Federal Daily - April 16, 2009

GAO Seeks 3.5% Staffing Increase in FY 2010

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is seeking to increase agency staffing by 3.5 percent next year, growing the workforce from 3,141 to 3,250 employees, according to the GAO’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 budget request released April 13. The 109 additional full-time permanent employees would help the agency deal with increased demand for services as well as avoid the recurrence of FY 2008 investigation delays that were caused by personnel shortages, GAO said in a statement. The FY 2010 budget request of $567.5 million represents an increase of about $36.5 million, or 6.9 percent, over the FY 2009 appropriation. The agency’s workload has increased—in FY 2007 and FY 2008, GAO received over 1,200 requests for oversight studies each year, a 13 percent increase over the number of requests received in FY 2006. Also, congressional mandates more than doubled in number from FY 2007 to FY 2008, the agency said. For example, GAO has new responsibilities in overseeing the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) as well as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The agency plans to temporarily add staff for TARP and ARRA oversight by rehiring experienced GAO staff as reemployed annuitants, and bringing in additional “surge” capacity under limited-term appointments, GAO said. To see more, go to: www.gao.gov/new.items/d09304sp.pdf.

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Holder Orders New Legal Training for DOJ Prosecutors

In the wake of the collapse of the case against ex-Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, Attorney General Eric Holder on April 14 announced new training classes for Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecutors on the rules for sharing evidence with defendants. Such evidence-sharing, called discovery, is required under the law. Holder said that in the coming weeks, DOJ will provide supplemental training to federal prosecutors on their discovery obligations in criminal cases. In addition, DOJ will create a working group of senior prosecutors and department officials from each agency component to review discovery practices in criminal cases. DOJ also is looking at whether it needs to provide additional courtroom-related resources—including staffing and information technology—to help prosecutors fulfill their discovery obligations. “The actions we are taking today are part of an ongoing process to ensure justice is served in every case the department brings,” Holder said. “We will continue to review how cases are managed before, during and after charges are filed, and where there is room for improvement, we will make additional changes.” To see more, go to: www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2009/April/09-opa-338.html.

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Schumer Blasts FAA Plan to Transfer Weather Personnel Out of NYC

Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., in an April 14 statement blasted a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) plan to transfer more than 100 aviation weather personnel and safety engineers out of their New York City-based offices as part of a nationwide consolidation effort. FAA intends to reduce or eliminate positions for experienced engineers at regional offices throughout the country, including Anchorage, Burlington/Nashua, Chicago, Kansas City, and Los Angeles, as well as New York, Schumer said. The senator said such a move by FAA would be short-sighted, and make it more difficult to maintain and update technology that keeps the congested air-space over New York City safe. Schumer was equally critical of the transfer of the weather forecasting positions. Each one of FAA’s 21 regional air route traffic control centers across the country—including the two that cover the New York City area—has a forecast unit, Schumer said. Under the proposed change, the 86 meteorologists working at those 21 sites would be consolidated at facilities in College Park, Md., and Kansas City, Mo. “The bottom line is the FAA’s consolidation plans could compromise air travel safety and reduce the efficiency of travel in New York City and we simply cannot allow that to happen,” Schumer said. In a letter, Schumer asked Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to direct FAA to scrap the plan. To see more, go to: http://schumer.senate.gov/new_website/record.cfm?id=311484.

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