Other Major Bills Pending Final Votes

The Senate also plans to vote in upcoming days on two bills passed by the House last week. One is a tax measure (HR-5771) that would boost the tax-free amount allowable under the public transit subsidy program from $130 to $250 a month, retroactive to cover all of 2014—that is a payment that many federal agencies, among other employers, make for employees who use public transit in their commuting. However, the rate is to fall again to $130 in January, leaving the issue again on the table for 2015. The other is the annual DoD authorization bill (HR-3979), which extends several special hiring and pay authorities including a government-wide authority to rehire federal retirees for limited periods without an offset between their annuities and their salaries; rejects the Pentagon’s call for another round of base closings; and sets a 2015 military raise of 1 percent. NARFE president Richard G. Thissen said the hiring authority “helps ensure the government can function effectively while also filling critical gaps and providing training for the next generation.”