WASHINGTON, D.C.—A 4.1% pay increase for federal employees—championed by Senate Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Susan Collins (R-ME)—was included in a conference report agreed upon by House-Senate negotiators. Collins, whose committee has jurisdiction over federal employee pay, had urged Senate appropriators to include the increase in the Transportation, Treasury, and General Government appropriations bill.
“This legislation ensures that America’s hard-working civilian employees will not be overlooked,” said Senator Collins, who has long supported pay parity between the military and the civil service. “I am pleased that both civilian and military employees will receive meaningful pay increases in 2004.”
The legislation, the FY 2004 Transportation, Treasury, and General Government Act Conference Report, would provide pay parity between the uniformed services and the federal civil service and set the increase at 4.1 percent. In addition, pay parity would be extended to federal civilian employees serving under the Federal Wage System. In the President’s budget proposal, the increase would have been limited to 2.0 percent. The pay increase would take effect in January 2004.