Sponsors (2)
The bill clarifies and extends Title 10 leave benefits to Commissioned Public Health Service officers and streamlines statutory language, trading clearer parity and reduced legal ambiguity for modest added personnel costs and some short-term administrative disruption.
Commissioned Public Health Service officers (USPHS officers) gain explicit access to Title 10 leave benefits, aligning their leave rights with uniformed services and reducing ambiguity about eligibility and use.
The bill consolidates and modernizes statutory authorities by repealing an older, duplicative provision (section 219), reducing legal ambiguity and making administration clearer for agencies and officers.
Federal agencies (including HHS) may incur higher personnel and leave-related costs from expanded Title 10 leave coverage for USPHS officers, increasing budgetary pressure on agency programs and potentially taxpayers.
Repealing the existing section 219 before implementing regulations or guidance could cause short-term confusion about leave procedures, creating administrative burden and uncertainty for officers and employers until guidance is updated.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Makes Title 5 federal leave rules explicitly apply to USPHS commissioned officers and repeals an older USPHS leave provision.
Official title: Amend title II of the Public Health Service Act to include as an additional right or privilege of commissioned officers of the Public Health Service (and their beneficiaries) certain leave provided under title 10, United States Code to commissioned officers of the Army (or their beneficiaries).
Introduced April 10, 2025 by Tammy Duckworth · Last progress October 17, 2025
Adds federal leave law (Chapter 40 of Title 5) to the list of Title 10 leave authorities that apply to commissioned officers of the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) and repeals an older USPHS leave-related provision (42 U.S.C. § 210–1). The change extends uniformed-services leave parity to USPHS officers by explicitly cross‑referencing leave rules they can use and removes an outdated or conflicting statutory provision. The bill is short and narrowly focused: it only changes statutory cross-references and repeals a prior section; it does not appropriate funds or create new programs. The main practical effect is to align USPHS commissioned officers’ leave treatment with other uniformed services under existing federal leave law, clarifying entitlement and administrative authority for leave benefits.