The Presidential Rank Awards Program, which provides monetary awards for federal career executives, has been suspended for fiscal year 2013, an administration official said last week.

"The president is committed to recognizing excellence. However, in light of the reduced budgetary resources, expending funds on employee performance awards at this time would in many circumstances not be the most effective way to protect agency mission to the extent practicable," the official said in a statement provided to BNA June 12.

While the White House does not intend to issue any Presidential Rank Awards this year, the official added, it is "focused on finding means to acknowledge excellence in nonmonetary ways."

In addition to career members of the federal Senior Executive Service, federal senior-level (SL) and scientific-professional (ST) employees normally are eligible for monetary awards under the program.

According to policy guidance on the program from the federal Office of Personnel Management, distinguished rank award winners under the Presidential Rank Awards Program receive 35 percent of their rate of basic pay, while meritorious rank award recipients receive 20 percent of their rate of basic pay.

Carol A. Bonosaro, president of the Senior Executives Association, a professional organization representing federal career executives, said June 12 that while SEA understands "the concern for both budget and optics during the sequester, it seems rather shortsighted to sacrifice a program designed to encourage and reward excellence in government--especially one which is completely justified given both the accomplishments of the awardees and the savings they secure for government."

Fewer than 140 employees received Presidential Rank Awards in FY 2012. As of December 2012, there were approximately 7,300 career senior executives in the federal government, according to data from OPM.

In other public sector news:

• Rep. Issa (R-Calif.), chairman of the House Oversight and House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, unveiled draft legislation that among other things would prohibit USPS from agreeing to "no-layoff" provisions in future collective bargaining contracts.

• The Securities and Exchange Commission paid $580,000 to resolve a whistleblower retaliation lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia by an attorney it allegedly fired for complaining about misconduct on the part of a former inspector general.

• The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit affirmed that five former Cleveland police officers who were forced to retire at age 65 lack age discrimination claims under federal or state law and have no 14^th Amendment equal protection claim against city officials.

• California's largest state employee union--Service Employees International Union Local 1000, which represents 95,000 workers in nine bargaining units--announced it had reached a new three-year contract with the administration of Gov. Brown (D) that would give covered employees a 4.5 percent raise over three years along with a guarantee of no furlough days.