All Eyes on Presidential Pay Order

With Congress having adjourned for the year without legislating a January 2003 federal pay raise, all eyes are on the White House for a presidential order due by the end of the month. That order will announce the administration’s wishes for the 2003 general schedule locality payment amount. The order is needed because otherwise under federal pay law total GS raises-across-the-board and locality pay combined-of more than 18 percent would be required. Since no figure has been written into law, the January raise would be 3.1 percent, although congressional civil service leaders have vowed to act early in January to boost the raise to 4.1 percent, retroactive to the start of 2003.