‘‘§ 719. Probationary period for employees 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding sections 3321 
and 3393(d) of title 5, the appointment of a covered em-
ployee shall become final only after such employee has 
served a probationary period of 2 years. 
‘‘(b) COVERED EMPLOYEE.—In this section, the term 
‘covered employee’— 
‘‘(1) means any individual— 
‘‘(A) appointed to a permanent position 
within the competitive service at the Depart-
ment; or 
‘‘(B) appointed as a career appointee (as 
that term is defined in section 3132(a)(4) of title 
5) within the Senior Executive Service at the 
Department; and 
‘‘(2) does not include any individual with a pro-
bationary period prescribed by section 7403 of this 
title. 
‘‘(c) PERMANENT HIRES.—Not later than 90 days be-
fore the expiration of a covered employee’s probationary pe-
riod under subsection (a), the supervisor of the employee 
shall determine whether the appointment becomes final 
based on regulations prescribed for such purpose by the Sec-
retary. 
‘‘(d) APPLICATION.—With respect to any individual 
described in subsection (b)(1)(A) and to whom this section 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
21:28 May 23, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00008
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6203
E:\BILLS\H1461.RH
H1461
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS
applies, sections 7501(1) and 7511(a)(1)(A)(ii) of title 5 
shall be applied to such individual by substituting ‘com-
pleted 2 years’ for ‘completed 1 year’ in each instance it 
appears.’’. 
(2) CLERICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 
(A) CLERICAL.—The table of sections at the 
beginning of such chapter, as amended by section 
2, is further amended by inserting after the item 
relating to section 717 the following new item: 
‘‘719. Probationary period for employees.’’. 
(B) CONFORMING.—Title 5, United States 
Code, is amended— 
(i) in section 3321(c)— 
(I) by striking ‘‘Service, or’’ and 
inserting ‘‘Service,’’; and 
(II) by inserting at the end before 
the period the following: ‘‘, or any in-
dividual covered by section 719 of title 
38’’; 
(ii) in section 3393(d), by inserting at 
the end before the period the following: ‘‘or 
section 719 of title 38’’; 
(iii) 
in 
sections 
7501(1) 
and 
7511(a)(1)(A)(ii), by inserting ‘‘or section 
719 of title 38’’ after ‘‘title 10’’ in each in-
stance it appears; and 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
21:28 May 23, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00009
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6203
E:\BILLS\H1461.RH
H1461
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS
(iv) in section 7541(1)(A)— 
(I) by striking ‘‘title or’’ and in-
serting ‘‘title,’’; and 
(II) by inserting at the end before 
the semicolon the following: ‘‘, or sec-
tion 719 of title 38’’. 
(b) APPLICATION.—Section 719 of title 38, United 
States Code, as added by subsection (a)(1), shall apply to 
any covered employee (as that term is defined in subsection 
(b) of such section 719, as so added) appointed after the 
date of the enactment of this Act. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
21:28 May 23, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00010
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6203
E:\BILLS\H1461.RH
H1461
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
21:28 May 23, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00011
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6203
E:\BILLS\H1461.RH
H1461
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS
Union Calendar No. 94 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 1461 
[Report No. 115–146, Part I] 
A BILL 
To amend title 38, United States Code, to require 
the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to submit an 
annual report to Congress relating to the use of 
official time by employees of the Department of 
Veterans Affairs, to limit the instances in which 
official time may be granted for certain purposes 
to employees of the Department, and for other 
purposes. 
MAY 23, 2017 
Reported from the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs with 
an amendment 
MAY 23, 2017 
The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform 
discharged; committed to the Committee of the Whole 
House on the State of the Union and ordered to be 
printed 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
21:28 May 23, 2017
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00012
Fmt 6651
Sfmt 6651
E:\BILLS\H1461.RH
H1461
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with BILLS