S. 2596: Saving the Forest Service's Workforce Act

This bill is known as the "Saving the Forest Service's Workforce Act." Its main purpose is to establish a moratorium on any reductions in force at the United States Forest Service until after full-year funding for the Forest Service is approved for the fiscal year 2026. Here are the key points of the bill:

Moratorium on Reductions in Force

• The bill prohibits the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, from initiating or implementing any staff reductions at the Forest Service.
• No involuntary separations can occur for any employees who are part of the competitive service, excepted service, or career appointees in the Senior Executive Service. The only exceptions to this rule would be for causes related to misconduct, delinquency, or performance issues.

Definitions

To clarify the terms used in the bill:

• **Competitive service**: Refers to a category of positions in the federal government that follow a specific competitive hiring process.
• **Excepted service**: Includes positions in the federal government that are not in the competitive service but are still part of the civil service.
• **Career appointee**: Refers to individuals who are career employees in positions that have been established in accordance with laws governing the federal workforce.

Additional Authority

The bill states that this moratorium is in addition to any other authority related to adverse personnel actions, which means it does not take away any existing powers to handle employee issues under certain federal regulations.

Implementation Date

The moratorium will remain in effect until after full-year appropriations for the Forest Service for fiscal year 2026 are enacted.

Exclusions from the Moratorium

The bill does allow for employee separations only in cases involving misconduct or performance issues that can be substantiated.

Intent of the Bill

The overall intent of the legislation is to stabilize the workforce of the Forest Service during a specific funding period, thereby preventing layoffs and maintaining employee security in this federal agency.

Relevant Companies

None found