Appropriators set military raise at 3.1%

The House Appropriations Committee Wednesday approved a 3.1 percent military pay raise for 1999, lessening the chances that military and civilian personnel will get higher raises.

The committee approved the 3.1 percent raise as part of the fiscal 1999 Defense appropriations bill. In President Clinton's budget request, the administration gave both civilian and military employees a 3.1 percent raise. Typically, civilian and military employees are awarded the same raise.

Last month the full House approved a 3.6 percent raise for military personnel in the 1999 Defense authorization bill, raising both military and civilian hopes for a higher pay increase.

But the Senate Appropriations Committee last month set the 1999 raise at 3.1 percent, as did the Senate Armed Services Committee.