I 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2532 

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 21, 2015 

Mr. FLEISCHMANN 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 2015’’ or the 

6 ‘‘EASY Savings Act of 2015’’. 


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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)(1) The head of an agency may retain not more 

17 than 10 percent of amounts to be transferred to the gen18 eral fund of the Treasury under subsection (d). 

19 ‘‘(2) Amounts retained by the head of an agency 

20 under paragraph (1) may be— 

21 ‘‘(A) used for the purpose of paying a cash 

22 award under subsection (a) to 1 or more employees 

23 who identified the surplus funds or unnecessary 

24 budget authority; and 


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1 ‘‘(B) to the extent amounts remain after paying 

2 cash awards under subsection (a), transferred or re3 programmed for use by the agency, in accordance 

4 with any limitation on such a transfer or reprogram5 ming under any other provision of law. 

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

7 Director of the Office of Personnel Management an annual 

8 report regarding— 

9 ‘‘(A) each disclosure of fraud, waste, or mis10 management or identification of surplus funds or 

11 unnecessary budget authority, made under sub12 section (a) by an employee of the agency, which is 

13 determined by the agency to have merit; 

14 ‘‘(B) the total savings achieved through disclo15 sures and identifications described in subparagraph 

16 (A); and 

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

18 the agency under subsection (a). 

19 ‘‘(2) The Director of the Office of Personnel Manage20 ment shall submit to Congress and the Government Ac21 countability Office an annual report on Federal cost sav22 ing and awards based on the reports under paragraph (1). 

23 ‘‘(3) The Director of the Office of Personnel Manage24 ment shall— 


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

2 each agency complies with this section; and 

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

4 indicating whether the cash award program of each 

5 agency complies with this section. 

6 ‘‘(g)(1) The head of each agency shall include the in7 formation described in subsection (f)(1) in each budget re8 quest of the agency submitted to the Office of Manage9 ment and Budget as part of the preparation of the budget 

10 of the President submitted to Congress under section 

11 1105(a) of title 31. 

12 ‘‘(2) Not later than 3 years after the date of enact13 ment of the EASY Savings Act of 2015, and every 3 years 

14 thereafter, the Comptroller General shall submit to Con15 gress a report on the operation of the cost savings and 

16 awards program under this section, including rec17 ommendations for any legislative changes which the 

18 Comptroller General considers appropriate.’’. 

19 (b) PROHIBITION.— 

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

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

22 ‘‘§ 4509. Prohibition of cash award to certain officers 

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

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

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


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

2 cash award under this subchapter if such officer— 

3 ‘‘(1) is the head of an agency; 

4 ‘‘(2) serves in— 

5 ‘‘(A) a position under section 5312 (relat6 ing to positions at level I of the Executive 

7 Schedule); or 

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

9 is set in statute by reference to section 5312 or 

10 level I of the Executive Schedule; or 

11 ‘‘(3) is a voting member of an independent es12 tablishment.’’. 

13 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for 

14 chapter 45 of title 5, United States Code, is amend15 ed by striking the item relating to section 4509 and 

16 inserting the following: 

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

Æ 


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