WASHINGTON – Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin today cosponsored a Sense of the Congress Resolution calling for parity in pay adjustments between the military and civil service workforce.

   House Concurrent Resolution 19 responds to the President's plan for a three-tier civil service pay plan that would provide all federal employees a base pay raise of 2%. The Bush proposal includes an additional base pay raise from a $500 million "performance fund," and it elevates the senior executives annual salary cap from $142,500 to $154,700. In the FY04 budget released yesterday, the President called for a minimum 3.7% raise for military personnel, with senior enlisted personnel receiving more.

   The Congressman pointed out that pay parity between civilian and military employees has not kept pace with the private sector and that pay parity "is critical to addressing the recruitment and retention problems in both the military and federal civilian workforce.

   "Both civilian and military employees are our greatest resource and we must maintain the morale of our dedicated federal public servants. Key to that is bringing civilian pay raises up to the level of military pay raises."

   Rep. Cardin stressed that pay parity between civilian and military personnel has been a guiding principle in Congress for 15 of the last 18 years. House and Senate negotiators are still working on a FY 2003 spending bill, and the Congressman strongly supports a provision to provide a 4.1% increase for federal workers.

   "We need to ensure that pay parity between civilian and military personnel is included in both the FY03 and FY04 budgets."