Rep. Bruce Braley (D-Iowa) has proposed a bill to extend the Plain Language Act to all federal regulations, Federal News Radio reports. Since October, agencies have been required to write their publications in language the general public can understand. In January, the Office of Management and Budget asked agencies to include executive summaries at the top of proposed [...]

The IBM Center for the Business of Government will host a 12-week course on the government’s use of social media starting in February. According to IBM, the course will provide training on several platforms: Social networks like Facebook and GovLoop Information networks like Twitter and Quora Blogging platforms like Tumblr and WordPress Wiki platforms like [...]

President Obama has named Jeffrey Zients as acting director of the Office of Management and Budget, according to a White House announcement Tuesday. Zients held the positions of deputy director for management and chief performance officer for the OMB since June 19, 2009. From July-November 2010, Zients filled in as acting director for OMB after Peter [...]

Sameer Bhalotra is expected to resign as the White House’s deputy cybersecurity coordinator within the next few weeks, Federal News Radio reported Tuesday. According to Federal News Radio, government and industry sources confirmed Bhalotra is scheduled to move to Northern California after his wife secured a job in the area. Bhalotra was named deputy cybersecurity [...]

The Department of Homeland Security has named a new director of the National Cybersecurity division to replace Nicole Dean, who is leaving Jan. 22 for Raytheon, Federal News Radio reports.  FNR obtained an email indicating that the agency had named John Streufert to be director of the division and DHS confirmed the report. Streufert will start [...]

On Friday, President Obama will ask Congress for the power to merge six federal trade and commerce agencies, the Wall Street Journal reports. The report says Obama will ask Congress for “reorganizational” power. The last president to have this power was Ronald Reagan. The new power would allow the president to propose mergers in order to [...]

While there is guidance available for both the public and private sector for cybersecurity, the Government Accountability Office has decided that more could be done to promote the appropriate use of the current guidelines in place. The GAO issued a report outlining a study of private sector cybersecurity guidelines in seven areas including banking and finance, communications, [...]

Army Lt. Gen. Carroll F. Pollett has retired as director of the Defense Information Systems Agency. Pollett transferred directorship to U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Ronnie D. Hawkins, Jr., during a ceremony at the agency’s headquarters complex, DISA announced Wednesday. Pollett wast appointed to his position at DISA in 2008. He is retiring after more than [...]

The U.S. Air Force announced Thursday it is looking to eliminate an additional 4,500 positions as a continuation of its fiscal year 2012 civilian restructure, according to a release. “We value our talented and experienced workforce and are trying to do everything possible to manage these reductions with as little impact to our people as [...]

The Office of Management and Budget issued a memo Jan. 4 calling for government agencies to provide executive summaries at the beginning of all enacted rules and regulations. According to Cass Sunstein, administrator of the OMB’s information and regulatory affairs office, summaries should be written in “plain language and easy to understand.” In a Jan. 6 blog post, Sunstein wrote the purpose of the [...]