House votes for 4.6 percent federal pay raise

The House on Wednesday approved a $2 trillion federal budget resolution that calls for a 4.6 percent federal pay raise in 2002. The Republican-led resolution includes a non-binding sense of Congress statement that average civilian pay raises, which vary by locality, should be the same as the military raise next year. President Bush recommended a 4.6 percent military raise in his budget proposal, but did not officially recommend a civilian pay raise. Bush's Office of Management and Budget has instructed agencies to assume a 3.6 percent raise for civilian workers in their 2002 budget plans. On the floor of the House Wednesday, Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., applauded House Budget Committee Chairman Jim Nussle, R-Iowa, for including the pay provision in the budget resolution. "The Budget Committee took the first step toward protecting parity," Davis said. The budget resolution sets the limits in which appropriators will work when they set federal budgets later this year. The resolution follows many of President Bush's plans, including an overall growth in discretionary spending of 4 percent next year. For 2002 discretionary spending, the budget allocates $660.6 billion, of which $5.6 billion would be set aside for emergencies. Meanwhile in the Senate, Paul Sarbanes, D-Md., urged Senate Budget Committee Chairman Pete Domenici, R-N.M., to "make certain that any assumptions included in the resolution with respect to federal civilian and military pay increases continue to reflect Congress' long-standing commitment to maintaining parity between the groups." Domenici is expected to draft a 2002 budget resolution similar to the House version and bring it directly to the Senate floor next week, without first holding a committee markup. Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., said Tuesday the Senate would pass the budget resolution before leaving for the two-week spring recess April 6. But Lott conceded the budget would "have to go through the amendment process" first. Earlier Tuesday, Domenici told reporters, "I don't know that I have the votes for the President's budget now," but predicted he would for final passage. --With reporting from CongressDaily and Brian Friel