In Brief

EXECUTIVE MEMO

In Brief

• Pay Proposals. Word in Washington is that employees can expect a 3 percent raise in 1997. Congress would figure out later how the 3 percent would be divided between a base pay hike and locality increases. Calculations under the pay reform law that took effect in 1994 would have given employees a base pay raise of 2.3 percent and locality raises that could have topped 5 percent, depending on pay gaps in various areas. The Clinton Administration has heretofore evaded the requirements of the locality-pay law.
• No Free Tests. There's no longer such a thing as a free job examination. From now on agencies will have to pay the Office of Personnel Management to test job applicants. Agencies conducting their own exams must be certified by OPM and can get its help on a test-by-test basis-for a price.
• RIF Me, Please. Defense civilian employees could volunteer to be laid off under the Defense authorization bill passed Jan. 26. Senior employees could save the jobs of RIF-susceptible youngsters and qualify for early retirement at the same time, under the provision. RIF'd workers are eligible for discontinued service retirement after 20 years at age 50 or 25 years at any age. President Clinton promised to sign the bill.
• OPM Privatization Stalled. Sen. Paul Simon, D-Ill., has introduced legislation that would prohibit the privatization of the Office of Federal Investigations at OPM until March 31, 1998, and require more study before the effort goes forward at all. Simon is concerned primarily about national security and privacy issues. Even if the legislation goes nowhere, OPM is at least a month behind on the effort, which was to take place March 31.