[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2555 Introduced in House (IH)]







107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2555

    To amend chapter 53 of title 5, United States Code, to include 
 employees of the legislative branch in the program established under 
 such chapter under which Federal agencies may agree to repay student 
           loans of their employees, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 18, 2001

  Ms. Lee (for herself and Mr. Hoyer) introduced the following bill; 
  which was referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in 
  addition to the Committee on Government Reform, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
  of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
                               concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To amend chapter 53 of title 5, United States Code, to include 
 employees of the legislative branch in the program established under 
 such chapter under which Federal agencies may agree to repay student 
           loans of their employees, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. INCLUSION OF LEGISLATIVE BRANCH EMPLOYEES IN STUDENT LOAN 
              REPAYMENT PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--Section 5379 of title 5, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(i) This section shall apply with respect to any office in the 
legislative branch which is not an agency under subsection (a)(1)(A), 
and the employees of such an office, in the same manner as it applies 
to an agency and the employees of an agency, except as follows:
            ``(1) For purposes of this subsection, a Senator or Member 
        of the House of Representatives (including a Delegate or 
        Resident Commissioner to the Congress) shall not be considered 
        to be an employee of any office in the legislative branch.
            ``(2) Subsection (a)(2) (relating to the exclusion of any 
        employee who occupies a position that is excepted from the 
        competitive service because of its confidential, policy-
        determining, policy-making, or policy-advocating character) 
        shall not apply.
            ``(3) Subsection (c)(1)(A) (relating to the minimum period 
        of service the employee is required to remain in the service of 
        the agency) shall apply as if the reference to `3 years' were a 
        reference to `1 year'.
            ``(4) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any 
        amounts paid under this section on behalf of the employee shall 
        be paid out of one of the following accounts:
                    ``(A) In the case of an employee of the House of 
                Representatives, an account of the House of 
                Representatives established by the Chief Administrative 
                Officer of the House of Representatives for purposes of 
                making payments pursuant to this subsection on behalf 
                of such employees, which shall be segregated from the 
                Member's Representational Allowance or other applicable 
                account of the employee's employing authority.
                    ``(B) In the case of an employee of the Senate, an 
                account of the Senate established by the Secretary of 
                the Senate for purposes of making payments pursuant to 
                this subsection on behalf of such employees, which 
                shall be segregated from any other applicable account 
                of the employee's employing authority.
                    ``(C) In the case of any other employee covered by 
                this subsection, an account established in the Treasury 
                of the United States jointly by the Chief 
                Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives 
                and the Secretary of the Senate for purposes of making 
                payments pursuant to this subsection on behalf of such 
                employees, which shall be segregated from any other 
                applicable account of the employee's employing 
                authority.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall 
take effect October 1, 2001.

SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to each of the accounts 
described in section 5379(i)(4) of title 5, United States Code (as 
added by section 1(a)) such sums as may be necessary for making 
payments from such account during fiscal year 2002 and each succeeding 
fiscal year.
                                 <all>