Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
Washington Post
May 2, 2008
Pg. D4
By Stephen Barr
Showcasing Public Service
The House and Senate have approved resolutions. Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl promise to attend. Military tanks and helicopters will be ready for inspection.
It's all for Public Service Recognition Week, the annual celebration of the contributions that federal, state and local government employees make to the nation.
Washington's celebration will be held Monday through Wednesday on the Mall. Opening ceremonies will begin at 11:30 a.m. Monday and will include a naturalization ceremony for 25 new citizens, including several military personnel.
"This is a great opportunity not only for people to celebrate public service but to come to the Mall and learn about what is going on in the federal government," said Patricia McGinnis, president and chief executive of the nonprofit Council for Excellence in Government, one of the event's sponsors.
The opening ceremonies will include remarks by Rep. Danny K. Davis (D-Ill.), chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee on the federal workforce; Michael B. Donley, director of administration and management at the Defense Department; and McGinnis.
Davis was the chief sponsor of the House resolution honoring public service and saluting the week's activities. The Senate's resolution was sponsored by Sen. Daniel K. Akaka (D-Hawaii), who chairs the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs subcommittee on government management.
About 75 exhibits sponsored by federal agencies will allow visitors to see what's new in biofuels, put their John Hancock on a Declaration of Independence, check out a crime-scene investigation lab and write messages of support to the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The exhibits will be located on the Mall between the National Gallery of Art and the National Air and Space Museum. They will be open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday and Tuesday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday.
Events include a performance by the Air Force's Max Impact rock band at 2 p.m. Monday; a Job Corps showcase and competition at 1 p.m. Tuesday; and FedPitch, in which contestants make a two-minute pitch on how to improve the government, at 1 p.m. Wednesday.
"It will be a great excursion on the Mall for kids and families from around the country," McGinnis said.
Pay Raise Debate to Start
Military personnel would receive a 3.9 percent pay raise next year under a bill approved by the Senate Armed Services Committee.
The Bush administration, in its February budget request, recommended a 3.4 percent raise for the military and a 2.9 percent raise, including locality adjustments, for the civil service next year.
The committee's proposal to boost military pay will probably set off a debate on how much to increase federal employee salaries in 2009. In most years, Congress prefers to give an equal-percentage raise to both groups, known as "pay parity," as a way to recognize the contributions of the civil service and the military, especially personnel who work side by side in defense and intelligence agencies.
Colleen M. Kelley, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, yesterday called on Congress to adopt a pay parity policy for next year. "Anything less will only accelerate the loss of skilled, experienced and dedicated employees from a wide range of federal agencies," she said.
The Senate bill continues to waive a cap on pay for federal employees who work in support of U.S. Central Command operations, which include the operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Under the proposal, a federal employee may not earn more than the vice president in 2009. If salary, bonuses, overtime and special payments exceed that cap, the remainder may be rolled over to the following year. The vice president's salary for 2009 has not been set; the position currently pays $221,100.
The Armed Services Committee approved the raise late Wednesday as part of the fiscal 2009 defense authorization bill. Sen. Carl M. Levin (D-Mich.), the chairman, and Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), the ranking Republican on the panel, announced the bill's funding recommendations yesterday.
The House Armed Services Committee will start work next week on its version of the defense bill and hopes to have it ready for a committee debate by May 14.
May 2, 2008
Pg. D4
By Stephen Barr
Showcasing Public Service
The House and Senate have approved resolutions. Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl promise to attend. Military tanks and helicopters will be ready for inspection.
It's all for Public Service Recognition Week, the annual celebration of the contributions that federal, state and local government employees make to the nation.
Washington's celebration will be held Monday through Wednesday on the Mall. Opening ceremonies will begin at 11:30 a.m. Monday and will include a naturalization ceremony for 25 new citizens, including several military personnel.
"This is a great opportunity not only for people to celebrate public service but to come to the Mall and learn about what is going on in the federal government," said Patricia McGinnis, president and chief executive of the nonprofit Council for Excellence in Government, one of the event's sponsors.
The opening ceremonies will include remarks by Rep. Danny K. Davis (D-Ill.), chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee on the federal workforce; Michael B. Donley, director of administration and management at the Defense Department; and McGinnis.
Davis was the chief sponsor of the House resolution honoring public service and saluting the week's activities. The Senate's resolution was sponsored by Sen. Daniel K. Akaka (D-Hawaii), who chairs the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs subcommittee on government management.
About 75 exhibits sponsored by federal agencies will allow visitors to see what's new in biofuels, put their John Hancock on a Declaration of Independence, check out a crime-scene investigation lab and write messages of support to the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The exhibits will be located on the Mall between the National Gallery of Art and the National Air and Space Museum. They will be open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday and Tuesday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday.
Events include a performance by the Air Force's Max Impact rock band at 2 p.m. Monday; a Job Corps showcase and competition at 1 p.m. Tuesday; and FedPitch, in which contestants make a two-minute pitch on how to improve the government, at 1 p.m. Wednesday.
"It will be a great excursion on the Mall for kids and families from around the country," McGinnis said.
Pay Raise Debate to Start
Military personnel would receive a 3.9 percent pay raise next year under a bill approved by the Senate Armed Services Committee.
The Bush administration, in its February budget request, recommended a 3.4 percent raise for the military and a 2.9 percent raise, including locality adjustments, for the civil service next year.
The committee's proposal to boost military pay will probably set off a debate on how much to increase federal employee salaries in 2009. In most years, Congress prefers to give an equal-percentage raise to both groups, known as "pay parity," as a way to recognize the contributions of the civil service and the military, especially personnel who work side by side in defense and intelligence agencies.
Colleen M. Kelley, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, yesterday called on Congress to adopt a pay parity policy for next year. "Anything less will only accelerate the loss of skilled, experienced and dedicated employees from a wide range of federal agencies," she said.
The Senate bill continues to waive a cap on pay for federal employees who work in support of U.S. Central Command operations, which include the operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Under the proposal, a federal employee may not earn more than the vice president in 2009. If salary, bonuses, overtime and special payments exceed that cap, the remainder may be rolled over to the following year. The vice president's salary for 2009 has not been set; the position currently pays $221,100.
The Armed Services Committee approved the raise late Wednesday as part of the fiscal 2009 defense authorization bill. Sen. Carl M. Levin (D-Mich.), the chairman, and Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), the ranking Republican on the panel, announced the bill's funding recommendations yesterday.
The House Armed Services Committee will start work next week on its version of the defense bill and hopes to have it ready for a committee debate by May 14.