[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3244 Reported in House (RH)]

<DOC>





                                                 Union Calendar No. 297
115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3244

                          [Report No. 115-403]

To amend title 5, United States Code, to provide for annual surveys of 
               Federal employees, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 14, 2017

    Mr. Meadows (for himself, Mr. Jody B. Hice of Georgia, and Mr. 
  Connolly) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
              Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

                            November 8, 2017

  Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 
       House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed
 [Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed 
                               in italic]
 [For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on July 
                               14, 2017]


_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title 5, United States Code, to provide for annual surveys of 
               Federal 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. EMPLOYEE SURVEYS.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 14 of title 5, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
``Sec. 1403. Employee surveys
    ``(a) In General.--Each agency shall conduct an annual survey of 
its employees (including survey questions unique to the agency and 
questions prescribed under subsection (b)) to assess--
            ``(1) leadership and management practices that contribute 
        to agency performance; and
            ``(2) employee satisfaction with--
                    ``(A) leadership policies and practices;
                    ``(B) work environment;
                    ``(C) rewards and recognition for professional 
                accomplishment and personal contributions to achieving 
                organizational mission;
                    ``(D) opportunity for professional development and 
                growth; and
                    ``(E) opportunity to contribute to achieving 
                organizational mission.
    ``(b) Regulations; Notice.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Director of the Office of Personnel 
        Management shall issue regulations prescribing survey questions 
        that should appear on all agency surveys under subsection (a) 
        in order to allow a comparison across agencies.
            ``(2) Notice of change to regulations.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Director of the Office of 
                Personnel Management may not issue a regulation under 
                this section until the date that is 60 days after the 
                date on which the Director submits such regulation to 
                the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform of the 
                House of Representatives and the Committee on Homeland 
                Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate unless 
                the Director submitted such regulation to those 
                committees not later than the day after the date on 
                which the notice of proposed rulemaking is published in 
                the Federal Register.
                    ``(B) Applicability.--Subparagraph (A) shall apply 
                with respect to any regulation promulgated on or after 
                the date of enactment of this paragraph.
            ``(3) Notice of change to survey questions.--Not later than 
        60 days before finalizing any change, addition, or removal to 
        any survey question in the annual employee survey administered 
        by the Office pursuant to this section, the Director shall--
                    ``(A) make the proposed change, addition, or 
                removal and the proposed final text, if applicable, of 
                any such question publicly available on the agency's 
                website; and
                    ``(B) provide to the Committee on Oversight and 
                Government Reform of the House of Representatives and 
                the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental 
                Affairs of the Senate--
                            ``(i) the proposed change, addition, or 
                        removal and the proposed final text, if 
                        applicable, of any such question;
                            ``(ii) a justification for the proposed 
                        change, addition, or removal; and
                            ``(iii) an analysis of whether the change, 
                        addition, or removal will affect the ability to 
                        compare results from surveys taken after the 
                        change, addition, or removal is implemented 
                        with results from surveys taken before the 
                        change, addition, or removal is implemented.
    ``(c) Occupational Data.--To the extent practicable, the Director 
of the Office of Personnel Management shall, in publishing agency 
survey data collected under subsection (a), include responses to such 
surveys by occupation. In carrying out this subsection the Director 
shall ensure the confidentiality of any agency survey respondent.
    ``(d) Survey Incentives.--In conjunction with each annual survey 
required under subsection (a), the head of each agency shall submit to 
the Director of the Office of Personnel Management information on any 
monetary, in-kind, leave-related, or other incentive offered to 
employees in exchange for participation in the survey, including a 
description of the type of each such incentive offered and the quantity 
of each such incentive provided to employees.
    ``(e) Availability of Results.--The results of the agency surveys 
under subsection (a) shall be made available to the public and posted 
on the website of the agency involved, unless the head of such agency 
determines that doing so would jeopardize or negatively impact national 
security.
    ``(f) Agency Defined.--In this section, the term `agency' has the 
meaning given the term Executive agency in section 105.''.
    (b) Applicability.--
            (1) The requirements of section 1403 of title 5, United 
        States Code (as added by this Act) shall apply with respect to 
        any annual survey initiated on or after the date of enactment 
        of this Act.
            (2) Any annual survey authorized by, and meeting the 
        requirements of, section 1128 of the National Defense 
        Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004 (Public Law 108-136; 5 
        U.S.C. 7101 note) that is in progress on the date of enactment 
        of this Act (or, if no such survey is in progress, was most 
        recently completed prior to the date of enactment of this Act) 
        shall be considered to be a survey authorized by, and that 
        meets the requirements of, section 1403(a) of title 5, United 
        States Code, (as added by this Act) including for purposes of 
        requiring the Office of Personnel Management to give notice of 
        subsequent changes, additions, or removals of survey questions 
        under section 1403(b)(3) of such title.
    (c) Technical and Conforming Amendments.--
            (1) Repeal.--Section 1128 of the National Defense 
        Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004 (Public Law 108-136; 5 
        U.S.C. 7101 note), and the item relating to such section in the 
        table of sections, is repealed.
            (2) Table of sections.--The table of sections for chapter 
        14 of title 5, United States Code, is amended by inserting 
        after the item relating to section 1402 the following new item:

``1403. Employee surveys.''.
            (3) Table of chapters.--The item relating to chapter 14 in 
        the table of chapters for part II of title 5, United States 
        Code, is amended to read as follows:

``14. Agency Chief Human Capital Officers; Employee Surveys.    1401''.
            (4) Chapter heading.--The heading for chapter 14 of title 
        5, United States Code, is amended to read as follows: ``CHAPTER 
        14--AGENCY CHIEF HUMAN CAPITAL OFFICERS; EMPLOYEE SURVEYS''.

SEC. 2. GAO STUDY ON ANNUAL SURVEY INCENTIVES.

    The Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct a study 
on the types of incentives offered by agencies to employees in exchange 
for participation in surveys required by section 1128 of the National 
Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004 (Public Law 108-136; 5 
U.S.C. 7101 note) or section 1403 of title 5, United States Code, that 
includes an evaluation of the impact of such incentives on employee 
survey responses and response rates, and any recommendations regarding 
such incentives the Comptroller General considers necessary.
                                                 Union Calendar No. 297

115th CONGRESS

  1st Session

                               H. R. 3244

                          [Report No. 115-403]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

To amend title 5, United States Code, to provide for annual surveys of 
               Federal employees, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                            November 8, 2017

  Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 
       House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed