II 118th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 3530 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES December 14, 2023 Ms. Murkowski (for herself, Mr. Moran , Ms. Duckworth , and Ms. Rosen ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs A BILL To retain Federal employees who are spouses of a member of the Armed Forces or the Foreign Service when relocating due to an involuntary transfer, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Resilient Employment and Authorization Determination to Increase the National Employment of Serving Spouses Act or the READINESS Act . 2. Flexibilities for Federal employees who are Armed Forces or Foreign Service spouses (a) Definitions In this section: (1) Agency The term agency — (A) means each agency, office, or other establishment in the executive, legislative, or judicial branch of the Federal Government; and (B) includes— (i) each nonappropriated fund instrumentality of the United States, including each instrumentality described in section 2105(c) of title 5, United States Code; and (ii) the United States Postal Service. (2) Armed forces The term Armed Forces has the meaning given the term armed forces in section 2101 of title 5, United States Code. (3) Covered individual The term covered individual means an individual who— (A) is the spouse of a member of the Armed Forces or the Foreign Service; (B) is an employee; and (C) relocates because the spouse of the individual, as described in subparagraph (A), is subject to a permanent change of station. (4) Director The term Director means the Director of the Office of Personnel Management. (5) Employee The term employee means an employee of an agency. (6) Permanent change of station The term permanent change of station means, with respect to a member of the Armed Forces or the Foreign Service— (A) a permanent change of duty station; or (B) a change in homeport of a vessel, ship-based squadron or staff, or mobile unit. (7) Permanent employee The term permanent employee does not include an employee who is serving under a temporary appointment or a term appointment. (b) Requirement Not later than 30 days after receiving a request from a covered individual, the head of the agency employing the covered individual shall— (1) authorize the covered individual to work remotely full-time if that agency head determines that the duties of the covered individual do not require the regular physical presence of the covered individual in the workplace; (2) transfer the covered individual, if qualified, to a position of equal grade in the agency and in the commuting area of the new duty station or homeport of the spouse of the covered individual; (3) transfer the covered individual, if qualified, to a remote position of equal grade in the agency; or (4) in the case of a covered individual who is not authorized to work remotely under paragraph (1), or to be transferred under paragraph (2) or (3), place the covered individual into a nonpay and nonduty status for the greater of— (A) the duration of the service of the spouse of the covered individual at the new duty station or homeport of that spouse, as described in paragraph (2); or (B) the period of 36 consecutive months following the permanent change of station of the spouse of the covered individual. (c) Non-Encumbered nonpay and nonduty status A position held by a covered individual placed into nonpay and nonduty status under this section— (1) shall not be considered to be encumbered; and (2) may be backfilled by a permanent employee. (d) Reports (1) Agency reports to OPM For each of the first 5 full fiscal years beginning after the date of enactment of this Act, the head of each agency shall, not later than 180 days after the last day of that fiscal year, submit to the Director— (A) a list of each request received by that agency head under subsection (b) during the applicable fiscal year; and (B) the action taken by the agency head under subsection (b) with respect to each request described in subparagraph (A). (2) Report to Congress With respect to the information received by the Director under paragraph (1) for a fiscal year, the Director shall, not later than 195 days after the last day of that fiscal year, submit to Congress a report containing all of that information for that fiscal year, which shall be sorted by agency.