be met, to make payments to an employee, or
take any other action necessary to provide to an
eligible employee that is discharged as being ex-
cess to the needs of the Tennessee Valley Au-
thority or the Secretary and not for cause and
that does not accept an offer of employment
from the Secretary, an optimum level of retire-
ment and health benefits that is equivalent to
the level that has been afforded employees dis-
charged in previous reductions in force by the
Tennessee Valley Authority.
(B) MINIMUM BENEFITS.—An eligible em-
ployee that is discharged as being excess to the
needs of the Tennessee Valley Authority or the
Secretary and not for cause shall, at a mini-
mum, be entitled to—
(i) at the option of the eligible em-
ployee—
(I) a lump-sum equal to $1,000,
multiplied by the number of years of
service of the eligible employee (but
not less than $15,000 nor more than
$25,000);
(II) a lump-sum payment equal
to the amount of pay earned by the el-
igible employee for the last 26 weeks
of the eligible employee’s service; or
(III) the deemed addition of 5
years to the age and years of service
of an eligible employee;
(ii) 15 months of health benefits for
employees and dependents at the same
level provided as of September 30, 1998;
(iii) 1 week of pay per year of service
as provided by the Tennessee Valley Au-
thority Retirement System;
(iv) a lump-sum payment of all accu-
mulated annual leave;
(v) unemployment compensation in ac-
cordance with State law;
(vi) eligible pension benefits as pro-
vided by the Tennessee Valley Authority
Retirement System; and
(vii) retraining assistance provided by
the Tennessee Valley Authority.
(C) SHORTFALL.—If the board of directors
of the Tennessee Valley Authority Retirement
System determines that the cost of providing
the benefits described in subparagraph (B)
would have a negative impact on the overall re-
tirement system, the Tennessee Valley Author-
ity shall be required to meet any funding short-
falls using nonappropriated funds.
TITLE IV—FUNDING
SEC. 401. TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY TRANSITIONAL
FUNDING.
(a) AVAILABILITY TO THE SECRETARY.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—After the effective date of
transfer of jurisdiction of the Recreation Area from
the Tennessee Valley Authority to the Secretary, all
of the funds authorized to be appropriated to the
Tennessee Valley Authority for the administration of
the Recreation Area shall be available to the Sec-
retary to carry out this Act.
(2) INTERAGENCY AGREEMENT.—Funds made
available to the Tennessee Valley Authority for the
transition shall be made available to the Secretary
pursuant to an interagency agreement.
(b) AVAILABILITY TO THE UNITED STATES FISH
AND WILDLIFE SERVICE.—Funds appropriated to the
Secretary of the Interior for purposes of the United States
Fish and Wildlife Service shall be available to administer
any portions of the Recreation Area that are authorized
for administration by the Service under section 206(a).
SEC. 402. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) AGRICULTURE.—There are authorized to be ap-
propriated to the Secretary of Agriculture such sums as
are necessary to—
(1) permit the Secretary to exercise administra-
tive jurisdiction over the Recreation Area under this
Act; and
(2) administer the Recreation Area area as a
unit of the National Forest System.
(b) INTERIOR.—There are authorized to be appro-
priated to the Secretary of the Interior such sums as are
necessary to carry out activities within the Recreation
Area.
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