Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives, with respect to federal employees, that:
[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 388 Introduced in House (IH)]
113th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 388
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives supporting Federal
employees.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
October 22, 2013
Ms. Fudge (for herself, Mr. Conyers, Mr. Danny K. Davis of Illinois,
Mr. Cummings, Mr. Lynch, Mr. Pocan, Ms. Kaptur, Mr. Cartwright, Mr.
Veasey, Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, Mr. Hastings of Florida,
Ms. Slaughter, Mr. Holt, Ms. Brown of Florida, Ms. Lee of California,
Mr. Farr, Mr. Nadler, Mr. Sarbanes, Ms. Norton, Ms. Jackson Lee, Mrs.
Beatty, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Watt, Mr. Payne, Mr. McGovern, Ms.
Schakowsky, Mr. Jeffries, Mr. Rush, Mr. Tonko, Ms. Clarke, Mr. Johnson
of Georgia, Mr. Enyart, Ms. Shea-Porter, Mr. Brady of Pennsylvania, Mr.
Peterson, Mr. Gutierrez, Mr. Meeks, Ms. Bass, Ms. Wilson of Florida,
and Ms. Pingree of Maine) submitted the following resolution; which was
referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in
addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration
of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee
concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives supporting Federal
employees.
Whereas for the 18 months between December 2007 and June 2009, the United States
economy experienced the longest and deepest recession of the post-World
War II era, and, despite a robust national recovery, many individuals,
families, and communities are still struggling to recover from that
recession;
Whereas Federal employees inspect the food we eat and the places we work,
prevent the flow of illicit drugs into our Nation, maintain the safety
of our Nation's borders, care for our Nation's veterans, deliver our
mail, and keep the national defense systems prepared to respond to any
threat to our safety;
Whereas Federal employees have already sacrificed nearly $100 billion over 10
years to help reduce the Federal Government's deficit by working under a
3-year pay freeze, which has lowered their lifetime earnings and
retirement income;
Whereas it has been proposed that pay of Federal employees be permanently
reduced by a total of 1.2 percent (phased in over a 3-year period
beginning in 2014) in order to finance their retirement benefits;
Whereas President Barack Obama has proposed raising the pay of Federal employees
by 0.5 percent for fiscal year 2013 and 1.0 percent for fiscal year
2014, so Federal employees' pay may keep pace with the rising cost of
living;
Whereas it has been proposed to decrease the annuity multiplier used to
determine Federal retirement benefits from 1.1 percent to 0.7 percent;
Whereas it has been proposed to eliminate the Federal Employees Retirement
System annuity supplement which is available to Federal employees who
meet full retirement eligibility but have not yet reached the age for
Social Security eligibility;
Whereas it has been proposed to index Social Security benefits to the Chained
Consumer Price Index, which would reduce the cost-of-living adjustments
that would otherwise apply to Federal annuities;
Whereas it has been proposed that any person who has a seriously delinquent tax
debt would be ineligible for Federal employment or to continue serving
as a Federal employee;
Whereas hiring by the Federal Government has dropped by one-third over the past
3 years as a result of budget cuts, with the number of new hires hitting
a 6-year low in 2012, representing a 37-percent decrease from 2009;
Whereas it has been proposed to limit the number of Federal employees to ensure
it does not exceed 90 percent of the total number of Federal employees
as of September 30, 2013;
Whereas it has been proposed to prohibit Federal agencies from hiring more than
1 employee for every 3 full-time employees who leave employment with
such agencies;
Whereas over 30,000 jobs in Federal agencies have been lost through attrition
since January 2012;
Whereas it has been proposed to convert the Federal Employees Health Benefits
Program into a voucher program that would gradually shift most of the
costs of health insurance to Federal and postal employees and retirees;
Whereas over 50 percent of the extension under Public Law 112-96 of the
unemployment insurance program, administered by the States under
Department of Labor oversight, was financed by an additional 2.3-percent
employee retirement contribution required for Federal and postal
employees hired in 2013 and later, resulting in an employee retirement
contribution increase of more than $600 per year on Federal employees
making an annual salary of $27,000 or more; and
Whereas some Federal employees have taken or will have to take furlough days as
a result of the sequester pursuant to Public Law 112-25; for example,
furloughs for certain Federal employees working at the Environmental
Protection Agency and the Department of Labor began in April 2013, and
the Department of Defense's 670,000 civilian workforce were furloughed
for 6 days by the end of fiscal year 2013: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives
that--
(1) Congress and the President should end the pay freeze
for Federal employees, and should prevent any further cuts to
the pensions or benefits of Federal employees;
(2) Federal employee contributions to their retirement
system should not be increased;
(3) the annuity multiplier used to determine retirement
benefits for Federal employees should not be decreased;
(4) the Federal Employees Retirement System annuity
supplement should not be eliminated, and Federal employees who
are eligible to retire should be able to do so;
(5) plans for Social Security reform should not include
using a Chained Consumer Price Index, which would reduce
Federal annuities;
(6) the number of Federal employees hired should not be
arbitrarily limited;
(7) neither current nor future Federal employees should be
subject to automatic termination as a result of delinquent
taxes;
(8) Federal agencies should be allowed to determine the
hiring strategies that best meet their needs, rather than
operating under an arbitrary, across-the-board hiring policy;
(9) the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program should
not be turned into a voucher program that shifts the costs of
health insurance to employees and retirees;
(10) the tax increase on new Federal employees that funds
part of the extension of the unemployment insurance program
administered by the Department of Labor should be repealed;
(11) the work that Federal employees perform on behalf of
the American people should be honored and respected; and
(12) Congress should recognize that efforts to reduce the
compensation and support provided to Federal employees
undermine our Government's ability to meet its obligations to
its citizens and hurt Federal agencies' ability to recruit and
retain a high-quality workforce.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
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