 GovExec.com Today - October 31, 2007
 Today WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2007Subscribe or unsubscribe from this newsletter HEADLINES Brought to you by General Dynamics IT 
- Official defends Pentagon, VA moves toward e-health
By Aliya Sternstein, National Journal's Technology Daily The Defense and Veterans Affairs departments share a lot of electronic health records, contrary to what some observers believe, a VA official said Tuesday.
"We have made significant progress as to those two organizations, " Cliff Freeman, director of the program for sharing Defense and VA health information technology, told an audience of IT professionals who serve the federal government.
Last week at a House hearing, Government Accountability Office auditors said the departments have made progress in their long-term ambition to modernize their health systems and in piecemeal initiatives, like two-way viewing of certain data from existing systems. But GAO said much work remains to achieve electronic medical records that can be transmitted seamlessly.
Full story: http://www.govexec. com/story_ page.cfm? articleid= 38408&dcn=e_gvet
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- Union, law firm partner to pursue reservists' benefit claims
By Brittany R. Ballenstedt The American Federation of Government Employees has teamed up with a New York law firm to help federal employee reservists collect thousands of dollars in back pay.
The union and Tully, Rinckey & Associates will co-represent about 10,000 AFGE members who claim they were improperly charged leave for reserve duties, even if such duties occurred on weekends, federal holidays or other days when they were not regularly scheduled to work.
"Our partnership with AFGE shows true national leadership within the legal field by attorneys within our firm," said founding partner Mathew Tully. "The opportunity to connect with such a respected union and assist thousands of members is one which we are proud to have."
Full story: http://www.govexec. com/story_ page.cfm? articleid= 38401&dcn=e_gvet
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- Bush says he will veto 'three-bill pileup'
By Keith Koffler and Christian Bourge, CongressDaily Using some of the sharpest rhetoric of his presidency, President Bush attacked congressional Democrats Tuesday on an array of fronts, charging them with wasting time while seeking to raise taxes and overspend.
Bush, who spoke following a White House meeting with House Republicans, derided as a "cynical political strategy" a move being considered to combine the Defense and Military Construction- Veterans Affairs spending bills with a Labor-Health and Human Services measure that Bush says is overpriced.
"I will veto such a three-bill pileup," Bush declared while flanked by House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, and Minority Whip Roy Blunt, R-Mo. A decision to combine the bills has not been made, although Democratic leaders are leaning in that direction.
Full story: http://www.govexec. com/story_ page.cfm? articleid= 38410&dcn=e_gvet
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- IT security officials share concerns
By Heather Greenfield, National Journal's Technology Daily Government chief information security officers offered examples of emerging security threats they most worry about during an Information Technology Association of America security workshop Tuesday.
Patrick Howard, CISO for the Housing and Urban Development Department, said as more improvements are made to secure the perimeters of systems, he worries about more attacks through applications -- especially Web applications.
"That concerns me mainly because of the push to e-government, " Howard said. "Applications give a ready avenue to our data." He said in the rush to make information out, holes are built in and there is inadequate testing.
Full story: http://www.govexec. com/story_ page.cfm? articleid= 38409&dcn=e_gvet
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- Security contractor group looks beyond Blackwater controversy
By Robert Brodsky For the past several months, the International Peace Operations Association has been thrust under the shadow of its now former member, the private security contractor Blackwater USA.
When Blackwater guards shot and killed 17 Iraqi civilians, the media turned to the six-year-old association for the industry's perspective. And when the shootings sparked new legislation and changes to State Department regulations, the group issued statements and press releases.
But at the IPOA's annual conference this week, the focus was on the other missions of the association -- overseas peace operations, providing disaster relief and synchronizing logistics. Dozens of contractors from the group's 38 member companies, including many international firms, participated in the forum that ran Sunday through Wednesday at the Phoenix Park Hotel in Washington, D.C.
Full story: http://www.govexec. com/story_ page.cfm? articleid= 38407&dcn=e_gvet
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November 28-30, 2007 - Orlando, FL
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By Chris Strohm, CongressDaily House Homeland Security Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., on Tuesday called on the U.S. government and Israel to increase cooperative efforts on developing anti-terrorism technology, including by creating a funding pool to help spur innovation.
Thompson met with Israeli Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter to discuss provisions of a major homeland security bill Congress passed earlier this year calling for greater international cooperation. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Thompson said the bill, which was aimed at implementing recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, presents "an excellent opportunity to work with Israel." He said his committee will organize a visit to Israel "to look at some of the security measures that they've used over the years to address the issue of terrorism."
Thompson said the United States is already using some Israeli security practices, such as behavior recognition techniques by the Transportation Security Administration.
Full story: http://www.govexec. com/story_ page.cfm? articleid= 38411&dcn=e_gvet
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- Dems to leave Iraq bridge fund out of first spending package
By Peter Cohn, CongressDaily Under pressure from anti-war caucus members, House and Senate Democratic leaders have opted not to include temporary "bridge" funding to continue military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan as part of a massive $673 billion spending package being negotiated this week.
The measure will provide funding for five Cabinet departments and many smaller agencies, and the Pentagon's portion of the bill will equal the lion's share, about $460 billion.
The bill will also provide funds to the Veterans Affairs, Labor, Health and Human Services and Education departments for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2008. In addition, about $1 billion might be added for emergency measures to help respond to the recent wildfires in Southern California.
Full story: http://www.govexec. com/story_ page.cfm? articleid= 38402&dcn=e_gvet
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- Defense remains concerned C-5 aircraft costs may still rise
By Megan Scully, CongressDaily The Defense Department is reviewing an offer from Lockheed Martin Corp. to keep the price tag for the Air Force's C-5 Galaxy aircraft modernization program under control, but the Pentagon's No. 2 official has expressed concern that the proposal would not avert future cost increases.
In an Oct. 25 letter to several key senators, Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England assured lawmakers that the department is pursuing an extensive review of the troubled program to improve the cargo plane's reliability and replace its engines.
Also under review, he said, is Lockheed Martin's offer to sign a firm-fixed-price contract for the 108 aircraft awaiting upgrades.
Full story: http://www.govexec. com/story_ page.cfm? articleid= 38403&dcn=e_gvet
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- Fedblog: Dem Candidate Feels Alienated
By Tom Shoop Outside the bureaucracy, looking in.
Tuesday, October 30, 9:50 a.m. ET:
This is the time of the presidential election cycle when candidates from both parties are out there letting Americans know how they would exercise the levers of power if elected. New Mexico governor and Democratic candidate Bill Richardson made one of his priorities clear last Friday: finding out what really happened in Roswell, N.M. in 1947. Of course, many UFO buffs think they know exactly what happened: an alien spacecraft landed, the U.S. military took possession of it, and has been covering up the incident ever since.
Full column: http://blogs. govexec.com/ fedblog/
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- Today's column: Management Matters
Gen X Execs
The next generation of federal executives has begun its ascent.
Full column: http://www.govexec. com/dailyfed/ 1007/103107mm. htm
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- The Earlybird: Today's headlines
Get links to the top news of the day:
http://www.govexec. com/dailyfed/ ebird.htm
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- Quote of the Day
If we're lucky, Iraq and Afghanistan will be the rarest of means.
-- W. Robert Pearson, former director general of the Foreign Service, saying that the need for development assistance may grow faster than that for armed security in the coming years.
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Brought to you by Gartner
IT ChannelVision: Government Edition
November 28-30, 2007 - Orlando, FL
This premier Gartner event is dedicated to building partnerships in the government IT channel. Leading and emerging Vendors meet an invitation-only audience of senior-level Tier I/II Solution Providers focused on federal, state, and local government. The proven format offers a unique combination of education, executive interaction and marketplace exposure through Private Boardroom Appointments, One-on-One Meetings, World Premieres, Industry Insight sessions and executive networking.
Vendors, contact: Mary Fogarty, 603-471-4227
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10-31-2007, 12:02 PM
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