The fiscal 2000 Treasury-Postal appropriations bill passed by the Senate last week is notable more for the federal pay and benefits measures it left out than for those it included.
A measure to reimburse federal managers for the cost of professional liability insurance coverage did not pass, nor did a provision to increase Customs Service salaries. Attempts by Rhode Island Senators to get federal workers in that state locality pay at the Boston level also were rejected.
Under the Senate bill, lawmakers automatically receive a pay raise each year unless Congress votes to block the automatic cost-of-living increase. The Senate did not vote against a raise last week, which means both lawmakers and top executives may get a raise in 2000. The House version also allows for a congressional pay raise.
But Congress has blocked the pay raise in five of the last six years. Doing so also freezes pay raises for top-level federal senior executives, whose salaries are tied to congressional pay.
The bill did not include a presidential pay raise proposed by a House subcommittee earlier this year. Instead of the $400,000 salary the House panel recommended in late May, the President's pay under the Senate bill would remain at $200,000, with a $50,000 expense account. Unless the House acts to change the President's salary, this will mark the 31st year it has been frozen at $200,000.
The $27.7 billion Senate bill did include an amendment designed to increase the availability of child care in federal facilities and ensure the safety of federal day-care centers.
The bill also included a provision that would allow taxpayers to log on to the Internet to receive a report showing where and how the government spends their tax dollars.
In a report on the bill, the Senate Appropriations Committee expressed concern that the General Services Administration's new per diem rates, which took effect on Jan. 1, have resulted in lower rates throughout the country and urged the agency to review and change rates to ensure they reflect the true costs of federal travel.
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