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Legislation to provide retroactive pay to federal employees furloughed because of the government shutdown passed the U.S. House of Representatives by a unanimous vote in a rare Saturday session, Congressman Gerry Connolly said.

Connolly is an original cosponsor of the bill, known as The Federal Employee Retroactive Pay Fairness Act.  “I hope the Senate will take up the legislation quickly,” said Connolly, who pointed out that Senators Warner and Kaine have cosponsored an identical bill in the Senate.

“The passage of this legislation provides a level of certainty for tens of thousands of federal employees in Virginia and hundreds of thousands across the nation who have mortgages and bills to pay,” Connolly said.

The Senate leadership has signaled the bill will pass that body and the White House indicated President Obama would sign the legislation.  “This is a victory for federal employees and the dignity of public service,” Connolly said.

"I remind my colleagues of the principle so eloquently expressed by President George H.W. Bush: ‘Public service is a noble calling, and we need men and women of character to believe in their communities, in their states, and in their country.’"

“I hope the passage of today’s bill to make federal employees whole marks the beginning of the end of the philosophy embraced by many in the House majority that denigrates and devalues federal employees no matter the costs."

“We must never forget that the effectiveness of a government of the people, by the people, and for the people depends on the quality of the people who serve in it,” Connolly said.

Speaking on the House floor, Connolly described issues surrounding the shutdown as “Orwellian, in which black is white and white is black.”

Connolly said, “We’ve got members of Congress who voted for the shutdown who appeared surprised that it led to the closure of national parks. It did not stop some of them from berating park rangers - federal employees – for enforcing the shutdown.”

Connolly said he hoped the Senate would act early next week and the President will sign the bill to give certainty to federal employees.

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