Changes to DoD Bill Advance

The House Armed Services Committee made only relatively minor changes regarding personnel policies to the annual DoD budget bill in passing that measure along for a full House vote. That set aside, at least for now, broader government-wide changes proposed by the administration: to set the government-wide buyout maximum at $40,000 instead of $25,000, create six weeks of paid parental leave, and make numerous changes to hiring, incentive payment and disciplinary notice policies. The committee voted to repeal a policy in effect at DoD since late 2014 of paying lower per diem lodging rates for temporary duty assignments longer than 30 days; employee organizations and the Navy, especially, have argued that the policy discourages employees from taking such assignments. The committee also signaled that it is open to the idea of restarting the Circular A-76 process in which federal jobs are put up for bid by the private sector, a program that has been suspended government-wide since 2008. DoD previously recommended reinstating that program, and the committee ordered a second look at the issue and a briefing, although not anticipating action until at least next year.