Federal Freeze Act

Bill: 119-hr-200
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Tenney, Claudia [R-NY-24]
Introduced: 2025-01-03
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Employee hiring

Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Latest action: action_date: 2025-01-03
text: Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

Summaries:
action_date: 2025-01-03
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><strong>Federal Freeze Act</strong></p><p>This bill bars pay raises for federal employees for one year and requires reductions in the number of employees at each federal agency.</p><p>The bill prohibits agencies from increasing the basic pay of any employee for one year after enactment. Also in that first year, the bill prohibits each federal agency from increasing the number of its employees beyond the number employed on the date of the bill's enactment, except that the agency may increase such number when making appointments to positions related to law enforcement, public safety, or national security.</p><p>Additionally, the bill requires reductions in force such that within three years of the bill's enactment the number of employees at each agency is 5% lower than it was on the date of the bill's enactment.</p>

tv_txt: I 119th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 200 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES January 3, 2025 Ms. Tenney introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform A BILL To impose restrictions on Federal agencies with respect to appointments, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Federal Freeze Act . 2. Freeze on Federal hiring and salaries (a) Definitions In this section: (1) Agency The term agency has the meaning given the term in section 551 of title 5, United States Code. (2) Baseline number The term baseline number means, with respect to an agency, the number of employees employed by the agency (including individuals occupying full-time equivalent positions in the agency), as of the date of enactment of this Act. (3) Employee The term employee means an employee of an agency. (b) General prohibitions Notwithstanding any other provision of law or regulation, during the 1-year period beginning on the date of enactment of this Act, the following shall apply: (1) (A) Except as provided in subparagraph (B), the head of an agency may not increase the number of employees employed by the agency beyond the baseline number. (B) During the 1-year period beginning on the date of enactment of this Act, the head of an agency may appoint an individual to a position within the agency, even if appointing that individual would increase the number of employees employed by the agency beyond the baseline number, if the agency head determines that making that appointment serves the interest of law enforcement, public safety, or the national security of the United States. (2) The annual rate of basic pay of an employee, as in effect on the date of enactment of this Act, may not be increased. (c) Reduction in force The head of each agency shall take such measures, without regard to any other provision of law or regulation, to ensure that— (1) as of the date that is 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the number of employees employed by the agency is 2 percent less than the baseline number; and (2) as of the date that is 3 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the number of employees employed by the agency is 5 percent less than the baseline number.