,,ii  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #fjg  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the
 ,,united ,,states  ,february #bh1      
#bjai,mr4 ,cassidy 7for himself1 ,mr4   
,gardner1 and ,ms4 ,murkowski7          
introduced the following bill2 which was
 read twice and referred to the         
,committee on ,energy and ,natural      
,resources  ,a ,,bill  ,to amend the    
,department of ,energy ,organization    
,act to address insufficient            
compensation of employees and other     
personnel of the ,federal ,energy       
,regulatory ,commission1 and for other  
purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act  
may be cited as the ,timely ,review of  
,infrastructure ,act4  #b4 ,addressing  
insufficient compensation of employees  
and other personnel of the ,federal     
,energy ,regulatory ,commission  7a7 ,in
 general ,section #dja of the           
,department of ,energy ,organization    
,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #gaga7 is amended by
 adding at the end the following3  7k7  
,addressing insufficient compensation of

 employees and other personnel of the   
,commission  7#a7 ,in general           
,notwithstanding any other provision of 
law1 if the ,chairman publicly certifies
 that compensation for a category of    
employees or other personnel of the     
,commission is insufficient to retain or
 attract employees and other personnel  
to allow the ,commission to carry out   
the functions of the ,commission in a   
timely1 efficient1 and effective manner1
 the ,chairman may fix the compensation 
for the category of employees or other  
personnel without regard to chapter #ea 
and subchapter ,,iii of chapter #ec of  
title #e1 ,united ,states ,code1 or any 
other civil service law4  7#b7          
,certification requirements ,a          
certification issued under paragraph    
7#a7 shall-- 7,a7 apply with respect to 
a category of employees or other        
personnel responsible for conducting    
work of a scientific1 technological1    
engineering1 or mathematical nature2    
7,b7 specify a maximum amount of        

reasonable compensation for the category
 of employees or other personnel2  7,c7 
be valid for a #e-year period beginning 
on the date on which the certification  
is issued2  7,d7 be no broader than     
necessary to achieve the objective of   
retaining or attracting employees and   
other personnel to allow the ,commission
 to carry out the functions of the      
,commission in a timely1 efficient1 and 
effective manner2 and  7,e7 include an  
explanation for why the other approaches
 available to the ,chairman for         
retaining and attracting employees and  
other personnel are inadequate4  7#c7   
,renewal  7,a7 ,in general ,not later   
than #ij days before the date of        
expiration of a certification issued    
under paragraph 7#a71 the ,chairman     
shall determine whether the             
certification should be renewed for a   
subsequent #e-year period4  7,b7        
,requirement ,if the ,chairman          
determines that a certification should  
be renewed under subparagraph 7,a71 the 

,chairman may renew the certification1  
subject to the certification            
requirements under paragraph 7#b7 that  
were applicable to the initial          
certification4  7#d7 ,new hires  7,a7   
,in general ,an employee or other       
personnel that is a member of a category
 of employees or other personnel that   
would have been covered by a            
certification issued under paragraph    
7#a71 but was hired during a period in  
which the certification has expired and 
has not been renewed under paragraph    
7#c7 shall not be eligible for          
compensation at the level that would    
have applied to the employee or other   
personnel if the certification had been 
in effect on the date on which the      
employee or other personnel was hired4  
7,b7 ,compensation of new hires on      
renewal ,on renewal of a certification  
under paragraph 7#c71 the ,chairman may 
fix the compensation of the employees or
 other personnel described in           
subparagraph 7,a7 at the level          

established for the category of         
employees or other personnel in the     
certification4  7#e7 ,retention of level
 of fixed compensation ,a category of   
employees or other personnel1 the       
compensation of which was fixed by the  
,chairman in accordance with paragraph  
7#a71 may1 at the discretion of the     
,chairman1 have the level of fixed      
compensation for the category of        
employees or other personnel retained1  
regardless of whether a certification   
described under that paragraph is in    
effect with respect to the compensation 
of the category of employees or other   
personnel4  7#f7 ,consultation required 
,the ,chairman shall consult with the   
,director of the ,office of ,personnel  
,management in implementing this        
subsection1 including in the            
determination of the amount of          
compensation with respect to each       
category of employees or other          
personnel4  7#g7 ,experts and           
consultants  7,a7 ,in general ,subject  

to subparagraph 7,b71 the ,chairman     
may-- 7i7 obtain the services of experts
 and consultants in accordance with     
section #caji of title #e1 ,united      
,states ,code2  7ii7 compensate those   
experts and consultants for each day    
7including travel time7 at rates not in 
excess of the rate of pay for level ,,iv
 of the ,executive ,schedule under      
section #ecae of that title2 and  7iii7 
pay to the experts and consultants      
serving away from the homes or regular  
places of business of the experts and   
consultants travel expenses and per diem
 in lieu of subsistence at rates        
authorized by sections #egjb and #egjc  
of that title for persons in ,government
 service employed intermittently4  7,b7 
,limitations ,the ,chairman shall-- 7i7 
to the maximum extent practicable1 limit
 the use of experts and consultants     
pursuant to subparagraph 7,a72 and  7ii7
 ensure that the employment contract of 
each expert and consultant employed     
pursuant to subparagraph 7,a7 is subject

 to renewal not less frequently than    
annually4  4  7b7 ,reports  7#a7 ,in    
general ,not later than #a year after   
the date of enactment of this ,act1 and 
every #b years thereafter for #aj years1
 the ,chairman of the ,federal ,energy  
,regulatory ,commission shall submit to 
the ,committee on ,energy and ,commerce 
of the ,house of ,representatives and   
the ,committee on ,energy and ,natural  
,resources of the ,senate a report on   
information relating to hiring1         
vacancies1 and compensation at the      
,federal ,energy ,regulatory            
,commission4  7#b7 ,inclusions ,each    
report under paragraph 7#a7 shall       
include-- 7,a7 an analysis of any trends
 with respect to hiring1 vacancies1 and 
compensation at the ,federal ,energy    
,regulatory ,commission2 and  7,b7 a    
description of the efforts to retain and
 attract employees or other personnel   
responsible for conducting work of a    
scientific1 technological1 engineering1 
or mathematical nature at the ,federal  

,energy ,regulatory ,commission4  7c7   
,applicability ,the amendment made by   
subsection 7a7 shall apply beginning on 
the date that is #cj days after the date
 of enactment of this ,act4