To allow certain U.S. Customs and Border Protection employees who serve under an overseas limited appointment for at least 2 years, and whose service is rated fully successful or higher throughout that time, to be converted to a permanent appointment in the competitive service.
Public Law 111-252 · H.R. 1517 · 111th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Barack Obama (D) on Oct 5, 2010 · Government Operations and Politics
Sponsor: Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY-17)
Cosponsors (4): Rep. Pete King, Rep. Gus Bilirakis,
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.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Authorizes the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to convert an employee serving under an overseas limited appointment for at least two years of current continuous service, whose service is rated at least fully successful throughout that time, to a permanent appointment in the competitive service.
Directs the United States to: (1) indemnify and hold such individual whose appointment is converted harmless from any claim arising from any event, act, or omission that arises from the exercise of such individual's official duties; and (2) provide to such individual (including any dependents) services and monetary payments which are equivalent to those provided to other CBP employees in similar positions in the same country of assignment and for which such individual was not eligible by reason of such individual's overseas limited appointment.
Directs the Commissioner to implement such a conversion in a manner that: (1) meets the operational needs of the CBP; and (2) is not disruptive to the employees affected.
Provides that: (1) nothing in this Act shall be construed to affect the pay of any individual for services performed before the date of his or her conversion; and (2) the authority of the Commissioner to convert an employee under this Act shall terminate two years after enactment.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Oversight and Accountability Committee · House · discharged from, referred toSubcommittee: Information Technology Subcommittee- Homeland Security Committee · House · markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: Border Security and Enforcement Subcommittee
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.
Related bills
The record lists no related bills.
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 35 actions.
- Oct 5, 2010Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 111-252.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Sep 28, 2010FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Sep 23, 2010Resolving differencesResolving differences · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · On motion that the House suspend the rules and agree to the Senate amendment Agreed to by voice vote.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · Mr. Thompson (MS) moved that the House suspend the rules and agree to the Senate amendment.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on the motion to suspend the rules and agree to the Senate amendment to H.R. 1517.
- OtherOther · Cleared for White House.
- OtherOther · Resolving differences -- House actions: On motion that the House suspend the rules and agree to the Senate amendment Agreed to by voice vote.
- Aug 6, 2010FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Aug 5, 2010FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- CalendarCalendar · Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 516.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Reported by Senator Lieberman with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 111-248.
- Jul 28, 2010CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
- Dec 16, 2009CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
- Dec 15, 2009FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by recorded vote (2/3 required): 414 - 1 (Roll no. 972).House roll call 972
- FloorFloor · Considered as unfinished business.
- FloorFloor · At the conclusion of debate, the chair put the question on the motion to suspend the rules. Mr. Cuellar objected to the vote on the grounds that a quorum was not present. Further proceedings on the motion were postponed. The point of no quorum was withdrawn.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 1517.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Cuellar moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
- Dec 14, 2009CalendarCalendar · Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 218.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Oversight and Government discharged.
- CommitteeCommittee · Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Homeland Security. H. Rept. 111-373, Part I.
- Nov 17, 2009CommitteeCommittee · Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
- Jul 22, 2009CommitteeCommittee · Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by Voice Vote .
- CommitteeCommittee · Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
- Jun 26, 2009CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Post Office, and the District of Columbia.
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
No amendments to this bill are on record.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.