I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3939 
To require that the workforce of the Environmental Protection Agency be 
reduced by 15 percent. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 5, 2015 
Mr. GRIFFITH (for himself, Mr. ROE of Tennessee, Mr. KELLY of Pennsyl-
vania, Mr. MOONEY of West Virginia, Mr. GOODLATTE, and Mr. JENKINS 
of West Virginia) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees 
on Transportation and Infrastructure, Agriculture, and Science, Space, 
and Technology, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within 
the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To require that the workforce of the Environmental 
Protection Agency be reduced by 15 percent. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘EPA Maximum 
Achievable Contraction of Technocrats Act of 2015’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds as follows: 
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(1) During the Government shutdown of 2013, 
the Environmental Protection Agency deemed 95 
percent of its employees as ‘‘non essential’’. 
(2) The Environmental Protection Agency occu-
pies space in eight different buildings in the District 
of Columbia. 
(3) From 1975 to 2014 the number of Environ-
mental Protection Agency employees increased by 48 
percent while the number of total Federal personnel 
decreased by 17 percent. 
(4) In 2015, according to one study, complying 
with Environmental Protection Agency regulations 
will cost the U.S. economy $386 billion. 
(5) From 2009 to 2014, according to the Fed-
eral Register, the Environmental Protection Agency 
has published and put into effect 2,475 rules. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
For purposes of this Act— 
(1) the term ‘‘Administrator’’ means the Ad-
ministrator of the Environmental Protection Agency; 
(2) the term ‘‘employee’’ has the meaning given 
such term by section 2105 of title 5, United States 
Code; 
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(3) the term ‘‘baseline date’’ means the last day 
of the second month beginning on or after the date 
of the enactment of this Act; and 
(4) the term ‘‘workforce reduction target date’’ 
means the date occurring 3 years after the baseline 
date. 
SEC. 4. MANDATORY WORKFORCE REDUCTION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall take such 
actions as may be necessary to ensure that— 
(1) the total number of employees in the Envi-
ronmental Protection Agency on the workforce re-
duction target date, does not exceed 
(2) the total number of employees in the Envi-
ronmental Protection Agency on the baseline date, 
reduced by 15 percent. 
(b) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.—In order to carry 
out this Act, the Administrator shall submit to Congress 
a written determination of— 
(1) the total number of employees in the Envi-
ronmental Protection Agency on the baseline date, 
not later than 30 days after such date; and 
(2) the total number of employees in the Envi-
ronmental Protection Agency on the workforce re-
duction target date, not later than 30 days after 
such date. 
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(c) EXTENSION AUTHORITY.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator may, if 
necessary because timely compliance with subsection 
(a) is impracticable, delay the deadline for compli-
ance for a period not to exceed 1 year. 
(2) NOTIFICATION.—If the authority under 
paragraph (1) is exercised, the Administrator shall 
submit a written report to Congress not later than 
30 days after the date on which such authority is so 
exercised. Such report shall include— 
(A) notification that the authority under 
paragraph (1) has been exercised; 
(B) the reasons why the exercise of author-
ity was necessary; and 
(C) the new deadline for compliance. 
(3) FINAL REPORT.—Not later than 30 days 
after the date referred to in paragraph (2)(C), the 
Administrator shall submit to Congress— 
(A) a written determination of compliance 
with the limitation specified in subsection 
(a)(2), including the total number of employees 
in the Environmental Protection Agency as of 
the date referred to in paragraph (2)(C); or 
(B) a written determination of noncompli-
ance with the limitation specified in subsection 
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(a)(2), including the extent of and the reasons 
for the noncompliance. 
Æ 
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