Federal Manager's Daily Report: Wednesday, October 13, 2004 FEDweek is the largest information resource in the federal government with now over one million weekly readers. To Subscribe, Go to http://www.fedweek.com/subscribepopup.htm *********************************************************** Valuable Information for the Federal Family
Federal Job Search http://www.fedweek.com/Jobs/default.asp Job Bulletin Board http://www.fedweek.com/Jobs/default.asp Brand New Federal Manager's Daily Report--FREE Daily Electronic Briefing http://www.fedweek.com/subscribepopup.htm ********************************************************** In This Week's Issue 1. Provision to Fire IRS Employees for Misconduct Questioned 2. IRS Needs Full Set of Goals and Measures to Evaluate ETC Process 3. Army Boosts Conversion of Slots to Civilian 4. New Publication Announcement ************************************************************ 1. Provision to Fire IRS Employees for Misconduct Questioned Members of Congress and the Internal Revenue Service are questioning the effectiveness of Section 1203 of the IRS Restructuring and Reform Act of 1998 that defines 10 acts for which an IRS employee can be fired--the so-called "10 Deadly Sins"--many involving the falsification of taxpayer information, or certain forms of taxpayer-harassment, the Government Accountability Office has said. It said Congress and IRS officials are concerned that the rules might dissuade enforcement employees from appropriately responding to noncompliance -- and that the process used by IRS and the Treasury Inspector General to review allegations against employees is overly time consuming and inconsistent. There is some question as to whether all the provisions of the section should be retained, according to GAO-04-1039R. The report said one change Congress is considering amending the section by "deleting the requirement that IRS employees be fired for failing to file a tax return on time when they are owed a refund." IRS managers have said that a task force is studying the employee tax compliance part of the process and will likely recommend changes to it soon -- and that the task force would attempt to speed up the ETC process and help "educate employees about their responsibilities to comply with federal tax law," said GAO. 2. IRS Needs Full Set of Goals and Measures to Evaluate ETC Process The report said IRS has taken some actions to evaluate the effectiveness of Section 1203, but that it "has not yet developed a full set of goals and measures for evaluating the process." Further, IRS has yet to measure the effects of Section 1203 on enforcement programs, according to GAO. It said IRS officials stated that they believe Section 1203 could have a "chilling effect on enforcement, " and that they stressed the importance of measuring its effects. IRS plans to measure employee willingness to take action under Section 1203 with an agency-wide survey beginning with enforcement employees responsible for contacting small business owners and self-employed taxpayers, said GAO. However, it said IRS officials were concerned about the effectiveness of conducting surveys, given the time and effort needed as well as the relatively few allegations involving contacts with taxpayers in recent years. IRS is considering getting input on Section 1203 through focus groups, and officials said that pending the completion of the 2004 survey, they would decide whether to continue the survey, how often, and if IRS employees should be included in it, said GAO. 3. Army Boosts Conversion of Slots to Civilian The Army has ordered an increase in the number of positions it intends to convert from military to civilian status, effectively increasing the number of federal employee positions that Army managers will have available to accomplish their missions. The Army in mid-September ordered the conversion of 8,360 military positions to civilian performance in fiscal 2005, citing the increased operational tempo of active duty military forces and the desire to fee up military positions to perform tasks for which uniformed personnel are required. "This initiative enhances Army force capabilities, reduces stress on the current force, and spreads the operational tempo over more units," said an Army notice, which also noted that the Army has announced plans to build and sustain at least 10 and potentially 15 new active component combat modular brigades. The net effect of the change will be to increase the Army�s goal of military to civilian conversions from 10,000 to 15,000. Some of the positions could go to contractor performance rather than civilian federal employee performance, however. Also, of the positions approved for conversion in fiscal 2005, about 1,500 are on old pending further review. 4. New Publication Announcement http://fedweek.sparklist.com/t/294960425/821889/1/0/ Passman & Kaplan announces the October 2004 publication of the SECOND EDITION of the Federal Employees Legal Survival Guide. This comprehensive book, first published by Passman & Kaplan in 1999, has been called the definitive how-to guide for enforcing the rights of federal employees. The second edition of the Guide includes 100 PAGES OF ADDITIONAL NEW MATERIAL (now 616 total pages) and useful advice. New features include information on internet legal research, preparing for and conducting a hearing, sample discovery requests, and up-to-date contact information for federal personnel agencies. The Guide also includes a listing of frequently used civil service acronyms and practical appendices of sample forms, charts illustrating appeal rights, and commonly-needed deadlines. As with the first edition of the Guide, Passman & Kaplan has attempted to move away from the "legalese" which so often complicates an already-bewildering array of regulations and policies. Although the Federal Employees Legal Survival Guide, Second Edition is clearly an invaluable resource for practioners, Passman & Kaplan has maintained its commitment to target the book to the average federal employee. *********************************************************** To place your order for The Federal Employees Legal Survival Guide just go to http://fedweek.sparklist.com/t/294960425/821889/1/0/ and place your secure order online. The cost of this publication is only $49.95 Plus $6 s&h--Remember, this is a 616 page reference that is chalked full of invaluable information that every federal manager must have! Or you can mail your order with payment of $55.95 to FEDweek, PO Box 5519, Glen Allen, VA 23058. This is a one of a kind book you can't afford to be without! ************************************************************ FEDweek 11541 Nuckols Rd. 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