SECRECY NEWS
from the FAS Project on Government Secrecy
Volume 2016, Issue No. 12
February 8, 2016

Secrecy News Blog: http://fas.org/blogs/secrecy/

NSC STAFFER JOHN FICKLIN RETIRES

John W. Ficklin retired last month from his position as Senior Director for Records and Access Management at the National Security Council. In that capacity he was responsible for declassification of White House records, among other records management duties. He also chaired an interagency classification reform committee that met (and still meets) to consider improvements in classification practices.

Mr. Ficklin was the subject of a moving profile in the Washington Post yesterday. See "Long White House tradition nears end for a family descended from a slave" by Juliet Eilperin, February 7.

His successor at the National Security Council is John P. Fitzpatrick, the former director of the Information Security Oversight Office. On the occasion of Mr. Fitzpatrick's appointment, the title of the NSC position has been changed to reflect an expanded portfolio of security policy issues. He is now the Senior Director for Records Access and Information Security Management.

A new director of the Information Security Oversight Office has not yet been named.

THE "GIG" ECONOMY, AND MORE FROM CRS

A new report from the Congressional Research Service examines the "gig" economy and its implications for workers.

"The gig economy is the collection of markets that match providers to consumers on a gig (or job) basis in support of on-demand commerce. In the basic model, gig workers enter into formal agreements with on-demand companies (e.g., Uber, TaskRabbit) to provide services to the company's clients. Prospective clients request services through an Internet-based technological platform or smartphone application that allows them to search for providers or to specify jobs. Providers (i.e., gig workers) engaged by the on-demand company provide the requested service and are compensated for the jobs."

"Recent trends in on-demand commerce suggest that gig workers may represent a growing segment of the U.S. labor market. In response, some Members of Congress have raised questions, for example, about the size of the gig workforce, how workers are using gig work, and the implications of the gig economy for labor standards and livelihoods more generally." See What Does the Gig Economy Mean for Workers?, February 5, 2016:

Another new CRS publication considers a scenario in which the next Congress could revoke any final agency rules that are issued by the Obama Administration after May 2016. See Agency Final Rules Submitted After May 16, 2016, May Be Subject to Disapproval in 2017 Under the Congressional Review Act, CRS Insight, February 4, 2016:

Other new or newly updated CRS reports that have been withheld from public release include the following.

Is Biopower Carbon Neutral?, udpated February 4, 2016:

State Minimum Wages: An Overview, updated February 3, 2016:

Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program: An Overview, updated February 3, 2016:

CFTC's Auditor Finds "Material Error" in FY2015 Financial Statements, CRS Insight, February 3, 2016:

Is Broadband Deployment Reasonable and Timely?, CRS Insight, February 3, 2016:

Military Maternity and Parental Leave Policies, CRS Insight, February 3, 2016:

Zika Virus: Global Health Considerations, CRS Insight, February 2, 2016:

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Secrecy News is written by Steven Aftergood and published by the Federation of American Scientists.

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