Bush Proposes Extra Pay for Top Performers

The Bush administration soon will ask Congress to allow federal agencies to increase the pay of top performers that would be in addiction to regular annual and step increases. It wants to allot $500 million for this purpose beginning in fiscal 2004. Senior officials at the Office of Personnel Management and the Office of Management and Budget said the plan, which must be approved by Congress before it could be implemented, is designed to “get results.” That is, the raises would not be automatic and would not be given across the board. They would go to those who stand out from the crowd as top notch workers. This is “good news” for employees who have been frustrated by the inflexible general schedule system and for managers who can’t reward their best people, said OPM director Kay Coles James during a recent teleconference with reporters.