I 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION H. R. 10260 
To provide compensation flexibility to address retention and hiring issues 
at the Bonneville Power Administration. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 26, 2024 
Ms. PEREZ (for herself and Mr. NEWHOUSE) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To provide compensation flexibility to address retention and 
hiring issues at the Bonneville Power Administration. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. COMPENSATION FLEXIBILITY TO ADDRESS RE-
TENTION AND HIRING ISSUES AT THE BON-
NEVILLE POWER ADMINISTRATION. 
Section 10 of the Act of August 20, 1937 (commonly 
known as the ‘‘Bonneville Project Act of 1937’’) (50 Stat. 
736, chapter 720; 16 U.S.C. 832i), is amended by striking 
the section designation and subsections (a) and (b) and 
inserting the following: 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
21:26 Dec 06, 2024
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H10260.IH
H10260
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
‘‘SEC. 10. EMPLOYMENT OF PERSONNEL. 
‘‘(a) EMPLOYEE COMPENSATION PROGRAM.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other 
law, rule, regulation, or directive relating to the pay-
ment of Federal employees (other than chapter 83 
of title 5, United States Code), the administrator 
shall develop, implement, and, as appropriate, up-
date, based on the results of an annual review under 
paragraph (4), a compensation plan that specifies 
and fixes the compensation (including salary or any 
other pay, bonuses, benefits, incentives, and any 
other form of remuneration) for employees of the ad-
ministrator, including members of the Senior Execu-
tive Service (as defined in section 2101a of title 5, 
United States Code). 
‘‘(2) INITIAL COMPENSATION PLAN.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year 
after the date of enactment of the Energy Per-
mitting Reform Act of 2024, the administrator 
shall, in consultation with the Director of the 
Office of Personnel Management, and subject to 
confirmation and approval by the Secretary of 
Energy, which shall not be unreasonably with-
held, develop an initial compensation plan under 
paragraph (1). 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
21:26 Dec 06, 2024
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H10260.IH
H10260
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
‘‘(B) IMPLEMENTATION.—Not later than 1 
year after the date on which the initial com-
pensation plan is developed under subparagraph 
(A), the administrator shall implement the ini-
tial compensation plan. 
‘‘(3) REQUIREMENTS.—A compensation plan 
developed under paragraph (1) shall— 
‘‘(A) be based on an annual survey of the 
prevailing compensation for similar positions in 
the public sectors of the electric industry; 
‘‘(B) be consistent with the approved an-
nual general and administrative budget of the 
administrator and encourage the widest diversi-
fied use of electric power at the lowest possible 
rates to consumers consistent with sound busi-
ness principles; 
‘‘(C) provide that education, experience, 
level of responsibility, geographic differences, 
and retention and recruitment needs are to be 
taken into account in determining the com-
pensation of employees of the administrator; 
and 
‘‘(D) provide that the individual total com-
pensation of the administrator and any em-
ployee of the administrator shall be comparable 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
21:26 Dec 06, 2024
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H10260.IH
H10260
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
the annual rate payable for positions at Level 
IV of the Executive Schedule under section 
5315 of title 5, United States Code. 
‘‘(5) ANNUAL PUBLICATION.—Annually, the ad-
ministrator shall publish the compensation plan de-
veloped under paragraph (1) or updated under para-
graph (4), as applicable. 
‘‘(b) APPOINTMENT; EMPLOYMENT.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The administrator may, as 
the administrator determines to be necessary to 
carry out this Act, subject to applicable civil service 
laws— 
‘‘(A) appoint any officers and employees; 
‘‘(B) employ laborers, mechanics, and 
workers for construction work or the operation 
and maintenance of electrical facilities; and 
‘‘(C) fix the compensation of individuals 
appointed under subparagraph (A) or (B), re-
spectively, consistent with the applicable com-
pensation plan developed under subsection 
(a)(1). 
‘‘(2) EXEMPTION FROM CERTAIN CIVIL SERVICE 
LAWS.—In carrying out the authority provided by 
paragraph (1), the administrator shall be exempt 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
21:26 Dec 06, 2024
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H10260.IH
H10260
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
from chapters 34, 43, 51, 53, 57, and 59 of title 5, 
United States Code. 
‘‘(3) APPLICATION
OF
MERIT
SYSTEM
PRIN-
CIPLES.—Employees of the administrator are sub-
ject to the application of the merit system principles 
set forth in section 2301 of title 5, United States 
Code, to the extent that the principles apply to a 
wholly owned Government corporation. 
‘‘(4) EMPLOYMENT OF PHYSICIANS.—The ad-
ministrator may employ physicians, without regard 
to the civil service laws (including regulations), to 
perform physical examinations of employees of the 
administrator or prospective employees of the ad-
ministrator who are or may become laborers, me-
chanics, and workers described in paragraph (1)(B). 
‘‘(5) EMPLOYMENT OF EXPERTS.—The admin-
istrator may appoint, without regard to the civil 
service laws (including regulations), any experts that 
the administrator determines to be necessary to 
carry out the functions of the administrator under 
this Act.’’. 
Æ 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
21:26 Dec 06, 2024
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\H10260.IH
H10260
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS