4.1 Percent Marker Advances Another Step

Meanwhile, the Senate Armed Services Committee has drafted a fiscal 2003 Defense Department authorization bill that like the House-passed version sets the January 2003 basic military raise at 4.1 percent, the figure to be used for pay parity purposes, while also providing higher raises for certain military ranks and occupations. The 4.1 percent figure is the amount indicated for the military raise under the ECI plus a half percentage point formula; the White House favors that amount for uniformed personnel but has expressed doubts about the pay parity concept and has proposed 2.6 percent for civilian federal employees.