[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 344 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 344

 Directing the Speaker of the House of Representatives to direct, for 
   the purpose of interpreting Office of Personnel Management (OPM) 
  guidance with respect to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care 
  Act, that the definition of ``congressional staff'' employed by an 
   ``official office'' shall include all committee staff, all joint 
 committee staff, and all staff employed by leadership offices of the 
                       House of Representatives.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 12, 2013

 Mr. Gohmert submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                 the Committee on House Administration

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Directing the Speaker of the House of Representatives to direct, for 
   the purpose of interpreting Office of Personnel Management (OPM) 
  guidance with respect to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care 
  Act, that the definition of ``congressional staff'' employed by an 
   ``official office'' shall include all committee staff, all joint 
 committee staff, and all staff employed by leadership offices of the 
                       House of Representatives.

Whereas on March 23, 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act 
        (Public Law 111-148), was signed into law;
Whereas there is a requirement in the Act that ``Members of Congress'' and 
        ``congressional staff'' who wish to purchase health insurance through 
        their employer purchase health plans ``offered through an Exchange 
        established under'' the Act starting in 2014;
Whereas the Act defines congressional staff as ``all full-time and part-time 
        employees employed by the official office of a Member of Congress, 
        whether in Washington, DC or outside of Washington, DC'';
Whereas ``official office'' is not defined under current statutory or regulatory 
        laws;
Whereas according to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), ``[b]ecause there 
        is not an existing statutory or regulatory definition of official 
        office,'' OPM defers to the ``employing office of the Member of 
        Congress'' to determine ``whether an employed individual meets the 
        statutory definition'' of congressional staff for purposes of the Act;
Whereas currently ``congressional employee'', as defined in accordance with 
        section 8901 of title 5, United States Code (the statute determining 
        eligibility for enrollment in the Federal Employees Health Benefits 
        (FEHBP) Program), includes each Member's respective personal staffs, 
        staffs of House and Senate leadership offices, other committee staff, 
        and administrative office staff;
Whereas the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act does not amend section 
        8901 of title 5, United States Code, and therefore does not change the 
        current definition of ``congressional employee''; and
Whereas because the committee staff, joint committee staff, and staff employed 
        by leadership offices do not meet the definition of congressional 
        employee under the Act, they are excluded from the requirement: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Speaker of the House of Representatives shall 
direct, for the purpose of interpreting Office of Personnel Management 
(OPM) guidance with respect to the Patient Protection and Affordable 
Care Act, that the definition of ``congressional staff'' employed by an 
``official office'' shall include all committee staff, all joint 
committee staff, and all staff employed by leadership offices of the 
House of Representatives.
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