H. R. 7776—855 
(A) the Committee on Oversight and Reform, the Com-
mittee on Veterans’ Affairs, and the Committee on Appro-
priations of the House of Representatives; and 
(B) the Committee on Homeland Security and Govern-
mental Affairs, the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, and 
the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate. 
(b) ADDITIONAL FUNDING
TO ADDRESS RECORDS BACKLOG.— 
(1) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.—In addition to 
amounts otherwise available, there is authorized to be appro-
priated to the National Archives and Records Administration, 
$60,000,000 to address backlogs in responding to requests from 
veterans for military personnel records, improve cybersecurity, 
improve digital preservation and access to archival Federal 
records, and address backlogs in requests made under section 
552 of title 5, United States Code (commonly referred to as 
the Freedom of Information Act). Such amounts may also be 
used for the Federal Records Center Program. 
(2) REQUIREMENT
TO
MAINTAIN
IN-PERSON
STAFFING 
LEVELS.—Subject to the availability of appropriations, and not 
later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the Archivist of the United States shall ensure, to the 
extent practicable, that the National Personnel Records Center 
maintains staffing levels and telework arrangements that 
enable the maximum processing of records requests possible 
in order to achieve the performance goal of responding to 90 
percent of all requests in 20 days or less, not including any 
request involving a record damaged or lost in the National 
Personnel Records Center fire of 1973 or any request that 
is subject to a fee that has not been paid in a timely manner 
by the requestor (provided the National Personnel Records 
Center issues an invoice within 20 days after the date on 
which the request is made). 
(3) INSPECTOR GENERAL REPORTING.—The Inspector Gen-
eral for the National Archives and Records Administration 
shall, for two years following the date of the enactment of 
this Act, include in every semiannual report submitted to Con-
gress pursuant to the Inspector General Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. 
App.), a detailed summary of— 
(A) efforts taken by the National Archives and Records 
Administration to address the backlog of records requests 
at the National Personnel Records Center; and 
(B) any recommendations for action proposed by the 
Inspector General related to reducing the backlog of records 
requests at the National Personnel Records Center and 
the status of compliance with those recommendations by 
the National Archives and Records Administration. 
SEC. 5302. ONDCP SUPPLEMENTAL STRATEGIES. 
Section 706(h) of the Office of National Drug Control Policy 
Reauthorization Act of 1998 (21 U.S.C. 1705(h)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘; and’’ and inserting 
a semicolon; 
(2) in paragraph (6), by striking the period at the end 
and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following new paragraph: 
‘‘(7) develops performance measures and targets for the 
National Drug Control Strategy for supplemental strategies
H. R. 7776—856 
(the Southwest Border, Northern Border, and Caribbean Border 
Counternarcotics Strategies) to effectively evaluate region- spe-
cific goals, to the extent the performance measurement system 
does not adequately measure the effectiveness of the strategies, 
as determined by the Director, such strategies may evaluate 
interdiction efforts at and between ports of entry, interdiction 
technology, intelligence sharing, diplomacy, and other appro-
priate metrics, specific to each supplemental strategies region, 
as determined by the Director.’’. 
SEC. 5303. PERFORMANCE ENHANCEMENT. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This section may be cited as the ‘‘Perform-
ance Enhancement Reform Act’’. 
(b) IN GENERAL.—Section 1115 of title 31, United States Code, 
is amended— 
(1) by amending subsection (b)(5) to read as follows: 
‘‘(5) provide a description of how the performance goals 
are to be achieved, including— 
‘‘(A) the human capital, training, data and evidence, 
information technology, and skill sets required to meet 
the performance goals; 
‘‘(B) the technology modernization investments, system 
upgrades, staff technology skills and expertise, stakeholder 
input and feedback, and other resources and strategies 
needed and required to meet the performance goals; 
‘‘(C) clearly defined milestones; 
‘‘(D) an identification of the organizations, program 
activities, regulations, policies, operational processes, and 
other activities that contribute to each performance goal, 
both within and external to the agency; 
‘‘(E) a description of how the agency is working with 
other agencies and the organizations identified in subpara-
graph (D) to measure and achieve its performance goals 
as well as relevant Federal Government performance goals; 
and 
‘‘(F) an identification of the agency officials responsible 
for the achievement of each performance goal, who shall 
be known as goal leaders;’’; and 
(2) by amending subsection (g) to read as follows: 
‘‘(g) PREPARATION OF PERFORMANCE PLAN.—The Performance 
Improvement Officer of each agency (or the functional equivalent) 
shall collaborate with the Chief Human Capital Officer (or the 
functional equivalent), the Chief Information Officer (or the func-
tional equivalent), the Chief Data Officer (or the functional equiva-
lent), and the Chief Financial Officer (or the functional equivalent) 
of that agency to prepare that portion of the annual performance 
plan described under subsection (b)(5) for that agency.’’. 
SEC. 5304. APPEALS TO MERIT SYSTEMS PROTECTION BOARD 
RELATING TO FBI REPRISAL ALLEGATIONS; SALARY OF 
SPECIAL COUNSEL. 
(a) APPEALS TO MSPB.—Section 2303 of title 5, United States 
Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(d)(1) An employee of the Federal Bureau of Investigation 
who makes an allegation of a reprisal under regulations promul-
gated under this section may appeal a final determination or correc-
tive action order by the Bureau under those regulations to the 
Merit Systems Protection Board pursuant to section 1221.
H. R. 7776—857 
‘‘(2) If no final determination or corrective action order has 
been made or issued for an allegation described in paragraph (1) 
before the expiration of the 180-day period beginning on the date 
on which the allegation is received by the Federal Bureau of Inves-
tigation, the employee described in that paragraph may seek correc-
tive action directly from the Merit Systems Protection Board pursu-
ant to section 1221.’’. 
(b) SPECIAL COUNSEL SALARY.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter II of chapter 53 of title 5, 
United States Code, is amended— 
(A) in section 5314, by adding at the end the following 
new item: ‘‘Special Counsel of the Office of Special 
Counsel.’’; and 
(B) in section 5315, by striking ‘‘Special Counsel of 
the Merit Systems Protection Board.’’. 
(2) APPLICATION.—The rate of pay applied under the 
amendments made by paragraph (1) shall begin to apply on 
the first day of the first pay period beginning after date of 
enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 5305. FAIRNESS FOR FEDERAL FIREFIGHTERS. 
(a) CERTAIN ILLNESSES AND DISEASES PRESUMED TO BE WORK- 
RELATED CAUSE OF DISABILITY OR DEATH FOR FEDERAL EMPLOYEES 
IN FIRE PROTECTION ACTIVITIES.— 
(1) PRESUMPTION RELATING TO EMPLOYEES IN FIRE PROTEC-
TION ACTIVITIES.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter I of chapter 81 of title 
5, United States Code, is amended by inserting after section 
8143a the following: 
‘‘§ 8143b. Employees in fire protection activities 
‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) EMPLOYEE IN FIRE PROTECTION ACTIVITIES.—The term 
‘employee in fire protection activities’ means an employee 
employed as a firefighter (including a wildland firefighter), 
paramedic, emergency medical technician, rescue worker, 
ambulance personnel, or hazardous material worker who— 
‘‘(A) is trained in fire suppression; 
‘‘(B) has the legal authority and responsibility to 
engage in fire suppression; 
‘‘(C) is engaged in the prevention, control, or 
extinguishment of fires or response to emergency situations 
in which life, property, or the environment is at risk, 
including the prevention, control, suppression, or manage-
ment of wildland fires; and 
‘‘(D) performs the activities described in subparagraph 
(C) as a primary responsibility of the job of the employee. 
‘‘(2) RULE.—The term ‘rule’ has the meaning given the 
term in section 804. 
‘‘(3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘Secretary’ means the Secretary 
of Labor. 
‘‘(b) CERTAIN ILLNESSES AND DISEASED DEEMED TO BE PROXI-
MATELY CAUSED BY EMPLOYMENT IN FIRE PROTECTION ACTIVITIES.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—For a claim under this subchapter of 
disability or death of an employee who has been employed 
for not less than 5 years in aggregate as an employee in 
fire protection activities, an illness or disease specified on the
H. R. 7776—858 
list established under paragraph (2) shall be deemed to be 
proximately caused by the employment of that employee, if 
the employee is diagnosed with that illness or disease not 
later than 10 years after the last activedate of employment 
as an employee in fire protection activities. 
‘‘(2) ESTABLISHMENT OF INITIAL LIST.—There is established 
under this section the following list of illnesses and diseases: 
‘‘(A) Bladder cancer. 
‘‘(B) Brain cancer. 
‘‘(C) Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. 
‘‘(D) Colorectal cancer. 
‘‘(E) Esophageal cancer. 
‘‘(F) Kidney cancer. 
‘‘(G) Leukemias. 
‘‘(H) Lung cancer. 
‘‘(I) Mesothelioma. 
‘‘(J) Multiple myeloma. 
‘‘(K) Non-Hodgkin lymphoma. 
‘‘(L) Prostate cancer. 
‘‘(M) Skin cancer (melanoma). 
‘‘(N) A sudden cardiac event or stroke suffered while, 
or not later than 24 hours after, engaging in the activities 
described in subsection (a)(1)(C). 
‘‘(O) Testicular cancer. 
‘‘(P) Thyroid cancer. 
‘‘(3) ADDITIONS TO THE LIST.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.— 
‘‘(i) PERIODIC REVIEW.—The Secretary shall— 
‘‘(I) in consultation with the Director of the 
National Institute for Occupational Safety and 
Health and any advisory committee determined 
appropriate by the Secretary, periodically review 
the list established under paragraph (2); and 
‘‘(II) if the Secretary determines that the 
weight of the best available scientific evidence war-
rants adding an illness or disease to the list estab-
lished under paragraph (2), as described in 
subparagraph (B) of this paragraph, make such 
an addition through a rule that clearly identifies 
that scientific evidence. 
‘‘(ii) CLASSIFICATION.—A rule issued by the Sec-
retary under clause (i) shall be considered to be a 
major rule for the purposes of chapter 8. 
‘‘(B) BASIS FOR DETERMINATION.—The Secretary shall 
add an illness or disease to the list established under 
paragraph (2) based on the weight of the best available 
scientific evidence that there is a significant risk to 
employees in fire protection activities of developing that 
illness or disease. 
‘‘(C) AVAILABLE EXPERTISE.—In determining significant 
risk for purposes of subparagraph (B), the Secretary may 
accept as authoritative, and may rely upon, recommenda-
tions, risk assessments, and scientific studies (including 
analyses of National Firefighter Registry data pertaining 
to Federal firefighters) by the National Institute for 
Occupational Safety and Health, the National Toxicology 
Program, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering,