to provide additional relief to families experiencing financial hardship due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation.

The National Security Agency (NSA) has provided guidance for agencies on determining which video conferencing tools should be using during telework periods. The guidance provides nine factors for consideration to determine which platform should be used. The guidance only applies to commercial applications such as Zoom, which have become increasingly popular for office communications during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) on Wednesday released guidance to agencies on implementing the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act (EPSLA) provision of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). The guidance includes a summary of the statutory and regulatory requirements for federal employees to access their paid leave.