1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Essential Services Act of 2013”.
Essential Services Act of 2013
A BILL
To provide flexibility to agencies on determining what employees are essential personnel in implementing the sequester.
2. Definitions
In this Act—
the term agency means an Executive agency (as defined in section 105 of title 5, United States Code); and
the term essential employee means an employee that performs work involving the safety of human life or the protection of property, as determined by the head of the agency.
3. Furlough flexibility
In general— In implementing the sequester required by section 251A of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, as ordered on March 1, 2013, the head of an agency may furlough such employees of the agency as are required to achieve the funding reduction required by the sequester for the agency, but shall exempt essential employees.
Transfer of budgetary resources— The head of an agency may transfer budgetary resources within their agency to carry out subsection (a), subject to the limitation that transfers may only be made to maintain essential employees.