A bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation that would require federal agencies to maximize telework for the rest of the coronavirus pandemic. The Pandemic Federal Telework Act comes in response to COVID-19 cases rising across the U.S. while agencies consider bringing personnel back into the office. All eligible employees would be allowed to telework full-time, and agencies would have to evaluate extending the option to other workers, should the bill become law. Dave Nyczepir has more.

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The FEVS is MIA

Usually, by this point in the year, the Office of Personnel Management would be well on its way to producing the results of the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey for release. But in 2020, OPM hasn't even sent the survey out to federal employees yet, much to the chagrin of Rep. Gerry Connolly. The agency has now twice delayed the launch of the annual survey, which gauges federal employee satisfaction and perceptions on agency leadership. The first delay was warranted, Connolly writes in a new letter to acting OPM Director Michael Rigas, but the most recent one comes without a valid reason, leading the congressman to believe the agency has engaged in an “apparent mishandling” of the survey. Billy Mitchell has more.

A new focus for DHS

Now more than 15 years old, the Department of Homeland Security is at a crossroads. It is the face of some of the Trump administration’s most controversial policies, but it is also charged with protecting critical infrastructure, including elections, from hacking. A new report from former senior DHS officials suggests the department to ditch the “most partisan” aspects of its work and double down on its cybersecurity investments. Sean Lyngaas has more.

Massachusettes bets on blockchain

Blockchain, which state and local governments have been prodding curiously the past several years, will get another push in Massachusetts. The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative’s Innovation Institute announced this month it will explore how the technology could be adopted within municipal governments to improve transparency and reliability in record-keeping. “It is about efficiency and it is about cost containment,” said institute director Patrick Larkin. “If you can create efficiencies that wring out costs and scale it on a regional basis, instead of individual municipalities, removing layers of review or redundant paperwork because of the security and the transparency, here is a value proposition that needs to be developed.” Colin Wood has the story.

Job of the Day

Chief Information Security Officer | Department of Homeland Security

The Chief Information Security Officer serves as the principal adviser to the CIO for the DHS enterprise information security program. The CISO is responsible for performing and supervising work associated with risk management, policy, compliance, and oversight in alignment with DHS strategic direction. Through the planning, analysis, development, implementation, maintenance, and enhancement of information security programs, policies, procedures, and tools, the CISO provides the cyber security oversight for enterprise Information Technology services across DHS. Apply here.