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Text of the Essential Services Act of 2013

This bill was introduced on April 15, 2013, in a previous session of Congress, but was not enacted. The text of the bill below is as of Apr 15, 2013 (Introduced).

II

113th CONGRESS

1st Session

S. 724

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

April 15, 2013

(for himself,Mr. Risch,Mr. Hoeven,Mr. Wicker,Mr. Johanns,Mr. Enzi,Mrs. Fischer,Ms. Collins,Mr. Inhofe, andMr. Boozman) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to theCommittee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

A BILL

To provide flexibility to agencies on determining what employees are essential personnel in implementing the sequester.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Essential Services Act of 2013 .

2.

Definitions

In this Act—

(1)

the termagencymeans an Executive agency (as defined in section 105of title 5, United States Code); and

(2)

the termessential employeemeans an employee that performs work involving the safety of human life or the protection of property, as determined by the head of the agency.

3.

Furlough flexibility

(a)

In general

In implementing the sequester required bysection 251A of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, as ordered on March 1, 2013, the head of an agency may furlough such employees of the agency as are required to achieve the funding reduction required by the sequester for the agency, but shall exempt essential employees.

(b)

Transfer of budgetary resources

The head of an agency may transfer budgetary resources within their agency to carry outsubsection (a), subject to the limitation that transfers may only be made to maintain essential employees.