Freedom of Information Act Requests

The Department has recently received a number of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests regarding Enron Corporation. When responding to these requests, as well as any other FOIA requests, it is important to provide your response to the ITA FOIA officer by the due date assigned. These response dates are mandated by law, and we must adhere to them. If you believe that your search will require fees to be charged to the requester, please alert the FOIA officer immediately, as soon as you receive the action on a FOIA request and prior to beginning your search for documents. Once a fee estimate has been determined, the requester will be contacted to obtain a commitment to pay. The FOIA officer will then notify the responsible office to begin the search. If you have questions regarding FOIA requests, please contact Linda Bell at (202)482-3032.

Annual Property Inventory Certification

The FY2002 Annual Certified Property Inventory is due to the Office of Organization and Management Support (OOMS) on April 15. The inventory consists of property valued at $5,000 and above, sensitive property that can easily be converted to private use such as computers and computer equipment, printers, fax machines, copiers, palm pilots and televisions, regardless of value, and capitalized personal property (valued at $25,000 and above). Property custodians, Unit Property Accountability Officers (PAOs) and managers are asked to give personal attention to the timely completion of their inventory in the Department of Interior Fixed Asset System and certification of the annual property inventories. For further information, contact your PAO: MAC-Tyler Shields at (202)482-3544, TD-Annette Henderson at (202)482-3995, IA-L. A. Lawson at (202)482-4685, US&FCS-Yvette Johnson-Jones at (202)482-2214 or Jean Leslie, ITA Property Management Officer, OOMS, at (202)482-3266.

File Early for Commerce Opportunities On-Line (COOL) Applications

When applying for a vacancy through the COOL automated application system, please be aware that if you wait until the last minute to submit your application, you risk losing your chance of being considered for the position. For example, if you experience difficulty using COOL and it is 10:00 p.m. on the night the vacancy closes, the COOL Help Desk will not be available. Its hours of operations are limited to Monday thru Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (Eastern Time). Another consideration is that, as with all types of equipment, computers are subject to breakdown and internet systems sometimes go awry. If your computer decides to quit on you, or the system goes down, and it is the last day the announcement is open, you may be out of luck. Don't take the chance of missing out on future opportunities - allow yourself plenty of lead time to complete the application process. If you have questions contact Angela Smith at (202)482-2262 or Theresa Tolson at (202)482-8082.

Microsoft Office Applications Training

Good news!! The Workforce Development Division has placed an emphasis this quarter on providing training opportunities in the Microsoft Office applications. If you do not have these applications-e.g., Word, Access, Excel or PowerPoint, at your workstation, arrangements have been made to have the software loaded on your machines before you take the class(es). Microsoft 2000 software was purchased for all employees at ITA headquarters. Persons taking training will be given priority for installation. We encourage you to take advantage of the training. For a listing of the training opportunities and registration procedures, you can review the website: http://www.ita.doc.gov/training/3qtr.html . Sign up quickly as space is limited. Questions regarding training can be directed to the Workforce Development Division staff at (202)482-3947.

FY 2003 Budget

The first draft of the President's FY 2003 Budget (for submission to Congress) was delivered to the Department on Monday, January 14, 2002. We await comments from the Department and will have the final version ready by the end of January. For more information, contact Alan Zegas at (202)482-5739.

Trivia Question!!

What Financial Service Center (FSC) overseas would accept cables for Argentina, Brazil, and Chile?

Answer to Last Issue's Question: If you are a user of Document Direct and need help, where would you go to obtain a copy of the Document Direct User Manual?

Answer: You can obtain a copy of the Document Direct User Manual from the ITA, Office of Financial Management, Budget Division, Room 4124. Contact Linda Henry at (202)482-5343.

Impact on ITA from the shutdown of NBC's E-mail and Internet Systems

On December 6, 2001, a Federal District judge ordered that the Department of Interior's telecommunication systems including e-mail and Internet be shutdown after the discovery that an unauthorized hack was able to access a reporting system used to track Indian trust funds. There was a certification process attempted by the judicial system and the Department of Interior that did not meet the court's approval. As a result, the ITA operations are affected as follows:

• All e-mail traffic between ITA and NBC has been shut down.
• Travelers won't receive internet notification when NBC pays the travel voucher. However, NBC's automated payment systems continue to work and your bank accounts will continue to receive your reimbursements directly.
• Travelers won't receive internet notification if there is a discrepancy between the payment and the claim on the travel voucher. NBC will mail notices to the traveler.
• NBC won't receive or be able to respond to any emails you send. Call Karen Maxwell at (303)969-7780 ext. 3611, if you have questions regarding your travel voucher.
• The testing and implementation of ITA's travel automation initiative (Travel Manager) will be delayed.
• NBC has to use the ITA Accounting division as an intermediary for receiving data from the Department of State.
• Monthly credit card files have been moved from Internet media to a physical diskette mailed to NBC from Citibank.

What are ITA and NBC doing to manage this situation?

• ITA accounting personnel are sending Department of State accounting information to and from NBC.
• NBC is reviewing their Disaster Preparedness Plan to determine if alternative communication mechanisms can be employed.
• On request, NBC is providing report information on CD-ROMs.

What is Next?

NBC teams are working with the Department of Interior/Department of Justice to get services restored. Restoring e-mail and Internet services is at the top of the NBC's priorities. However, NBC cannot commit to a definite time frame to restore these telecommunication services because this action is beyond their control. For more information contact Alfredo Hurtado at (202)482-5434.

Traveler's Corner

Question: What is the new rate for use of a privately-owned automobile?

Answer: Effective January 21, 2002, the new rate for use of a privately-owned automobile is 36.5 cents a mile. If you have questions, call your travel contact or Sharon Russell at (202) 482-3267.

Where Do I Find....Information on Applying for an MCI Telephone Calling Card

If you would like to obtain an MCI Telephone Calling Card to make official business calls while away from the office or to call your immediate family or residence while on official Government travel (not to exceed 10 minutes per call per day), please complete form ITA-2062, MCI Calling Card Application. Form ITA-2062, may be accessed on your computer by clicking on the ITA Forms icon. If you have any questions, please contact Jean Leslie, OOMS, at (202)482-3266.