Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
The MERIT Act (Model Employee Reinstatement for Ill-advised Termination Act) requires federal agencies to reinstate probationary employees who were terminated as part of mass layoffs between January 20, 2025, and the bill's enactment date. A "mass termination" is defined as at least 15 employee separations within a 30-day period from the same directive or action. Affected probationary employees are entitled to be rehired into the same or similar position at their former agency, plus back pay covering the period between their termination and reinstatement. Employees who found new federal jobs during this period receive a payment equal to the difference between what they would have earned at their original agency and what they actually earned. Agencies must notify affected employees within 30 days of the bill's enactment, and employees have 30 days to accept reinstatement offers, with actual rehiring to occur within 30 days of acceptance. The bill also requires the Government Accountability Office to report on all mass terminations and their causes within 60 days.
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