The Department of Defense has launched a fitness challenge for its civilian workers with the goal to record 1.5 million hours of physical activity by Oct. 31.
DoD’s Civilian Personnel Policy Office is sponsoring the “Leap Into Fall” campaign, which began Aug. 16, Kathleen Ott, acting deputy undersecretary of defense for the [...]

Following the House’s approval, President Barack Obama yesterday signed into law a legislation that will provide $26 billion to struggling states by closing tax loopholes that encourage businesses to offshore jobs and cutting food aid to the poor.
The House voted 247 to 161 for the bill that will provide $16.1 billion in additional Medicaid money [...]

The U.S. Census Bureau announced today it will be returning $1.6 billion in its 2010 Census operations costs.
The savings represent 22 percent of 2010 Census costs this fiscal year.
“This is a significant accomplishment, and I would like to thank the American public for responding to the census and the more than 255,000 private and public [...]

The Department of Homeland Security announced Friday it will begin collecting fees on travelers from Visa Waiver countries to fund a new tourism-promotion campaign.
Travelers will be charged a $14 fee when applying for an Electronic System for Travel Authorization. A portion of the fee will go toward funding the Corporation for Travel Promotion, created by [...]

During a Middle Class Task Force meeting last week, Vice President Joe Biden and Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission Jon Leibowitz revealed new rules that protect consumers from unfair practices in debt-relief services.
The rules, which will take effect Oct. 27, 2010, will require companies that sell debt-relief services over the telephone to no longer [...]

According to a report the Obama administration is scheduled to release today, the new healthcare overhaul will begin producing immediate significant savings for Medicare, savings of about $8 billion by the end of next year and $575 billion over the rest of the decade.
The Obama administration report states the healthcare reform will strengthen Medicare, as [...]

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued today its final regulations of the rules for the Pre-Existing Conditions Insurance Plan, a temporary plan designed to cover uninsured Americans with pre-existing conditions until 2014.
The regulation describes the options for determining who has a pre-existing condition, how to verify citizenship, how an individual can appeal [...]

The unemployment benefits extension bill passed through the Senate on Wednesday night after weeks of legislative debate.
The bill passed with a vote of 59-39 and will restore unemployment insurance benefits to 2.5 million people who lost their benefits during a fight over whether to add the $34 billion cost to the federal deficit. It also [...]

U.S. Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry and agency and Congressional leaders will be participating in the “Feds Feed Families” food drive this afternoon at the Frederick Douglass Community Center in Anacostia, Washington, D.C.
The federal leaders will be promoting nutrition, literacy and fitness with the young people at the center in hopes [...]

The largest financial regulation overhaul in generations made its way through Congress yesterday after Senate approved it and sent it to the desk of President Barack Obama.
After almost a year of debating over its new rules, the bill passed with a vote of 60-39 vote and proves to be a huge victory for Obama after [...]