H. R. 244—253 
(2) 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 level 
IV of the Executive Schedule. 
(e) 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 level IV of the Executive Schedule 
who serves under a political appointment may not receive a pay 
rate increase in calendar year 2017, notwithstanding any other 
provision of law, except as provided in subsection (g), (h), or (i). 
This subsection does not apply to employees in the General Schedule 
pay system or the Foreign Service pay system, or to employees 
appointed under section 3161 of title 5, United States Code, or 
to employees in another pay system whose position would be classi-
fied 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) A career appointee in the Senior Executive Service who 
receives a Presidential appointment and who makes an election 
to retain Senior Executive Service basic pay entitlements under 
section 3392 of title 5, United States Code, is not subject to this 
section. 
(h) A member of the Senior Foreign Service who receives a 
Presidential appointment to any position in the executive branch 
and who makes an election to retain Senior Foreign Service pay 
entitlements under section 302(b) of the Foreign Service Act of 
1980 (Public Law 96–465) is not subject to this section. 
(i) Notwithstanding subsections (b) through (e), an employee 
in a covered position may receive a pay rate increase upon an 
authorized movement to a different covered position with higher- 
level duties and a pre-established higher level or range of pay, 
except that any such increase must be based on the rates of pay 
and applicable pay limitations in effect on December 31, 2013. 
(j) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, for an individual 
who is newly appointed to a covered position during the period 
of time subject to this section, the initial pay rate shall be based 
on the rates of pay and applicable pay limitations in effect on 
December 31, 2013. 
(k) If an employee affected by subsections (b) through (e) is 
subject to a biweekly pay period that begins in calendar year 
2017 but ends in calendar year 2018, the bar on the employee’s 
receipt of pay rate increases shall apply through the end of that 
pay period. 
SEC. 739. (a) The head of any Executive branch department, 
agency, board, commission, or office funded by this or any other 
appropriations Act shall submit annual reports to the Inspector 
General or senior ethics official for any entity without an Inspector 
General, regarding the costs and contracting procedures related 
to each conference held by any such department, agency, board, 
commission, or office during fiscal year 2017 for which the cost 
to the United States Government was more than $100,000. 
(b) Each report submitted shall include, for each conference 
described in subsection (a) held during the applicable period— 
(1) a description of its purpose; 
(2) the number of participants attending;
H. R. 244—254 
(3) a detailed statement of the costs to the United States 
Government, including— 
(A) the cost of any food or beverages; 
(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 2017 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. 740. 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. 741. 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. 742. 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. 743. (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
H. R. 244—255 
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 
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. 744. (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. 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 
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
H. R. 244—256 
the unpaid tax liability, 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. 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. 747. (a) During fiscal year 2017, 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. 748. (a) None of the funds made available under this 
or any other Act may be used to— 
(1) implement, administer, carry out, modify, revise, or 
enforce Executive Order 13690, entitled ‘‘Establishing a Federal 
Flood Risk Management Standard and a Process for Further 
Soliciting and Considering Stakeholder Input’’ (issued January 
30, 2015), other than for— 
(A) acquiring, managing, or disposing of Federal lands 
and facilities; 
(B) providing Federally undertaken, financed, or 
assisted construction or improvements; or 
(C) conducting Federal activities or programs affecting 
land use, including water and related land resources plan-
ning, regulating, and licensing activities; 
(2) implement Executive Order 13690 in a manner that 
modifies the non-grant components of the National Flood Insur-
ance Program; or 
(3) apply Executive Order 13690 or the Federal Flood Risk 
Management Standard by any component of the Department 
of Defense, including the Army Corps of Engineers in a way 
that changes the ‘‘floodplain’’ considered when determining 
whether or not to issue a Department of the Army permit 
under section 404 of the Clean Water Act or section 10 of 
the Rivers and Harbors Act. 
(b) Subsection (a) of this section shall not be in effect during 
the period beginning on October 1, 2017 and ending on September 
30, 2018. 
SEC. 749. Except as expressly provided otherwise, any reference 
to ‘‘this Act’’ contained in any title other than title IV or VIII 
shall not apply to such title IV or VIII.