Several Policy Changes Included

The detailed report from the House Appropriations Committee on the bill explains several policy provisions in the bill, as well. It continues several long-running restrictions on federal employee training and coverage policies in the FEHB, and says the retirement application backlog at OPM is “unacceptable.” It orders OPM to continue to issue monthly progress reports and says the committee is “astounded by the continued use of outdated paper processing and directs OPM to prioritize moving to a fully-automated electronic filing system.” OPM has made such an initiative part of its strategic plan, although that is to be a long-term process. The bill also contains several provisions specific to the IRS. One would require a detailed report on use of official time—on the clock time employees spend on certain union-related duties—while another would bar payment of various bonuses and awards to employees unless their compliance with tax law is taken into account. It further would open the door for starting new “A-76” cost comparisons between federal employee costs and contractor bids, ending a moratorium that has been in effect since 2009; the White House opposes that shift and in any case it would be up to administration policy whether agencies would start such studies even if allowed. Details of the counterpart Senate bill haven’t been released yet.