projections in 5 year strategic plan undermined by volume short fall

A recent analysis of a four-week period that ended September 8 found that First Class Mail volume had fallen 4.6 percent compared to the same period last week. This is particularly disturbing since the Postal Service’s plan did not anticipate a significant volume short fall this soon in a significant revenue source. In fiscal year 1999, first class mail accounted for $35 billion of $65 billion in revenue. Now it appears that the Postal Service needs significantly more than the 0.6 percent projected growth in first class mail in fiscal year 2001 for the good of its financial health.

access to health care for children of federal employees

Last October, Congress passed and the President signed into law the Federal Employees Health Benefits Children Equity Act of 2000. This new law allows the Federal Government to enroll an employee and his family into the Federal Employees Health Benefit Program when a State Court orders the employee to provide his or her child health insurance coverage and the employee fails to do so.

minority health research bill now law

First passed by the Senate in October, the Minority Health & Health Disparities Research and Education Act, S. 1880, establishes a Center for Research on Minority Health at the National Institutes of Health which would direct a broad ranging research plan for minority health issues and includes $50 million authorization for health disparity research. The bill became law in late November, after it was passed by the House following an amendment that included a study of health problems in rural America in response to a complaint by some House Republicans that the bill contains racial preference provisions. President Clinton signed the bill into law on November 22, 2000.

postal service offers cheap internet access

Proposing to improve the personal and professional lives of its employees, the Postal Service plans to offer each employee a computer, internet and intranet access at a low price. The Postal Service plans to pilot test the first 1,000 computers by January 2001. It expects that the program will cost employees approximately $12 per month for 36 months. In responding to inquires about the plan by the Federal Times newspaper, President McGee acknowledged that keeping workers informed is positive but questioned what the Postal Service expected in return.

opm 5 year plan focuses on employee retention

In response to a competitive labor force and the reality that in the next four years, more than half of government employees will be eligible for retirement, the Office of Personnel Management plans to institute changes that will focus on employee hiring, training, compensation, and retention. While most of the planned changes are administrative, OPM will need Congressional approval to institute plans that link compensation to particular goals.

taskforce to study slave’s role in building the capitol

The Congress has passed a resolution establishing a taskforce to recommend how best to recognize the slaves who worked on the construction of the U.S. Capitol. Slaves, such as Philip Reid, who worked on the Statute of Freedom, which was placed on the Capitol dome, received no compensation for his labor and expertise. Instead, slave owners were paid for such work. Slaves received no recognition for their work. Finally, on the 200^th Anniversary of the opening of the Capitol Building, Congress has implemented a task force to decide on an appropriate recognition.