,i  #aahth ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #gfbb  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,march #ab1 #bjbd,mr4
 ,clyde 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,mc,cormick1 
,mr4 ,mooney1 ,mrs4 ,miller of          
,illinois1 ,mr4 ,hunt1 ,ms4 ,boebert1   
,mr4 ,rosendale1 ,mr4 ,brecheen1 ,mr4   
,gosar1 ,mr4 ,burlison1 ,mr4 ,harris1   
,mr4 ,palmer1 and ,mr4 ,crane7          
introduced the following bill2 which was
 referred to the ,committee on          
,oversight and ,accountability  ,a      
,,bill  ,to amend title #e1 ,united     
,states ,code1 to require any member of 
the ,president's cabinet who is         
temporarily unable to perform the       
functions and duties of office to       
provide notice to the ,president1 the   
,congress1 and the public of their      
absence1 and for other purposes4  #a4   
,short title ,this ,act may be cited as 
the ,announcement of ,unavailability by 
,secretaries ,through ,informational    
,notifications ,act of #bjbd or the     
,,austin ,act of #bjbd4  #b4            

,notification of inability to perform   
functions and duties of cabinet-level   
positions  7a7 ,in general ,subchapter  
,,iii of chapter #cc of title #e1       
,united ,states ,code1 is amended by    
inserting after section #ccdi;e the     
following3  #ccdi;f4 ,notification of   
inability to perform functions and      
duties of cabinet-level position  7a7   
,notification  7#a7 ,in general ,if any 
cabinet-level official is unable to     
perform the functions and duties of     
their office1 including during any      
absence due to illness1 the             
cabinet-level official shall-- 7,a7     
submit a notification 7in writing7 to   
the ,president and congressional        
leaders2 and  7,b7 publish1 on the      
public website of the cabinet-level     
official's employing agency1 the        
notification not later than #bd hours   
after submitting such notification4     
7#b7 ,contents ,any notification        
submitted under paragraph 7#a7 shall    
include-- 7,a7 a description of the     

reasons the cabinet-level official is   
unable to perform the functions and     
duties of their office2 and  7,b7 a     
timeline setting forth the first day the
 cabinet-level official will be unable  
to perform the functions and duties of  
their office and the date the           
cabinet-level official expects to be    
able to resume performance of such      
functions and duties4  7#c7 ,date of    
submission ,except as provided in       
subsection 7c71 the cabinet-level       
official shall submit notice under this 
subsection before such cabinet-level    
official is unable to perform the       
functions and duties of their office4   
7#d7 ,national security waiver  7,a7 ,in
 general ,the ,president may waive the  
publication requirement under paragraph 
7#a77;,b7 if the ,president determines  
such publication would severely         
jeopardize ,united ,states national     
security4 ,the ,president shall submit a
 notice of such waiver 7in writing7 to  
the congressional leaders with a        

detailed explanation of the reasons for 
the waiver4  7,b7 ,publication          
,notwithstanding subclause 7,a71 any of 
the congressional leaders may publish   
the applicable notification waived under
 such subclause if that congressional   
leader determines the ,president's      
reasons under such subclause do not     
merit the waiver4  7b7 ,end of period of
 absence ,any cabinet-level official    
who1 after a period of inability to     
perform the functions and duties of the 
office1 shall-- 7#a7 on the date such   
official is able to resume the          
performance of such functions and       
duties1 submit a notification 7in       
writing7 to the ,president and the      
congressional leaders2 and  7#b7        
publish1 on the public website of the   
cabinet-level official's employing      
agency1 the notification not later than 
#bd hours after submitting such         
notification4  7c7 ,designee  7#a7 ,in  
general ,if the cabinet-level official  
is incapacitated or otherwise unable to 

carry out subsection 7a7 or 7b71 the    
individuals designated under this       
subsection shall make the notifications 
and publications required under such    
subsections 7a7 and 7b74  7#b7          
,designation ,not later than #fj days   
after the date a cabinet-level official 
assumes the duties of their office1 the 
cabinet-level official-- 7,a7 shall     
designate at least one employee of the  
employing agency of the cabinet-level   
official to carry out this subsection2  
and  7,b7 submit1 to the congressional  
committees of jurisdiction1 a report    
identifying each employee designated    
under subparagraph 7,a74  7#c7 ,new     
designee ,the cabinet-level official may
 designate any other employees if the   
individuals designated under paragraph  
7#b7 are unable or no longer eligible to
 carry out the duties of a designee     
under this subsection4 ,on the date of  
such a subsequent designation1 the      
cabinet-level official shall submit1 to 
the congressional committees of         

jurisdiction1 a notification of the     
change in designees4  7#d7 ,privacy ,act
 ,section #eeb;a 7popularly known as the
 ,privacy ,act of #aigd7 shall not apply
 to any individual designated under this
 subsection for purposes of making the  
notice and publication required by this 
section4  7d7 ,enforcement  7#a7        
,offense ,it shall be unlawful for any  
cabinet-level official or any designee  
under subsection 7c7 to knowingly-- 7,a7
 withhold information that prevents the 
implementation of this section2 or  7,b7
 fail to carry out this section4  7#b7  
,penalty ,no ,federal funds may be used 
for the salary or expenses of any person
 who violates paragraph 7#a74 ,it is the
 sense of ,congress that such person's  
employment with the ,united ,states     
should be immediately terminated and    
such person should be subject to        
debarment4  7e7 ,definitions ,in this   
section-- 7#a7 the term cabinet-level   
official means-- 7,a7 the head of any   
,executive department 7as that term is  

defined in section #aja72 and  7,b7 any 
other officer or employee who is a      
member of the ,president's cabinet2 and 
7#b7 the term congressional leaders     
means the ,speaker of the ,house of     
,representatives1 the minority leader of
 the ,house of ,representatives1 the    
majority leader of the ,senate1 the     
minority leader of the ,senate1 the     
chair and ranking member of any         
committee of jurisdiction of the ,house 
of ,representatives or the ,senate1 the 
chair and ranking member of the         
,committee on ,oversight and            
,accountability of the ,house of        
,representatives1 and the chair and     
ranking member of the ,committee on     
,homeland ,security and ,governmental   
,affairs of the ,senate4  4  7b7        
,clerical amendment ,the table of       
sections for subchapter ,,iii of chapter
 #cc of title #e1 ,united ,states ,code1
 is amended by inserting after the item 
relating to section #ccdi;e the         
following3  #ccdi;f4 ,notification of   

inability to perform functions and      
duties of cabinet-level position4  4