I
105TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 3251
To modify the conditions that must be met before certain alternative pay
authorities may be exercised by the President with respect to Federal
employees.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
FEBRUARY 24, 1998
Mr. HOYER (for himself, Mr. WOLF, Mr. CUMMINGS, Mr. DAVIS of Virginia,
Mr. FORD, Mr. WYNN, Ms. NORTON, Mr. MORAN of Virginia, Ms.
PELOSI, Mrs. MORELLA, Mrs. MEEK of Florida, Mr. SISISKY, Mr. JEF-
FERSON, Mr. FILNER, Mr. CARDIN, and Mr. WAXMAN) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Government Re-
form and Oversight
A BILL
To modify the conditions that must be met before certain
alternative pay authorities may be exercised by the Presi-
dent with respect to Federal employees.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Federal Pay Fairness
Act of 1998’’.
SEC. 2. LIMITATION ON AUTHORITY TO PROVIDE FOR AN
ALTERNATIVE PAY PLAN.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Paragraph (1) of section 5303(b)
of title 5, United States Code, is amended by striking ‘‘If,
because of national emergency or serious economic condi-
tions affecting the general welfare,’’ and inserting ‘‘If, be-
cause of a declared state of war or severe economic condi-
tions,’’.
(b) SEVERE ECONOMIC CONDITIONS DEFINED.—
Section 5303(b) of title 5, United States Code, is amended
by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(4) For purposes of applying this subsection with
respect to any pay adjustment that is to take effect in
any calendar year, ‘severe economic conditions’ shall be
considered to exist if, during the 12-month period ending
2 calendar quarters before the date as of which such ad-
justment is scheduled to take effect (as determined under
subsection (a)), there occur 2 consecutive quarters of neg-
ative growth in the real Gross Domestic Product.’’.
(c) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Paragraph (2) of
section 5303(b) of title 5, United States Code, is amended
by striking ‘‘an economic condition affecting the general
welfare under this subsection,’’ and inserting ‘‘economic
conditions for purposes of this subsection,’’.
SEC. 3. LIMITATION ON AUTHORITY TO PROVIDE FOR AN
ALTERNATIVE LEVEL OF COMPARABILITY
PAYMENTS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subsection (a) of section 5304a
of title 5, United States Code, is amended by striking ‘‘If,
because of national emergency or serious economic condi-
tions affecting the general welfare,’’ and inserting ‘‘If, be-
cause of a declared state of war or severe economic condi-
tions,’’.
(b) SEVERE ECONOMIC CONDITIONS DEFINED.—
Section 5304a of title 5, United States Code, is amended
by redesignating subsection (b) as subsection (c) and by
inserting after subsection (a) the following:
‘‘(b) For purposes of applying this section with re-
spect to any comparability payments that are to become
payable in any calendar year, ‘severe economic conditions’
shall be considered to exist if, during the 12-month period
ending 2 calendar quarters before the date as of which
such payments are scheduled to take effect (as determined
under section 5304(d)(2)), there occur 2 consecutive quar-
ters of negative growth in the real Gross Domestic Prod-
uct.’’.
SEC. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE.
(a) NEW STANDARDS APPLY STARTING WITH ANY
ALTERNATIVE PAY PROPOSAL SCHEDULED TO TAKE EF-
FECT AFTER 1998.—The amendments made by this Act