MERIT Act of 2019
Latest action · Jun 19, 2019 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedJun 19, 2019
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Modern Employment Reform, Improvement, and Transformation Act of 2019 or the MERIT Act of 2019
This bill revises provisions related to federal employment, including the furlough and removal of federal employees, the calculation of federal employee retirement benefits, and the length of the probationary employment period.
Specifically, the bill repeals the process for taking action against a federal employee for unacceptable performance, accelerates the process for removal or suspension based on performance or actions, and prohibits grievances based on adverse personnel actions and reductions in force. The bill also authorizes an agency to remove a senior executive from the civil service for performance-related reasons, and it revises provisions covering performance- or conduct-related actions against senior executives.
The bill authorizes agencies to furlough employees for such cause as will promote the efficiency of the service, and it prohibits appeals to the Merit Systems Protection Board based on short-term furloughs or furloughs due to a lapse in appropriations (i.e., government shutdown).
Additionally, the bill limits the retirement benefits of a federal employee who is removed due to a felony conviction related to their official duties by prohibiting felonious service from being taken into account when calculating the employee's annuity.
The bill also authorizes an agency to order the repayment of a bonus or award when performance or conduct issues are discovered and such bonus or award would not have been paid had such issues been known when they were made.
Lastly, the bill extends from one year to two years the probationary period for competitive service appointments and members of the Senior Executive Service.
Cosponsors 5
Members who signed on, in the order they did. All signed on Jun 19, 2019.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-IA | Chuck Grassley | Original | Jun 19, 2019 |
| R-TN | Marsha Blackburn | Original | Jun 19, 2019 |
| R-IN | Mike Braun | Original | Jun 19, 2019 |
| R-MS | Roger F. Wicker | Original | Jun 19, 2019 |
| R-AR | Tom Cotton | Original | Jun 19, 2019 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee | Referred Jun 19, 2019 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jun 19, 2019Introduced in Senate
- Jun 19, 2019Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 3348 | MERIT Act of 2019 | Identical bill | Jun 19, 2019 |
Titles 3
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to amend title 5, United States Code, to provide for an alternative removal for performance or misconduct for Federal employees.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- MERIT Act of 2019
- Modern Employment Reform, Improvement, and Transformation Act of 2019
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Government Operations and Politics.
- Administrative law and regulatory procedures
- Administrative remedies
- Appropriations
- Criminal procedure and sentencing
- Employee benefits and pensions
- Employee hiring
- Employee performance
- Employment discrimination and employee rights
- Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
- Government ethics and transparency, public corruption
- Government information and archives
- Government Operations and Politics
- Labor-management relations
- Merit Systems Protection Board
- Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
- Personnel records
- Wages and earnings
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jun 19, 2019Introduced in Senate
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
