[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 33 (Wednesday, February 25, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2474-S2475]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. VOINOVICH (for himself and Mr. Kohl):
  S. 469. A bill to amend chapter 83 of title 5, United States Code, to 
modify

[[Page S2475]]

the computation for part-time service under the Civil Service 
Retirement System; to the Committee on Homeland Security and 
Governmental Affairs.
  Mr. VOINOVICH. Mr. President, I am pleased to be joined by Senator 
Kohl in introducing legislation to assist many of our Nation's public 
servants who choose to work part-time for a portion of their Federal 
career. The legislation is timely given the increasing number of 
Federal employees eligible to retire and the need for agencies to 
retain an experienced workforce to carry out critical government 
functions.
  Our legislation would change the computation of Civil Service 
Retirement System, CSRS, annuities involving part-time service by 
correcting an anomaly that is a disincentive for employees nearing the 
end of their careers who would like to phase into retirement by working 
part-time. Under current law, if an employee under the CSRS system with 
substantial full-time service before 1986 switches to a part-time 
schedule at the end of his or her career, the high-three average salary 
that is applied to service before 1986 is the pro-rated salary or, if 
higher, the full-time salary from the years before the employee began 
working part-time. This often results in a disproportionate reduction 
in the employee's benefit.
  The legislation would clarify that CSRS annuities based in whole or 
in part on part-time service should be pro-rated for the period of 
service that was performed on a part-time basis. The correction will 
help agencies, as part of their succession planning efforts, in 
retaining the expertise of staff that elect to work on a part-time 
basis at the end of their Federal careers. It is my hope agencies will 
include this tool in their human capital plans to help facilitate the 
transfer of knowledge to the next generation of government leaders.
  I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
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