Senate Democrats Introduce Bill to Provide Back Pay in Event of Government Shutdown
Tuesday, April 11, 2017(National Federation of Federal Employees)
The
National Federation of Federal Employees
supports the legislation of S. 861, titled The
Federal Employee Fair Treatment Act. Introduced
last week on Wednesday by Sen. Ben Cardin
(D-MD), the act will guarantee back pay for
federal employees in the event of a possible
government shutdown. If successful, the
legislation will account for all federal
employees, regardless of whether they are
forced to work during the potential closure or
if they are furloughed. However, current
funding is set to expire on April 26, and
Congress will be adjourned until April 22 due
to Easter break, giving lawmakers just four
days to pass the
bill.
The situation is
comparable to the shutdown in 2013, in which
the government was closed for 16 days, nearly
causing approximately 800,000 non-exempt
federal employees to be placed on indefinite
unpaid leave. However, the house unanimously
passed a bill to provide back pay to these
workers after the government closure was
resolved, as S. 861 will do if passed. As in
2013, agencies are required to compensate
employees that are considered essential to the
protection of life and property, but furloughed
workers do not receive these same
protections.
“Our
bill is the right thing to do and the fair
thing to do,” Cardin affirmed. “Federal
workers are dedicated public servants who
simply want to do their jobs on behalf of the
American people. They shouldn’t suffer
because of extreme partisan
gamesmanship.”
The
bill also would allow for employees exempted
from furloughs to use paid leave as they
normally would during normal governmental
operations. The legislation emphasizes that
back pay be issued as quickly and efficiently
as possible following the shutdown, if it
occurs. Fortunately, it appears that both
Republicans and Democrats are working together
to prevent a closure, although they will have
limited time to do so. NFFE is encouraging all
to request their Senators vote “yes” on S.
861, so that federal employees are not unfairly
harmed by the deficiencies of
Congress.
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