March 10, 2025
Ms. Elfreth (for herself, Ms. Adams, Ms. Barragán, Mr. Baumgartner, Mr. Beyer, Ms. Bonamici, Ms. Bynum, Ms. Castor of Florida, Mr. Cleaver, Mr. Cohen, Ms. Davids of Kansas, Mr. Evans of Pennsylvania, Mr. Fields, Mrs. Foushee, Mr. Garamendi, Ms. Houlahan, Mr. Hoyer, Mr. Hurd of Colorado, Mr. Ivey, Ms. Jacobs, Mr. Kennedy of New York, Mr. Landsman, Mr. Latimer, Ms. Lee of Pennsylvania, Ms. Moore of Wisconsin, Ms. Norton, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, Mr. Olszewski, Mr. Peters, Mr. Pocan, Mrs. Ramirez, Mr. Raskin, Ms. Salinas, Mr. Schneider, Mr. Soto, Mr. Subramanyam, Mr. Thanedar, Ms. Titus, Ms. Tlaib, and Ms. Velázquez) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
To allow Federal employees terminated while serving a probationary or trial period to resume such period upon reinstatement, and for other purposes.
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Protect Our Probationary Employees Act
.
Sec. 2. Resumption of probationary period
(a) In general
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the duration of the probationary or trial period for a covered appointment of a covered probationary employee to become final shall be equal to the difference between—
(1)
the duration of such probationary or trial period that, but for this Act, would apply to such covered appointment; and
(2)
the duration of the probationary or trial period that such covered probationary employee served in the previous Federal position of such covered probationary employee, to the extent that such duration does not exceed the duration described in paragraph (1).
(b) Sunset
This Act shall terminate on January 20, 2029.
(c) Definitions
In this Act—
(1) Covered appointment
The term covered appointment means an appointment of a covered probationary employee to a position in the former employing agency of such covered probationary employee that, to the extent practicable, is the same as the previous Federal position of such covered probationary employee.
(2) Covered probationary employee
The term covered probationary employee means an individual who—
(A)
is, or was, involuntarily separated from Government service during the period beginning on January 20, 2025, and ending on the date specified in subsection (b); and
(B)
immediately prior to such separation, held a position in an Executive agency and serving a probationary or trial period under an initial appointment.
(3) Executive agency
The term Executive agency has the meaning given such term in section 105 of title 5, United States Code.
(4) Former employing agency
With respect to a covered probationary employee, the term former employing agency means the Executive agency from which the separation of such individual made such individual a covered probationary employee.
(5) Previous Federal position
The term previous Federal position means the position in the Federal Government held by the covered probationary employee immediately before becoming a covered probationary employee.