Bush to OK military pay raise

[unhappycamper]

Bush to OK military pay raise
By Leo Shane III, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Tuesday, January 29, 2008

WASHINGTON — President Bush was to sign the fiscal 2008 Defense authorization bill into law Monday, White House press secretary Dana Perino said earlier in the day.

The signing will belatedly activate a bigger pay raise and more than two dozen bonuses owed to troops.

The measure, passed by Congress in December, was vetoed by Bush on Dec. 28 over concerns that one overlooked provision could freeze billions in Iraqi government reconstruction funds held in U.S. banks.

Congress finalized a revised version Tuesday, removing that language and backdating pay increases and bonus language to the start of the calendar year.

The measure calls for a 3.5 percent pay hike for all military personnel, 0.5 percent above what troops saw on Jan. 1. The difference is about $9 a month for an E-3 with four years service, and just over $13 a month for an E-5 with 10 years service.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=52008