# Summary of H.R. 10397 – MERIT Act of 2024
The MERIT Act significantly restructures federal employee discipline and employment procedures. The bill eliminates the current performance improvement plan requirement, allowing agencies to remove or demote employees based on a "preponderance of the evidence" standard without first placing them on a performance improvement plan. It condenses the disciplinary timeline to 15 business days from notice to final decision (with a 7-business-day response period for employees), though longer periods may apply if criminal conduct is suspected.
The bill limits employee protections by prohibiting grievances for adverse actions and reduction-in-force decisions, while extending probationary periods to two years for both Senior Executive Service positions and competitive service employees. It strengthens agency authority over supervisors and allows agencies to recoup bonuses from employees with adverse findings for misconduct. Additionally, the bill permits reduction of retirement benefits for employees convicted of felonies related to their government service, provides streamlined procedures for emergency furloughs of any duration, and applies these changes retroactively to collective bargaining agreements.
The legislation takes effect one year after enactment, except for emergency furlough provisions, which take effect within 180 days or when the Office of Personnel Management issues implementing regulations—whichever comes first. The bill provides no specific funding authorization.
Take Action
Your position
Add a comment
to comment on this bill.
Annotate the text
Highlight any passage on the Summary or Full Text tab to attach a note. Annotations appear on the Annotations tab.