2 USC 1415 – Payments
(a) Awards and settlements
Except as provided in subsection (c), only funds which are appropriated to an account of the Office in the Treasury of the United States for the payment of awards and settlements may be used for the payment of awards and settlements under this chapter. There are appropriated for such account such sums as may be necessary to pay such awards and settlements. Funds in the account are not available for awards and settlements involving the Government Accountability Office or the Government Publishing Office.
(b) Compliance
Terms Used In 2 USC 1415
- Annuity: A periodic (usually annual) payment of a fixed sum of money for either the life of the recipient or for a fixed number of years. A series of payments under a contract from an insurance company, a trust company, or an individual. Annuity payments are made at regular intervals over a period of more than one full year.
- Board: means the Board of Directors of the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights. See 2 USC 1301
- covered employee: means any employee of&mdash. See 2 USC 1301
- Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
- Deposition: An oral statement made before an officer authorized by law to administer oaths. Such statements are often taken to examine potential witnesses, to obtain discovery, or to be used later in trial.
- employee: includes an applicant for employment and a former employee. See 2 USC 1301
- employing office: means &mdash. See 2 USC 1301
- Executive Director: means the Executive Director of the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights. See 2 USC 1301
- Garnishment: Generally, garnishment is a court proceeding in which a creditor asks a court to order a third party who owes money to the debtor or otherwise holds assets belonging to the debtor to turn over to the creditor any of the debtor
- individual: shall include every infant member of the species homo sapiens who is born alive at any stage of development. See 1 USC 8
- Office: means the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights. See 2 USC 1301
- officer: includes any person authorized by law to perform the duties of the office. See 1 USC 1
- Remainder: An interest in property that takes effect in the future at a specified time or after the occurrence of some event, such as the death of a life tenant.
- Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
Except as provided in subsection (c), there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for administrative, personnel, and similar expenses of employing offices which are needed to comply with this chapter.
(c) OSHA, accommodation, and access requirements
Funds to correct violations of section 1311(a)(3), 1331, or 1341 of this title may be paid only from funds appropriated to the employing office or entity responsible for correcting such violations. There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for such funds.
(d) Reimbursement by Members of Congress of amounts paid as settlements and awards
(1) Reimbursement required for certain violations
(A) In general
Subject to subparagraphs (B) and (D), if a payment is made from the account described in subsection (a) for an award or settlement in connection with a claim alleging a violation described in subparagraph (C) committed personally by an individual who, at the time of committing the violation, was a Member of the House of Representatives (including a Delegate or Resident Commissioner to the Congress) or a Senator, the individual shall reimburse the account for the amount of the award or settlement for the claim involved.
(B) Conditions
In the case of an award made pursuant to a decision of a hearing officer under section 1405 of this title, or a court in a civil action, subparagraph (A) shall apply only if the hearing officer or court makes a separate finding that a violation described in subparagraph (C) occurred which was committed personally by an individual who, at the time of committing the violation, was a Member of the House of Representatives (including a Delegate or Resident Commissioner to the Congress) or a Senator, and such individual shall reimburse the account for the amount of compensatory damages included in the award as would be available if awarded under section 1981a(b)(3) of title 42 irrespective of the size of the employing office. In the case of a settlement for a claim described in section 1416(d)(3) of this title, subparagraph (A) shall apply only if the conditions specified in section 1416(d)(3) of this title for requesting reimbursement are met.
(C) Violations described
A violation described in this subparagraph is—
(i) harassment that is unlawful under section 1311(a) or 1316(a) of this title; or
(ii) intimidation, reprisal, or discrimination that is unlawful under section 1317 of this title and is taken against a covered employee because of a claim alleging a violation described in clause (i).
(D) Multiple claims
If an award or settlement is made for multiple claims, some of which do not require reimbursement under this subsection, the individual described in subparagraph (A) shall only be required to reimburse for the amount (referred to in this chapter as the “reimbursable portion”) that is—
(i) described in subparagraph (A), subject to subparagraph (B); and
(ii) included in the portion of the award or settlement attributable to a claim requiring reimbursement.
(2) Withholding amounts from compensation
(A) Establishment of timetable and procedures by committees
For purposes of carrying out subparagraph (B), the applicable Committee shall establish a timetable and procedures for the withholding of amounts from the compensation of an individual who is a Member of the House of Representatives or a Senator.
(B) Deadline
The payroll administrator shall withhold from an individual’s compensation and transfer to the account described in subsection (a) (after making any deposit required under section 8432(f) of title 5) such amounts as may be necessary to reimburse the account described in subsection (a) for the reimbursable portion of the award or settlement described in paragraph (1) if the individual has not reimbursed the account as required under paragraph (1) prior to the expiration of the 90-day period which begins on the date a payment is made from the account for such an award or settlement.
(C) Applicable Committee defined
In this paragraph, the term “applicable Committee” means—
(i) the Committee on House Administration of the House of Representatives, in the case of an individual who, at the time of the withholding, is a Member of the House; or
(ii) the Committee on Rules and Administration of the Senate, in the case of an individual who, at the time of the withholding, is a Senator.
(3) Use of amounts in Thrift Savings Fund as source of reimbursement
(A) In general
If, by the expiration of the 180-day period that begins on the date a payment is made from the account described in subsection (a) for an award or settlement described in paragraph (1), an individual who is subject to a reimbursement requirement of this subsection has not reimbursed the account for the entire reimbursable portion as required under paragraph (1), withholding and transfers of amounts shall continue under paragraph (2) if the individual remains employed in the same position, and the Executive Director of the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board shall make a transfer described in subparagraph (B).
(B) Transfers
The transfer by such Executive Director is a transfer, from the account of the individual in the Thrift Savings Fund to the account described in subsection (a), of an amount equal to the amount of that reimbursable portion of the award or settlement, reduced by—
(i) any amount the individual has reimbursed, taking into account any amounts withheld under paragraph (2); and
(ii) if the individual remains employed in the same position, any amount that the individual is scheduled to reimburse, taking into account any amounts to be withheld under the individual’s timetable under paragraph (2).
(C) Initiation of transfer
Notwithstanding section 8435 of title 5, the Executive Director described in subparagraph (A) shall make the transfer under subparagraph (A) upon receipt of a written request to the Executive Director from the Secretary of the Treasury, in the form and manner required by the Executive Director.
(D) Coordination between payroll administrator and the Executive Director
The payroll administrator and the Executive Director described in subparagraph (A) shall carry out this paragraph in a manner that ensures the coordination of the withholding and transferring of amounts under this paragraph, in accordance with regulations promulgated by the Board under section 1383 of this title and such Executive Director.
(4) Administrative wage garnishment or other collection of wages from a subsequent position
(A) Individual subject to garnishment or other collection
Subparagraph (B) shall apply to an individual who is subject to a reimbursement requirement of this subsection if, at any time after the expiration of the 270-day period that begins on the date a payment is made from the account described in subsection (a) for an award or settlement described in paragraph (1), the individual—
(i) has not reimbursed the account for the entire reimbursable portion as required under paragraph (1), through withholdings or transfers under paragraphs (2) and (3);
(ii) is not serving in a position as a Member of the House of Representatives or a Senator; and
(iii) is employed in a subsequent non-Federal position.
(B) Garnishment or other collection of wages
On the expiration of that 270-day period, the amount of the reimbursable portion of an award or settlement described in paragraph (1) (reduced by any amount the individual has reimbursed, taking into account any amounts withheld or transferred under paragraph (2) or (3)) shall be treated as a claim of the United States and transferred to the Secretary of the Treasury for collection. Upon that transfer, the Secretary of the Treasury shall collect the claim, in accordance with section 3711 of title 31, including by administrative wage garnishment of the wages of the individual described in subparagraph (A) from the position described in subparagraph (A)(iii). The Secretary of the Treasury shall transfer the collected amount to the account described in subsection (a).
(5) Notification to Office of Personnel Management and Secretary of the Treasury
(A) Individual subject to annuity or social security withholding
Subparagraph (B) shall apply to an individual subject to a reimbursement requirement of this subsection if, at any time after the expiration of the 270-day period described in paragraph (4)(A), the individual—
(i) has not served in a position as a Member of the House of Representatives or a Senator during the preceding 90 days; and
(ii) is not employed in a subsequent non-Federal position.
(B) Annuity or social security withholding
If, at any time after the 270-day period described in paragraph (4)(A), the individual described in subparagraph (A) has not reimbursed the account described in subsection (a) for the entire reimbursable portion of the award or settlement described in paragraph (1) (as determined by the Secretary of the Treasury), through withholdings, transfers, or collections under paragraphs (2) through (4), the Secretary of the Treasury (after consultation with the payroll administrator)—
(i) shall notify the Director of the Office of Personnel Management, who shall take such actions as the Director considers appropriate to withhold from any annuity payable to the individual under chapter 83 or chapter 84 of title 5 and transfer to the account described in subsection (a), such amounts as may be necessary to reimburse the account for the remainder of the reimbursable portion of an award or settlement described in paragraph (1); and
(ii) shall (if necessary), notwithstanding section 207 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 407), take such actions as the Secretary of the Treasury considers appropriate to withhold from any payment to the individual under title II of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 401 et seq.) and transfer to the account described in subsection (a), such amounts as may be necessary to reimburse the account for the remainder of the reimbursable portion of an award or settlement described in paragraph (1).
(6) Coordination between OPM and Treasury
The Director of the Office of Personnel Management and the Secretary of the Treasury shall carry out paragraph (5) in a manner that ensures the coordination of the withholding and transferring of amounts under such paragraph, in accordance with regulations promulgated by the Director and the Secretary.
(7) Certification
Once the Executive Director determines that an individual who is subject to a reimbursement requirement of this subsection has reimbursed the account described in subsection (a) for the entire reimbursable portion, the Executive Director shall prepare a certification that the individual has completed that reimbursement, and submit the certification to—
(A) the Committees on House Administration and Ethics of the House of Representatives, in the case of an individual who, at the time of committing the act involved, was a Member of the House of Representatives (including a Delegate or Resident Commissioner to the Congress); and
(B) the Select Committee on Ethics of the Senate, in the case of an individual who, at the time of committing the act involved, was a Senator.
(8) Right to intervene
An individual who is subject to a reimbursement requirement of this subsection shall have the unconditional right to intervene in any mediation, hearing, or civil action under this subchapter to protect the interests of the individual in the determination of whether an award or settlement described in paragraph (1) should be made, and the amount of any such award or settlement, except that nothing in this paragraph may be construed to require the covered employee who filed the claim to be deposed by counsel for the individual in a deposition that is separate from any other deposition taken from the employee in connection with the hearing or civil action.
(9) Definitions
In this subsection:
(A) Non-Federal position
The term “non-Federal position” means a position other than the position of an employee, as defined in section 2105(a) of title 5.
(B) Payroll administrator
The term “payroll administrator” means—
(i) in the case of an individual who is a Member of the House of Representatives, the Chief Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives, or an employee of the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer who is designated by the Chief Administrative Officer to carry out this subsection; or
(ii) in the case of an individual who is a Senator, the Secretary of the Senate, or an employee of the Office of the Secretary of the Senate who is designated by the Secretary to carry out this subsection.
(e) Reimbursement by employing offices
(1) Notification of payments made from account
As soon as practicable after the Executive Director is made aware that a payment of an award or settlement under this chapter has been made from the account described in subsection (a) in connection with a claim alleging a violation of section 1311(a) or 1316(a) of this title by an employing office (other than an employing office of the House of Representatives or an employing office of the Senate), the Executive Director shall notify the head of the employing office that the payment has been made, and shall include in the notification a statement of the amount of the payment.
(2) Reimbursement by office
Not later than 180 days after receiving a notification from the Executive Director under paragraph (1), the head of the employing office involved shall transfer to the account described in subsection (a), out of any funds available for operating expenses of the office, a payment equal to the amount specified in the notification.
(3) Timetable and procedures for reimbursement
The head of an employing office shall transfer a payment under paragraph (2) in accordance with such timetable and procedures as may be established under regulations promulgated by the Office.