I 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1931 

To amend title 5, United States Code, to enhance the authority under which 

Federal agencies may pay cash awards to employees for making cost 

saving disclosures, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 9, 2013 

Mr. FLEISCHMANN (for himself, Ms. NORTON, Mrs. BLACKBURN, Mrs. 

BROOKS of Indiana, Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. JONES, and Mr. 

BENISHEK) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform 

A BILL 

To amend title 5, United States Code, to enhance the authority under which Federal agencies may pay cash awards 

to employees for making cost saving disclosures, and 

for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Employees of America 

5 Streamlining for Your Savings Act of 2013’’ or the 

6 ‘‘EASY Savings Act of 2013’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. ENHANCEMENT OF AUTHORITY TO MAKE CASH 

2 AWARDS TO EMPLOYEES FOR COST SAVING 

3 DISCLOSURES. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 4512 of title 5, United 

5 States Code, is amended— 

6 (1) in subsection (a)— 

7 (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), 

8 by inserting ‘‘or identification of surplus funds 

9 or unnecessary budget authority’’ after ‘‘mis10 management’’; 

11 (B) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘or 

12 identification’’ after ‘‘disclosure’’; and 

13 (C) in the matter following paragraph (2), 

14 by inserting ‘‘or identification’’ after ‘‘disclo15 sure’’; and 

16 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

17 ‘‘(c) The Inspector General of an agency or other 

18 agency employee designated under subsection (b) shall 

19 refer to the Chief Financial Officer of the agency any po20 tential surplus funds or unnecessary budget authority 

21 identified by an employee under subsection (a), along with 

22 any recommendations of the Inspector General or other 

23 agency employee. 

24 ‘‘(d)(1) If the Chief Financial Officer of an agency 

25 determines that rescission of potential surplus funds or 

26 unnecessary budget authority, identified by an employee 


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1 under subsection (a), would not hinder the effectiveness 

2 of the agency, the head of the agency shall transfer the 

3 amount of the surplus funds or unnecessary budget au4 thority from the applicable appropriations account to the 

5 general fund of the Treasury, except as provided in sub6 section (e). 

7 ‘‘(2) Title X of the Congressional Budget and Im8 poundment Control Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 681 et seq.) 

9 shall not apply to transfers under paragraph (1). 

10 ‘‘(3) Any amounts transferred under paragraph (1) 

11 shall be deposited in the Treasury and used for deficit re12 duction, except that in the case of a fiscal year for which 

13 there is no Federal budget deficit, such amounts shall be 

14 used to reduce the Federal debt, in such manner as the 

15 Secretary of the Treasury considers appropriate. 

16 ‘‘(e) The head of an agency may retain not more than 

17 10 percent of any amounts which (but for this subsection) 

18 would otherwise be transferred to the general fund of the 

19 Treasury under subsection (d), representing surplus funds 

20 or unnecessary budget authority identified by an employee 

21 under this section, for the purpose of paying a cash award 

22 to such employee in accordance with subsection (a). 

23 ‘‘(f)(1) The head of each agency shall submit to the 

24 Director of the Office of Personnel Management an annual 

25 report regarding— 


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1 ‘‘(A) each disclosure of fraud, waste, or mis2 management or identification of surplus funds or 

3 unnecessary budget authority, made under sub4 section (a) by an employee of the agency, which is 

5 determined by the agency to have merit; 

6 ‘‘(B) the total savings achieved through disclo7 sures and identifications described in subparagraph 

8 (A); and 

9 ‘‘(C) the number and amount of cash awards by 

10 the agency under subsection (a). 

11 ‘‘(2) The Director of the Office of Personnel Manage12 ment shall submit to Congress and the Government Ac13 countability Office an annual report on Federal cost sav14 ing and awards based on the reports under paragraph (1). 

15 ‘‘(3) The Director of the Office of Personnel Manage16 ment shall— 

17 ‘‘(A) ensure that the cash award program of 

18 each agency complies with this section; and 

19 ‘‘(B) submit to Congress an annual certification 

20 indicating whether the cash award program of each 

21 agency complies with this section. 

22 ‘‘(g)(1) The head of each agency shall include the in23 formation described in subsection (f)(1) in each budget re24 quest of the agency submitted to the Office of Manage25 ment and Budget as part of the preparation of the budget 


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1 of the President submitted to Congress under section 

2 1105(a) of title 31. 

3 ‘‘(2) Not later than 3 years after the date of enact4 ment of the EASY Savings Act of 2013, and every 3 years 

5 thereafter, the Comptroller General shall submit to Con6 gress a report on the operation of the cost savings and 

7 awards program under this section, including rec8 ommendations for any legislative changes which the 

9 Comptroller General considers appropriate.’’. 

10 (b) PROHIBITION.— 

11 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 4509 of title 5, 

12 United States Code, is amended to read as follows: 

13 ‘‘§ 4509. Prohibition of cash award to certain officers 

14 ‘‘(a) DEFINITION.—For purposes of this section, the 

15 term ‘agency’ refers to any agency within the meaning of 

16 section 551(1) or 4501(1). 

17 ‘‘(b) PROHIBITION.—An officer may not receive a 

18 cash award under this subchapter if such officer— 

19 ‘‘(1) is the head of an agency; 

20 ‘‘(2) serves in— 

21 ‘‘(A) a position under section 5312 (relat22 ing to positions at level I of the Executive 

23 Schedule); or 


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1 ‘‘(B) a position for which the compensation 

2 is set in statute by reference to section 5312 or 

3 level I of the Executive Schedule; or 

4 ‘‘(3) is a voting member of an independent es5 tablishment.’’. 

6 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for 

7 chapter 45 of title 5, United States Code, is amend8 ed by striking the item relating to section 4509 and 

9 inserting the following: 

‘‘4509. Prohibition of cash award to certain officers.’’. 

Æ 


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