{ "id": "RL34668", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "number": "RL34668", "active": false, "source": "EveryCRSReport.com, University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "versions": [ { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 345466, "date": "2008-09-24", "retrieved": "2016-04-07T03:09:22.848982", "title": "Proposals for a New Foreign Service Compensation System in the 110th Congress", "summary": "Proponents of revisions in the Foreign Service compensation system point out that as increasing numbers of Foreign Service personnel are going to posts of increased hardship and danger, Foreign Service personnel serving abroad receive 20.89% less than their colleagues who are posted in Washington, D.C. due to the loss of locality pay when serving abroad. These proponents of revision maintain that this difference negatively impacts morale and assignment considerations, and eventually retention also. Both the 109th and 110th Congresses have considered proposals to eliminate this pay difference.\nThe American Foreign Service Association (AFSA) has been working for several years with congressional supporters to change the compensation system. Since FY2007, the George W. Bush Administration has requested funds to create a new performance-based compensation system for the Foreign Service and eliminate the pay differential. For FY2009, the Administration requested $34.7 million for the first stage of a transition to pay equity. The Senate Appropriations Committee provided sufficient funding to meet the Administration\u2019s request in its appropriations bill, S. 3288, reported on July 18, 2008.\nThe \u201cForeign Service Overseas Pay Equity Act of 2008,\u201d H.R. 3202, as amended, would eliminate the pay differences over three years. This bill was referred to both the House Committee on Foreign Affairs (HCFA) and the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform (HOGR). HCFA reported the bill on July 16, 2008. An identical bill was introduced in the Senate, S. 3426, on August 1, 2008, and was referred to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations (SFRC). The SFRC reported the bill, without amendments, on September 23, 2008.\nThe major difference between the Administration\u2019s proposal and the current legislation is that the Administration, while proposing to eliminate the pay difference over two years, also seeks to develop a new performance-based worldwide compensation system for the Foreign Service. H.R. 3202 and S. 3426 would eliminate the pay differences over three years without reference to developing a new performance-based system. AFSA states that the Foreign Service personnel system is already performance-based, and the pay adjustment proposals eliminate an unintended inequity. Others with concerns about the legislation, however, state this is basically a pay increase for the Foreign Service and question whether increases are needed because of the benefits and allowances Foreign Service personnel generally receive when posted abroad. This report discusses (1) the legislative background leading to a proposal to change the compensation system, (2) the current Foreign Service personnel system and why the Foreign Service views it as already performance-based, (3) an examination of why the Foreign Service and the Administration are both requesting that Congress change the compensation system, (4) an examination of H.R. 3202 and S. 3426, the \u201cForeign Service Overseas Pay Equity Act of 2008,\u201d and (5) some issues that Congress might be asked to consider. This report may be updated.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/RL34668", "sha1": "f77e2f7d833b25d987f1307a66da21096b2b2222", "filename": "files/20080924_RL34668_f77e2f7d833b25d987f1307a66da21096b2b2222.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/RL34668", "sha1": "1ae21341dd87c676894bb30cdff2bb939cb32645", "filename": "files/20080924_RL34668_1ae21341dd87c676894bb30cdff2bb939cb32645.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc795699/", "id": "RL34668_2008Sep12", "date": "2008-09-12", "retrieved": "2016-01-13T14:26:20", "title": "Proposals for a New Foreign Service Compensation System in the 110th Congress", "summary": "This report discusses (1) the legislative background leading to a proposal to change the compensation system, (2) the current Foreign Service personnel system and why the Foreign Service views its personnel system as already performance-based, (3) an examination of why the Foreign Service and the Administration are both requesting that Congress change the compensation system, (4) an examination of H.R. 3202 and S. 3426, the \"Foreign Service Overseas Pay Equity Act of 2008,\" and (5) some issues that Congress might be asked to consider.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20080912_RL34668_60d11bd4add989b8b56c4d882c3b4520e2fddc80.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20080912_RL34668_60d11bd4add989b8b56c4d882c3b4520e2fddc80.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Compensation", "name": "Compensation" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Foreign service", "name": "Foreign service" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "International relations", "name": "International relations" } ] } ], "topics": [ "Appropriations", "Foreign Affairs", "National Defense" ] }