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President Clinton Wednesday signed into law a 4.8 percent pay raise for federal employees as part of the fiscal 2000 Treasury-Postal appropriations bill.
The raise for civilians is the same as the 4.8 percent raise for military personnel included in the fiscal 2000 defense authorization bill.
High-level federal executives, who in recent years have more often than not received no raise because Congress has denied itself one, can also celebrate the Treasury-Postal bill. It did not include a provision freezing congressional and political appointee pay. That means the cap on Senior Executive Service pay will go up 3.4 percent next year.
President Clinton originally proposed a 4.4 percent pay raise for civilians in 2000, but Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., convinced lawmakers to push the raise up to 4.8 percent during House-Senate negotiations over the bill.
Congress also included permanent early retirement authority in the Treasury-Postal bill. The government's early out authority was set to expire on Sept. 30, 1999.
Other federal pay, benefits and management provisions in the Treasury-Postal bill include:
Requiring agencies to reimburse federal managers and other professionals for half the cost of professional liability insurance. Previously, agencies could offer the reimbursements, but were not required to. Boosting the President's pay from $200,000 a year to $400,000 a year when the next President takes office. Allowing agencies to subsidize the cost of child care in federal facilities for low-income workers. Prohibiting abortion coverage under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, but requiring coverage of contraceptives. Establishing a chief financial officer in the Executive Office of the President when the next administration takes office. Requiring the Treasury Department to create a Web site allowing taxpayers to generate an itemized receipt showing the allocation of their taxes among major federal spending categories. Requiring the General Services Administration to modify its procedures for determining per diem rates to assure that next year's per diems determination "accurately reflects the cost of federal travel." Offering buyouts of up to $25,000 for employees of the Office of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration through Jan. 1, 2003. Offering buyouts of up to $25,000 for employees of the Chicago Financial Center of Treasury's Financial Management Service until Jan. 31, 2000.
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