6/11/09: The Senate is expected to cast its final vote on H.R. 1256, the FDA tobacco regulation bill today. Included in the legislative package are changes to the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), including the automatic enrollment in TSP for new employees and the addition of a qualified Roth contribution program for those who choose one. NTEU backed these provisions, which, as I reported earlier, have already passed the House.

Unfortunately, because of procedural rules, a bipartisan, NTEU-backed amendment that mirrored the House-passed provisions on counting unused FERS sick leave toward retirement; fixing the CSRS part-time anomaly; and making the FERS redeposit changes, were not in order under Senate rules. While the Senate could have allowed a vote on this package of amendments if it had received “unanimous consent” among all the senators, there was an objection, and the amendment could not be brought up. NTEU is very disappointed by this development, but we remain committed to achieving enactment of this federal benefits package through other avenues. These changes are important to both the federal employee and retiree’s community, and NTEU will not give up.

On the overall issue, the tobacco bill assigns new authority to FDA to regulate tobacco. Providing this new authority is a policy decision of Congress and the Administration. However, if this new authority is approved, we know the employees of the FDA are highly skilled and capable of handling these new responsibilities. What is important is that FDA be given the necessary resources as new duties are assigned. NTEU has long been active in advocating for additional resources for FDA, which we are doing as part of the appropriations process and will continue to do so with any new legislation expanding FDA duties.