Federally Employed Women has issued a year-end ranking of lawmakers that supported a number of workforce bills impacting women in the federal government.
It said the first session of the 111th Congress witnessed the most employee-specific legislation passed and signed into law in decades that will prove to be beneficial to federal workers, including FERS retirement system unused sick leave crediting and redeposit policies, rehiring retirees and allowing federal workers to work part-time without adversely impacting their retirement pension calculations.
Bills FEW is tracking and advocating for include HR-235, to repeal the Government Pension Offset and Windfall Elimination Provision, HR-626, providing four weeks of paid leave to federal workers following the birth or adoption of a child (it passed the House but has not progressed in the Senate), S-1180, a senior executive service diversity bill, and HR-3221, to move all federal education loans to the Direct Lending program by 2010, which FEW says will save $90 billion by eliminating taxpayer-funded subsidies to private lenders.
FEW praised lawmakers on their voting records including Sens. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, followed by Barbara Boxer, D-CA, Benjamin Cardin, D-Md., Bob Casey, D-Pa., Richard Durbin, D-Ill., John Kerry, D-Mass., all of whom voted for at least 9 out of 10 bills FEW prioritized.