WASHINGTON, June 9 (UPI) -- A key U.S. congressional committee voted this week to provide pay parity for civilian federal employees and members of the military for next year.
The Appropriations Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives Tuesday included a 2.7 percent raise for civilians as part of the fiscal 2007 Transportation-Treasury appropriations bill, GovExec.com reported.
U.S. President George W. Bush proposed a 2.2 percent raise for both military and civilian employees, but in May the full House approved a higher 2.7 percent military raise as part of the 2007 National Defense Authorization Act, also known as H.R. 5122, the report said.
Shortly after that action, 10 members, led by Reps. Tom Davis, R-Va., chairman of the Government Reform Committee, and House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer, D-MD., sent a letter to appropriators asking for the same hike for civilians.
On Wednesday, Hoyer applauded the response. "I am pleased that the appropriations committee has recognized the vital contribution that federal civilian employees make to our country's strength and security by including pay parity in ... the bill," he said.
This year was the first time that President Bush proposed equal pay raises for both groups. But the move did not forestall the annual pay parity battle in Congress, in which federal employee advocates in Congress -- many of whom represent districts in the government-employee-heavy Washington area -- push to match the civilian pay raise with the higher military one, GovExec.com said.
Because the 2.2 percent proposed 2007 raise was comparatively low -- last year military members received a 3.1 percent raise and the year before that they received a 3.5 percent adjustment -- Congress voted to raise the military rate on its own, initiating the pay parity battle, the report said.
