FMA Reflects and Looks Forward
We’re days away from the current continuing resolution expiring. News from Capitol Hill brings word of a standstill in omnibus appropriations negotiations, a potential full year CR, potential government shutdowns – the regular lumps of coal we have regrettably come to expect from Congress this time of year. FMA will continue to do all we can to urge Congress to do their jobs and provide managers with some measure of budget certainty for Fiscal Year 2023.
At the same time, we are grateful for the progress made on a number of FMA priorities in the past year. We want to take a moment to reflect on some of those stories and maintain our momentum of traction as we look ahead to the new year and the 118th Congress.
In the ‘better late than never’ category, we are grateful and relieved that after five long years, the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) received a quorum and was restored to a fully functional, full board. For more than five years, from January 2017 to March 2022, the board didn’t have a quorum and could not vote on petitions for review. It was bad for both employees and agencies, and resulted in a backlog of more than 3,000 cases. The return of the MSPB was a win for due process across the federal workforce.
2022 also saw Congress make significant strides on legislative initiatives FMA strongly supports. While we endorsed the FAIR Act, which would have provided a 5.1 percent pay raise in 2023, FMA supports the 4.6 percent pay raise feds are slated to receive, which is the highest raise in twenty years. Importantly, Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) began work on a problem FMA has highlighted for years -- legislation to address salary compression. “The federal pay ceiling cap has not kept up with the higher cost of living in many cities across the United States. This issue plays a role in recruitment and retention to the federal workforce, which already has hiring issues. If an employee is offered a promotion at a higher level, with more responsibilities, but no corresponding salary increase, will they take on the new role?,” FMA has asked. In her statement announcing the proposed legislation, Norton said, “This bill will help the federal government hire and retain the most qualified individuals. Pay adjustments are especially important during periods of high inflation.” We look forward to working with Delegate Norton and others on correcting this unfair and hurtful pay compression problem in the new year.
FMA is also excited about progress made toward achieving meaningful hiring reform in the federal government. We supported bipartisan legislation, the Chance to Compete Act, which would bring managers and subject matter experts in early in the hiring process. It would also give managers more tools and strengthens the competitive hiring process to help hire the best talent as quickly as possible for all agencies. While it didn’t cross the finish line in the 117th Congress, we are hopeful this commonsense bill – and other measures aimed at hiring – will be reintroduced and passed in the 118th Congress. FMA also supports efforts the Biden Administration is taking through the Presidents Management Agenda targeting hiring reform changes they can make without legislation. FMA will continue working with the Office of Personnel Management and the Office of Management and Budget on these important issues in the new year.
We will unveil our full legislative agenda in 2023. We are grateful for all managers who serve our nation, we wish you a happy and safe holiday season, and we look forward to representing you in the new year.
If you are not already a member of FMA, please consider becoming a member.
The views reflected in this column are those of FMA and do not necessarily represent the views of FEDmanager. To learn more about the Federal Managers Association (FMA), visit their website: FedManagers.org.