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Amends 42 U.S.C. 213a(a) by adding a new paragraph (22) at the end that incorporates Chapter 40, 'Leave', into the list of title 10 provisions whose rights/benefits apply to commissioned officers of the Public Health Service.
Repeals section 219 of the Public Health Service Act (codified at 42 U.S.C. 210–1).
Aligns leave rules for the Public Health Service with the leave rules used for the Armed Forces. The bill amends the Public Health Service Act by adding a new "Leave" chapter to the listed provisions and repealing the prior section on leave, so Public Health Service personnel are governed the same way as military personnel for leave matters. The change is mainly administrative: it standardizes leave law across services, so human resources, payroll, and benefits administration for affected public health officers will follow the Armed Forces model rather than the old Public Health Service provision.
Adds a new item (22) to Section 221(a) of the Public Health Service Act that inserts "Chapter 40, Leave." into the statute text, thereby referencing Chapter 40 in that provision .
Repeals Section 219 of the Public Health Service Act (a conforming repeal) as specified in the section text .
Who is affected and how:
Public Health Service personnel (including officers and other staff covered by the Public Health Service Act) will be directly affected because their statutory leave entitlements and administrative rules will be governed by the same framework used for Armed Forces personnel. This could change how leave is earned, recorded, transferred, or handled at separation depending on the specific Armed Forces rules applied.
Department of Health and Human Services personnel offices and payroll/benefits administrators will need to revise internal policies, employee guidance, payroll systems, and training to implement the new statutory alignment. That work may require short-term administrative resources.
The change is largely legal and administrative rather than programmatic: it standardizes statutory language across services, which can simplify cross-service personnel interactions, transfers, or comparability of benefits. Any material changes to individual employees’ leave balances or entitlements depend on the exact Armed Forces provisions that agencies apply and any implementing regulations.
Fiscal impact is expected to be limited. There is no new appropriation in the text; costs are likely limited to administrative implementation (systems updates, policy drafting, training). Any wider budgetary effects would arise only if implementing rules change pay or benefit levels beyond current practice.
Received in the House.
Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
Introduced April 10, 2025 by Tammy Duckworth · Last progress October 17, 2025
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Held at the desk.
Received in the House.
Message on Senate action sent to the House.
Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.