FederalDaily - October 3, 2006
Military Pay Raise Not Enough, Union Says
The head of the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) was sharply critical of a proposed 2.2 percent
pay raise for U.S. service personnel, calling it “shameful” and “meager.” The
Jan. 1 pay raise for servicemembers is part of the Fiscal Year 2007 Defense authorization bill. A larger
2.7 percent increase proposed in House legislation was rejected in House-Senate conference. NTEU President
Colleen M. Kelley said on Sept. 29 that the “2.2 percent pay increase—the smallest for
our military in more than a decade—is a shameful decision during a time of war.” The pay
raise decision does not bode well for civilian federal employees, NTEU noted. Earlier this year, the
House approved a 2.7 percent raise for federal civilian workers, contained in the FY 2007 Transportation-Treasury
Appropriations bill. That percentage was identical to the military pay raise in the House version of
the Defense spending bill. The cut in the military pay raise could foreshadow a lower pay raise for
civilian employees. The Transportation-Treasury Appropriations bill is pending. To see more, go to: www.nteu.org/PressKits/PressRelease/PressRelease.aspx?ID=972
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TRICARE Benefits for Guard, Reservists Included in Bill
An amendment included in the Defense appropriations conference report approved Sept. 29 would provide
National Guard members and reservists with improvements to their TRICARE benefits package, allowing
all members of the Selected Reserve and their families to enroll in TRICARE with an across-the-board
cost-sharing of 28 percent. The amendment was co-sponsored by Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y.,
and Lindsey Graham, R.-S.C. “All members of the Selected Reserve and their families will now
have access to TRICARE benefits, at one modest premium rate, regardless of their deployment status,” Sen.
Clinton said. “This will also help ensure that our National Guard members and Reservists are
medically ready to serve.” The Graham-Clinton TRICARE efforts have gained support from groups
including the National Guard Association of the United States, the Reserve Officers Association and
the National Governors Association. The conference report was sent to the Senate and House floors for
approval. To see the Clinton press release, go to: http://clinton.senate.gov/news/statements/details.cfm?id=264183&&
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Ex-Contracting Officer Gets Two Years in Prison
A former Army contracting officer was sentenced to two years in federal prison for his part in a scheme
to direct Army subcontracting work to companies in which he held a secret interest, the Department
of Justice said. Robert E. Johnson, former chief of quality assurance and contracting officer’s
technical representative for the Army’s Information Technology Agency in Rosslyn, Va., was sentenced
Sept. 29 by U.S. District Judge James C. Cacheris. In addition to the two-year prison term, Johnson,
, 65, of Woodbridge, Va., was also sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay
more than $150,000 in restitution. Johnson pleaded guilty to a wire fraud charge, admitting that from
2000 to 2005, he used his position to obtain more than $150,000 from the Army. In the scheme, Johnson
directed two prime contractors to subcontract with two companies in which he secretly held a financial
interest, said Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher and Chuck Rosenberg, U.S. Attorney for the
Eastern District of Virginia. To see more, go to: www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2006/September/06_crm_667.html
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