Change Preferences | Sign Out
SEARCH:
washingtonpost.com
Web
| Search Archives
Fed Page   |   E-Mail Newsletter  Fed Insider E-Mail   |    RSS   |   Column Archive
Page 2 of 2   <      

A Fee Change by Blue Cross/Blue Shield Cuts Deep

In a first for HUD, Secretary Steve Preston sent all employees a memo emphasizing
In a first for HUD, Secretary Steve Preston sent all employees a memo emphasizing "no tolerance" for anti-gay bias. (By Chip Somodevilla -- Getty Images)
  Enlarge Photo    
TOOLBOX
Resize
COMMENT
0 Comments 
Discussion Policy
CLOSE
Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.
Who's Blogging
» Links to this article

"I don't think people should be exposed to a cost of that amount for a mistake in due diligence, in checking out their physicians' affiliation," Francis said.

Republicans on Corporate Boards

If you're a top Republican in government waiting for an invitation to join a corporate board, you might be disappointed. The scope of the party's election defeat could affect prospects for big time post-government gigs.

"Former government officials are much less in demand for company boards when their party is out of power," said Richard H. Lester of Texas A&M University. He authored a study in the current issue of the Academy of Management Journal with Amy Hillman of Arizona State University, Asghar Zardkoohi of Texas A&M and Albert A. Cannella Jr. of Tulane University.

When a party does not control the House or Senate or the White House, Lester said, "its members' chance of joining the board of a large corporation is about 30 percent less than it would otherwise be."

HUD on Sexual Orientation

Housing and Urban Development Secretary Steve Preston is getting kudos because of a memo he recently sent to department employees that said the agency "values diversity and has no tolerance for discrimination" based on sexual orientation.

Larry Bush, a HUD public affairs officer in San Francisco, said the Nov. 10 message was significant because it was the first time a HUD secretary distributed an all-employee communication on sexual orientation.

"Secretary Preston has really sought to bring the workforce more into a partnership than we've seen before and this was part of it," said Bush, who spoke in his role as a leader of HUD Globe, an organization that works to eliminate sexual orientation bias in the federal workplace. "He's created a vastly improved climate over what we saw just six months ago." Preston became secretary in June.

Among other things, Bush said Preston's policy establishes an ombudsman's position to consider discrimination complaints and defines family broadly to allow employees the use of leave to care for same-sex partners.

Contact Joe Davidson at federaldiary@washpost.com.


<       2


© 2008 The Washington Post Company