A Senate measure is likely to follow the House's lead in opposing the White House's planned OPM reorganization. Image: Waxen/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffThe Senate has started its first steps toward taking a position on a 2020 pay raise and other issues important to the federal workplace, with its Appropriations Committee set to consider the annual general government spending bill on Thursday.
The House passed its version of that bill (HR-3351) in June, including among other provisions an average 3.1 percent raise for January, a ban on any further breakup of OPM.
Few details of the draft Senate bill have been released although a summary shows that the measure will follow the House’s lead in opposing the OPM reorganization. The summary further says the measure is silent regarding the pay raise, effectively endorsing the 2.6 percent across the board figure that President Trump recently set as a default should no number ultimately be enacted. An amendment to endorse the House figure or a different amount could be offered during committee voting, though–and in any case the raise will be finally determined in a later conference with the House.
Approval by the committee would clear the way for a full Senate vote, although there have been times in which the committee-approved version of the bill becomes the basis for resolving differences between the House and Senate.
Meanwhile, the House is set to vote this week on a bill to prevent a partial government shutdown at the end of this month when agency spending authority expires. The measure would generally extend current spending levels through November 21, giving Congress more time to work on the regular appropriations bills for the 2020 fiscal year.
