Tag: Feds

Revived bills would alter feds’ payment obligations during shutdowns, federal first responders’ pensions

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Lawmakers revived a host of bills this week that would impact the federal workforce, through changes to payments, retirement benefits and more. The Federal Employee Civil Relief Act, for one, would let federal employees and contractors postpone certain types of payments during government shutdowns, or if the government defaults on its debt. Specifically, feds would get a 30-day cushion, after a government shutdown ends, before they would have to make payments on loans and other types of financial obligations. Sens. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Mark Warner (D-Va.), who reintroduced the…

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Democrats reintroduce bill to give feds 8.7% average pay raise next year

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A bicameral pair of Democrats proposed a bill to give federal employees a pay raise in 2024, in what has become an annual tradition in recent years. Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) and Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) reintroduced the Federal Adjustment of Income Rates (FAIR) Act in the House and Senate, respectively, to give most civilian employees an 8.7% average pay raise next year. Specifically, the bill includes a 4.7% across-the-board base pay raise, plus a 4% average locality pay increase. The legislation also includes a 4.7% raise for prevailing rate…

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Reintroduced bills aim to fix hiring process, Social Security benefits for feds

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Lawmakers have teed up two familiar bills that differ in their priorities, but that both have implications for federal employees, as well as retirees from the public sector. The first bill, the Chance to Compete Act, aims to revamp longstanding challenges in the federal hiring process. The House passed the bill Tuesday evening in a vote of 422 to 2. The bipartisan legislation would expand the use of shared assessments among different agencies, in effect trying to expand cross-agency hiring. Also under the legislation, subject matter experts (SMEs) would be…

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Bills, amendments linger in Congress with lasting implications for feds

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Lawmakers have until Dec. 16, when the current continuing resolution expires, to pass the rest of the appropriations bills and fund the government next year, but it’s not the only item on the congressional to-do list with big implications for the federal workforce. Many of those additional items are included as amendments under the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2023. There are more than 1,000 amendments to the NDAA, and at least a handful of them have the potential to change the federal hiring process, federal benefits, retirement and…

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OPM clarifies how agencies can help feds apply for Public Service Loan Forgiveness waiver by Oct. 31 deadline

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With a fast-approaching deadline to apply for a Public Service Loan Forgiveness limited-time waiver, the Office of Personnel Management said agencies should help federal employees with their applications. If they have the documentation available, agencies can certify a current employee’s entire work history, including that individual’s time working previously at other agencies. “The federal employee should present a separate PSLF form for each federal agency and period of employment for which they are seeking certification and the agency official should certify each form as appropriate,” OPM wrote in an Oct.…

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