The pay raise was included in the conference report at the request of Congressman Hoyer and U.S. Senator Ted Stevens. The pay raise also creates pay parity between military personnel and federal employees, which Congressman Hoyer has been advocating for several months.
Federal employees are the people who ensure that our government runs efficiently.
For the past several years they have made great sacrifices in our effort to balance the budget. Congressman Hoyer has been working since February to ensure that federal employees would receive a pay raise equal to military personnel. He introduced a pay parity resolution in February and twice introduced pay parity amendments to appropriations bills, one of which was signed into law by President Clinton in April. OPM currently has this authority, but it expires at the end of this fiscal year. Another project receiving funding as a result of Congressman Hoyer's request is the FDA Consolidation at White Oak, Maryland.