Military Retiree Employment Act

To temporarily authorize recently retired members of the armed forces to be appointed to certain civil service positions, require the Secretary of Defense to issue certain notifications, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Military Retiree Employment Act 2. Temporary authorization to appoint recently retired members of the Armed Forces to Civil Service positions (a) In General For the period of 5 years beginning on the date that is 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the limitation in section 3326(b) of title 5, United States Code, shall not apply to a retired member of the armed forces during the period of the first 180 days after retirement. (b) Publication and Transparency Requirements The Secretary concerned shall ensure that for any appointment made under the authority granted by subsection (a)— (1) full consideration, in accordance with placement and promotion procedures of the department concerned, was given to eligible career employees; (2) the vacancy has been publicized for at least 10 business days to give interested candidates an opportunity to apply; (3) the qualification requirements for the position conform to the principles of a merit-based civil service; (4) qualification requirements for the position have not been written in a manner designed to give advantage to the retired member; and (5) the position has not been held open pending the retirement of the retired member. (c) Oversight by Office of Personnel Management (1) Plan Draft and Implementation Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director of the Office of Personnel Management shall establish an oversight plan to monitor all appointments made pursuant to subsection (a), and conduct oversight according to the plan for the duration of the authority granted by subsection (a). (2) Annual Publication Not later than 30 days after the end of the fiscal year of the date of enactment of this Act, and every year thereafter for the duration of the authority granted by subsection (a), the Director of the Office of Personnel Management shall publish, by including the information within a publication on a related matter, the number of new employees appointed under such authority in that year. (d) Report Not later than 4 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall submit a report to Congress describing the impact of the temporary authority granted by subsection (a), providing policy recommendations for improvements, and recommending whether such authority should be made permanent. (e) Rule of Construction No provision of this section may be interpreted to affect any appointment other than an appointment made by the Secretary of Defense. 3. Vacancy notification requirement Beginning 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense, acting through the head of each office in the Department of Defense, shall ensure that every employee of the Department of Defense is informed, within one calendar day, of the publication of a vacancy within that employee’s office that requires qualifications related to the employee’s current duties. 4. Reduction in force protections For the period of 10 years beginning on the date that is 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall ensure that each employee who is a veteran and who is newly hired or appointed to a position in the Department of Defense shall be informed of the effect of section 1597 of title 10, United States Code, as amended by the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 ( Public Law 114–92

Summary: Military Retiree Employment Act This bill permits, for a specified five-year period, retired members of the Armed Forces to be appointed to civil service positions in or under the Department of Defense (DOD) during the first 180 days after retirement without meeting current requirements regarding: (1) appointment authorization, (2) basic pay increase, or (3) existence of a state of national emergency. The Office of Personnel Management shall establish an oversight plan to monitor such appointments. DOD shall ensure that every DOD employee is informed, within one calendar day, of the publication of a vacancy within that employee's office that requires qualifications related to the employee's current duties. DOD shall ensure for 10 years that each employee who is a veteran and who is newly hired or appointed to a DOD position shall be informed of the effect of certain DOD guidelines for reduction in force protection.