House signs off on 3.5 percent pay raise
The House passed the fiscal 2005 Transportation, Treasury and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act Wednesday, bringing federal workers one step closer to receiving a 3.5 percent pay raise next year.
President Bush's fiscal 2005 budget proposal included a 3.5 percent raise for military personnel and a 1.5 percent raise for federal civilian workers. A bloc of Republican lawmakers in the House backed the White House approach amid contentious debate with supporters of pay parity.
After months of uncertainty, Wednesday's House approval puts all federal employees on track to receive an average 3.5 percent raise in 2005. Congress has repeatedly overruled the White House and granted civil service workers a larger raise than the one recommended in the president's annual budget proposal.
Senior lawmakers from both parties backed the pay parity language in the spending bill, including Government Reform Committee Chairman Tom Davis, R-Va., and Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md. Opponents of parity have argued that military personnel deserve larger raises because of ongoing military engagements abroad. Hoyer rejected that theory and said federal civilian workers deserve equal recognition.
"I was very pleased that the president proposed a fair pay adjustment for our deserving troops," Hoyer said in a press release. "But it is important that we also support the 1.8 million federal employees with a fair pay adjustment. Many civilian federal employees, such as CIA agents, federal air marshals and Department of Defense civilian employees, work side by side with the military to protect our nation at home and abroad."
Davis also praised civilian federal workers and acknowledged the work that was needed to push the language through the House.
"I want to thank Congressmen Frank Wolf, R-Va.; Steny Hoyer, and Jim Moran, D-Va., for their help through the appropriations process to ensure the long tradition of pay parity remains a reality," Davis said.
The parity language must now make it through a conference committee with Senate lawmakers before it can be sent to President Bush to become law. A Senate Appropriations subcommittee approved the 3.5 percent raise earlier this month.
COMMENTS
- It was nice to finally see some sort of an increase in 2005, but if you look at the pay table for the pay area of San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland California you will still see that GS-15 step 9 and 10 are the same with step 8 to follow in 2006, (assuming the cap is not increased). It seems that the higher GS levels are being punished as a result of working in a high cost area because they are tied to the Federal Level IV max pay rate. It is difficult to understand a system that authorizes a cost of living adjustment because of work in a very high cost area only to have it cut back because the pay is capped at a level which is less than equal to the sum of the incentives authorized/granted. GovExec.com reader Posted January 5, 2005 12:00 PM
- Any pay raise is always appreciated. But when will we actually see one? Many high level (E.G. GS-15 step 10), Federal employees who reside in a high cost of living areas, like the San Francisco Bay Area, have only seen a partial, (small), increase in 03, no increase in 04 and are possibly facing no increase in 05. This is due to the fact that GS pay is also subject to the Federal Pay Caps. Is there any relief in sight? How long will we to continue to lose ground? We already pay some of the highest prices in the nation for just about everything and prices continue to climb! GovExec.com reader Posted November 1, 2004 8:05 PM
- Mr. Trejo, are you receiving your serverance pay from your military service and employed by the federal government? Maybe you could give up one of your pay checks. GovExec.com reader Posted September 28, 2004 8:56 PM
