Federal Employee Pay Restoration - A No Brainer - Right?

I am writing regarding HR 3223 Federal Employee Retroactive Pay Act that you are co-sponsoring.

Tomorrow you will vote on HR 3223 Federal Employee Retroactive Pay Act, which you are cosponsoring. Please offer an important friendly amendment to this bill. Consider the following. The federal government has many "contract employees". These are people who work day in and day out embedded in federal offices, working under the direction of federal employee bosses just like the federal employees that they work beside, but they are employees of “body shop” companies that are often small or 8A businesses. My wife has been working in this fashion for the DOI for five years. Body shop contracts typically have a 3 to 5 year duration then they are re-competed. It is normal that, when a new body shop company wins, the contract employees remain in place. The point is that in practice the contract employee is actually filling a federal position. My wife has had two employers while she has continuously worked at the same DOI job. Periodically there is talk of converting her but there is always a hiring freeze or fear that preferential treatment given to existing federal employee applicants or veterans in the federal employment system would preclude her from winning her job if it were posted. Her team relies on her so they really don't want to risk losing her. Hence, she remains a contractor trapped in the system. I can assure you there are thousands like her. They are not included in your bill. They should be.

You will not get this on time. I do not accept that excuse. No bill should be rushed so that it does not allow adequate time for public review and meaningful comment even if it is a "no brainer" like this one appeared to be, but actually isn't. I will contact our Colorado Senators and ask that they fix it when it is brought up in the Senate. They also may not get the message on time. In that event I request that you introduce a new resolution to extend the Retroactive Pay Act to contract employees.

Click to expand...