Looming Government Shutdown Redefines Essential Personnel

A look at the week of February 28 in public advocacy for the IT channel

This week, discussions over government funding led to a reconsideration of essential security personnel.  The House is scheduled to consider stand-alone 1099 legislation.  Funding for electronic medical records (EMRs) may be threatened in budget cuts.

Looming Government Shutdown Redefines Essential Personnel — The threat of a government shutdown has forced cybersecurity experts to reevaluate which employees are essential and therefore must continue working.  According to Nextgov.com, renewed focus on cybersecurity has made the lists of essential security personnel drawn up 15 years ago obsolete.  Key security activities have moved online and are now widespread throughout different agencies.  Identifying them is a difficult, yet crucial, responsibility. 

House to Consider Stand-Alone 1099 Legislation — The House is tentatively scheduled to consider and approve stand-alone legislation that would repeal the widely disliked 1099 tax provision. But the bill's approval would set up a complication— namely, whether the Senate can approve the same bill, says The Hill. Repealing the language would mean an estimated $19 billion in lost government revenue. The House bill would pay for the repeal by increasing the funding the government can recapture from people participating in state health exchanges who earn too much to qualify for subsidies.

Funding for EMR Adoption at Risk — In the 2009 economic recovery package, the Administration and Congress allocated billions in incentives for doctors and hospitals to adopt electronic records.  Now, the new Republican Congress is looking for budget cuts could take back the money, says The New York Times. Rep. Tom Latham (R-IA) has introduced legislation aimed at reclaiming unspent stimulus dollars — and money for accelerating the adoption of electronic health records could be a target.