S.Amdt. 2026

SA 2026. Mr. PAUL submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by
him to the bill H.R. 1735, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year
2016 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy,
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

At the appropriate place, insert the following:

SEC. ___. BONUSES FOR COST-CUTTERS.

(a) In General.--Section 4512 of title 5, United States
Code, is amended--
(1) in subsection (a)--
(A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by inserting
``or identification of surplus funds or unnecessary budget
authority'' after ``mismanagement'';
(B) in paragraph (2), by inserting ``or identification''
after ``disclosure''; and
(C) in the matter following paragraph (2), by inserting
``or identification'' after ``disclosure''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(c) The Inspector General of an agency or other agency
employee designated under subsection (b) shall refer to the
Chief Financial Officer of the agency any potential surplus
funds or unnecessary budget authority identified by an
employee, along with any recommendations of the Inspector
General or other agency employee.
``(d)(1) If the Chief Financial Officer of an agency
determines that rescission of potential surplus funds or
unnecessary budget authority identified by an employee would
not hinder the effectiveness of the agency, except as
provided in subsection (e), the head of the agency shall
transfer the amount of the surplus funds or unnecessary
budget authority from the applicable appropriations account
to the general fund of the Treasury.
``(2) Any amounts transferred under paragraph (1) shall be
deposited in the Treasury and used for deficit reduction,
except that in the case of a fiscal year for which there is
no Federal budget deficit, such amounts shall be used to
reduce the Federal debt (in such manner as the Secretary of
the Treasury considers appropriate).
``(e) The head of an agency may retain not more than 10
percent of amounts to be transferred to the general fund of
the Treasury under subsection (d) for the purpose of paying a
cash award under subsection (a) to the employee who
identified the surplus funds or unnecessary budget authority.
``(f)(1) The head of each agency shall submit to the
Director of the Office of Personnel Management an annual
report regarding--
``(A) each disclosure of possible fraud, waste, or
mismanagement or identification of potentially surplus funds
or unnecessary budget authority by an employee of the agency
determined by the agency to have merit;
``(B) the total savings achieved through disclosures and
identifications described in subparagraph (A); and
``(C) the number and amount of cash awards by the agency
under subsection (a).
``(2)(A) The head of each agency shall include the
information described in paragraph (1) in each budget request
of the agency submitted to the Office of Management and
Budget as part of the preparation of the budget of the
President submitted to Congress under section 1105(a) of
title 31, United States Code.
``(B) The Director of the Office of Personnel Management
shall submit to the Committee on Appropriations of the
Senate, the Committee on Appropriations of the House of
Representatives, and the Government Accountability Office an
annual report on Federal cost saving and awards based on the
reports submitted under subparagraph (A).
``(g) The Director of the Office of Personnel Management
shall--
``(1) ensure that the cash award program of each agency
complies with this section; and
``(2) submit to Congress an annual certification indicating
whether the cash award program of each agency complies with
this section.
``(h) Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of
this subsection, and every 3 years thereafter, the
Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to
Congress a report on the operation of the cost savings and
awards program under this section, including any
recommendations for legislative changes.
``(i) In this section--
``(1) the term `effectiveness of an agency' means the
ability of an agency to fully carry out the mission of the
agency, or of a program or activity of the agency, under the
statutes establishing the mission, duties, and authorities of
the agency, or under the program or activity; and
``(2) the term `unnecessary budget authority' means budget
authority that is not necessary to fully carry out the
mission of an agency, or of a program or activity of the
agency, under the statutes establishing the mission, duties,
and authorities of the agency, or under the program or
activity.''.
(b) Officers Eligible for Cash Awards.--
(1) In general.--Section 4509 of title 5, United States
Code, is amended to read as follows:

``Sec. 4509. Prohibition of cash award to certain officers

``(a) Definitions.--In this section, the term `agency'--
``(1) has the meaning given that term under section 551(1);
and
``(2) includes an entity described in section 4501(1).
``(b) Prohibition.--An officer may not receive a cash award
under this subchapter if the officer--
``(1) serves in a position at level I of the Executive
Schedule;
``(2) is the head of an agency; or
``(3) is a commissioner, board member, or other voting
member of an independent establishment.''.
(2) Technical and conforming amendment.--The table of
sections for chapter 45 of title 5, United States Code, is
amended by striking the item relating to section 4509 and
inserting the following:

``4509. Prohibition of cash award to certain officers.''.
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