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Back from their Fourth of July break, members of Congress are settling in for four weeks of legislative activity (Congress adjourns for the summer from Aug. 7 to Sept. 7). Work on appropriations bills will likely dominate much of the House and Senate schedules. Later this month, Pay and Benefits Watch will scour the appropriations bills for pay and benefits measures.
In the meantime, here's an update on all legislation affecting federal pay and benefits.
| Bill No. | Purpose | Most recent action |
|---|---|---|
| H.R. 28 | Require all child care facilities for federal employees' children to be accredited and adhere to a set of safety, health and facility standards. | Approved by House Government Reform Committee. |
|
H. CON. RES. 34 |
Express sense of the Congress that there should be parity between the compensation of members of the uniformed services and of civilian employees. | Signed into law as part of 1999 emergency spending bill. |
| H.R. 55 | Allow any uninsured individual age 55 to 65 to enroll in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. | Referred to the House Subcommittee on Civil Service. |
| H.R. 82 | Take the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund, federal employees' pension fund, off-budget. | Referred to the House Subcommittee on Civil Service. |
| H.R. 94 | Repeal the statute that gives Members of Congress an automatic annual cost-of-living increase. | Referred to the House Subcommittee on Civil Service. |
| H.R. 95 | Prevent members of Congress from participating in the Federal Employees' Retirement System. | Referred to the House Subcommittee on Civil Service. |
| H.R. 110 | Make long-term care group insurance available to federal employees. | Referred to the House Subcommittee on Civil Service. |
| H.R. 113 | Allow more Medicare-eligible military beneficiaries to participate in a demonstration project permitting them to enroll in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. | Referred to the House Subcommittee on Civil Service, Subcommittee on Military Personnel. |
| H.R. 205 | Allow all Medicare-eligible military beneficiaries to enroll in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. | Referred to the House Subcommittee on Civil Service, Subcommittee on Military Personnel. |
| H.R. 206 | Make federal employees' child care more affordable. | Approved by the House Government Reform Committee. |
| H.R. 207 | Treat federal physicans' comparability allowances as basic pay for retirement purposes. | Referred to the House Subcommittee on Civil Service. |
| H.R. 208 | Allow new federal employees to roll over money from private-sector 401(k) accounts into Thrift Savings Plan accounts and allow them to immediately begin participating in the TSP. | Passed by the House. |
| H.R. 246 | Require the government to list Social Security and Medicare deductions on federal employees' pay checks. | Referred to the House Ways and Means Committee. |
| H.R. 279 | Require drug tests for new federal employees. | Referred to the House Subcommittee on Civil Service. |
| H.R. 416 | Correct retirement errors for federal employees. | Passed by the House. |
| H.R. 424 | Change the mandatory retirement age for members of the Capitol Police from 57 to 60. | Referred to the House Subcommittee on Civil Service. |
| H.R. 457 | Give employees 30 days of leave for organ or tissue donations. | Approved by House Government Reform Committee. |
| H.R. 460 | Make the mandatory separation age for federal firefighters the same as the age that applies to federal law enforcement officers. | Referred to the House Subcommittee on Civil Service. |
| H.R. 483 | Lift the annual limit on Thrift Savings Plan contributions to an IRS limit-$10,000 this year. | Referred to the House Subcommittee on Civil Service. |
| H.R. 582 | Improve overtime pay for federal managers. | Referred to the House Subcommittee on Civil Service. |
| H.R. 602 | Make long-term care group insurance available to federal employees. | Referred to the House Subcommittee on Civil Service. |
| H.R. 742 | Eliminate the Windfall Elimination Provision. | Referred to the House Ways and Means Committee. |
| H.R. 807 | Make Federal Reserve employees' pensions portable to other federal agencies. | Passed by the House. |
| H.R. 809 | Improve the pay and benefits of Federal Protective Service police. | Referred to House Subcommittee on Public Buildings. |
| H.R. 826 | Give National Weather Service employees more overtime pay, but limit Sunday premium pay to work performed on Sundays. | Referred to House Subcommittee on Civil Service. |
| H.R. 860 | Lessen the impact of the Windfall Elimination Provision. | Referred to the House Ways and Means Committee. |
| H.R. 877 | Treat the basic pay of members of Congress in the same manner as the basic pay of the most adversely affected federal employees. | Referred to the House Subcommittee on Civil Service. |
| H.R. 915 | Authorize a cost of living adjustment in the pay of administrative law judges. | Approved by House Judiciary Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law. |
| H.R. 933 | Ensure that coverage of bone mass measurements (for osteoporosis) is provided under the health benefits program for Federal employees | Referred to the House Subcommittee on Civil Service. |
| H.R. 993 | Allow agencies to spend 50 percent of their year-end surpluses on employee bonuses. | Referred to the House Subcommittee on Civil Service. |
| H.R. 1000 | FAA reauthorization: restores employees' MSPB appeals right. | Passed by the House. |
| H.R. 1111 | Make long-term care group insurance available to federal employees. | Referred to the House Subcommittee on Civil Service, Subcommittee on Military Personnel. |
| H.R. 1170 | Make available under the health benefits program for federal employees the option of obtaining coverage for self and children only. | Referred to the House Subcommittee on Civil Service. |
| H.R. 1210 | Provide for continued compensation for federal employees during shutdowns. | Referred to the House Subcommittee on Civil Service. |
| H.R. 1216 | Improve pay for Veterans Affairs nurses and other employees. | Referred to the House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Health. |
| H.R. 1217 | Lessen the impact of the Government Pension Offset on federal retirees. | Referred to the House Ways and Means Committee. |
| H.R. 1228 | Extend law enforcement retirement benefits to IRS collectors, customs inspectors and others. | Referred to the House Subcommittee on Civil Service. |
| H.R. 1263 | Require the government to list Social Security and Medicare deductions on federal employees' pay checks. | Referred to the House Subcommittee on Civil Service. |
| H.R. 1401 | DoD authorization: 4.8 percent military pay raise, targeted officer pay raises, military retirement enhancements | Passed by the House. |
| H.R. 1827 | A bill authorizing up to $150,000 bonuses for federal employees who make "extraordinary contributions" to reducing waste and inefficiency. | House Government Reform Government Management Information and Technology Subcommittee held hearings. |
| H.R. 1833 | Customs authorization: Reduces Customs officers' overtime pay | Passed by the House. |
| H.R. 2490 | Treasury Appropriations: Includes Presidential pay increase to $400,000, Customs commissioner pay increase, civilian military pay parity clause, require agencies to offer professional liability insurance | Approved by House Appropriations Committee. |
| S. 4 | Give military personnel a 4.8 percent raise in 2000, allow military members TSP participation, change military retirement rules. | Passed by the Senate (See S. 1059). |
| S. 57 | Make long-term care group insurance available to federal employees. | Referred to the Senate Governmental Affairs International Security Subcommittee. |
| S. 102 | Disclose the amount of federal retirement benefits due members of Congress. | Referred to the Senate Governmental Affairs International Security Subcommittee. |
| S. 300 | Sec. 504 of the bill would allow Medical Savings Accounts in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. | Referred to the Senate Finance Committee. |
| S. 450 | Authorize special pay for board-certified veterinarians in the Armed Forces and Public Health Service. | Referred to Senate Armed Services Committee. |
| S. 650 | Amend the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 to provide for coverage under that act of employees of the federal government. | Introduced March 17. |
| S. 717 | Lessen the impact of the Government Pension Offset on federal retirees. | Referred to the Senate Finance Committee. |
| S. 718 | Extend law enforcement retirement benefits to IRS collectors, customs inspectors and others. | Referred to the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee. |
| S. 772 | Protect pensions of federal employees who go part-time toward the end of their careers. | Referred to the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee. |
| S. 865 | Make danger pay for federal employees tax-free. | Referred to the Senate Finance Committee. |
| S. 894 | Make long-term care group insurance available to federal employees. | Referred to the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee. |
| S. 912 | Improve the pay of Border Patrol agents. | Referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee. |
| S. 940 | Give the Veterans Affairs Department temporary buyout authority. | Referred to the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. Hearings held. |
| S. 1059 | DoD Authorization: Give military personnel a 4.8 percent raise in 2000, allow military members TSP participation, change military retirement rules, buyout authority through 2003, eliminate dual compensation rule. | Passed by the Senate. |
| S. 1122 | DoD Appropriations: Establishes funding for S. 1059. | Passed by the Senate. |
| S. 1232 | A bill to correct retirement coverage errors for federal employees. | Referred to Senate Governmental Affairs International Security Subcommittee. |
| S. 1282 | Treasury Appropriations: Measures include improved federal child care facilities, congressional pay raise, federal health plan abortion ban. | Passed by the Senate. |
NEXT STORY: Budget Battles: Right hand, meet left hand