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This bill would place a short-term freeze on federal hiring and pay increases, set a starting workforce number for each agency, and require modest staff cuts over the next few years. When the law starts, each agency’s current number of employees becomes its “baseline.” For one year after enactment, agencies generally cannot hire more people than that baseline and cannot raise employees’ base pay. There is a narrow exception that allows hiring beyond the baseline if the agency head decides the extra hire is needed for law enforcement, public safety, or national security. Looking further ahead, each agency must shrink its workforce modestly: the agency must have 2% fewer employees than the baseline after two years, and 5% fewer after three years. Agency leaders are required to make these changes even if other rules or laws would normally affect hiring or reductions. In short, the bill aims to limit federal workforce growth for one year, prevent pay increases during that year, and produce small, scheduled reductions in staff over the next three years, with a limited safety exception for security and safety needs.
- One-year freeze: agencies may not increase total employee counts above the baseline for one year and may not raise employees’ base pay during that year.
- Baseline set at enactment: each agency’s staff level when the law starts becomes the baseline number used for the limits and required cuts.
- Exceptions: an agency head may hire beyond the baseline during the one-year freeze only for positions needed for law enforcement, public safety, or national security.
- Planned reductions: agencies must reach 2% fewer employees than the baseline after two years and 5% fewer after three years, regardless of other rules.
Official Summaries
Federal Freeze Act
This bill bars pay raises for federal employees for one year and requires reductions in the number of employees at each federal agency.
The bill prohibits agencies from increasing the basic pay of any employee for one year after enactment. Also in that first year, the bill prohibits each federal agency from increasing the number of its employees beyond the number employed on the date of the bill's enactment, except that the agency may increase such number when making appointments to positions related to law enforcement, public safety, or national security.
Additionally, the bill requires reductions in force such that within three years of the bill's enactment the number of employees at each agency is 5% lower than it was on the date of the bill's enactment.
Current Full Text
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 200 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 200
To impose restrictions on Federal agencies with respect to
appointments, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 3, 2025
Ms. Tenney introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To impose restrictions on Federal agencies with respect to
appointments, 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. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Federal Freeze Act''.
SEC. 2. FREEZE ON FEDERAL HIRING AND SALARIES.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Agency.--The term ``agency'' has the meaning given the
term in section 551 of title 5, United States Code.
(2) Baseline number.--The term ``baseline number'' means,
with respect to an agency, the number of employees employed by
the agency (including individuals occupying full-time
equivalent positions in the agency), as of the date of
enactment of this Act.
(3) Employee.--The term ``employee'' means an employee of
an agency.
(b) General Prohibitions.--Notwithstanding any other provision of
law or regulation, during the 1-year period beginning on the date of
enactment of this Act, the following shall apply:
(1)(A) Except as provided in subparagraph (B), the head of
an agency may not increase the number of employees employed by
the agency beyond the baseline number.
(B) During the 1-year period beginning on the date of
enactment of this Act, the head of an agency may appoint an
individual to a position within the agency, even if appointing
that individual would increase the number of employees employed
by the agency beyond the baseline number, if the agency head
determines that making that appointment serves the interest of
law enforcement, public safety, or the national security of the
United States.
(2) The annual rate of basic pay of an employee, as in
effect on the date of enactment of this Act, may not be
increased.
(c) Reduction in Force.--The head of each agency shall take such
measures, without regard to any other provision of law or regulation,
to ensure that--
(1) as of the date that is 2 years after the date of
enactment of this Act, the number of employees employed by the
agency is 2 percent less than the baseline number; and
(2) as of the date that is 3 years after the date of
enactment of this Act, the number of employees employed by the
agency is 5 percent less than the baseline number.
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