New command at Dahlgren will bring jobs

March 15, 2009 1:06 am

YOU'VE PROBABLY already heard, but in case you are not aware, Dahlgren will be getting a new command in the near future--which means more military and civilian jobs at that facility.

The plan is for about 75 new positions beginning in April, and of course that brings the hope of potentially more positions being added, either to that command--the Navy Air and Missile Defense Command--or perhaps by more jobs being shifted from Northern Virginia or other parts of the country.

As the Base Realignment and Closure timeline of 2011 draws near, I think we can look for more federal jobs to be moved closer to our area at bases such as Quantico, Fort Belvoir and perhaps even a few to Fort A.P. Hill.

These jobs moving closer to the Fredericksburg area would help to move the economic recovery along much sooner.

CLARIFICATION COMING

President Obama has asked OMB to clarify the policy under OMB Circular A-76, commonly known as the commercial activities policies, where government jobs compete against private industry.

Obama asked for a clear definition of what work would be "inherently governmental" and therefore off-limits to private contractors.

Much of the controversy of late stems from the IRS attempt to contract out the collection of overdue tax debt. That action has been cancelled and we'll wait for OMB's clarification, but things are looking better for the long-term stability of federal employment.

RETIREE OPTIONS

Federal retirees have been seeking some of the same advantages current employees have when it comes to paying for health insurance.

They would like to be able to pay premiums with pre-tax dollars, as most active employees have been doing since about 2001. But it seems that each time this bill is proposed, something happens to kill it.

This time around, however, retirees are hopeful there will be enough support in both the House and Senate to get it passed. The bill is called the Federal and Military Retiree Health Care Equity Act, and we'll keep an eye on this one as it works its way through Congress.

Other related legislation that is floating around Congress involves the Thrift Savings Plan. It is HR 1263, and it would require the TSP to add a Roth option, in which money invested would go in after-tax but come out tax-free. That of course is opposite from the way the TSP system works now.

Additionally, this bill would require that new hires be automatically enrolled in the TSP system with a contribution of 3 percent, and the new employee would then have the option of opting out of the program if he decided he did not want to participate.

Finally, the biggest feature of this bill is that it would allow unused sick leave to be credited to FERS employees' annuity computation.

This is a benefit that CSRS employees have, and it has been a concern among FERS employees and management alike.

We'll track the progress of this bill as well.

Michael Kole of Spotsylvania County is a career federal employee. Write him c/o Federal Feedback, The Free Lance-Star, 616 Amelia St., Fredericksburg, Va. 22401, or e-mail
Email: newsroom@freelancestar.com.