National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association delegates elected Richard G. Thissen as their new national president. He succeeds outgoing President Joseph A. Beaudoin.
When Congress comes back to work after Labor Day, it will have to figure out how to fund the government to start off fiscal year 2015. Most people think it will be a continuing resolution. But they may wind up needing more than the 12 days they have scheduled now. Jessica Klement is legislative director of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association. On In Depth with Francis Rose, she said getting a budget in place will take up a lot of Congress's time -- and may stretch that time to the limit.
The rule comes more than two years after President Barack Obama signed the provision into law on July 6, 2012. Under the final rule, eligible employees can work part time while drawing on part of their earned retirement benefits. Phased retirees must also spend at least 20 percent of their time mentoring other employees.
Rep. Donna Edwards (D-Md.) introduced a bill Thursday that would reduce the amount new federal employees must pay toward their government pensions. The National Treasury Employees Union and the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association support the legislation, which would repeal the last two increases in retirement contributions.
NARFE Legislative Director Jessica Klement, and Federal Times Senior Writer Andy Medici will discuss chained CPI, pay raises, and other issues affecting feds. July 23, 2014
The Government Accountability Office is in the middle of an ongoing, multi-year study on the pay system, and taking its findings to Capitol Hill. A House Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee looked at the General Schedule last week. Jessica Klement is legislative director of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association. She shared her own ideas of how to reform the General Schedule on In Depth with Francis Rose.
While federal employees gave high marks on usefulness and importance to the Thrift Savings Plan, only a small percentage said they had flexible spending accounts because they saw little value in the program. The results are part of a survey that OPM has been doing since 2004 to gauge worker opinions on the health and wellness benefits it offers.
Two letters sent from Capitol Hill in call for the Office of Personnel Management to explain why it's taking so long to release final phased retirement regulations, and demand a revised timeline for action. Phased retirement was passed into law two years ago this week.
The Internal Revenue Service is facing another big budget cut if the total the House of Representatives approved turns out to be the total the agency gets. The House voted for a bill to bring the IRS' 2015 spending limit to below sequestration levels. That's a cut of more than $300 million. Jessica Klement is Legislative Director of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association. She explained on In Depth with Francis Rose how the IRS' potential 2015 budget would affect its employees and other agencies.
NARFE's Jessica Klement and Andy Medici from the Federal Times discuss a number of issues affecting feds, including proposed changes to the federal retirement program and the scandal at the Department of Veterans Affairs. June 11, 2014
The Office of Personnel Management now says it hopes to have regulations governing phased retirement finalized by October. That can't come soon enough for many federal employees on the cusp of retirement who are caught in the regulatory limbo.
Jenny Mattingley hosts a roundtable discussion of legislation on Capitol Hill that impacts federal workers. June 6, 2014
The door to come back to government and get paid for it is still open for federal retirees or current employees getting close. The House passes an amendment to the fiscal 2015 National Defense Authorization Act so federal agencies can keep re-hiring federal retirees without cutting into their pensions. Jessica Klement, legislative director of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association, joined In Depth with Francis Rose to explain the details of the provision and what it means for current and future federal retirees.
Sens. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) introduced the Federal Adjustment of Income Rates (FAIR) Act Friday, calling for a 3.3 percent pay increase for federal employees for calendar year 2015. Federal employee union leaders praised the proposal, which would raise feds' pay more than the 1 percent President Barack Obama introduced in his 2015 budget proposal. The bill is similar to one introduced in March by House Democrats.
NARFE's Chris Farrell joins host Mike Causey to talk about some of the bills introduced in Congress that affect federal workers. May 21, 2014