House approves measure giving committee power on staff pay

The House by voice vote approved a bill Tuesday to give a House committee authority to change the House payment system so that staffers are paid twice instead of once a month.

The bill would not change the current once-a-month payment schedule, but would give the House Administration Committee the authority to make the shift.

{mosads}Supporters hailed the vote as a step toward changing a payment system that has long  been a source of irritation to staff members, but a leading Republican warned the vote would not lead to any immediate changes.

Rep. Vernon Ehlers (Mich.), the ranking Republican on the House Administration Committee and a co-sponsor of the measure, said the issue of whether staffers should be paid twice a month should receive much more scrutiny.

“While I support the committee establishing its authority to determine the House’s pay date, I do not necessarily support alteration of the current House pay schedule at this time,” Ehlers said. “This bill is the first step in a very long road and should be followed by hearings and surveys of House employees to express their opinions.”

Administration Chairman Robert Brady (D-Pa.), however, was more confident the vote would lead to a real change in paychecks.

“Once the bill is enacted, the committee will adopt regulations that change the pay cycle,” Brady said on the floor Tuesday.

A House Inspector General report estimated the change would cost as much as $1.1 million to implement.

Brady said the switch would make it easier for staffers getting by on small paychecks to budget their money.

Separately, a resolution to grant all federal employees, including members of the military, access to the House exercise facility also passed the House unanimously.

The gym, open for a little more than two years, is in the southwest corner of the Rayburn building.

Only House staff members are currently allowed to use its equipment.

The resolution put forward by Brady would grant gym access to active military members who are working in the House’s military liaison office.

“At a time when members of our military are being asked to risk their lives in the service of their country, we should ensure that they are offered every possible courtesy and convenience,” Brady said.

Meanwhile, a House subcommittee approved a measure granting federal employees more paid parental leave.

Federal staffers with newborns would get four weeks of paid leave in addition to using eight weeks of any accrued unpaid sick leave under the measure approved by the Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on the Federal Workforce, Postal Service and the District of Columbia.

Currently, federal employees are not promised any paid leave under law.