Work on '07 Pay Raises May Come Later Rather Than Sooner

By Stephen Barr
Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Congress usually adopts a "pay parity" policy when it comes to the government's annual salary increases, providing the civil service and the military with the same percentage raise in base pay, effective each January. But it appears that the 2007 raises won't be sorted out until much later in the year.

Before going into the zigs and zags on Capitol Hill, it's important to note that the president's budget, released in February, is the starting point for the annual pay raise deliberations. For next year, the president proposed a 2.2 percent pay raise for the civil service and the military.

The first bill that came up in Congress did not follow the White House's pay recommendation, however.

The House's fiscal 2007 defense authorization bill, approved in May, called for a 2.7 percent military pay raise. The measure also would target mid-grade and senior enlisted and warrant officers, who are hard to retain, for additional pay raises starting April 1, 2007.

Last week, the Senate provided a 2.2 percent across-the-board raise for military personnel in its authorization bill. It also revamped the military pay scale in an effort to provide higher raises, which would vary by grade and length of service, for senior enlisted and warrant officers.

The House, meanwhile, went down different paths in appropriations bills.

On June 20, the House voted for a 2.2 percent raise for the military, as part of a defense appropriations bill. And, the week before, the House approved a 2.7 percent raise for the civil service in another appropriations bill.

No word on what the Senate Appropriations Committee plans for civil service and military raises. Those spending bills are not scheduled for a markup until next month.

As a general rule, appropriations bills are taken as the last word, since they provide the money available for spending each year by agencies. Authorization bills set policy for programs and keep agencies in business, and Congress especially tries to keep the defense authorization and appropriations bills in sync each year, in part because that helps the Pentagon juggle long- and short-term priorities.

Congress also likes tradition. It has approved parity increases for the civil service and the military in most years over the last two decades, with lawmakers highlighting the sacrifices of the military and the vital work performed by employees at the Homeland Security Department, the CIA, the FBI, and at science and research agencies, such as the National Institutes of Health.

The fate of the pay raises, like other legislative differences, will be left to House and Senate negotiators, who strike compromises and write final versions. Stay tuned.

OMB: 45 Days for Security Reviews

The Office of Management and Budget yesterday asked federal agencies to review their safeguards to protect sensitive data, including names and Social Security numbers, within the next 45 days.

Clay Johnson III , OMB deputy director for management, said the government's inspectors general are also being asked to look at agency compliance with security standards.

Over the last two months, the Veterans Affairs Department reported the theft of a computer laptop with at least 26.5 million names of veterans and their personal data, the Agriculture Department disclosed that data on up to 26,000 employees had been compromised by a hacker, and the Navy discovered personal information on nearly 28,000 sailors and family members had appeared on a Web site.

Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.), chairman of the House Government Reform Committee, said the OMB's effort was a sensible step.

But, Davis added, "Given the spotty record of compliance we have seen among the agencies, I sincerely hope this action leads to both better results and better practices -- and if not, perhaps Congress will have to step in and mandate specific security requirements."

Bush administration officials, trying to highlight some good news in the technology arena, pointed yesterday to the response by the VA and General Services Administration as an example of how "electronic government" can quickly help citizens.

GSA, on two days' notice, gave the VA access to a call center to respond to veterans worried about their prospects for identity theft. The FirstContact center has responded to at least 230,000 calls from veterans since May 22.

Veterans seeking information may call 800-333-4636 or go to http://www.Firstgov.gov , the officials said.

Stephen Barr's e-mail address isbarrs@washpost.com.