,,ii  #aahth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,s4 #edhb  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,december #aa1 
#bjbd,mrs4 ,blackburn introduced the    
following bill2 which was read twice and
 referred to the ,committee on ,homeland
 ,security and ,governmental ,affairs   
,a ,,bill  ,to impose restrictions on   
,federal agencies with respect to       
appointments1 and for other purposes4   
#a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited
 as the ,federal ,freeze ,act4  #b4     
,freeze on ,federal hiring and salaries 
7a7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 
,agency ,the term agency has the meaning
 given the term in section #eea of title
 #e1 ,united ,states ,code4  7#b7       
,baseline number ,the term baseline     
number means1 with respect to an agency1
 the number of employees employed by the
 agency 7including individuals occupying
 full-time equivalent positions in the  
agency71 as of the date of enactment of 
this ,act4  7#c7 ,employee ,the term    
employee means an employee of an agency4

  7b7 ,general prohibitions             
,notwithstanding any other provision of 
law or regulation1 during the #a-year   
period beginning on the date of         
enactment of this ,act1 the following   
shall apply3 7#a7 7,a7 ,except as       
provided in subparagraph 7,b71 the head 
of an agency may not increase the number
 of employees employed by the agency    
beyond the baseline number4  7,b7       
,during the #a-year period beginning on 
the date of enactment of this ,act1 the 
head of an agency may appoint an        
individual to a position within the     
agency1 even if appointing that         
individual would increase the number of 
employees employed by the agency beyond 
the baseline number1 if the agency head 
determines that-- 7i7 making that       
appointment serves the interest of law  
enforcement1 public safety1 or the      
national security of the ,united        
,states2 or  7ii7 the individual so     
appointed is essential to respond to an 
emergency declared under section #eja of

 the ,robert ,t4 ,stafford ,disaster    
,relief and ,emergency ,assistance ,act 
7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #eaia74  7#b7 ,the annual
 rate of basic pay of an employee1 as in
 effect on the date of enactment of this
 ,act1 may not be increased4  7c7       
,reduction in force  7#a7 ,in general   
,subject to paragraph 7#b71 the head of 
each agency shall take such measures1   
without regard to any other provision of
 law or regulation1 to ensure that--    
7,a7 as of the date that is #b years    
after the date of enactment of this     
,act1 the number of employees employed  
by the agency is #b percent less than   
the baseline number2 and  7,b7 as of the
 date that is #c years after the date of
 enactment of this ,act1 the number of  
employees employed by the agency is #e  
percent less than the baseline number4  
7#b7 ,exemption ,an employee who the    
head of the employing agency determines 
serves the interest of law enforcement1 
public safety1 or the national security 
of the ,united ,states1 or who is       

essential to respond to an emergency    
declared under section #eja of the      
,robert ,t4 ,stafford ,disaster ,relief 
and ,emergency ,assistance ,act 7#db    
,u4,s4,c4 #eaia7 7as determined by that 
agency head71 shall not apply for the   
purposes of determining the number of   
employees employed by that agency under 
subparagraph 7,a7 or 7,b7 of paragraph  
7#a74