H. R. 1158—178 
(B) the cost of any audio-visual services; 
(C) the cost of employee or contractor travel to and 
from the conference; and 
(D) a discussion of the methodology used to determine 
which costs relate to the conference; and 
(4) a description of the contracting procedures used 
including— 
(A) whether contracts were awarded on a competitive 
basis; and 
(B) a discussion of any cost comparison conducted by 
the departmental component or office in evaluating poten-
tial contractors for the conference. 
(c) Within 15 days after the end of a quarter, the head of 
any such department, agency, board, commission, or office shall 
notify the Inspector General or senior ethics official for any entity 
without an Inspector General, of the date, location, and number 
of employees attending a conference held by any Executive branch 
department, agency, board, commission, or office funded by this 
or any other appropriations Act during fiscal year 2020 for which 
the cost to the United States Government was more than $20,000. 
(d) A grant or contract funded by amounts appropriated by 
this or any other appropriations Act may not be used for the 
purpose of defraying the costs of a conference described in sub-
section (c) that is not directly and programmatically related to 
the purpose for which the grant or contract was awarded, such 
as a conference held in connection with planning, training, assess-
ment, review, or other routine purposes related to a project funded 
by the grant or contract. 
(e) None of the funds made available in this or any other 
appropriations Act may be used for travel and conference activities 
that are not in compliance with Office of Management and Budget 
Memorandum M–12–12 dated May 11, 2012 or any subsequent 
revisions to that memorandum. 
SEC. 739. None of the funds made available in this or any 
other appropriations Act may be used to increase, eliminate, or 
reduce funding for a program, project, or activity as proposed in 
the President’s budget request for a fiscal year until such proposed 
change is subsequently enacted in an appropriation Act, or unless 
such change is made pursuant to the reprogramming or transfer 
provisions of this or any other appropriations Act. 
SEC. 740. None of the funds made available by this or any 
other Act may be used to implement, administer, enforce, or apply 
the rule entitled ‘‘Competitive Area’’ published by the Office of 
Personnel Management in the Federal Register on April 15, 2008 
(73 Fed. Reg. 20180 et seq.). 
SEC. 741. None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made 
available by this or any other Act may be used to begin or announce 
a study or public-private competition regarding the conversion to 
contractor performance of any function performed by Federal 
employees pursuant to Office of Management and Budget Circular 
A–76 or any other administrative regulation, directive, or policy. 
SEC. 742. (a) None of the funds appropriated or otherwise 
made available by this or any other Act may be available for 
a contract, grant, or cooperative agreement with an entity that 
requires employees or contractors of such entity seeking to report 
fraud, waste, or abuse to sign internal confidentiality agreements 
or statements prohibiting or otherwise restricting such employees
H. R. 1158—179 
or contractors from lawfully reporting such waste, fraud, or abuse 
to a designated investigative or law enforcement representative 
of a Federal department or agency authorized to receive such 
information. 
(b) The limitation in subsection (a) shall not contravene require-
ments applicable to Standard Form 312, Form 4414, or any other 
form issued by a Federal department or agency governing the 
nondisclosure of classified information. 
SEC. 743. (a) No funds appropriated in this or any other Act 
may be used to implement or enforce the agreements in Standard 
Forms 312 and 4414 of the Government or any other nondisclosure 
policy, form, or agreement if such policy, form, or agreement does 
not contain the following provisions: ‘‘These provisions are con-
sistent with and do not supersede, conflict with, or otherwise alter 
the employee obligations, rights, or liabilities created by existing 
statute or Executive order relating to (1) classified information, 
(2) communications to Congress, (3) the reporting to an Inspector 
General of a violation of any law, rule, or regulation, or mismanage-
ment, a gross waste of funds, an abuse of authority, or a substantial 
and specific danger to public health or safety, or (4) any other 
whistleblower protection. The definitions, requirements, obligations, 
rights, sanctions, and liabilities created by controlling Executive 
orders and statutory provisions are incorporated into this agreement 
and are controlling.’’: Provided, That notwithstanding the preceding 
provision of this section, a nondisclosure policy form or agreement 
that is to be executed by a person connected with the conduct 
of an intelligence or intelligence-related activity, other than an 
employee or officer of the United States Government, may contain 
provisions appropriate to the particular activity for which such 
document is to be used. Such form or agreement shall, at a min-
imum, require that the person will not disclose any classified 
information received in the course of such activity unless specifically 
authorized to do so by the United States Government. Such non-
disclosure forms shall also make it clear that they do not bar 
disclosures to Congress, or to an authorized official of an executive 
agency or the Department of Justice, that are essential to reporting 
a substantial violation of law. 
(b) A nondisclosure agreement may continue to be implemented 
and enforced notwithstanding subsection (a) if it complies with 
the requirements for such agreement that were in effect when 
the agreement was entered into. 
(c) No funds appropriated in this or any other Act may be 
used to implement or enforce any agreement entered into during 
fiscal year 2014 which does not contain substantially similar lan-
guage to that required in subsection (a). 
SEC. 744. None of the funds made available by this or any 
other Act may be used to enter into a contract, memorandum 
of understanding, or cooperative agreement with, make a grant 
to, or provide a loan or loan guarantee to, any corporation that 
has any unpaid Federal tax liability that has been assessed, for 
which all judicial and administrative remedies have been exhausted 
or have lapsed, and that is not being paid in a timely manner 
pursuant to an agreement with the authority responsible for col-
lecting the tax liability, where the awarding agency is aware of 
the unpaid tax liability, unless a Federal agency has considered
H. R. 1158—180 
suspension or debarment of the corporation and has made a deter-
mination that this further action is not necessary to protect the 
interests of the Government. 
SEC. 745. None of the funds made available by this or any 
other Act may be used to enter into a contract, memorandum 
of understanding, or cooperative agreement with, make a grant 
to, or provide a loan or loan guarantee to, any corporation that 
was convicted of a felony criminal violation under any Federal 
law within the preceding 24 months, where the awarding agency 
is aware of the conviction, unless a Federal agency has considered 
suspension or debarment of the corporation and has made a deter-
mination that this further action is not necessary to protect the 
interests of the Government. 
SEC. 746. (a) During fiscal year 2020, on the date on which 
a request is made for a transfer of funds in accordance with section 
1017 of Public Law 111–203, the Bureau of Consumer Financial 
Protection shall notify the Committees on Appropriations of the 
House of Representatives and the Senate, the Committee on Finan-
cial Services of the House of Representatives, and the Committee 
on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate of such 
request. 
(b) Any notification required by this section shall be made 
available on the Bureau’s public Web site. 
SEC. 747. If, for fiscal year 2020, new budget authority provided 
in appropriations Acts exceeds the discretionary spending limit 
for any category set forth in section 251(c) of the Balanced Budget 
and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 due to estimating dif-
ferences with the Congressional Budget Office, an adjustment to 
the discretionary spending limit in such category for fiscal year 
2020 shall be made by the Director of the Office of Management 
and Budget in the amount of the excess but the total of all such 
adjustments shall not exceed 0.2 percent of the sum of the adjusted 
discretionary spending limits for all categories for that fiscal year. 
SEC. 748. (a) The adjustment in rates of basic pay for employees 
under the statutory pay systems that takes effect in fiscal year 
2020 under section 5303 of title 5, United States Code, shall be 
an increase of 2.6 percent, and the overall average percentage 
of the adjustments taking effect in such fiscal year under sections 
5304 and 5304a of such title 5 shall be an increase of 0.5 percent 
(with comparability payments to be determined and allocated among 
pay localities by the President). All adjustments under this sub-
section shall be effective as of the first day of the first applicable 
pay period beginning on or after January 1, 2020. 
(b) Notwithstanding section 737, the adjustment in rates of 
basic pay for the statutory pay systems that take place in fiscal 
year 2020 under sections 5344 and 5348 of title 5, United States 
Code, shall be no less than the percentages in subsection (a) as 
employees in the same location whose rates of basic pay are adjusted 
pursuant to the statutory pay systems under section 5303, 5304, 
and 5304a of title 5, United States Code. Prevailing rate employees 
at locations where there are no employees whose pay is increased 
pursuant to sections 5303, 5304, and 5304a of such title 5 and 
prevailing rate employees described in section 5343(a)(5) of such 
title 5 shall be considered to be located in the pay locality designated 
as ‘‘Rest of U.S.’’ pursuant to section 5304 of such title 5 for 
purposes of this subsection.
H. R. 1158—181 
(c) Funds used to carry out this section shall be paid from 
appropriations, which are made to each applicable department or 
agency for salaries and expenses for fiscal year 2020. 
SEC. 749. (a) Notwithstanding the official rate adjusted under 
section 104 of title 3, United States Code, the rate payable to 
the Vice President during calendar year 2020 shall be the rate 
payable to the Vice President on December 31, 2019, by operation 
of section 749 of division D of Public Law 116–6. 
(b) Notwithstanding the official rate adjusted under section 
5318 of title 5, United States Code, or any other provision of 
law, the payable rate during calendar year 2020 for an employee 
serving in an Executive Schedule position, or in a position for 
which the rate of pay is fixed by statute at an Executive Schedule 
rate, shall be the rate payable for the applicable Executive Schedule 
level on December 31, 2019, by operation of section 749 of division 
D of Public Law 116–6. Such an employee may not receive a 
pay rate increase during calendar year 2020, except as provided 
in subsection (i). 
(c) Notwithstanding section 401 of the Foreign Service Act 
of 1980 (Public Law 96–465) or any other provision of law, a 
chief of mission or ambassador at large is subject to subsection 
(b) in the same manner as other employees who are paid at an 
Executive Schedule rate. 
(d)(1) This subsection applies to— 
(A) a noncareer appointee in the Senior Executive 
Service paid a rate of basic pay at or above the official 
rate for level IV of the Executive Schedule; or 
(B) a limited term appointee or limited emergency 
appointee in the Senior Executive Service serving under 
a political appointment and paid a rate of basic pay at 
or above the official rate for level IV of the Executive 
Schedule. 
(2) Notwithstanding sections 5382 and 5383 of title 5, 
United States Code, an employee described in paragraph (1) 
may not receive a pay rate increase during calendar year 2020, 
except as provided in subsection (i). 
(e) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any employee 
paid a rate of basic pay (including any locality- based payments 
under section 5304 of title 5, United States Code, or similar 
authority) at or above the official rate for level IV of the Executive 
Schedule who serves under a political appointment may not receive 
a pay rate increase during calendar year 2020, except as provided 
in subsection (i). This subsection does not apply to employees in 
the General Schedule pay system or the Foreign Service pay system, 
to employees appointed under section 3161 of title 5, United States 
Code, or to employees in another pay system whose position would 
be classified at GS–15 or below if chapter 51 of title 5, United 
States Code, applied to them. 
(f) Nothing in subsections (b) through (e) shall prevent 
employees who do not serve under a political appointment from 
receiving pay increases as otherwise provided under applicable law. 
(g) This section does not apply to an individual who makes 
an election to retain Senior Executive Service basic pay under 
section 3392(c) of title 5, United States Code, for such time as 
that election is in effect. 
(h) This section does not apply to an individual who makes 
an election to retain Senior Foreign Service pay entitlements under