Legislation that would have required federal agencies to pay their employees
called up to active duty in the Reserves and National Guard the difference between
their civilian and military pay appears doomed, the Washington Post reports.For a Limited Time receive a
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Download NowCongressional aides tell the newspaper that, after the Armed Services Committee
dropped the pay-gap measure from the House version of the 2004 defense authorization
bill, Senate and House negotiators would not consider the provision when discussing
the defense authorization bill.
Democrats in the House led the effort to make up the difference between reservists'
regular pay from the federal government and military pay. Federal agencies employ
about 65,000 reservists, according to the newspaper.
Opponents of the plan said the costs would have been too great--the measure
would have cost $160 million over five years, congressional aides tell the newspaper.
The Defense Department said it opposed the measure because it may have hurt
morale among regular military soldiers.
The newspaper notes that many state and local governments and private-sector
employers pay the difference between their employees' regular and military pay
while on active duty.
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