Warner, Kaine & Colleagues Reintroduce Bill to Give Federal Workers Pay Raise

WASHINGTON, D.C. —U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine joined Senator Brian Schatz and their colleagues in reintroducing the Federal Adjustment of Income Rates (FAIR) Act, a bill that would provide federal employees with a 3.2 percent pay increase in 2022.

“For years, federal employees have faced pay freezes, furloughs, and government shutdowns all while continuing to protect and serve the American people,” the Senators said. “The FAIR Act will finally give these hard-working people the pay raise they deserve.”

Senators Warner and Kaine have been strong advocates for Virginia’s federal employees. Last year, the Senators cosponsored the Protecting Collective Bargaining and Official Time for Federal Workers Act, a bill that would rescind four executive actions under the Trump Administration that restricted the effectiveness of unions for federal workers. During the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, the Senators took a series of actions to protect affected workers, including guaranteeing back pay for federal employees, urging back pay for contractors, introducing budget amendments to protect federal workers, and urging OPM to prevent the termination of dental and vision insurance for federal employees. 

The bill is also cosponsored by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Bernie Sanders (I-VT). 

U.S. Representative Gerry Connolly (D-VA-11) has introduced a companion bill in the House of Representatives.
 
Text of the legislation is available here.

###