Parity’ Raise Figure Advances

The House has passed legislation (HR-4546) setting the military-federal employee “parity” figure for the January 2003 raise at 4.1 percent. The House version of the fiscal 2003 Defense Department authorization bill is the first binding measure to address the 2003 raise issue. Previously the House voted as part of a non-binding budget resolution to maintain parity between federal employee and military pay, even though the White House has recommended average 2.6 percent raises next year for federal workers but 4.1 percent for the military. Under the House bill, certain mid-grade and senior officers would be eligible for raises of up to 8.5 percent-making the average military raise 4.7 percent–but the language is structured such that the official “parity” figure remains 4.1 percent.