A Day In The GovLife is series that profiles people in interesting or unusual government jobs and gets the scoop on what it’s like to be in that role and how you can get there. Day In The GovLife Interviewee: Raymond Limon Job: Chief Human Capital Officer at the Corporation for National and Community ServiceRead… Read more »
The West Coast is famous for being sprawling, but some cities are now using technology to reduce traffic congestion. According to a recent article in Government Technology, some of their innovative solutions include: Green lights that automatically adjust with traffic flows in Portland Creating HOT lanes that allow drivers to pay varying rates depending onRead… Read more »
This morning, I attended a panel discussion at the Brookings Institution titled “How Social Networking Can Re-Invigorate American Democracy Civic Participation.” That’s a pretty tall order for social media, if you ask me, but the panel was enlightening nonetheless. Speakers included Mindy Finn, Partner at Engage; Diana Owen, Associate Professor of Political Science at GeorgetownRead… Read more »
Does your organization suffer from “application bloat”? If you’re managing a different budget tracking system for each department or have to input every employee into multiple online training systems, your organization might have too many applications. State and local governments are trying to figure out ways to streamline their IT costs by consolidating and standardizingRead… Read more »
The mail has been losing out to faster forms of communication for some time now, and it’s put a serious financial strain on the Postal Service. Congress is now looking at dramatically overhauling the agency to return it to financial solvency. Last week, Representative Darrell Issa (R-California) introduced The Postal Reform Act, which would restructureRead… Read more »
Police in Rocky River, Ohio, are supplying its citizens with high-tech electronic bracelets that use cell phone technology to pinpoint the wearer’s location. Rocky River’s population is nearly one third senior citizens, making them the target audience for this new technology. The bracelets are tied into the 911 system, allowing police to rapidly respond ifRead… Read more »
The federal government hired 72,000 veterans in FY 2010, an increase of about 2,000 new hires compared to FY 2009. However, according to the Washington Post, representatives from the American Legion don’t think the government is doing enough for veterans. “We’re just not satisfied with that,” said Joseph Sharpe, director of the organization’s economic division.Read… Read more »
Do you have a great idea on how to use technology to improve government? If so, the Merit Awards want to hear from you. According to a recent story in GovTech, MeriTalk will be awarding $50,000 for the “most innovative, problem-solving and cost-saving proposal centered on technology.” Ideas can be entered in one of eightRead… Read more »
In an effort to further trim the fat from the federal budget, the White House is capping the amount of money available for employee awards, according to the Washington Post. The new policy limits the total amount of money available for performance awards, not how much can be awarded to an individual. Specifically, the awardRead… Read more »
Sounds a little crazy to call the internet your religion, right? If someone asked me my religion, I’d have to grudgingly say Catholic. Regardless of what you believe in, this is a pretty inspiring story about how the internet literally saved Jim Gilliam’s life. FromTechPresident’s recent Personal Democracy Forum annual event (heard it was awesome!)Read… Read more »