May 5, 2025
Ms. Meng introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs
To provide back pay to reinstated employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs, and for other purposes.
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Reinstating Employee Salaries To Original Rates and Entitlements Act
or the RESTORE Act
.
Sec. 2. Back pay for reinstated employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs
(a) Back pay
Any individual who was an employee of the Department of Veterans Affairs (including employees who were serving under a probationary or trial period due to a promotion) and who was involuntarily removed and subsequently reinstated or appointed to a position at the Department during the period beginning on January 20, 2025, and ending on the date of the enactment of this Act shall be entitled to back pay in accordance with section 5596 of title 5, United States Code.
(b) Limitation
Subsection (a) shall not apply to any individual removed from a political position.
(c) Political position defined
In this section, the term political position
means—
(1)
a position described under sections 5312 through 5316 of title 5, United States Code (relating to the Executive Schedule);
(2)
a noncareer appointee (as that term is defined in section 3132(a) of such title); or
(3)
a position in the executive branch of the Government of a confidential or policy-determining character under schedule C of subpart C of part 213 of title 5, Code of Federal Regulations.