[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 36, Number 20 (Monday, May 22, 2000)]
[Pages 1125-1126]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Memorandum on Assistance for Federal Employees Affected by the Fires in 
the Los Alamos Area

May 16, 2000

Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies

Subject:  Assistance for Federal Employees Affected by the Fires in the 
Los Alamos Area

    I am deeply concerned about the devastating losses suffered by many 
as a result of the fires in the Los Alamos, New Mexico, area. Many parts 
of the Federal Government have been mobilized to respond to this 
disaster.
    As part of this effort, I ask the heads of executive departments and 
agencies to excuse from duty without charge to leave or loss of pay 
those Federal civilian employees who are affected by the fires in the 
Los Alamos area and their aftermath and who can be spared from their 
usual responsibilities. Specifically, I request that excused absence be 
granted to employees who are needed for emergency law enforcement, 
relief, or cleanup efforts authorized by Federal, State, or other 
officials having jurisdiction and employees who are prevented from 
reporting for work or faced with a personal emergency because of the 
fires and their aftermath.
    I am also authorizing the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to 
determine whether there is a need to establish an emergency leave 
transfer program to assist employees affected by this major disaster. An 
emergency leave transfer program would permit employees in an executive 
agency to donate their unused annual leave for transfer to employees of 
the same or other agencies who were adversely affected by the fires in 
the Los Alamos area and who need additional time off for recovery. If 
the need for donated annual leave becomes evident, I direct the

[[Page 1126]]

OPM to establish the emergency leave transfer program and provide 
additional information to agencies on the program's administration.
                                            William J. Clinton

Note: An original was not available for verification of the content of 
this memorandum.