IV 
113TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 344 
Directing the Speaker of the House of Representatives to direct, for the 
purpose of interpreting Office of Personnel Management (OPM) guidance 
with respect to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, that 
the definition of ‘‘congressional staff’’ employed by an ‘‘official office’’ 
shall include all committee staff, all joint committee staff, and all staff 
employed by leadership offices of the House of Representatives. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 12, 2013 
Mr. GOHMERT submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
Committee on House Administration 
RESOLUTION 
Directing the Speaker of the House of Representatives to 
direct, for the purpose of interpreting Office of Personnel 
Management (OPM) guidance with respect to the Patient 
Protection and Affordable Care Act, that the definition 
of ‘‘congressional staff’’ employed by an ‘‘official office’’ 
shall include all committee staff, all joint committee 
staff, and all staff employed by leadership offices of 
the House of Representatives. 
Whereas on March 23, 2010, the Patient Protection and Af-
fordable Care Act (Public Law 111–148), was signed into 
law; 
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•HRES 344 IH 
Whereas there is a requirement in the Act that ‘‘Members of 
Congress’’ and ‘‘congressional staff’’ who wish to pur-
chase health insurance through their employer purchase 
health plans ‘‘offered through an Exchange established 
under’’ the Act starting in 2014; 
Whereas the Act defines congressional staff as ‘‘all full-time 
and part-time employees employed by the official office of 
a Member of Congress, whether in Washington, DC or 
outside of Washington, DC’’; 
Whereas ‘‘official office’’ is not defined under current statu-
tory or regulatory laws; 
Whereas according to the Office of Personnel Management 
(OPM), ‘‘[b]ecause there is not an existing statutory or 
regulatory definition of official office,’’ OPM defers to the 
‘‘employing office of the Member of Congress’’ to deter-
mine ‘‘whether an employed individual meets the statu-
tory definition’’ of congressional staff for purposes of the 
Act; 
Whereas currently ‘‘congressional employee’’, as defined in 
accordance with section 8901 of title 5, United States 
Code (the statute determining eligibility for enrollment in 
the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHBP) Pro-
gram), includes each Member’s respective personal staffs, 
staffs of House and Senate leadership offices, other com-
mittee staff, and administrative office staff; 
Whereas the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act does 
not amend section 8901 of title 5, United States Code, 
and therefore does not change the current definition of 
‘‘congressional employee’’; and 
Whereas because the committee staff, joint committee staff, 
and staff employed by leadership offices do not meet the 
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•HRES 344 IH 
definition of congressional employee under the Act, they 
are excluded from the requirement: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the Speaker of the House of Rep-
resentatives shall direct, for the purpose of interpreting 
Office of Personnel Management (OPM) guidance with re-
spect to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, 
that the definition of ‘‘congressional staff’’ employed by 
an ‘‘official office’’ shall include all committee staff, all 
joint committee staff, and all staff employed by leadership 
offices of the House of Representatives. 
Æ 
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