Bill · H.R. 1835· House(119-HR-1835)
MERIT Act
- Introduced
- 3/4/2025
- Last activity
- 3/4/2025 — Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- Sponsored by
- LaMonica McIver
- Cosponsors
- - 108 - 0
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
This bill, known as the "MERIT Act," requires the reinstatement of certain probationary Federal employees who were part of a mass termination. It mandates that these individuals be offered positions in their former agencies that are the same or similar to their previous roles. Additionally, the bill provides for back pay or compensation to account for the time they were not employed by their former agency. The legislation includes specific rules for calculating these payments based on current or new Federal positions held during the gap. It also requires agencies to notify affected employees and mandates reports from the Comptroller General and the Office of Personnel Management.
Yes
Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see?+7
The bill mandates specific reporting requirements from the Comptroller General and OPM to Congress.
Does this protect the right to fair treatment by the courts?+5
The bill restores employment rights and provides back pay for those affected by mass terminations.
The opposite
Does this reduce what the federal government spends?-2
The bill increases government spending by requiring back pay and reinstatement for former employees.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
-
Job Reinstatement: Affected employees are entitled to an appointment to a position in their former agency that is the same or similar to their previous position (Section 2(a)).
-
Financial Restitution: Employees who accept an appointment are entitled to a lump sum payment to cover the pay they would have earned from their termination date until their new appointment date (Section 2(a)).
-
Protection of Benefits: The bill ensures that the new position maintains or exceeds the employment benefits, such as health insurance, leave, and retirement benefits, that the employee had previously (Section 2(d)).
-
Compensation for those with new jobs: Employees who found new Federal positions during their time away are entitled to a payment covering the difference between their previous pay and their new pay, plus additional payments to cover the gap (Section 2(b)).
-
Simplified Reinstatement Process: For those in the competitive service, appointments are made without regard to certain standard provisions of title 5, United States Code (Section 2(c)(5)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
-
Risk of Forfeiture: If an affected employee does not inform their former agency of their acceptance or rejection of an appointment within 30 days of receiving notice, they lose their right to the appointment (Section 3(b)(2)).
-
Payment Limits: An employee is not entitled to a payment if the calculated amount is less than zero (Section 2(b)(4)).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Governance And Ideology
- Improves Government Transparency+7Improves Due Process+5
- Economy And Finance
- Reduces Government Spending-2
- 12/9/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 7/22/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 6/3/2025
- 3 Cosponsors added.
- 4/28/2025
- 3 Cosponsors added.
- 4/8/2025
- 2 Cosponsors added.
- 4/7/2025
- 2 Cosponsors added.
- 4/3/2025
- 2 Cosponsors added.
- 4/1/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 3/31/2025
- 2 Cosponsors added.
- 3/25/2025
- 2 Cosponsors added.
- 3/21/2025
- 4 Cosponsors added.
- 3/18/2025
- 11 Cosponsors added.
- 3/11/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 3/10/2025
- 2 Cosponsors added.
- 3/4/2025
- Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- 71 Cosponsors added.
- Introduced in House
Alma AdamsDemocrat · North Carolina
Yassamin AnsariDemocrat · Arizona
Sanford BishopDemocrat · Georgia
Suzanne BonamiciDemocrat · Oregon
Donald BeyerDemocrat · Virginia
Brendan BoyleDemocrat · Pennsylvania
Nanette BarragánDemocrat · California
Shontel BrownDemocrat · Ohio
Wesley BellDemocrat · Missouri
Emanuel CleaverDemocrat · Missouri
Yvette ClarkeDemocrat · New York
Steve CohenDemocrat · Tennessee
André CarsonDemocrat · Indiana
Gerald ConnollyDemocrat · Virginia
Judy ChuDemocrat · California
J. CorreaDemocrat · California
Gilbert CisnerosDemocrat · California
Troy CarterDemocrat · Louisiana
Sheila Cherfilus-McCormickDemocrat · Florida
Jasmine CrockettDemocrat · Texas
Herbert ConawayDemocrat · New Jersey
Danny DavisDemocrat · Illinois
Diana DeGetteDemocrat · Colorado
Suzan DelBeneDemocrat · Washington
Mark DeSaulnierDemocrat · California
Debbie DingellDemocrat · Michigan
Madeleine DeanDemocrat · Pennsylvania
Dwight EvansDemocrat · Pennsylvania
Adriano EspaillatDemocrat · New York
Veronica EscobarDemocrat · Texas
Sarah ElfrethDemocrat · Maryland
Cleo FieldsDemocrat · Louisiana
Lizzie FletcherDemocrat · Texas
Valerie FousheeDemocrat · North Carolina
Shomari FiguresDemocrat · Alabama
Raúl GrijalvaDemocrat · Arizona
Jesús GarcíaDemocrat · Illinois
Robert GarciaDemocrat · California
Daniel GoldmanDemocrat · New York
Jared HuffmanDemocrat · California
Jahana HayesDemocrat · Connecticut
Pablo HernándezDemocrat · Puerto Rico
Glenn IveyDemocrat · Maryland
Henry JohnsonDemocrat · Georgia
Pramila JayapalDemocrat · Washington
Jonathan JacksonDemocrat · Illinois
Julie JohnsonDemocrat · Texas
Robin KellyDemocrat · Illinois
Ro KhannaDemocrat · California
Raja KrishnamoorthiDemocrat · Illinois
Timothy KennedyDemocrat · New York
Teresa Leger FernandezDemocrat · New Mexico
Stephen LynchDemocrat · Massachusetts
Ted LieuDemocrat · California
Greg LandsmanDemocrat · Ohio
Summer LeeDemocrat · Pennsylvania
George LatimerDemocrat · New York
James McGovernDemocrat · Massachusetts
Kweisi MfumeDemocrat · Maryland
Gregory MeeksDemocrat · New York
Betty McCollumDemocrat · Minnesota
Grace MengDemocrat · New York
Robert MenendezDemocrat · New Jersey
Jennifer McClellanDemocrat · Virginia
John MannionDemocrat · New York
Jerrold NadlerDemocrat · New York
Eleanor NortonDemocrat · District of Columbia
Joe NeguseDemocrat · Colorado
Alexandria Ocasio-CortezDemocrat · New York
Johnny OlszewskiDemocrat · Maryland
Frank PalloneDemocrat · New Jersey
Mark PocanDemocrat · Wisconsin
Stacey PlaskettDemocrat · Virgin Islands
Jimmy PanettaDemocrat · California
Ayanna PressleyDemocrat · Massachusetts
Brittany PettersenDemocrat · Colorado
Mike QuigleyDemocrat · Illinois
Deborah RossDemocrat · North Carolina
Delia RamirezDemocrat · Illinois
Emily RandallDemocrat · Washington
Adam SmithDemocrat · Washington
Janice SchakowskyDemocrat · Illinois
Terri SewellDemocrat · Alabama
Eric SwalwellDemocrat · California
Darren SotoDemocrat · Florida
Mary Gay ScanlonDemocrat · Pennsylvania
Greg StantonDemocrat · Arizona
Haley StevensDemocrat · Michigan
Melanie StansburyDemocrat · New Mexico
Eric SorensenDemocrat · Illinois
Suhas SubramanyamDemocrat · Virginia
Lateefah SimonDemocrat · California
Bennie ThompsonDemocrat · Mississippi
Dina TitusDemocrat · Nevada
Paul TonkoDemocrat · New York
Norma TorresDemocrat · California
Rashida TlaibDemocrat · Michigan
Lori TrahanDemocrat · Massachusetts
Jill TokudaDemocrat · Hawaii
Shri ThanedarDemocrat · Michigan
Sylvester TurnerDemocrat · Texas
Lauren UnderwoodDemocrat · Illinois
Nydia VelázquezDemocrat · New York
Juan VargasDemocrat · California
Maxine WatersDemocrat · California
Nikema WilliamsDemocrat · Georgia
Frederica WilsonDemocrat · Florida
Bonnie Watson ColemanDemocrat · New Jersey