Although Congress has been in session since last week, the traditional Washington work year kickoff comes next Tuesday (January 20) with the State of the Union speech,followed on February 2 by the White House’s budget proposal for the fiscal year that starts in October. The speech typically includes little specific to federal employees but the budget document typically is the vehicle for the next year’s pay raise and for other significant personnel policy changes. Federal employee organizations are advocating for a raise larger than the 1 percent that was granted for each of 2014 and 2015, targeting a figure in the 3-4 percent range; a bill offered by some House Democrats proposes 3.8 percent. That could be a tough sell to a more conservative Congress, however, and could force a vote on a raise with the potential result of reimposing a freeze; the 2014 and 2015 raises were set by default when Congress avoided voting on the issue. The figure that is supposed to be used as the starting point for raise deliberations under federal pay law worked out to be 2.3 percent for the pertinent measuring period, but that process has been largely ignored in recent years. One initial budgetary task, though, will be to address work left over from 2014 and decide on a budget for DHS for the remainder of the current fiscal year. While other agencies are funded through September, that department has spending authority only through February, due to disputes over immigration policy. The House could vote on a budget plan for DHS as soon as this week.