House panel backs 3.9 percent pay raise for troops

House panel backs 3.9 percent pay raise for troops
By Leo Shane III, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Friday, May 9, 2008

WASHINGTON — A House panel Wednesday backed a 3.9 percent pay raise for all military personnel next year, mirroring Senate plans to give troops a bigger boost than Pentagon officials had requested.

Members of the House Armed Services military personnel subcommittee included the money in their draft of the new defense authorization bill, which sets spending and policy priorities for the military in fiscal 2009.

Chairwoman Susan Davis, D-Calif., said the larger pay raise is needed to help shrink the gap between military wages and private sector paychecks.

If passed, the pay raise would be the highest for troops since 2004 and the 10th consecutive year military pay has outpaced the employment cost index.

Defense officials had requested a 3.4 percent increase, equal to the index’s inflation estimate. But earlier this month Senate lawmakers backed the 3.9 percent figure, indicating that both chambers will likely adopt the higher raise when they negotiate compromise legislation later this year.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=54644