Part A—Employment Discrimination, Family and Medical Leave, Fair Labor Standards, Employee Polygraph Protection, Worker Adjustment and Retraining, Employment and Reemployment of Veterans, and Intimidation
§1311. Rights and protections under title VII of Civil Rights Act of 1964, Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and title I of Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
(a) Discriminatory practices prohibited
All personnel actions affecting covered employees shall be made free from any discrimination based on—
(1) race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, within the meaning of section 703 of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (
(2) age, within the meaning of section 15 of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (
(3) disability, within the meaning of section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (
(b) Remedy
(1) Civil rights
The remedy for a violation of subsection (a)(1) shall be—
(A) such remedy as would be appropriate if awarded under section 706(g) of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (
(B) such compensatory damages as would be appropriate if awarded under
(2) Age discrimination
The remedy for a violation of subsection (a)(2) shall be—
(A) such remedy as would be appropriate if awarded under section 15(c) of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (
(B) such liquidated damages as would be appropriate if awarded under section 7(b) of such Act (
In addition, the waiver provisions of section 7(f) of such Act (
(3) Disabilities discrimination
The remedy for a violation of subsection (a)(3) shall be—
(A) such remedy as would be appropriate if awarded under section 505(a)(1) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (
(B) such compensatory damages as would be appropriate if awarded under sections 1981a(a)(2), 1981a(a)(3), 1981a(b)(2), and, irrespective of the size of the employing office, 1981a(b)(3)(D) of title 42.
(c) Omitted
(d) Application to unpaid staff
(1) In general
Subsections (a) and (b) shall apply with respect to—
(A) any staff member of an employing office who carries out official duties of the employing office but who is not paid by the employing office for carrying out such duties (referred to in this subsection as an "unpaid staff member"), including an intern, an individual detailed to an employing office, and an individual participating in a fellowship program, in the same manner and to the same extent as such subsections apply with respect to a covered employee; and
(B) a former unpaid staff member, if the act that may be a violation of subsection (a) occurred during the service of the former unpaid staffer for the employing office.
(2) Rule of construction
Nothing in paragraph (1) may be construed to extend liability for a violation of subsection (a) to an employing office on the basis of an action taken by any person who is not under the supervision or control of the employing office.
(3) Intern defined
For purposes of this subsection, the term "intern" means an individual who performs service for an employing office which is uncompensated by the United States to earn credit awarded by an educational institution or to learn a trade or occupation, and includes any individual participating in a page program operated by any House of Congress.
(e) Effective date
This section shall take effect 1 year after January 23, 1995.
(
Editorial Notes
Codification
Section is comprised of section 201 of
Amendments
2018—Subsecs. (d), (e).
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date of 2018 Amendment
Amendment by
Coverage of House of Representatives and the Agencies of the Legislative Branch
"(a)
"(1)
"(2)
"(A)
"(B)
"(i)
"(ii)
"(C)
"(b)
"(1)
"(2)
"(3)
"(4)
"(5)
[Section effective Nov. 21, 1991, except as otherwise provided, see section 402(a) of
§1312. Rights and protections under Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993
(a) Family and medical leave rights and protections provided
(1) In general
The rights and protections established by sections 101 through 105 of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (
(2) Definitions
For purposes of the application described in paragraph (1)—
(A) the term "employer" as used in the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 means any employing office, and
(B) the term "eligible employee" as used in the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 means a covered employee who has been employed in any employing office for 12 months and for at least 1,250 hours of employment during the previous 12 months.
The requirements of subparagraph (B) shall not apply with respect to leave under subparagraph (A) or (B) of section 102(a)(1) of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (
(b) Remedy
The remedy for a violation of subsection (a) shall be such remedy, including liquidated damages, as would be appropriate if awarded under paragraph (1) of section 107(a) of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (
(c) Omitted
(d) Special rule for paid parental leave
(1) Substitution of paid leave
A covered employee may elect to substitute for any leave without pay under subparagraph (A) or (B) of section 102(a)(1) of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (
(2) Amount of paid leave
The paid leave that is available to a covered employee for purposes of paragraph (1) is—
(A) the number of weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth or placement involved that corresponds to the number of administrative workweeks of paid parental leave available to employees under
(B) during the 12-month period referred to in section 102(a)(1) of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (
(3) Limitation
Nothing in this section or section 102(d)(2)(A) of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (
(4) Additional rules
Paid parental leave under paragraph (2)(A)—
(A) shall be payable from any appropriation or fund available for salaries or expenses for positions within the employing office;
(B) if not used by the covered employee before the end of the 12-month period (as referred to in section 102(a)(1) of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (
(C) shall apply without regard to the limitations in subparagraph (E), (F), or (G) of
(e) Regulations
(1) In general
The Board shall, pursuant to
(2) Agency regulations
The regulations issued under paragraph (1) shall be the same as substantive regulations promulgated by the Secretary of Labor to implement the statutory provisions referred to in subsection (a) except insofar as the Board may determine, for good cause shown and stated together with the regulation, that a modification of such regulations would be more effective for the implementation of the rights and protections under this section.
(f) Effective date
(1) In general
Subsections (a) and (b) shall be effective 1 year after January 23, 1995.
(2) Government Accountability Office and Library of Congress
Subsection (c) shall be effective 1 year after transmission to the Congress of the study under
(
Editorial Notes
References in Text
The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, referred to in subsec. (a)(2), is
Subsection (c) of this section, referred to in subsec. (f)(2), amended
Codification
Section is comprised of section 202 of
Amendments
2021—Subsec. (d)(2)(B).
2019—Subsec. (a)(1).
Subsec. (a)(2).
Subsecs. (d) to (f).
2004—Subsec. (e)(2).
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date of 2021 Amendment
Effective Date of 2019 Amendment
Clarification for Members of the National Guard and Reserves: Congressional Employees
§1313. Rights and protections under Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938
(a) Fair labor standards
(1) In general
The rights and protections established by subsections (a)(1) and (d) of section 6, section 7, and section 12(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (
(2) Interns
For the purposes of this section, the term "covered employee" does not include an intern as defined in regulations under subsection (c).
(3) Compensatory time
Except as provided in regulations under subsection (c)(3) and in subsection (c)(4), covered employees may not receive compensatory time in lieu of overtime compensation.
(b) Remedy
The remedy for a violation of subsection (a) shall be such remedy, including liquidated damages, as would be appropriate if awarded under section 16(b) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (
(c) Regulations to implement section
(1) In general
The Board shall, pursuant to
(2) Agency regulations
Except as provided in paragraph (3), the regulations issued under paragraph (1) shall be the same as substantive regulations promulgated by the Secretary of Labor to implement the statutory provisions referred to in subsection (a) except insofar as the Board may determine, for good cause shown and stated together with the regulation, that a modification of such regulations would be more effective for the implementation of the rights and protections under this section.
(3) Irregular work schedules
The Board shall issue regulations for covered employees whose work schedules directly depend on the schedule of the House of Representatives or the Senate that shall be comparable to the provisions in the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 [
(4) Law enforcement
Law enforcement personnel of the Capitol Police who are subject to the exemption under section 7(k) of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (
(d) Omitted
(e) Effective date
Subsections (a) and (b) shall be effective 1 year after January 23, 1995.
(
Editorial Notes
References in Text
The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, referred to in subsec. (c)(3), is act June 25, 1938, ch. 676,
Codification
Section is comprised of section 203 of
Amendments
1996—Subsec. (a)(3).
Subsec. (c)(4).
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Application of Rights and Protections of Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to Congressional and Architect of the Capitol Employees
"(a)
"(1)
"(2)
"(b)
§1314. Rights and protections under Employee Polygraph Protection Act of 1988
(a) Polygraph practices prohibited
(1) In general
No employing office, irrespective of whether a covered employee works in that employing office, may require a covered employee to take a lie detector test where such a test would be prohibited if required by an employer under paragraph (1), (2), or (3) of section 3 of the Employee Polygraph Protection Act of 1988 (
(2) Definitions
For purposes of this section, the term "covered employee" shall include employees of the Government Accountability Office and the term "employing office" shall include the Government Accountability Office.
(3) Capitol Police
Nothing in this section shall preclude the Capitol Police from using lie detector tests in accordance with regulations under subsection (c).
(b) Remedy
The remedy for a violation of subsection (a) shall be such remedy as would be appropriate if awarded under section 6(c)(1) of the Employee Polygraph Protection Act of 1988 (
(c) Regulations to implement section
(1) In general
The Board shall, pursuant to
(2) Agency regulations
The regulations issued under paragraph (1) shall be the same as substantive regulations promulgated by the Secretary of Labor to implement the statutory provisions referred to in subsections (a) and (b) except insofar as the Board may determine, for good cause shown and stated together with the regulation, that a modification of such regulations would be more effective for the implementation of the rights and protections under this section.
(d) Effective date
(1) In general
Except as provided in paragraph (2), subsections (a) and (b) shall be effective 1 year after January 23, 1995.
(2) Government Accountability Office and Library of Congress
This section shall be effective with respect to the Government Accountability Office and the Library of Congress 1 year after transmission to the Congress of the study under
(
Editorial Notes
Amendments
2018—Subsec. (a)(2).
2004—Subsec. (a)(2).
Subsec. (d)(2).
§1315. Rights and protections under Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act
(a) Worker adjustment and retraining notification rights
(1) In general
No employing office shall be closed or a mass layoff ordered within the meaning of section 3 of the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (
(2) Definitions
For purposes of this section, the term "covered employee" shall include employees of the Government Accountability Office and the term "employing office" shall include the Government Accountability Office.
(b) Remedy
The remedy for a violation of subsection (a) shall be such remedy as would be appropriate if awarded under paragraphs (1), (2), and (4) of section 5(a) of the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (
(c) Regulations to implement section
(1) In general
The Board shall, pursuant to
(2) Agency regulations
The regulations issued under paragraph (1) shall be the same as substantive regulations promulgated by the Secretary of Labor to implement the statutory provisions referred to in subsection (a) except insofar as the Board may determine, for good cause shown and stated together with the regulation, that a modification of such regulations would be more effective for the implementation of the rights and protections under this section.
(d) Effective date
(1) In general
Except as provided in paragraph (2), subsections (a) and (b) shall be effective 1 year after January 23, 1995.
(2) Government Accountability Office and Library of Congress
This section shall be effective with respect to the Government Accountability Office and the Library of Congress 1 year after transmission to the Congress of the study under
(
Editorial Notes
Amendments
2018—Subsec. (a)(2).
2004—Subsec. (a)(2).
Subsec. (d)(2).
§1316. Rights and protections relating to veterans' employment and reemployment
(a) Employment and reemployment rights of members of uniformed services
(1) In general
It shall be unlawful for an employing office to—
(A) discriminate, within the meaning of subsections (a) and (b) of
(B) deny to an eligible employee reemployment rights within the meaning of
(C) deny to an eligible employee benefits within the meaning of
(2) Definitions
For purposes of this section—
(A) the term "eligible employee" means a covered employee performing service in the uniformed services, within the meaning of
(B) the term "covered employee" includes employees of the Government Accountability Office, and
(C) the term "employing office" includes the Government Accountability Office.
(b) Remedy
The remedy for a violation of subsection (a) shall be such remedy as would be appropriate if awarded under
(c) Regulations to implement section
(1) In general
The Board shall, pursuant to
(2) Agency regulations
The regulations issued under paragraph (1) shall be the same as substantive regulations promulgated by the Secretary of Labor to implement the statutory provisions referred to in subsection (a) except to the extent that the Board may determine, for good cause shown and stated together with the regulation, that a modification of such regulations would be more effective for the implementation of the rights and protections under this section.
(d) Effective date
(1) In general
Except as provided in paragraph (2), subsections (a) and (b) shall be effective 1 year after January 23, 1995.
(2) Government Accountability Office and Library of Congress
This section shall be effective with respect to the Government Accountability Office and the Library of Congress 1 year after transmission to the Congress of the study under
(
Editorial Notes
Amendments
2018—Subsec. (a)(2)(B), (C).
2010—Subsec. (b).
2004—Subsec. (a)(2)(B), (C).
Subsec. (d)(2).
§1316a. Legislative branch appointments
(1) Definitions
For the purposes of this section, the terms "covered employee" and "Board" shall each have the meaning given such term by section 101 of the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 (
(2) Rights and protections
The rights and protections established under section 2108, sections 3309 through 3312, and subchapter I of
(3) Remedies
(A) In general
The remedy for a violation of paragraph (2) shall be such remedy as would be appropriate if awarded under applicable provisions of title 5 in the case of a violation of the relevant corresponding provision (referred to in paragraph (2)) of such title.
(B) Procedure
The procedure for consideration of alleged violations of paragraph (2) shall be the same as apply under section 401 of the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 [
(4) Regulations to implement section
(A) In general
The Board shall, pursuant to section 304 of the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 (
(B) Agency regulations
The regulations issued under subparagraph (A) shall be the same as the most relevant substantive regulations (applicable with respect to the executive branch) promulgated to implement the statutory provisions referred to in paragraph (2) except insofar as the Board may determine, for good cause shown and stated together with the regulation, that a modification of such regulations would be more effective for the implementation of the rights and protections under this section.
(C) Coordination
The regulations issued under subparagraph (A) shall be consistent with section 225 of the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 (
(5) Applicability
Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, the term "covered employee" shall not, for purposes of this section, include an employee—
(A) whose appointment is made by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate;
(B) whose appointment is made by a Member of Congress or by a committee or subcommittee of either House of Congress; or
(C) who is appointed to a position, the duties of which are equivalent to those of a Senior Executive Service position (within the meaning of
(6) Effective date
Paragraphs (2) and (3) shall be effective as of the effective date of the regulations under paragraph (4).
(
Editorial Notes
References in Text
The Congressional Accountability Act of 1995, referred to in par. (3)(B), is
Codification
Section was enacted as part of the Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998, and not as part of the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 which comprises this chapter.
§1316b. Rights and protections relating to criminal history inquiries
(a) Definitions
In this section, the terms "agency", "criminal history record information", and "suspension" have the meanings given the terms in
(b) Restrictions on criminal history inquiries
(1) In general
(A) In general
Except as provided in subparagraph (B), an employee of an employing office may not request that an applicant for employment as a covered employee disclose criminal history record information if the request would be prohibited under
(B) Conditional offer
For purposes of applying that section 9202 under subparagraph (A), a reference in that section 9202 to a conditional offer shall be considered to be an offer of employment as a covered employee that is conditioned upon the results of a criminal history inquiry.
(2) Rules of construction
The provisions of
(c) Remedy
(1) In general
The remedy for a violation of subsection (b)(1) shall be such remedy as would be appropriate if awarded under
(2) Process for obtaining relief
An applicant for employment as a covered employee who alleges a violation of subsection (b)(1) may rely on the provisions of subchapter IV (other than
(d) Regulations to implement section
(1) In general
Not later than 18 months after December 20, 2019, the Board shall, pursuant to
(2) Parallel with agency regulations
The regulations issued under paragraph (1) shall be the same as substantive regulations issued by the Director of the Office of Personnel Management under section 2(b)(1) of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act of 2019 1 to implement the statutory provisions referred to in subsections (a) through (c) except to the extent that the Board may determine, for good cause shown and stated together with the regulation, that a modification of such regulations would be more effective for the implementation of the rights and protections under this section.
(e) Effective date
(
Editorial Notes
References in Text
This subchapter, referred to in subsec. (c)(2), was in the original "this title", meaning title II of
Section 2(b)(1) of the Fair Chance to Compete for Jobs Act of 2019, referred to in subsec. (d)(2), probably means section 1122(b)(1) of
Prior Provisions
A prior section 207 of
1 See References in Text note below.
§1317. Prohibition of intimidation or reprisal
(a) In general
It shall be unlawful for an employing office to intimidate, take reprisal against, or otherwise discriminate against, any covered employee because the covered employee has opposed any practice made unlawful by this chapter, or because the covered employee has initiated proceedings, made a charge, or testified, assisted, or participated in any manner in a hearing or other proceeding under this chapter.
(b) Remedy
The remedy available for a violation of subsection (a) shall be such legal or equitable remedy as may be appropriate to redress a violation of subsection (a).
(
Editorial Notes
References in Text
This chapter, referred to in subsec. (a), was in the original "this Act", meaning