S. 1898: MERIT Act of 2019
Before you vote › Federal bills
S. 1898: MERIT Act of 2019
116th Congress · introduced 2019-06-19 · Government Operations and Politics · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
federal
Follow this bill, step by step
- Where it came from: introduced 2019-06-19 · official record
- Who proposed it: Sen. Perdue, David [R-GA] · what a sponsor is
- What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
- Where it stands now: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
- If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.
Official title
MERIT Act of 2019
Plain summary
Modern Employment Reform, Improvement, and Transformation Act of 2019 or the MERIT Act of 2019 This bill revises provisions related to federal employment, including the furlough and removal of federal employees, the calculation of federal employee retirement benefits, and the length of the probationary employment period. Specifically, the bill repeals the process for taking action against a federal employee for unacceptable performance, accelerates the process for removal or suspension based on performance or actions, and prohibits grievances based on adverse personnel actions and reductions in force. The bill also authorizes an agency to remove a senior executive from the civil service for performance-related reasons, and it revises provisions covering performance- or conduct-related actions against senior executives. The bill authorizes agencies to furlough employees for such cause as will promote the efficiency of the service, and it prohibits appeals to the Merit Systems Protection Board based on short-term furloughs or furloughs due to a lapse in appropriations (i.e., government shutdown). Additionally, the bill limits the retirement benefits of a federal employee who is removed due to a felony conviction related to their official duties by prohibiting felonious service from being taken into account when calculating the employee's annuity. The bill also authorizes an agency to order the repayment of a bonus or award when performance or conduct issues are discovered and such bonus or award would not have been paid had such issues been known when they were made. Lastly, the bill extends from one year to two years the probationary period for competitive service appointments and members of the Senior Executive Service.
Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.
What a vote does
A “Yea” vote
If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.
A “Nay” vote
If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.
PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).
What does this mean? (plain words)
AI explanation – may be wrong, check the official text
No AI explanation yet. It takes up to a minute to write and is then saved for everyone.
Limited to a few requests an hour per person.
The strongest published arguments
Arguments for (supporters)
Needs sources: no published arguments on this side yet. We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.
Arguments against (opponents)
Needs sources: no published arguments on this side yet. We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.
Alternatives
Needs sources: no published alternatives yet (for example a different bill, a law instead of an amendment, or keeping current law). We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.
How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes
Officials and money
Sponsor: Sen. Perdue, David [R-GA] · 5 cosponsors
Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.
Cosponsors on this site
Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Roger F. Wicker (R-MS)
No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.
Words on this page, explained (2)
- Appropriation
- Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
- Bill
- A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.
Sources
- Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
- Congress.gov
- Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-116s1898.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/116/s>
Record fed-us-cong116-s1898 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong116 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong116