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Hearing
Incorporating Social Media into Federal Background Investigations

PURPOSE: To better understand why social media information is not currently used in conducting background investigations. To learn what pilot programs have found to date, and what plans are ...
Hearing
D.C. Home Rule: Examining the Intent of Congress in the District of Columbia Home Rule Act of 1973

PURPOSE: To evaluate the intent of Congress in passing the District of Columbia (DC) Home Rule Act of 1973. To understand potential repercussions for the District if the Budget Autonomy Act is implemented. BACKGROUND: The DC Home Rule Act provides for a limited delegation of local legislative powers to the DC government. Congress retained its constitutional authority as the supreme legislative ...
Hearing
Examining Management Practices and Misconduct at TSA: Part II

TAKEAWAYS: High attrition rates at the agency are contributing to longer wait times and other operational challenges at airports around the country. In 2014, TSA lost 4,644 employees while only hiring 373 individuals. Administrator Neffenger acknowledged the need to improve discipline for misconduct within the agency. Senior TSA officials wasted millions of dollars on involuntary directed reassignments as a means of retaliating against ...
Hearing
Reforming the Postal Service: Finding a Viable Solution

TAKEAWAYS: Substantive and comprehensive legislative reform is urgently needed due to the deteriorating financial condition at USPS. Chairman Chaffetz announced plans to release a postal reform discussion draft in coming ...
Hearing
Criminal Aliens Released by the Department of Homeland Security

TAKEAWAYS: The discretionary release of dangerous criminals by ICE places local communities at risk. The Administration's policies have led to the release of 86,288 criminal aliens who committed 231,074 crimes since 2013. President Obama’s executive actions on immigration ...
Hearing
The Best and Worst Places to Work in the Federal Government

PURPOSE: To examine the health of agencies continuing to rank at the top and at the bottom of the Best Places to Work BACKGROUND: The Office of Personnel Management administers the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey which provides federal ...
Hearing
Examining Management Practices and Misconduct at TSA: Part I

  TAKEAWAYS: As a result of a chilling culture of intimidation and retaliation at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), security gaps go unaddressed, and senior employees are not held accountable ...
Hearing
Barriers to Endangered Species Act Delisting, Part II

PURPOSE: To continue the examination of the current barriers the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service face when making a determination and attempting to delist species from the Endangered Species Act (ESA). BACKGROUND: The ESA provides for the conservation of species endangered or threatened throughout all or a significant portion of their range, and the conservation of the ...
Hearing
Barriers to Endangered Species Act Delisting, Part I

PURPOSE: To explore barriers the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service face when making a determination and attempting to delist species from the ESA. BACKGROUND: The Endangered Species Act (ESA) provides for the conservation of species endangered or threatened throughout all or a significant portion of their range, and the conservation of the ecosystems on which they ...
Hearing
Federal Cybersecurity Detection, Response, and Mitigation

PURPOSE: To examine federal agencies’ capabilities and procedures to detect and mitigate cybersecurity vulnerabilities. BACKGROUND: The increasing use of common and shared hardware, software, and information infrastructure across the federal government increases the likelihood for cybersecurity vulnerabilities to occur, as well as the resulting level of damage if vulnerabilities persist. Recent media ...