Department of Veterans Affairs Employment Reduction Assistance Act of 1999
Latest action. Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 106-576.
Department of Veterans Affairs Employment Reduction Assistance Act of 1999 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, before obligating any resources for voluntary separation incentive payments (payments), to submit to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget a strategic plan outlining the use of such payments and a proposed organizational chart for the Department of Veterans Affairs once such payments have been completed. Requires such plan to include: (1) the positions and functions to be reduced or eliminated; (2) their effects on meeting efficiency, budget, or staffing goals; (3) the period of time during which such incentives may be paid; and (4) a description of how the affected Department components will operate without the eliminated functions and positions. Authorizes the Secretary to make such a payment only to reduce or eliminate positions or functions identified in the plan. Requires such payments to be in a lump sum and no greater than $25,000 apiece. Requires full repayment from any individual who is subsequently reemployed with any Federal department or agency, with exceptions for certain employment in which the individual possesses unique abilities and is the only qualified applicant available. Requires the Department to remit to the Office of Personnel Management for credit to the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund 15 percent of the final basic pay of each individual receiving such payments. Reduces the total number of full-time equivalent employees in the Department by one for each individual receiving such a payment. Authorizes the President to waive such reductions upon a determination of the existence of: (1) a state of war or other national emergency; or (2) an extraordinary emergency which threatens life, health, safety, property, or the environment. Provides for continued temporary health insurance coverage for individuals receiving such payments. Prohibits any payment based on the separation of an employee after September 30, 2004.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in Senate" stage on May 3, 1999. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on May 20, 1999: Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 106-576.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the Senate
- Passage by the House
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 106th Congress (1999-00), 580 of the 9,158 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 6.3 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
ARLEN SPECTER (R-PA) introduced it on May 3, 1999. No cosponsors are recorded.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on May 3, 1999, 9992 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 9975 days ago, on May 20, 1999.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 106th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2001 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- SenateIn committee, no floor vote yet
- HouseAwaits Senate passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers