[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 98 (Wednesday, June 12, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S3411]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 326. Mr. CARPER (for himself, Mr. Tester, Mr. Johnson, and Mr.
Grassley) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the
bill S. 1790, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2020 for
military activities of the Department of Defense, for military
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy,
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:
At the end of subtitle H of title X, add the following:
SEC. 1086. REST AND RECUPERATION LEAVE AND FOREIGN HOLIDAY
LEAVE.
(a) In General.--Subchapter II of chapter 63 of title 5,
United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the
following new sections:
``Sec. 6329d. Rest and recuperation leave
``(a) Definitions.--In this section--
``(1) the term `agency'--
``(A) means an Executive agency; and
``(B) does not include the Government Accountability
Office;
``(2) the term `combat zone' means--
``(A) a geographic area designated by an Executive Order of
the President as an area in which the Armed Forces are
engaging or have engaged in combat;
``(B) an area designated by law to be treated as a combat
zone; or
``(C) a location the Secretary of Defense has certified for
combat zone tax benefits due to its direct support of
military operations;
``(3) the term `employee' has the meaning given the term in
section 6301;
``(4) the term `high risk, high threat post' has the
meaning given the term in section 104 of the Omnibus
Diplomatic Security and Antiterrorism Act of 1986 (22 U.S.C.
4803); and
``(5) the term `leave year' means the period beginning on
the first day of the first complete pay period in a calendar
year and ending on the day immediately before the first day
of the first complete pay period in the following calendar
year.
``(b) Leave for Rest and Recuperation.--
``(1) In general.--During a leave year, the head of an
agency may grant not more than 20 days of leave without loss
of or reduction in pay, leave to which an employee is
otherwise entitled under law, or credit for time or service
to a civilian employee of the agency serving in a combat zone
or other high risk, high threat post for the purposes of rest
and recuperation.
``(2) Conversion of leave period into hours.--The 20 days
of leave referred to in paragraph (1) shall be converted to
160 hours of leave for full-time employees and proportionally
adjusted for employees with a part-time tour of duty or an
uncommon tour of duty in which the hours for which leave may
be charged are in excess of 80 hours in a biweekly pay
period.
``(c) Discretionary Authority of Agency Head.--
``(1) In general.--Use of the authority under subsection
(b) shall be at the sole and exclusive discretion of the head
of the agency concerned.
``(2) Policies.--The head of an agency may prescribe
agency-wide policies to govern the use of the authority under
subsection (b) within the agency.
``(d) Records.--An agency shall record leave provided under
this section separately from leave authorized under any other
provision of law.
``Sec. 6329e. Foreign holiday leave
``(a) Definitions.--In this section--
``(1) the term `agency'--
``(A) means an Executive agency; and
``(B) does not include the Government Accountability
Office;
``(2) the term `employee' has the meaning given that term
in section 6301; and
``(3) the term `leave year' means the period beginning on
the first day of the first complete pay period in a calendar
year and ending on the day immediately before the first day
of the first complete pay period in the following calendar
year.
``(b) Leave for Local Holidays Observed in Foreign Areas.--
During a leave year, the head of an agency may grant not more
than 5 days of leave without loss of or reduction in pay,
leave to which an employee is otherwise entitled under law,
or credit for time or service to a civilian employee of the
agency serving in a foreign area for local holidays observed
in the foreign area--
``(1) if the head of the agency determines that the conduct
of business during the local holidays would be inconsistent
with host-country practice or otherwise not in the best
interest of the United States; or
``(2) for such other reasons as the head of the agency
determines necessary to advance the diplomatic interests of
the United States.
``(c) Discretionary Authority of Agency Head.--
``(1) In general.--Use of the authority under subsection
(b) shall be at the sole and exclusive discretion of the head
of the agency concerned.
``(2) Policies.--The head of an agency may prescribe
agency-wide policies to govern the use of the authority under
subsection (b) within the agency.
``(d) Records.--An agency shall record leave provided under
this section separately from leave authorized under any other
provision of law.''.
(b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the
beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting after the
item relating to section 6329c the following new items:
``6329d. Rest and recuperation leave.
``6329e. Foreign holiday leave.''.
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