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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 10260 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                               H. R. 10260

  To provide compensation flexibility to address retention and hiring 
             issues at the Bonneville Power Administration.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 26, 2024

Ms. Perez (for herself and Mr. Newhouse) introduced the following bill; 
        which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
  To provide compensation flexibility to address retention and hiring 
             issues at the Bonneville Power Administration.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. COMPENSATION FLEXIBILITY TO ADDRESS RETENTION AND HIRING 
              ISSUES AT THE BONNEVILLE POWER ADMINISTRATION.

    Section 10 of the Act of August 20, 1937 (commonly known as the 
``Bonneville Project Act of 1937'') (50 Stat. 736, chapter 720; 16 
U.S.C. 832i), is amended by striking the section designation and 
subsections (a) and (b) and inserting the following:

``SEC. 10. EMPLOYMENT OF PERSONNEL.

    ``(a) Employee Compensation Program.--
            ``(1) In general.--Notwithstanding any other law, rule, 
        regulation, or directive relating to the payment of Federal 
        employees (other than chapter 83 of title 5, United States 
        Code), the administrator shall develop, implement, and, as 
        appropriate, update, based on the results of an annual review 
        under paragraph (4), a compensation plan that specifies and 
        fixes the compensation (including salary or any other pay, 
        bonuses, benefits, incentives, and any other form of 
        remuneration) for employees of the administrator, including 
        members of the Senior Executive Service (as defined in section 
        2101a of title 5, United States Code).
            ``(2) Initial compensation plan.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the 
                date of enactment of the Energy Permitting Reform Act 
                of 2024, the administrator shall, in consultation with 
                the Director of the Office of Personnel Management, and 
                subject to confirmation and approval by the Secretary 
                of Energy, which shall not be unreasonably withheld, 
                develop an initial compensation plan under paragraph 
                (1).
                    ``(B) Implementation.--Not later than 1 year after 
                the date on which the initial compensation plan is 
                developed under subparagraph (A), the administrator 
                shall implement the initial compensation plan.
            ``(3) Requirements.--A compensation plan developed under 
        paragraph (1) shall--
                    ``(A) be based on an annual survey of the 
                prevailing compensation for similar positions in the 
                public sectors of the electric industry;
                    ``(B) be consistent with the approved annual 
                general and administrative budget of the administrator 
                and encourage the widest diversified use of electric 
                power at the lowest possible rates to consumers 
                consistent with sound business principles;
                    ``(C) provide that education, experience, level of 
                responsibility, geographic differences, and retention 
                and recruitment needs are to be taken into account in 
                determining the compensation of employees of the 
                administrator; and
                    ``(D) provide that the individual total 
                compensation of the administrator and any employee of 
                the administrator shall be comparable to and 
                competitive with similar positions among consumer-owned 
                utilities in the Western Interconnection.
            ``(4) Annual review.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Annually, the administrator 
                shall review and update, as appropriate, the 
                compensation plan developed under paragraph (1).
                    ``(B) Compensation of the administrator.--
                Notwithstanding any other law, rule, regulation, or 
                directive relating to the payment of the administrator 
                (other than chapter 83 of title 5, United States Code), 
                the Secretary shall periodically review and update, as 
                appropriate, the compensation of the administrator 
                consistent with paragraph (3)(D).
                    ``(C) Publication of information.--The 
                administrator shall include in the quarterly public 
                business review of the administrator or any other 
                appropriate public review of the operations and 
                finances of the administrator information on the 
                applicable annual compensation plan review under 
                subparagraph (A), including information on the amount 
                of salaries of any employees whose annual salaries 
                would exceed the annual rate payable for positions at 
                Level IV of the Executive Schedule under section 5315 
                of title 5, United States Code.
            ``(5) Annual publication.--Annually, the administrator 
        shall publish the compensation plan developed under paragraph 
        (1) or updated under paragraph (4), as applicable.
    ``(b) Appointment; Employment.--
            ``(1) In general.--The administrator may, as the 
        administrator determines to be necessary to carry out this Act, 
        subject to applicable civil service laws--
                    ``(A) appoint any officers and employees;
                    ``(B) employ laborers, mechanics, and workers for 
                construction work or the operation and maintenance of 
                electrical facilities; and
                    ``(C) fix the compensation of individuals appointed 
                under subparagraph (A) or (B), respectively, consistent 
                with the applicable compensation plan developed under 
                subsection (a)(1).
            ``(2) Exemption from certain civil service laws.--In 
        carrying out the authority provided by paragraph (1), the 
        administrator shall be exempt from chapters 34, 43, 51, 53, 57, 
        and 59 of title 5, United States Code.
            ``(3) Application of merit system principles.--Employees of 
        the administrator are subject to the application of the merit 
        system principles set forth in section 2301 of title 5, United 
        States Code, to the extent that the principles apply to a 
        wholly owned Government corporation.
            ``(4) Employment of physicians.--The administrator may 
        employ physicians, without regard to the civil service laws 
        (including regulations), to perform physical examinations of 
        employees of the administrator or prospective employees of the 
        administrator who are or may become laborers, mechanics, and 
        workers described in paragraph (1)(B).
            ``(5) Employment of experts.--The administrator may 
        appoint, without regard to the civil service laws (including 
        regulations), any experts that the administrator determines to 
        be necessary to carry out the functions of the administrator 
        under this Act.''.
                                 <all>
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