FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 22, 2000 CONTACT: Michael W. Orenstein 202-606-2402 STATEMENT BY JANICE R. LACHANCE, DIRECTOR, U.S. OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT, CONCERNING A LEGISLATIVE PROPOSAL TO INCREASE THE PAY OF MANAGERS DURING LIFE- AND PROPERTY-THREATENING EMERGENCIES

"At a time when government agencies are being asked to be creative and more resourceful in recruiting and retaining qualified managers to oversee complex missions or lead their employees through dangerous assignments, I am pleased to report that the U.S. Office of Personnel Management has submitted to Congress the 'Federal Employee' Overtime Pay Limitation Amendments Act of 2000.

"If enacted, this legislation guarantees that managers and supervisors who are exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) would be compensated more fairly for the overtime work they perform during emergencies, such as the western wildfires that threatened the lives and property of thousands of Americans this summer.

"Under this bill, the overtime pay cap for managers and supervisors performing emergency work would be increased to GS-12, step 1, from GS-10, step 1. It also guarantees that any FLSA-exempt manager or supervisor who is performing an emergency service in an overtime capacity would be paid at a rate at least equal to his or her normal rate of pay.