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To make certain personnel flexibilities available with respect to the General Accounting Office, and for other purposes.

Public Law 106-303 · H.R. 4642 · 106th Congress · began in the House

Signed by Bill Clinton (D) on Oct 13, 2000 · Government Operations and Politics

Sponsor: Rep. Dan Burton (R-IN-6)

Cosponsors (1): Rep. Joe Scarborough

Passage votes

  • HouseVoice vote
  • SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes

The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.

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Summary

The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.

Amends Federal civil service provisions with respect to the Civil Service Retirement System and the Federal Employees' Retirement System to entitle certain officers and employees of the General Accounting Office (GAO) who separate from service voluntarily to annuities under such system, as applicable.

Grants to the Comptroller General of GAO the authority to provide voluntary separation incentive payments to GAO employees. Sets forth the terms and conditions and requirements governing such authority.

Amends provisions relating to GAO's personnel management system to require the Comptroller General to prescribe regulations, consistent with regulations issued by the Office of Personnel Management for the separation of employees during a reduction in force or other adjustment in force, which give effect to the following factors in descending order of priority: (1) tenure of employment; (2) military preference; (3) veteran's preference; (4) performance ratings; (5) length of service; and (6) other objective factors such as skills and knowledge that the Comptroller General considers necessary and appropriate to realign GAO's workforce to meet current and future mission needs, to correct skill imbalances, or to reduce high-grade, managerial, or supervisory positions. (Provides that the regulations relating to removal from the GAO Senior Executive Service in a reduction in force or other adjustment in force shall be consistent with requirements for competitive procedures for a reduction in force in the Senior Executive Service.) Requires such regulations to provide that a final decision by the GAO Personnel Appeals Board may be reviewed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

Prohibits an employee from being released due to a reduction in force unless such employee is given written notice at least 60 days before being released. Allows the Comptroller General, in writing, to shorten the period of advance notice for a particular reduction in force if necessary because of circumstances not reasonably foreseeable, except that such period may not be less than 30 days. Requires such regulations to include provisions under which, at the Comptroller General's discretion, the opportunity to separate voluntarily (in order to permit the retention of an individual occupying a similar position) shall be available to the same extent and in the same manner as with respect to the Department of Defense or a military department.

Authorizes the Comptroller General to establish senior-level positions to meet GAO's critical scientific, technical or professional needs. Provides for the numerical limitation under the personnel system to apply to such senior-level positions. Permits the reassignment of an officer or employee in GAO's Senior Executive Service to any such senior-level positions as the Comptroller General determines necessary and appropriate.

Permits: (1) the procurement of 15 temporary or intermittent experts and consultants for renewable terms of not more than three years (currently, for not more than three years); and (2) changes the rate of pay with respect to certain experts and consultants.

Requires the Comptroller General to: (1) include in each annual report to Congress during a five-year period a review of all actions taken pursuant to this Act relating to retirement and reductions in force; and (2) submit to Congress within three years a report on the implementation and effectiveness of this Act, including any assessment or recommendation of the GAO Personnel Appeals Board or of any interested groups or associations representing GAO officers or employees.

Committees

The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.

Data notes

A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.

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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 11 actions.

  1. Oct 13, 2000Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 106-303.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Oct 6, 2000PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
  4. Oct 4, 2000FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
  5. CommitteeCommittee · Discharged from Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
  6. Sep 20, 2000CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
  7. Sep 19, 2000FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  8. FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.
  9. FloorFloor · Mr. Burton moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
  10. Jun 13, 2000CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Oversight and Government Reform Committee
  11. IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the House
Data notes

Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.

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Official record

The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.