Congressional lawmakers have revived federal retirement reforms that were stripped out of the newly enacted tobacco legislation and are also pushing a 3.4 percent annual pay raise for civilian federal employees. H.R. 2990 would let employees in the Federal Employee Retirement System count unused sick leave toward their pensions. The House, which approved the bill under a suspension of the rules, plans to roll H.R. 2990 into the fiscal 2010 Defense authorization bill.

Other measures included in H.R. 2990 would make it easier to rehire federal retirees part time; modify how the Civil Service Retirement System calculates annuity payments for employees who retire as part-time workers; and move federal employees in Alaska, Hawaii and U.S. territories from cost-of-living adjustments into the locality pay system.

One federal retirement reform not included in H.R. 2990 was a provision that would allow federal retirees rehired by the government to keep their full annuity payments.

Congressional advocates of pay parity are asking the House Appropriations Committee to give civilian federal workers the same 3.4 percent annual pay raise a separate panel approved for the military.

In conflict with the Administration, the proposed pay increase is 1.4 percentage points higher than 2010 pay hike President Obama requested. Obama said at the time that the smaller civilian raise would bring "federal pay and benefit practices more in line with the private sector," which is suffering from the economic downturn.

While we support paying dedicated public servants a fair wage, we wonder if a 3.4 percent raise sends the right message to taxpayers during a recession that has many in the private sector facing pay cuts if they are fortunate and pink slips if they are not.