Fedweek

While the upcoming raise always is foremost among topics of interest among employees during any session of Congress, the final figure for 2001 likely won’t be set until relatively late this year. The measure carrying the military raise that acts as the bellwether for the civilian raise likely won’t be enacted until late summer at the earliest—around the same time that appropriations bills carrying the actual funds for the federal raise are passed. President Clinton typically makes a late-August announcement of his final position on the raise, usually reflecting the prevailing figure in Congress at the time, and that figure takes effect unless Congress later overrides it. Last year, however, he made no such announcement and left it to Congress to pick and enact a figure, which turned out to be 4.8 percent.