Title: Bonuses for Cost-Cutters Act of 2019
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics

Summary:
Bonuses for Cost-Cutters Act of 2019
This bill expands the awards program for cost-saving identifications by federal employees of fraud, waste, or mismanagement to include identifications of certain operational expenses that are wasteful. An agency must propose any such identified wasteful expenses for rescission.
The bill also doubles the maximum cash award that may be made under the program.



[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 454 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 454

 To amend title 5, United States Code, to enhance the authority under 
which Federal agencies may pay cash awards to employees for making cost 
              saving disclosures, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 10, 2019

 Mr. Fleischmann (for himself and Mr. Cooper) introduced the following 
   bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title 5, United States Code, to enhance the authority under 
which Federal agencies may pay cash awards to employees for making cost 
              saving disclosures, 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 ``Bonuses for Cost-Cutters Act of 
2019''.

SEC. 2. COST SAVINGS ENHANCEMENTS.

    (a) Definitions.--Section 4511 of title 5, United States Code, is 
amended--
            (1) in the section heading, by striking ``Definition'' and 
        inserting ``Definitions''; and
            (2) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) by striking the period at the end and inserting 
                ``; and'';
                    (B) by striking ``this subchapter, the term'' and 
                inserting the following: ``this subchapter--
            ``(1) the term''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(2) the term `wasteful expenses' means amounts made 
        available for salaries and expenses accounts, operations and 
        maintenance accounts, or other equivalent accounts--
                    ``(A) that are identified by an employee of the 
                agency under section 4512(a) as wasteful; and
                    ``(B) that the Chief Financial Officer of the 
                agency determines are not required for the purpose for 
                which the amounts were made available.''.
    (b) Authority.--Section 4512 of title 5, United States Code, is 
amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) by inserting ``The head of an agency may pay a 
                cash award to any employee of such agency whose 
                identification of wasteful expenses to the Chief 
                Financial Officer of the agency has resulted in cost 
                savings for the agency.'' after the first sentence;
                    (B) in paragraph (1) by striking ``$10,000'' and 
                inserting ``$20,000'';
                    (C) in paragraph (2)--
                            (i) by inserting ``Chief Financial 
                        Officer,'' after ``Inspector General,'';
                            (ii) by striking ``employee designated 
                        under subsection (b)'' and inserting 
                        ``designated employee''; and
                            (iii) by inserting ``or identification'' 
                        after ``disclosure''; and
                    (D) in the matter following paragraph (2)--
                            (i) by inserting ``, Chief Financial 
                        Officer,'' after ``Inspector General''; and
                            (ii) by inserting ``or identification'' 
                        after ``disclosure'';
            (2) in subsection (b) by striking ``awards permitted under 
        this section'' and inserting ``awards for the disclosure of 
        fraud, waste, or mismanagement under this section''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(c)(1) If the Chief Financial Officer of the agency determines 
that potential wasteful expenses identified by an employee meet the 
requirements of section 4511(a)(2)(B), the head of the agency shall 
notify the President for purposes of proposing the expenses for 
rescission under title X of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment 
Control Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 681 et seq.).
    ``(2) In the case of an agency for which there is no Chief 
Financial Officer, the head of the agency shall designate an agency 
employee who shall have the authority to make the determinations for 
identification of wasteful expenses under this section.
    ``(d) The head of each agency shall make available, along with, and 
in the same manner and form as, the provision of information required 
under section 1116 of title 31, information on disclosures of wasteful 
expenses under this section, including--
            ``(1) a description of each disclosure of possible wasteful 
        expenses identified by an employee and determined by the agency 
        to have merit; and
            ``(2) the number and amount of cash awards provided by the 
        agency under subsection (a).
    ``(e) An individual may not receive a cash award under this 
subchapter if the individual is--
            ``(1) an officer or employee of the Office of the Inspector 
        General of an agency; or
            ``(2) ineligible for a cash award under section 4509.
    ``(f) The Director of the Office of Personnel Management shall--
            ``(1) ensure that the cash award program of each agency 
        complies with this section; and
            ``(2) submit to Congress an annual certification indicating 
        whether the cash award program of each agency complies with 
        this section.
    ``(g) Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of the 
Bonuses for Cost-Cutters Act of 2019, and every 3 years thereafter for 
6 years, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to 
Congress a report on the operation of the cost savings and awards 
program under this section, including any recommendations for 
legislative changes.''.
    (c) Technical and Conforming Amendment.--The table of sections for 
subchapter II of chapter 45 of title 5, United States Code, is amended 
by striking the item relating to section 4511 and inserting the 
following:

``4511. Definitions and general provisions.''.
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