Did the IRS Lose Your Email? – Plus the 7 Gov Stories

On GovLoop Insights’ DorobekINSIDER:

• When things go wrong, and they inevitably do, who is accountable? Who should take the blame? Who is responsible for sharing the bad news? We get insights with Tom Fox.

The SEVEN stories that impact your life

1. New York Times: House Panels Looking Into I.R.S.’s Claims of Lost Emails- The I.R.S. told investigators looking into accusations of politically motivated misconduct that two years’ worth of emails sent and received by an official, Lois Lerner, had been destroyed.

2. New York Times: V.A. Punished Critics on Staff, Doctors Assert- In response to employee whistle-blowers, the Department of Veterans Affairs has made clear over the years that it would not hesitate to retaliate, disciplining and even firing those who spoke up.

3. Government Executive: Executive Order Will Ban Contractors from Discriminating Against Gay Employees- “A flurry of news reports on Monday said President Obama has directed staff to prepare an executive order to prohibit federal contractors from discriminating against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees.”

4. FCW: DoD releases update to electronic health record plan- “The Department of Defense is one step closer to making its final pitch to industry for a modernized electronic health record system. The third draft of the DoD Healthcare Management System Modernization (DHMSM) solicitation was released June 12, and “promises to substantially reflect our final requirement,” according to a covering letter from program manager Capt. John Windom.”

5. Federal News Radio: GSA ends office supplies 2 contract; faces new protest on version 3- “The General Services Administration has decided not to extend the Office Supplies 2 strategic sourcing contract after all. GSA had proposed extending the OS2 contract through November after it expired May 31, but 11 vendors protested that decision. The complaints to the Government Accountability Office forced GSA to suspend OS2 until GAO decided the case.”

6. NextGov: FBI Orders 26,500 Licenses for Software to Guard Samsung Galaxy S5s – “The FBI on Monday opened up bidding for a contract to supply the feds with a year’s worth of the latest Samsung Knox security software suited for Galaxy S5 smartphones, and possibly other Samsung mobile devices.”

7. Federal Times: Labor Department proposes rule raising contractor minimum wage to $10.10- “The Labor Department has issued a proposed rule to raise the federal contractor minimum wage to $10.10 an hour for all contracts beginning January 1, 2015. The proposed rule, issued June 12, stems from a February presidential executive order mandating the increase in the contractor minimum wage and supports hard work with fair pay, Labor Department secretary Thomas Perez said in a statement.”

DorobekINSIDER water-cooler fodder… yes, we’re trying to help you make your water-cooler time better too…

• Boston: There’s an App for That: “Civic hacking” and the transformation of local government [Politico magazine] The Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics, a scrappy five-person team is charged with making Boston better through clever, low-cost hacks and delivering services to residents in an approach that’s as much cultural as it is technological… As “innovation” becomes all the rage in city government, New Urban Mechanics has created a unique brand of it. Bearing the imprint of its first patron, former Mayor Tom Menino, the office has relentlessly focused on delivering services to residents—an approach that’s as much cultural as it is technological. It’s “the first smart city leadership group that feels like it was designed by a political scientist instead of a computer engineer,” says Anthony Townsend, author of Smart Cities: Big Data, Civic Hackers, and Quest for a New Utopia. The model has produced nifty apps, made Boston a national leader in the field and survived this year’s transition to a new mayor, Marty Walsh. Now, MONUM is digging in for its oh-so-modest long-term goal: reinventing civic engagement for the 21st century.

  • Related: The Apps That Are Changing American Cities [Politico]

• One Chart Shows How Differently Millennials Think About Money [Boston Globe]

• Judges With Daughters More Often Rule in Favor of Women’s Rights [The New York Times] A study found the effect is especially pronounced in men who were appointed by Republican presidents.