Title: Official Time Reform Act of 2017
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics

Summary:
Official Time Reform Act of 2017
This bill prohibits the granting of official time to an employee who would otherwise be in a duty status for purposes of engaging in any political activity, including lobbying activity. Official time is time off from assigned duties granted to a federal employee for purposes of representing a union or its bargaining unit employees.
Under the Civil Service Retirement System and the Federal Employees Retirement System: (1) an employee may not be allowed retirement credit for any day of service spent principally on official time that is in excess of 365 days in the aggregate, (2) an employee is deemed to have spent a day principally on official time if it is at least 80% of the time such employee would otherwise be in a duty status, and (3) any such service spent principally on official time for which an employee is not allowed credit shall be treated as credible service for purposes of calculating the employee's average pay.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1364 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1364

To amend title 5, United States Code, to limit the use of official time 
   for political activity and to exclude certain official time from 
 eligibility as creditable service under CSRS and FERS, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 6, 2017

 Mr. Jody B. Hice of Georgia introduced the following bill; which was 
      referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title 5, United States Code, to limit the use of official time 
   for political activity and to exclude certain official time from 
 eligibility as creditable service under CSRS and FERS, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Official Time Reform Act of 2017''.

SEC. 2. LIMITATION ON USE OF OFFICIAL TIME FOR POLITICAL ACTIVITY.

    (a) In General.--Section 7131 of title 5, United States Code, is 
amended--
            (1) in subsection (d) by inserting ``and subsection (e)'' 
        after ``preceding subsections''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(e) An employee may not be granted official time under this 
section for any time such employee would otherwise be in a duty status 
for purposes of engaging in any political activity, including lobbying 
activity.''.
    (b) Applicability.--The amendment made by this section shall apply 
on the date of enactment of this Act, regardless of whether an employee 
is covered by a collective bargaining agreement in effect on such date.

SEC. 3. EXCLUSION OF CERTAIN DURATIONS OF OFFICIAL TIME FROM CREDITABLE 
              SERVICE.

    (a) CSRS.--Section 8332 of title 5, United States Code, is amended 
by adding at the end the following:
    ``(p)(1) An employee may not be allowed credit under this section 
for any day of service spent principally on official time, as described 
under subsection (b), that is in excess of 365 days in the aggregate.
    ``(2) For purposes of this subsection, an employee spends a day 
principally on official time if at least 80 percent of the time such 
employee would otherwise be in a duty status during such day is spent 
on official time granted under section 7131.
    ``(3) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), any service described under 
paragraph (1) for which an employee is not allowed credit under this 
subsection shall be treated as creditable service for purposes of 
calculating the average pay of the employee under section 8331(4).''.
    (b) FERS.--Section 8411 of title 5, United States Code, is amended 
by--
            (1) striking ``(i)(1) Upon application'' and inserting 
        ``(j)(1) Upon application''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(m)(1) An employee may not be allowed credit under this section 
for any day of service spent principally on official time, as described 
under subsection (b), that is in excess of 365 days in the aggregate.
    ``(2) For purposes of this subsection, an employee spends a day 
principally on official time if at least 80 percent of the time such 
employee would otherwise be in a duty status during such day is spent 
on official time granted under section 7131.
    ``(3) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), any service described under 
paragraph (1) for which an employee is not allowed credit under this 
subsection shall be considered service for purposes of calculating the 
average pay of the employee under section 8401(3).''.
    (c) Applicability.--The amendments made by this section shall apply 
to any applicable annuity calculated on or after October 1, 2017.
                                 <all>