Letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate Transmitting Proposed Legislation To Increase Federal Senior Executive Salaries

Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. President:)

I am submitting for your consideration and enactment the "Senior Executives Salary Act of 1989." This legislation would provide higher salaries to a small number of employees in positions requiring specialized and critical skills. It also provides for salary increases ranging from 8 percent to 25 percent for senior executive branch officials. In addition, the bill links receipt of the higher salaries to effective job performance.

The bill is the executive branch counterpart to the judicial salary proposal (the "Judicial Salary Act of 1989"), which I submitted to the Congress in April calling for a 25 percent increase in the pay of Justices and judges.

The pay of senior Government officials has eroded significantly in relation to the pay of executives in comparable jobs in the private and not-for-profit sectors of the economy. This pay gap is affecting the Federal Government's ability to attract and retain the skilled and motivated senior executives necessary to direct the complex, wide-ranging, and critical functions of the Federal Government.

Prompt legislative action is needed to address pay deficiencies for employees with exceptional qualifications and to make pay more competitive at the senior levels of Government. It is equally important that we resolve issues connected with congressional pay and honoraria. I am also submitting today a proposal to ban congressional honoraria, and I want to work with the Congress to address compensation in all three branches of Government.

Sincerely,

George Bush