[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Page 18279]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 TRANSMITTING NOTIFICATION OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF AN ALTERNATIVE PAY 
PLAN FOR LOCALITY PAY INCREASES FOR CIVILIAN FEDERAL EMPLOYEES COVERED 
BY THE GENERAL SCHEDULE AND CERTAIN OTHER PAY SYSTEMS IN JANUARY 2011--
                                 PM 68

  The PRESIDING OFFICER laid before the Senate the following message 
from the President of the United States, together with an accompanying 
report; which was referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and 
Governmental Affairs:

To the Congress of the United States:
  The law authorizes me to implement an alternative pay plan for 
locality pay increases for civilian Federal employees covered by the 
General Schedule and certain other pay systems in January 2011, if I 
view the adjustments that would otherwise take effect as inappropriate 
due to ``national emergency or serious economic conditions affecting 
the general welfare.'' Our country faces serious economic conditions 
affecting the general welfare. As the economic recovery continues, the 
time has come to put our Nation back on a sustainable fiscal course, an 
effort that requires tough choices and shared sacrifice. Accordingly, I 
have determined that it is appropriate to exercise my statutory 
alternative plan authority under 5 U.S.C. 5304a to set alternative 
January 2011 locality pay rates. This decision will not materially 
affect our ability to attract and retain a well-qualified Federal 
workforce.
  Under the authority of section 5304a of title 5, United States Code, 
I have determined that the current locality pay percentages in Schedule 
9 of Executive Order 13525 of December 23, 2009, shall not increase 
from their 2010 levels. Pursuant to the Non-Foreign Area Retirement 
Equity Assurance Act of 2009 (sections 1911-1919, Public Law 111-84), I 
am also establishing applicable 2011 locality pay rates for Alaska and 
Hawaii that are based on 2010 locality pay levels.
  The locality pay rates established in 2010, and continued in 2011 
under this alternative plan, are shown in the attachment.
                                                        Barack Obama.  
The White House, November 30, 2010.

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