FederalDaily - April 24, 2007
Tax Break Sought for Feds Working in Combat Zones
Lawmakers have introduced legislation—the Federal Employee Combat Zone Tax Parity Act—that
would provide a tax break to federal civilian employees working in overseas combat zones. The bill
would provide federal civilian employees serving in Iraq and Afghanistan with the same income tax exemptions
as those received by military servicemembers and federal contractors. Bill sponsor Rep. Frank Wolf,
R-Va., noted on April 19 that approximately 2,000 federal employees serve in combat zones at any one
time. Currently, members of the military and federal contractors serving in combat zones are eligible
for an income tax exemption on their base pay. However, federal civilian employees are not eligible
for any service-related tax exemptions. The bill is specifically designed to assist those in lower
pay grades and does not exempt income in the upper pay tier. Last year the exemption was $5,300 a month
for enlisted personnel. “It is only fair that both military and civilian employees who are serving
side-by-side receive the same tax treatment,” Wolf said. The American Federation of Government
Employees and the National Treasury Employees Union both have endorsed the measure, Wolf said. To see
more, go to: www.wolf.house.gov/news/2007/04-19_Combat_Zones_Tax_Credit.html
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APWU Seeks Union Role in Subcontracting Decisions
Testifying at a congressional oversight hearing, American Postal Workers Union (APWU) President William
Burrus said the collective bargaining process should be used in deciding which postal work should be
subcontracted. It was the first congressional oversight hearing since the enactment of postal reform
legislation last year. Burrus testified before the House Subcommittee on the Federal Workforce. In
a communication to union members last week, Burris said that APWU vigorously opposes subcontracting
work that currently is performed by Postal Service employees, but that banning all such work by congressional
fiat is not wise because of the complexity of the issues involved. Air transportation of mail, for
example, includes everything from transportation to custodial services to actual mail processing. “Should
one activity be protected from contracting out while others are allowed to be performed by non-postal
employees?” Burrus said. “In my opinion, the forum for separating one activity from another
for protection is collective bargaining, not the halls of Congress.” To see more, go to: www.apwu.org/news/burrus/2007/update11-2007-041807.htm
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Senators Seek Probe into Military Mental Healthcare
In an effort to improve mental healthcare for combat veterans, a bipartisan group of senators is seeking
a Government Accountability Office investigation into how well the DoD diagnoses and treats reported
cases of deployment-related health problems, such as Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). The letter comes
in the wake of reports of poor treatment and conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center—where
published newspaper accounts revealed that patients were not receiving adequate mental healthcare.
More recent reports suggest DoD has not effectively screened and diagnosed mental health conditions,
including TBI and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, the senators noted. The group, led by Sens. Barack
Obama, D-Ill., Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and Kit Bond, R-Mo., previously sought similar information
from DoD—with no success. “I’m especially troubled by reports of some DoD commanders
downplaying the serious mental health conditions confronting servicemembers returning home from Iraq,
and then redeploying those troops without proper treatment,” Obama said April 19. “It's
time for a full accounting.” To see more, go to: http://bond.senate.gov/press_section/record.cfm?id=272667
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