[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 3 (Thursday, January 9, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S174-S175]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
STATEMENTS ON SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS
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SENATE RESOLUTION 15--COMMENDING DAN L. CRIPPEN FOR HIS SERVICE TO
CONGRESS AND THE NATION
Mr. DOMENICI (for himself, Mr. Conrad, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Hollings,
Mr. Nickles, Mr. Sarbanes, Mr. Bond, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Gregg, Mr. Wyden,
Ms. Snowe, Mr. Feingold, Mr. Frist, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Smith, Mr. Byrd,
Mr. Allard, Mr. Nelson of Florida, Mr. Hagel, Ms. Stabenow, Mrs.
Clinton, and Mr. Corzine) submitted the following resolution; which was
considered and agreed to:
S. Res. 15
Whereas Dr. Dan L. Crippen has served as the fifth Director
of the Congressional Budget Office since February 3, 1999 and
now has ended his service on January 3, 2003;
Whereas during his tenure as Director, he has continued to
encourage the highest standards of analytical excellence
within the staff of the Congressional Budget Office while
maintaining the independent and nonpartisan character of the
organization;
Whereas he has provided expert testimony to all committees
of the United States Senate;
Whereas during his tenure as Director, he has expanded and
improved the accessibility of the Congressional Budget
Office's work products to the Congress and the public;
Whereas he has led the agency's development of an
independent long-term economic modeling capability that
examines demographic changes and their critical impact on
economic and budget estimates;
Whereas he has performed his duties as Director at a time
of extreme personal loss with courage, dignity, and
intelligence; and
Whereas he has earned the respect and esteem of the United
States Senate: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate of the United States commends Dr.
Dan L. Crippen for his dedicated, faithful, and outstanding
service to his country and to the Senate.
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SENATE RESOLUTION 16--HONORING THE HILLTOPPERS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY
UNIVERSITY FROM BOWLING GREEN, KENTUCKY, FOR WINNING THE 2002 NATIONAL
COLLEGIATE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION DIVISION I-AA FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Mr. BUNNING (for himself and Mr. McConnell) submitted the following
resolution; which was considered and agreed to:
S. Res. 16
Whereas on December 20, 2002, the Western Kentucky
University Hilltoppers from Bowling Green, Kentucky, won the
2002 NCAA Division I-AA Collegiate Football Championship;
Whereas this championship is Western Kentucky University's
first NCAA Football Championship since its football program
began in 1913;
Whereas the Hilltoppers had an impressive and overall
record of 12 wins and 3 losses, including 10 consecutive wins
and winning the championship game;
Whereas the Hilltoppers showed tremendous dedication to
each other, appreciation to their fans, sportsmanship to
their opponents, and respect for the game of football
throughout their 2002 season;
Whereas Western Kentucky University was represented with
integrity and principled leadership under the direction of
its head coach Jack Harbaugh, athletic director Dr. Wood
Selig, and president Dr. Gary A. Ransdell; and
Whereas on December 20, 2002, the 15th ranked Western
Kentucky University Hilltoppers faced the number 1 ranked
McNeese State University Cowboys for the 2002 NCAA Division
I-AA Football Championship in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and
came away victorious by a score of 34 to 14: Now, therefore,
be it
Resolved, That the Senate honors the Western Kentucky
University football team from Bowling Green, Kentucky, for
winning the 2002 NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship.
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SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 1--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF CONGRESS THAT
THERE SHOULD CONTINUE TO BE PARITY BETWEEN THE ADJUSTMENTS IN THE
COMPENSATION OF MEMBERS OF THE UNIFORMED SERVICES AND THE ADJUSTMENTS
IN THE COMPENSATION OF CIVILIAN EMPLOYEES OF THE UNITED STATES
Mr. SARBANES (for himself, Mr. Bingaman, Mr. Durbin, Ms. Mikulski,
Mrs. Murray, Mr. Levin, Mr. Warner, Ms. Cantwell, Mr. Nelson of
Nebraska, Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Akaka, Mr. Kennedy, and Mr. Lieberman)
submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to
the Committee on Governmental Affairs:
S. Con. Res. 1
Whereas members of the uniformed services of the United
States and civilian employees of the United States make
significant contributions to the general welfare of the
United States and are on the front lines in the fight against
terrorism;
Whereas civilian employees of the United States play a
crucial role in the fight against terrorism, as exemplified
by the civilian employees of the new Department of Homeland
Security who are working to ensure the security of the United
States, the civilian employees of the Central Intelligence
Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation who are
investigating the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and
working to prevent further terrorist attacks, the numerous
civilian employees of the Federal Government who participated
in disaster response teams after such attacks, and the
civilian employees of the Transportation Security Agency who
are working to make our skies safer;
Whereas civilian employees of the United States will
continue to support and defend the United States during this
difficult time;
Whereas for fiscal year 2003 the Administration granted a
4.1 percent pay raise for members of the uniformed services
but only a 3.1 percent pay raise for the dedicated civilian
employees of the United States, a disparity in adjustments
that violates the traditional principle of parity of pay
adjustments; and
Whereas this disparity in pay adjustments goes against the
longstanding policy of parity for all those who have chosen
to serve the United States: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives
concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that there
should continue to be parity between the adjustments in the
compensation of members of the uniformed services and the
adjustments in the compensation of civilian employees of the
United States.
Mr. SARBANES. Mr. President, I am called to join with Senators Akaka,
Bingaman, Cantwell, Clinton, Durbin, Kennedy, Levin, Lieberman,
Mikulski, Murray, Nelson, E. Benjamin, and Warner in introducing a
resolution that would express the sense of the Congress that parity in
the pay increases granted to Federal civilian and military employees
should be maintained. A comparison of military and civilian pay
increases by the Congressional Research Service finds that in 14 of the
last 17 years military and civilian pay increases have been identical.
Disparate treatment of civilian and military pay goes against the
longstanding policy of parity for all those who have chosen to serve
our Nation, whether that service be in the civilian workforce or in the
armed services.
During this unpredented time in our Nation's history, both members of
the armed services and civilian Federal employees are fighting the war
on terrorism and making remarkable contributions to the safety of this
country and our citizens. Both the armed forces and civilian employees
are on the front lines in the fight against terrorism, and civilian
employees are playing a significant role in that fight.
[[Page S175]]
For example, civilian employees of the new Department of Homeland
Security are working to ensure the safety of our Nation. Air marshals
and members of the Transportation Security Agency are making America's
skies safer. Civilian employees of the Central Intelligence Agency and
the Federal Bureau of Investigation are investigating the events of
September 11th and working to prevent further terrorist attacks. And
Federal employees at the State Department are working with other
countries in an international coalition against terrorism.
In addition, there are numerous Federal employees who participated in
disaster response teams on September 11th and during the anthrax
attacks. And every day, thousands of civilian Federal employees
continue to go to work and carry out their responsibilities in this
unpredictable time.
This Senate Concurrent Resolution expresses the sense of the Congress
that parity between the adjustments in Federal civilian pay and
military pay should be maintained. For Fiscal Year 2003, President Bush
gave a 4.1 percent pay raise to members of the armed services, but only
a 3.1 percent pay raise to our dedicated public servants. This
discrepancy violates the traditional principle of pay parity, and does
not recognize the crucial work of the civilian Federal workforce.
Furthermore, this discrepancy ignores the express wish of Congress that
the principle of pay parity be followed. Past budget resolutions and
Treasury-Postal appropriations bills approved by the Senate and the
House of Representatives have included language expressing the ``sense
of Congress that rates of compensation for civilian employees of the
United States should be adjusted at the same time, and in the same
proportion, as are rates of compensation for member of the uniformed
services.''
In this difficult time, the dedication and commitment of both the
armed services and our civilian employees demonstrate the greatness of
our Nation. The contribution of both should be recognized.
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