H.R. 1517 is being considered on the floor under suspension of the rules, requiring a two-thirds majority vote for passage. This legislation was introduced by Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY) on March 16, 2009. The Committee on Homeland Security approved the bill by voice vote on November 17, 2009.
H.R. 1517 would authorize the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to change the employment status of certain individuals stationed overseas if the employee has completed at least two years of continuous service of overseas limited appointments and his or her employment has been rated at least fully successful. The bill would change those employees' status from "overseas limited appointment" to "permanent appointment in the competitive service" to comply with certain international agreements between the U.S. and other countries.
H.R. 1517 would give the CBP Commissioner the authority to convert approximately 35 overseas employees into permanent civil service positions. These employees were hired by the now defunct Immigration and Naturalization Service under "limited overseas appointment" authority. Without legislative authority, the employees must convert to locally hired staff or return to the U.S.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that implementing H.R. 1517 would have no significant cost to the federal government. The bill would not affect revenues or direct spending and contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates.
