PRIA, Government Policy, Made Personal

Summary

When the President sends a reorganization plan, it can rename agencies and change the titles of their leaders when needed, and it must name any new agency and its leader. The plan can set how the leader and other top officers are chosen and paid if the President says in the plan that this is needed. The plan must arrange to move or dispose of records, property, and staff. It must also move any unspent appropriations or other funds needed for the functions or for the agency that will carry them out. The plan must provide for closing down an agency that is abolished. If the plan makes pay or appointment rules, the head can be one person or a board with multiple members. Any appointed head can serve no more than four years. Pay cannot be higher than what the President finds fits similar executive officers. If the job is outside the competitive service, the President must appoint the head with the Senate’s approval. Unspent funds may be transferred only if they are used for the original purposes of the appropriation.

Title 5, §904

Government Organization and Employees, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

A reorganization plan transmitted by the President under section 903 of this title—

(1)may, subject to section 905, change, in such cases as the President considers necessary, the name of an agency affected by a reorganization and the title of its head, and shall designate the name of an agency resulting from a reorganization and the title of its head;

(2)may provide for the appointment and pay of the head and one or more officers of any agency (including an agency resulting from a consolidation or other type of reorganization) if the President finds, and in his message transmitting the plan declares, that by reason of a reorganization made by the plan the provisions are necessary;

(3)shall provide for the transfer or other disposition of the records, property, and personnel affected by a reorganization;

(4)shall provide for the transfer of such unexpended balances of appropriations, and of other funds, available for use in connection with a function or agency affected by a reorganization, as the President considers necessary by reason of the reorganization for use in connection with the functions affected by the reorganization, or for the use of the agency which shall have the functions after the reorganization plan is effective; and

(5)shall provide for terminating the affairs of an agency abolished.

A reorganization plan transmitted by the President containing provisions authorized by paragraph (2) of this section may provide that the head of an agency be an individual or a commission or board with more than one member. In the case of an appointment of the head of such an agency, the term of office may not be fixed at more than four years, the pay may not be at a rate in excess of that found by the President to be applicable to comparable officers in the executive branch, and if the appointment is not to a position in the competitive service, it shall be by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. Any reorganization plan transmitted by the President containing provisions required by paragraph (4) of this section shall provide for the transfer of unexpended balances only if such balances are used for the purposes for which the appropriation was originally made.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

DerivationU.S. CodeRevised Statutes andStatutes at Large 5 U.S.C. 133z–2.June 20, 1949, ch. 226, § 4, 63 Stat. 204. In paragraph (1), the words “may change” are substituted for “shall change” in view of the discretionary grant of authority reflected by the words “in such cases as the President considers necessary”. In paragraph (2), the words “competitive service” are substituted for “classified civil service” to conform to the definition in section 2102. Standard changes are made to conform with the definitions applicable and the style of this title as outlined in the preface to the report.

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1984—Par. (1). Pub. L. 98–614 inserted “, subject to section 905,”. 1977—Pub. L. 95–17 struck out in provisions following par. (5) exception that, in the case of an officer of the government of the District of Columbia, the appointment of the head of an agency may be by the Commissioner or other body of that government designated in the plan. 1971—Pub. L. 92–179 revised the form of the provisions covering the elements which a reorganization plan contains by moving provisions formerly set out in par. (2) to a position following par. (5).

§904 Additional Contents of Reorganization Plan