In a proposed rule submitted to the Federal Register on July 20, the Office of Personnel Management implements provisions within the FY 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (FY 2020 NDAA) that ensure the continuation of certain federal benefits and services in the event of a lapse in appropriations. The FY 2020 NDAA names certain Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program and Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) services as emergency services under the Antideficiency Act.

Representative Bennie Thompson (D-MS) and Representative Kathleen Rice (D-NY) sent a letter to Acting Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Chad Wolf and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Chief Operating Officer and Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Commissioner Mark Morgan this week urging the DHS to halt deployments to the southwest border as the region experiences a spike in coronavirus cases. The lawmakers warned that further deployments may place a strain on “already overwhelmed” local health resources.

In guidance issued on Tuesday, the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) clarified questions relating to use and displays of the phrase “Black Lives Matter” (BLM) while on duty or in the federal workplace. The guidance addresses two central questions: whether BLM terminology is inherently political activity and whether the Black Lives Matter Global Network (BLMGN) is a partisan political group. OSC found the answer to both questions to be no, which under the Hatch Act generally allows employees to engage in BLM-related activity while on duty or in the workplace.

As millions of federal workers conduct their business remotely due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the Chief Information Officers (CIO) Council has released their views on best practices for working remotely. The guidance acknowledges that the expansion of telecommuting activities has increased the potential for sensitive government projects and information to be exposed to unauthorized individuals.

The Census Bureau has made adjustments to its 2020 Decennial Census operations in order to ensure the count occurs without risking the safety and wellbeing of the employees enumerating the American public. To get the count started, the Census Bureau announced this week that the agency has hired some 900,000 temporary employees to conduct in person confirmations of addresses.

On Friday, President Trump signed an executive order on Modernizing and Reforming the Assessment and Hiring of Federal Job Candidates. The order calls upon agencies to increase use of skills assessments and interviews with subject matter experts in the hiring process, with less of an emphasis placed on degree requirements. The goal, according to the Trump Administration, is to broaden the pool of potential candidates and create a more equitable hiring process.

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.