Bill > HR3573

This bill aims to ensure that "prevailing rate employees," who are federal employees whose pay is determined by local wage surveys rather than a standardized pay scale, receive the same percentage increase in their basic pay as other federal employees in their "pay locality," which is the geographic area where they work. Specifically, it mandates that any pay increases for prevailing rate employees in fiscal year 2014 must be at least as large as the percentage increases given to federal employees under the General Schedule (a standardized pay scale) and locality-based comparability payments. The bill also clarifies how these pay adjustments should be treated for other purposes, such as retirement and insurance benefits, and allows the Office of Personnel Management to grant exceptions if needed to recruit or retain qualified workers.