GovExec Daily

Paid family leave for federal employees has been a goal of Congressional Democrats for years and that goal got closer to fulfillment last week when a House panel advanced a bill that would provide 12 weeks of paid family leave to federal employees. The bill is far from law and its advancement was not without controversy in committee.

GovExec Senior Correspondent Erich Wagner covers the workforce. He joined the show to talk about paid family leave and other stories he has been covering.

The pandemic has reoriented the way most of us work and the federal civil service is no different. Since maximum telework was instituted in the spring of 2020, the federal government has had to make a series of adjustments to its operations, including remote work and hiring practices. It remains to be seen if the pandemic changes will all stick, but administration personnel officials have signaled that the post-pandemic world will be different than the pre-pandemic world.

As part of Government Executive and Nextgov's Future of Work event recently, GovExec Deputy Editor and frequent govexec daily guest Katherine McIntire Peters interviewed Rob Shriver, who is Associate Director for Employee Services at the Office of Personnel Management. Shriver discussed the future of telework, hiring and government work itself in this stage of the pandemic and beyond.

Both public and private sector spaces are in the process of reopening, signaling a new phase in the pandemic. While the U.S. is near the top of worldwide vaccination rates, we're still short of the 70% White House goal. As the new school year approaches and new COVID-19 variants spread, the concern about a lack of an approved vaccine for kids under 12 has become an issue.

Courtney Bublé writes the Coronavirus Update on GovExec.com. She joined the show to discuss the vaccine situation and update the COVID-19 stories she has been covering.

Earlier this year, President Joe Biden issued an executive order requiring that the minimum wage paid by government contractors be at least $15 per hour. The order will not affect the overwhelming majority of contract workers, its implementation will not be as easy as the White House and its supporters hope.

Stan Soloway is president and CEO of Celero Strategies, LLC and a GovExec contributor. He formerly served as deputy undersecretary of Defense for acquisition reform and director of the Defense Reform Initiative during Bill Clinton's administration. He has a post on our site right now headlined "Raising the Contractor Minimum Wage: It's Not as Simple as it Looks." He joined the show to discuss his piece and the complications around Biden's executive order.

As more Americans get vaccinated against COVID-19, more spaces are opening up maskless for those who have received the vaccine. Federal agencies are in the process of creating reopening and in-person operational plans, but can run into real trouble if they use the honor system as much of the private sector is doing now.

Stephanie Rapp-Tully is a partner and federal employment attorney with Tully Rinckey PLLC's Washington, D.C. office. She joined the show to discuss vaccine policies and liabilities for feds and agencies.

Last week, the United States Postal Service boasted its third quarter service was the strongest in a year. The news comes after the pandemic hit USPS particularly hard, with thousands having to take COVID-related time off and on-time delivery numbers dropping during the pandemic period. This all coincided with then-new Postmaster General Louis DeJoy's massive operational changes.

Senior Correspondent Eric Katz covers USPS. He joined the podcast to discuss the on-time delivery announcement, the fate of DeJoy and other postal stories he has been covering.

The COVID-19 pandemic taught many lessons. Perhaps one of the biggest is how much artificial intelligence can help innovate and increase the efficacy of billing and health care records. Agencies like the Department of Health and Human Services and the Defense Department have already used AI to analyze contract and manufacturing information to order PPE during the heart of the pandemic.

Ashley Mehta is the CEO and founder of Nolij, a firm specializing in federal IT health care. She joined GovExec Daily to discuss how AI can help solve big problems and why she believes now is the the time to take on the private sector.

Climate change is an emphasis for President Joe Biden and his administration has promised a government-wide focus on climate. Federal housing and community development programs will be a part of that focus, including at the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Sarah Cunningham is a director at Summit Consulting and a former official with the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Office of Management and Budget Doug Criscitello is currently a Managing Director with Grant Thornton Public Sector LLC and is also a former official with HUD and OMB. They are co-authors of a post on GovExec now headlined "Climate Resilience Starts at Home." They joined the show to discuss the intersection of climate and housing policy in the Biden administration.

When talking with young people about career planning, many in Generation X want to make a difference or work for positive change. The federal civil service is one avenue for that, but it's increasingly difficult for Generation Z to get into the federal government. With an aging workforce, this not only presents a major challenge in the immediate future, but a longer term problem for the government of the future.

Kaitlyn Rentala is the author of the book, The Public Sector Pivot: How Gen Z Will Lead a Renaissance in Public Service and a rising senior at the University of Pennsylvania studying Philosophy, Politics, and Economics, with a globalization concentration. She has a post on our site right now headlined "Gen Z Could Lead a Renaissance in Public Service—If Only They Could Get In." She joined the podcast to discuss the hurdles that are keeping young people out of the federal government.

Last month, the Senate passed a $250 billion bipartisan tech and manufacturing bill aimed at countering China. The U.S. Innovation and Competition Act is not only one of the largest industrial bills in U.S. history, but it could be also be one of the last major bipartisan bills of 2021.

While this amount of investment may be impressive, serious questions are being raised about whether America has the infrastructure in place to drive tangible results and if much of the investment will just be wasted. Robert Lowe is the CEO of Wellspring and he joined the podcast to discuss why this investment is much needed and what steps can be taken to avoid it becoming an albatross.