[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5337 Introduced in House (IH)]







107th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5337

   To amend title 5, United States Code, to allow periods of certain 
  service performed as an employee under certain Cooperative Federal-
     State programs to be creditable for purposes of civil service 
                              retirement.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 5, 2002

 Mrs. Morella introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Government Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend title 5, United States Code, to allow periods of certain 
  service performed as an employee under certain Cooperative Federal-
     State programs to be creditable for purposes of civil service 
                              retirement.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Agricultural Extended Retirement 
Credit Act of 2002''.

SEC. 2. PURPOSES.

    The purposes of this Act are--
            (1) to extend creditable service, for purposes of the Civil 
        Service Retirement System, for periods of service in certain 
        qualified Federal-State cooperative programs which had 
        agricultural or related purposes;
            (2) to expedite the retirement of certain Federal 
        Government employees by providing them improved retirement 
        opportunities at typical retirement ages, thereby mitigating 
        potentially adverse effects of deficit control measures on the 
        welfare of those and other employees of the United States 
        Department of Agriculture; and
            (3) to effect savings in budget authority and outlays in 
        the Department of Agriculture in such a manner that the 
        potential for adverse effects on program effectiveness is 
        minimized.

SEC. 3. EXTENSION OF CREDITABLE SERVICE.

    (a) Extended Credit Defined.--Section 8331 of title 5, United 
States Code, is amended--
            (1) by striking ``and'' after the semicolon at the end of 
        paragraph (27);
            (2) by striking the period at the end of paragraph (28) and 
        inserting ``; and''; and
            (3) by adding after such paragraph (28) the following:
            ``(29) `extended credit' means creditable service for 
        periods of service in Federal-State cooperative programs under 
        section 8332(b)(18).''.
    (b) Creditable Service.--Section 8332(b) of title 5, United States 
Code, is amended--
            (1) by striking ``and'' after the semicolon at the end of 
        paragraph (16);
            (2) by striking the period at the end of paragraph (17) and 
        inserting ``; and''; and
            (3) by adding after such paragraph (17) the following:
            ``(18) subject to sections 8334(c) and 8339(i), service 
        performed before January 1, 1984, by an individual in the 
        employ of a State or an instrumentality of a State, if--
                    ``(A) such service involved duties related to the 
                carrying out of a Federal-State cooperative program 
                described in subsection (o)(1);
                    ``(B) such individual was later employed in a 
                position which was then subject to this subchapter; and
                    ``(C) such individual (or a survivor thereof) makes 
                application for certification of credit for such 
                service on or before the 180th day following the date 
                of enactment of the Agricultural Extended Retirement 
                Credit Act of 2002.''.
    (c) Certification.--Section 8332(b) of title 5, United States Code, 
is further amended by adding at the end the following: ``The Office of 
Personnel Management shall accept, for purposes of this subchapter, the 
certification of the Secretary of Agriculture, or his designee, 
concerning service of the type described in paragraph (18).''.
    (d) Cooperative Programs Described.--Section 8332 of title 5, 
United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(o)(1) The Federal-State cooperative programs described in this 
subsection for which creditable service is allowable under subsection 
(b)(18) are--
            ``(A) the Federal-State cooperative program of agricultural 
        research of the State agricultural experiment stations as 
        defined in section 1 of the Act entitled `An Act to consolidate 
        the Hatch Act of 1887 and laws supplementary thereto relating 
        to the appropriation of Federal funds for support of 
        agricultural experiment stations in the States, Alaska, Hawaii, 
        and Puerto Rico', approved August 11, 1955 (69 Stat. 671);
            ``(B) the Federal-State cooperative program of forestry 
        research at eligible institutions of the State as defined in 
        section 2 of the Act entitled `An Act to authorize the 
        Secretary of Agriculture to encourage and assist the several 
        States in carrying on a program of forestry research, and for 
        other purposes', approved October 10, 1962 (76 Stat. 806), and 
        popularly referred to as the McIntire-Stennis Act;
            ``(C) the Federal-State cooperative program of agricultural 
        research for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1967 and later 
        fiscal years at the 1890 land-grant colleges, including 
        Tuskegee Institute, as defined in subsection 1445(a) of the 
        `National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy 
        Act of 1977', approved September 29, 1977 (91 Stat. 1009);
            ``(D) the Federal-State cooperative program of agricultural 
        extension work authorized by the Act entitled `An Act to 
        provide for cooperative agricultural extension work between the 
        agricultural colleges in the several States receiving the 
        benefits of an Act of Congress approved July second, 
eighteen hundred and sixty-two, and of Acts supplementary thereto, and 
the United States Department of Agriculture', approved May 8, 1914 (38 
Stat. 372), and acts supplementary thereto;
            ``(E) the Federal-State cooperative program of vocational 
        education, including State programs of instruction in 
        vocational agriculture and home economics authorized by the Act 
        entitled `An Act to provide for the promotion of vocational 
        education; to provide for cooperation with the States in the 
        promotion of such education in agriculture and the trades and 
        industries; to provide for cooperation with the States in the 
        preparation of teachers of vocational subjects; and to 
        appropriate money and regulate its expenditure', approved 
        February 23, 1917 (39 Stat. 929), and acts supplementary 
        thereto;
            ``(F) the Federal-State cooperative program in marketing 
        service and research authorized by the Agricultural Marketing 
        Act of 1946, approved August 14, 1946 (60 Stat. 1087), and 
        predecessor programs, including programs to inspect, certify, 
        and identify the class, quality, quantity, and condition of 
        agricultural products shipped or received in interstate 
        commerce;
            ``(G) the Federal-State cooperative program for the control 
        of plant pests and animal diseases authorized by the subheading 
        entitled `Federal Horticulture Board' under the heading 
        entitled `Department of Agriculture' of the Act entitled `An 
        Act making appropriations to supply urgent deficiencies in 
        appropriations for the fiscal year ending June thirtieth, 
        nineteen hundred and eighteen, and prior fiscal years, on 
        account of war expenses, and for other purposes', approved 
        October 6, 1917 (40 Stat. 374); by section 102 of the 
        Department of Agriculture Organic Act of 1944, approved 
        September 21, 1944 (58 Stat. 734); by the joint resolution 
        entitled `Joint resolution making funds available for the 
        control of incipient or emergency outbreaks of insect pests or 
        plant diseases, including grasshoppers, mormon crickets, and 
        chinch bugs', approved April 6, 1937 (50 Stat. 57); by the Act 
        entitled `An Act to provide for regulating, inspecting, 
        cleaning, and, when necessary, disinfecting railway cars, other 
        vehicles, and other materials entering the United States from 
        Mexico', approved January 31, 1942 (56 Stat. 40); by the Act 
        entitled `An Act to regulate the importation of nursery stock 
        and other plants and plant products; to enable the Secretary of 
        Agriculture to establish and maintain quarantine districts for 
        plant diseases and insect pests; to permit and regulate the 
        movement of fruits, plants, and vegetables therefrom, and for 
        other purposes', approved August 20, 1912 (37 Stat. 315); by 
        the first paragraph under the subheading entitled `Enforcement 
        of the Plant-Quarantine Act' under the heading entitled 
        `Miscellaneous' of the Act entitled `An Act making 
        appropriations for the Department of Agriculture for the fiscal 
        year ending June thirtieth, nineteen hundred and fourteen', 
        approved March 4, 1913 (37 Stat. 853), insofar as such 
        paragraph relates to the importation of certain plants for 
        scientific purposes; by the second, third, and fourth 
        paragraphs under the subheading entitled `Enforcement of the 
        Plant-Quarantine Act' under the heading entitled 
        `Miscellaneous' of the Act entitled `An Act making 
        appropriations for the Department of Agriculture for the fiscal 
        year ending June thirtieth, nineteen hundred and sixteen', 
        approved March 4, 1915 (38 Stat. 1113); and by section 11 of 
        the Act entitled `An Act for the establishment of a Bureau of 
        Animal Industry, to prevent the exportation of diseased cattle, 
        and to provide for the suppression and extirpation of 
        pleuropneumonia and other contagious diseases among domestic 
        animals', approved May 29, 1884 (23 Stat. 31);
            ``(H) the Federal-State cooperative programs of forest 
        protection, management, and improvement performed under 
        authority of the Act entitled `An Act to provide for the 
        protection of forest lands, for the reforestation of denuded 
        areas, for the extension of national forests, and for other 
        purposes, in order to promote the continuous production of 
        timber on the lands chiefly suitable therefore', approved June 
        7, 1924 (43 Stat. 653); of the Cooperative Forest Management 
        Act, approved August 25, 1950 (64 Stat. 473); and of the Forest 
        Pest Control Act, approved June 25, 1947 (61 Stat. 177); and 
        the predecessor programs of any Act referred to in this 
        paragraph;
            ``(I) the Federal-State cooperative programs of emergency 
        relief, including State rural rehabilitation corporation 
        programs established for the purposes of the Federal Emergency 
        Relief Act of 1933, approved May 12, 1933 (48 Stat. 55); the 
        Act entitled `An Act making an additional appropriation to 
        carry out the purposes of the Federal Emergency Relief Act of 
        1933, for continuation of the civil works program, and for 
        other purposes', approved February 15, 1934 (48 Stat. 351); and 
        title II of the Act entitled `An Act making appropriations to 
        supply deficiencies in certain appropriations for the fiscal 
        year ending June 30, 1934, and prior fiscal years, to provide 
        supplemental general and emergency appropriations for the 
        fiscal years ending June 30, 1934, and June 30, 1935, and for 
        other purposes', approved June 19, 1934 (48 Stat. 1021);
            ``(J) the Federal-State Cooperative Veterans' educational 
        programs, including part-time instruction in on-the-farm 
        training programs, as provided for in title II, chapter IV, 
        `Education of Veterans', of the Serviceman's Readjustment Act 
        of 1944, approved June 22, 1944 (58 Stat. 287), and subsequent 
        amendments and Acts pertaining thereto;
            ``(K) the Federal-State cooperative programs in wildlife 
        restoration and in fish restoration and management authorized 
        respectively by the Acts entitled `An Act to provide that the 
        United States shall aid these States in wildlife restoration 
        projects, and for other purposes', approved September 2, 1937 
        (50 Stat. 917), and popularly referred to as the Pittman-
        Robertson Act, and `An Act to provide that the United States 
        shall aid the States in fish restoration and management 
        projects, and for other purposes', approved August 9, 1950, and 
popularly referred to as the Dingell-Johnson Act (64 Stat. 431) and the 
program of animal damage control authorized by the Act entitled `An Act 
to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out his ten-year 
cooperative program for the eradication, suppression, or bringing under 
control of predatory and other wild animals injurious to agriculture, 
horticulture, forestry, animal husbandry, wild game, and other 
interests, and for the suppression of rabies and tularemia in predatory 
or other wild animals, and for other purposes', approved March 2, 1931 
(46 Stat. 1468).
    ``(2) Within 60 days following the date of enactment of the 
Agricultural Extended Retirement Credit Act of 2002, the Office of 
Personnel Management shall promulgate specific extended credit 
application and certification instructions to be followed by the 
Secretary of Agriculture in determining eligibility for extended credit 
for periods of service in the Federal-State cooperative programs 
enumerated in subsection (b)(18), and by individuals in making 
application for such extended credit.''.
    (e) Annuity Adjustments.--Section 8345 of title 5, United States 
Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(m) If the Secretary of Agriculture certifies to the Office of 
Personnel Management creditable service for purposes of this subchapter 
of the type described in section 8332(b)(17), in response to 
application by an annuitant or survivor annuitant, then the annuity of 
the annuitant or survivor annuitant shall be adjusted on the first day 
of the month following the date of enactment of the Agricultural 
Extended Retirement Credit Act of 2002 so that the amount of the 
annuity shall be the same as if the total creditable service of the 
employee or Member, on whose creditable service the annuity was 
computed, had included, on the original date on which the annuity was 
computed, the amount of service certified.''.

SEC. 4. EXPEDITED RETIREMENT SAVINGS.

    (a) In General.--Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, the 
Secretary of Agriculture shall at the end of each pay period for which 
both the first and last days occur in the expedited retirement period 
transfer to the expedited retirement trust fund, out of any monies 
appropriated to the Department of Agriculture, an amount equal to 
expedited retirement savings for that pay period.
    (b) Definitions.--For the purpose of this section--
            (1) the term ``pay period'' means the biweekly Federal pay 
        period;
            (2) the term ``expedited retirement period'' means the 
        period beginning on the 60th day after the date of enactment of 
        this Act and ending at the end of the fourth fiscal year which 
        begins on or after the first day of such period;
            (3) the term ``expedited retiree'' means an individual who 
        retires from a position in the Department of Agriculture on any 
        day of the expedited retirement period and who receives 
        extended credit under the amendments made by this Act;
            (4) the term ``expedited retiree pay rate'' means the 
        biweekly regular pay rate of an expedited retiree on his or her 
        last day of employment before retirement;
            (5) the term ``expedited retirement savings'' means, for 
        any given pay period for which both the first and last days 
        occurred within the expedited retirement period, the aggregate 
        of 160 percent of the expedited retiree pay rates for all 
        expedited retirees whose last day of employment prior to 
        retirement occurred on or before the first day of the given pay 
        period; and
            (6) the term ``expedited retirement trust fund'' means a 
        trust fund of the Department of Agriculture which serves as 
        depository for budget authority and outlay saved in any fiscal 
        year of the expedited retirement period resulting from 
        implementation of this Act and amendments made by this Act.

SEC. 5. LIMITATION ON USE OF SAVINGS.

    (a) In General.--(1) None of the budget authority and outlays saved 
in any fiscal year by reason of the transfer of expedited retirement 
savings to the expedited retirement trust fund resulting from the 
implementation of this Act and the amendments made by this Act may be 
obligated or expended for any purpose.
    (2) The total amount of budget authority and outlays saved in any 
fiscal year (as described in paragraph (1)) shall, at the end of that 
fiscal year be carried to the surplus fund of the Department of 
Agriculture and deposited by the Secretary of Agriculture in the 
Treasury of the United States to the credit of the Civil Service 
Retirement and Disability Fund, as a contribution of the United States 
Government to such Fund, under such procedures as the Comptroller 
General may prescribe.
    (3) The total amount of budget authority and outlays saved in any 
fiscal year (as described in paragraph (1)) shall be credited against 
any amount of pay and other personnel and direct support costs required 
to be sequestered in such fiscal year under the Balanced Budget and 
Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Public Law 99-177).
    (b) Audits.--The Comptroller General shall notify Congress, in 
writing, of each noncompliance with the requirements of subsection (a).

SEC. 6. PROGRAM REPORT.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the first day of the 
expedited retirement period, the Director of the Office of Personnel 
Management shall transmit to Congress a report containing an evaluation 
of the expedited retirement savings program.
    (b) Contents of Report.--The report under subsection (a) shall 
include the following:
            (1) The number of employees who retired under the expedited 
        retirement program, stated by age group of the retirees, and by 
        grade or other position classification of the retirees.
            (2) The amount of expedited retirement savings that have 
        resulted, before the date of the report, from the 
        implementation of this Act and the amendments made by this Act.
    (c) Administrative Provision.--The Director of the Office of 
Personnel Management may obtain from any agency of the Federal 
Government such information as the Director determines necessary to 
prepare the report required by subsection (a).
                                 <all>