Hoyer Praises House Approval of 3.9% FY09 Pay Adjustment for Federal Civilian and Military Employees

WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Congressman Steny Hoyer (D-MD) hailed action taken by the House of Representatives today to approve a 3.9 percent pay adjustment for federal civilian employees and military personnel for FY09. The adjustment for civilian employees was included in the Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, and Continuing Appropriations Act (H.R. 2638) funding government through March 2009. The 3.9 percent increase matches what the House authorized for members of the military in the 2009 Defense Authorization bill (S. 3001), which also passed today.

As he has done in previous years, Rep. Hoyer, who represents 55,000 federal workers, led the 2008 effort by the Washington-area delegation in advocating on behalf of federal employee pay parity - the principle of providing the same average annual salary adjustments for uniformed personnel and federal civilian employees

"From defending our nation in combat to responding to the needs of Americans here at home, our military and federal civilian employees make invaluable contributions to the growth, prosperity and protection of this nation," stated Rep. Hoyer. "The Washington-area delegation works hard every year to provide employees of the federal government with a pay adjustment that recognizes the vital contributions they make. I am pleased that we have acted once again in the spirit of pay parity to secure a fair adjustment for all sectors of the federal workforce."

Since the passage of the Federal Employee Pay Comparability Act - a law designed to bring federal salaries in line with the private sector - Presidential Administrations have consistently failed to fully implement the recommended salary adjustments. This year, the President proposed a 2.9 percent increase for civilian workers - 0.5 percent lower than the 3.4 percent proposal for military personnel. Every year, Rep. Hoyer has fought for pay parity to ensure a fair adjustment for all sectors of the federal workforce.

"One of the most effective ways to recognize the important service of our federal employees - and also increase the attractiveness of a career in public service - is through pay that reflects the value of the work and services federal employees provide this nation and its citizens," stated Rep. Hoyer. "It is imperative that we continue to provide our federal workforce with a fair pay adjustment so that the federal government can retain quality employees, and attract the best new workers entering the job market."

Since the start of the year, Rep. Hoyer has worked closely with the Washington-area delegation and House Appropriations Committee leaders to advocate for a fair and equal pay increase for all federal employees. The Senate is expected to approve the federal pay adjustment for federal civilian and military employees when it takes up the Continuing Resolution Appropriations and Defense Authorization bills later this week.

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