Pay Rules Updated

President Bush has issued an executive order that revises certain special pay procedures for federal employees, in order to bring policies up to date with changes made by a 2004 pay law. The change reflects provisions in that law giving OPM the authority to establish special rate pay and to authorize recruitment, retention and relocation payments; previously, those authorities had been delegated to OPM by the White House. Similarly, the law gave OPM authority to decide when positions are “critical” and warrant higher pay than normally would be paid; previously, OMB had that authority.