The Executive Schedule outlines five pay scales for appointed positions in the US government, with the highest pay rate being Level I and the lowest being Level V. The President can appoint individuals to Schedule IV and V positions with Senate consent, and changes are made depending on government needs. The Executive Schedule also influences other government pay rates, including military and civilian employee pay.
The United States Code, Title 5, Subchapter II outlines five pay scales or rate levels for appointed positions within the United States government. These pay rates, known as the Executive Schedule, are denoted by the Roman numerals I, II, III, IV, and V. Title 5 further outlines which nominated positions are eligible for each pay grade under the Executive Schedule. Congress is responsible for monitoring updates to this list, including position classification and current pay rates. Positions eligible under the program include members of the Cabinet, the Attorney General, the Secretary of State and the Chairman of the Federal Reserve, just to name a few.
As part of a complex body of pay systems, the Executive Schedule influences other government pay rates. Many federal laws associate military uniformed pay, civilian federal employee pay, and other government pay systems in part or in full with the rates set forth in the Executive Schedule. Additional government pay systems associated with the Executive Schedule include Senior Foreign Service, Executive Service and General Schedule (GS) positions. The Employment Cost Index, a tool for measuring compensation systems for private sector employees, also influences government compensation systems.
As for hierarchy, the highest pay rate is a Level I and the lowest is a Level V. Historically, the pay rates for all grades in the program are reviewed annually for potential increases. The US Office of Personnel Management publishes specific rates for each salary level.
Although the United States Congress is mandated to maintain the Executive Schedule, the President is permitted to appoint a number of individuals to positions with Schedule IV and V salary status. Consent, as well as Senate advice, is customary for such presidential appointments before an executive order is issued. Typically, each sitting president makes changes to various positions designated as Level IV or V, depending on the management and organizational needs of the government. Jimmy Carter, for example, issued Executive Order 11976 in 1977 to remove the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Housing, Department of Housing and Urban Development from Level V of the executive schedule. Other positions, such as Director of Agricultural Economics, Department of Agriculture, were added to Level IV under the same Executive Order 11976.
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