Comp time, buyouts, pay hikes, pensions

Fiscal 2002 begins in four days, and with that change comes the annual push on Capitol Hill to pass spending bills-and a spate of federal pay and benefits provisions. Most of the pay and benefits provisions that will pass this year are tucked into the 2002 Defense authorization bill and the 2002 Treasury-Postal appropriations bill. The House has passed its version of the Defense bill, while the Senate is still considering its version. Both houses have passed versions of the Treasury bill and have appointed conferees to work out the differences between their two versions. Here is a roundup of pay and benefits provisions in the two bills: Treasury-Postal Appropriations

• Both houses have approved a 4.6 percent average federal pay raise for 2002, rejecting President Bush's proposed 3.6 percent average raise. The higher raise would cost $900 million more than the President's proposal.
• An automatic pay increase for members of Congress will go into effect in January unless lawmakers act to stop it. Members who oppose the pay raise usually use the Treasury-Postal bill to block the automatic increase, but this year they inserted no blocking provision in either the House or Senate versions. Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., said the raise would be $4,900, or 3.4 percent. That raise would allow top members of the Senior Executive Service to get a raise in January as well, since SES pay is tied to congressional pay. The top rungs of SES pay have hit a cap on Congress' pay scale, meaning executives can only get a raise if Congress gives itself one.
• The Senate and House versions would permanently allow federal agencies to pay for low-income employees' child care needs.
• Both the House and Senate versions require Federal Employees Health Benefits Program plans to provide coverage for contraceptives.
• The House version would create an awards program for senior government professionals, mirroring the Presidential Rank Awards for members of the Senior Executive Service. The awards for non-executive employees would include cash bonuses.
• The House version would require agencies to submit a report to the Office of Personnel Management explaining their efforts to create telecommuting programs. The reports would be due Dec. 1.
• The House version would allow air traffic controllers to work beyond age 56, depending on how many years they have served.

• The Senate version allows civil service, military and Foreign Service employees to use frequent flier miles obtained on government travel for personal use. The House approved a separate bill authorizing federal employees to keep their frequent flier miles.
• The Senate version would allow the Defense Department to offer buyouts and early outs to employees in 2003, but not in 2002. The Bush administration has asked the Senate to provide buyout and early out authority in 2002 as well.
• The House version would change a rule governing when federal managers can grant compensatory time off. The current rule allows managers to grant compensatory time off only when employees perform "irregular or occasional" overtime work. The bill would eliminate the words "irregular or occasional" from the statute.
• The House version would eliminate the biweekly cap on premium pay for federal employees, instead relying on an annual cap on premium pay. The Bush administration is opposed to the provision, saying in a statement that "the language contains technical errors and could result in significant agency costs and serious staffing problems." Proponents say it would give agencies more flexibility in scheduling overtime.
• A Senate amendment inserted by Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, would allow agencies to pay for employees to acquire such credentials as professional accreditation designations, state-imposed licenses, professional licenses, and other professional certifications. The amendment would also pay for the examinations required to obtain those credentials. The House version of the authorization bill includes the same provision.
• The House and Senate versions would create a pilot program to pay for retraining employees who are laid off by the Defense Department.
• The House version would change the formula for determining wages for blue-collar employees at the Defense Department. The American Federation of Government Employees predicts that the change to the so-called Monroney Amendment would increase salaries for blue-collar workers at that agency. The Bush administration is opposed to the change.
• The House version would create a common standard for determining hazardous pay rates for blue-collar and white-collar employees who could be exposed to asbestos at work.
• The House and Senate versions would make retirement packages more portable for Defense Department and Coast Guard employees who work in programs that operate using non-appropriated funds.