Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019
PL 116-1 (S.24), enacted 01/16/2019

[116th Congress Public Law 1]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



[[Page 133 STAT. 3]]

Public Law 116-1
116th Congress

                                 An Act


 
    To provide for the compensation of Federal and other government 
    employees affected by lapses in appropriations. <<NOTE: Jan. 16, 
                           2019 -  [S. 24]>> 

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, <<NOTE: Government 
Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019.>> 
SECTION 1. <<NOTE: 31 USC 1301 note.>>  SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Government Employee Fair Treatment 
Act of 2019''.
SEC. 2. COMPENSATION FOR FEDERAL AND OTHER GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES 
                    AFFECTED BY A LAPSE IN APPROPRIATIONS.

    Section 1341 of title 31, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)(1), by striking ``An officer'' and 
        inserting ``Except as specified in this subchapter or any other 
        provision of law, an officer''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:

    ``(c)(1) <<NOTE: Definitions.>>  In this subsection--
            ``(A) the term `covered lapse in appropriations' means any 
        lapse in appropriations that begins on or after December 22, 
        2018;
            ``(B) the term `District of Columbia public employer' 
        means--
                    ``(i) the District of Columbia Courts;
                    ``(ii) the Public Defender Service for the District 
                of Columbia; or
                    ``(iii) the District of Columbia government;
            ``(C) the term `employee' includes an officer; and
            ``(D) the term `excepted employee' means an excepted 
        employee or an employee performing emergency work, as such terms 
        are defined by the Office of Personnel Management or the 
        appropriate District of Columbia public employer, as applicable.

    ``(2) Each employee of the United States Government or of a District 
of Columbia public employer furloughed as a result of a covered lapse in 
appropriations shall be paid for the period of the lapse in 
appropriations, and each excepted employee who is required to perform 
work during a covered lapse in appropriations shall be paid for such 
work, at the employee's standard rate of pay, at the earliest date 
possible after the lapse in appropriations ends, regardless of scheduled 
pay dates.
    ``(3) During a covered lapse in appropriations, each excepted 
employee who is required to perform work shall be entitled to use leave 
under chapter 63 of title 5, or any other applicable law governing the 
use of leave by the excepted employee, for which

[[Page 133 STAT. 4]]

compensation shall be paid at the earliest date possible after the lapse 
in appropriations ends, regardless of scheduled pay dates.''.

    Approved January 16, 2019.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--S. 24:
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CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 165 (2019):
            Jan. 10, considered and passed Senate.
            Jan. 11, considered and passed House.

                                  <all>