This report provides an update on issues affecting federal managers. As always, I encourage you to visit www.fedmanagers.org on a regular basis for more information on these and other matters.

Also, be sure to look for the monthly FMA Grassroots Update, where we offer links to action letters and FMA-PAC matters we do not address in the Washington Report. The grassroots newsletter is sent exclusively to non-governmental email addresses to avoid any Hatch Act violations. If you are not receiving it, contact the national office to provide your non-governmental email address.

Please feel free to provide feedback any time by emailing Greg Stanford at gstanford@fedmanagers.org or by calling the National Office at (703) 683-8700. Thank you for your membership in FMA. It’s an honor to represent your interests before Congress and the administration.

President Biden unveiled his Fiscal Year 2024 budget request on Thursday, March 9. He is calling for a 5.2 percent pay raise for the federal workforce in 2024. The budget request also calls for comprehensive paid leave for all workers. Federal Managers Association (FMA) National President Craig Carter commented on several provisions included in the budget request, noting more will come as we continue to review details in the coming days.

"FMA welcomes the President’s budget request for Fiscal Year 2024 and we urge Congress and the Administration to work together to provide agencies with budget certainty and the resources they need on time for FY24,” Carter wrote.

In early March, Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-WA) and Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) introduced the Federal Employees Civil Relief Act (H.R. 1301 / S. 640). FMA endorsed the legislation, which would protect feds from negative financial consequences from civil penalties due to situations completely out of their control, including a government shutdown or a debt default.

Following the shutdown of 2018-2019, Congress took an important step to guarantee feds backpay at some point, whenever funding is eventually restored, following a shutdown. FMA supported that effort. However, these employees still face a threat of significant negative financial consequences during a shutdown if they are furloughed during a shutdown or required to work without pay. The Federal Employees Civil Relief Act would protect workers impacted by a shutdown from: being evicted or foreclosed upon; having their car or other property repossessed; falling behind in their student loan payments; having negative effects on their credit history; falling behind in paying their bills; or losing their insurance because of missed premiums.

FMA writes a quarterly column for FEDForum, published on FEDmanager.com, to share about our mission and efforts. This quarter's topic was "New Year, New . . ."

New Year, new Congress, new . . . Resolve. The 118th Congress offers a fresh chance to secure a fair pay raise next year, and FMA has renewed vigor and resolve to make important changes to attract and retain the best and brightest to public service.

Federal managers, and indeed all feds, deserve to be treated with respect for their efforts and the work they have performed over many years. Every job they hold and perform daily is because of a congressional mandate. It is not too much to ask that, in return, feds be given the ability to maintain a living wage that provides for them and their families.

A Defense Health Agency (DHA) decision to severely limit federal employee access to healthcare in Japan has raised a lot of questions, and we want you to be aware of the ongoing issue if you or an employee of yours is considering a position in that country.

Department of Defense (DOD) regulations require military treatment facilities (MTFs) to prioritize active-duty servicemembers and other TRICARE patients as a first priority. The DHA, which now controls MTFs, determined those facilities were not providing enough appointments for these recipients, leading to a reiteration of the policy that civilians are treated on a “space-available” basis, and changes to what “space available” means. Please see this article by Jared Serbu for Federal News Network for a detailed description of the issue.

The bottom line is DOD civilians in Japan – upwards of 6,000 of them – have reduced healthcare options and face uncertainty on where and how they can access healthcare. DOD has advised these civilians to seek healthcare from Japanese providers, which provides a host of other challenges for these employees.

FMA’s 85th National Convention & Management Training Seminar will be held March 26-29, 2023, in Alexandria, Virginia. This year’s exciting event will be held at the Hilton Alexandria Old Town, a vibrant and historical city, home of the FMA national office and just across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C.

Chapter Presidents are invited a join the National Executive Board for a late afternoon meeting on Sunday, March 26, and the following days will be packed with officer elections, consideration of resolutions, reports from the Executive Board and the government affairs team, training, and our annual Day on the Hill, when FMA members can walk the halls of Congress and meet with their elected representatives.