Pay Raise Proposed by Bush Would Be Smallest in 18 Years

Officials said the pay plan would not be effective until Bush issues an executive order, probably late this month.

GSA Studies Office Merger

The General Services Administration is looking at merging its policy shop into the office that handles congressional affairs, the agency's spokeswoman said yesterday.

Claire L. Dorrell, the GSA's spokeswoman, said "a pre-decisional, draft proposal" is being circulated inside the agency for comment to determine whether government-wide issues could be handled more efficiently and at reduced cost. There is no deadline for a decision, she said.

But some officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak about the merger, said they have no doubts that the consolidation will go forward, after a brief review.

Those officials noted that Lurita Doan, the administrator of general services, named Kevin Messner as the acting administrator of the GSA Office of Governmentwide Policy last month. Messner, a former chief of staff to Rep. Jim Kolbe (R-Ariz.), also is the head of the GSA Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs.

Messner, a political appointee, replaced a career executive, John G. Sindelar, who had been acting head of the policy office. Sindelar remains the office's deputy associate administrator.

The GSA policy office develops best management practices for the government in such areas as property, travel and transportation, technology and regulatory information. It also has helped support parts of the president's management agenda, such as electronic government initiatives.

Talk Shows

Robert Linn, managing director of Ferris, Baker Watts, and David Kauffman, a certified financial planner with the firm, will discuss retirement planning on "FedTalk" at 11 a.m. today on Federalnewsradio.com and WFED radio (1050 AM).

Douglas J. Bourgeois, director of the Interior Department's National Business Center, will be the guest on "The IBM Business of Government Hour" at 9 a.m. Saturday on WJFK radio (106.7 FM).

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