{
  "id": "R41321",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "R41321",
  "active": false,
  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com, University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
  "versions": [
    {
      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 378368,
      "date": "2011-02-09",
      "retrieved": "2016-04-07T01:05:18.571427",
      "title": "Conversion from the National Security Personnel System to Other Pay Schedules: Issues for Congress",
      "summary": "Most federal employees (59.1%) are paid on the General Schedule (GS), a pay scale that consists of 15 pay grades in which an employee\u2019s pay increases are to be based on performance and length of service. Some Members of Congress, citizens, and public administration scholars have argued that federal employee pay advancement should be more closely linked to job performance than it currently is on the GS. With these concerns in mind and with explicit congressional authorization, the Department of Defense (DOD) began developing the National Security Personnel System (NSPS) in 2003 as a unique pay scale attempting to more closely link employee pay to job performance.\nNSPS was beset by criticisms since it went into effect in 2006. The system faced legal and political challenges from unions and employees who claimed it was inconsistently applied and caused undeserved pay inequities, among other concerns. On October 7, 2009, House and Senate conferees reported a version of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 that included language to terminate NSPS. On October 8, 2009, the House agreed to the conference report. The Senate agreed to the conference report on October 22, 2009. On October 28, 2009, the President signed the bill into law (P.L. 111-84). DOD must now return employees currently enrolled in NSPS to the GS or to the pay system that previously applied to them or their position. If the employee\u2019s position did not exist prior to NSPS or if the previous pay scale was abolished during NSPS\u2019s lifetime, DOD must determine an appropriate pay scale for the employee. The return to the GS or other pay system must be completed by January 1, 2012, pursuant to the law.\nNSPS was initially intended to cover all DOD employees, but had a total final enrollment of roughly 227,000 DOD employees or 31.7% of the department\u2019s 717,000-person workforce. In October 2010, DOD sent a report to Congress that said 76% (171,985) of employees formerly in the NSPS pay system had been converted to the GS. Of those employees who moved into the GS, 72% (124,200) received a pay raise when they were placed in the proper GS grade and step. Employees who have not yet been transitioned out of NSPS are to be placed in pay scales other than the GS. As of January 2011, roughly 54,000 DOD employees remain in NSPS.\nP.L. 111-84 included language preventing any employee from suffering a loss or decrease in pay as a result of the elimination of NSPS. Pursuant to statute, 35,117 employees who transitioned to GS have been placed on \u201cretained pay,\u201d which allows them to maintain their NSPS rate of pay instead of transitioning to the GS pay rate assigned to their job\u2019s grade. In such cases, the GS rate of pay assigned to the employee\u2019s position may not reach the pay level the employee achieved under NSPS. Retained pay, pursuant to statute, requires that an employee receive half of the annual pay adjustment given to employees who are at the maximum payable rate for their GS grade (step 10). Some NSPS employees may argue that the cap on their annual pay increase amounts to a loss in pay, and, therefore, violates P.L. 111-84.\nThe 112th Congress may choose to continue congressional oversight of NSPS employees\u2019 transition to other pay systems. This report focuses on the transition of employees from NSPS to non-NSPS pay systems. It does not address the operation of NSPS or other pay schedules. The report discusses how the transition is scheduled to occur and analyzes congressional options for oversight or legislative action.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORTS",
      "active": false,
      "formats": [
        {
          "format": "HTML",
          "encoding": "utf-8",
          "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R41321",
          "sha1": "c57f6ec9425e330a3fb3a829cc48102fba44c807",
          "filename": "files/20110209_R41321_c57f6ec9425e330a3fb3a829cc48102fba44c807.html",
          "images": null
        },
        {
          "format": "PDF",
          "encoding": null,
          "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R41321",
          "sha1": "babe960f58e44a3f67fc2c1c3376fc8f810b355b",
          "filename": "files/20110209_R41321_babe960f58e44a3f67fc2c1c3376fc8f810b355b.pdf",
          "images": null
        }
      ],
      "topics": []
    },
    {
      "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
      "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc491573/",
      "id": "R41321_2010Aug04",
      "date": "2010-08-04",
      "retrieved": "2015-01-27T19:40:46",
      "title": "Conversion from the National Security Personnel System to Other Pay Schedules: Issues for Congress",
      "summary": "This report focuses on the transition of employees from National Security Personnel System (NSPS) to non-NSPS pay systems. It does not address the operation of NSPS or other pay schedules. The report discusses how the transition is scheduled to occur and analyzes congressional options for oversight or legislative action.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORT",
      "active": false,
      "formats": [
        {
          "format": "PDF",
          "filename": "files/20100804_R41321_9a1286e2104be6dd23437522cb0145731ea9e20e.pdf"
        },
        {
          "format": "HTML",
          "filename": "files/20100804_R41321_9a1286e2104be6dd23437522cb0145731ea9e20e.html"
        }
      ],
      "topics": [
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Government employees",
          "name": "Government employees"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Federal employees",
          "name": "Federal employees"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Labor",
          "name": "Labor"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Income",
          "name": "Income"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
      "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc490949/",
      "id": "R41321_2010Jul15",
      "date": "2010-07-15",
      "retrieved": "2015-01-27T19:40:46",
      "title": "Conversion from the National Security Personnel System to Other Pay Schedules: Issues for Congress",
      "summary": "This report focuses on the transition of employees from National Security Personnel System (NSPS) to non-NSPS pay systems. It does not address the operation of NSPS or other pay schedules. The report discusses how the transition is scheduled to occur and analyzes congressional options for oversight or legislative action.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORT",
      "active": false,
      "formats": [
        {
          "format": "PDF",
          "filename": "files/20100715_R41321_b7ebb4dcda68183cf05817da50e05bf66432bd65.pdf"
        },
        {
          "format": "HTML",
          "filename": "files/20100715_R41321_b7ebb4dcda68183cf05817da50e05bf66432bd65.html"
        }
      ],
      "topics": [
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Federal employees",
          "name": "Federal employees"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Government employees",
          "name": "Government employees"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Income",
          "name": "Income"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "topics": [
    "National Defense"
  ]
}