§ 9701. Establishment of human resources management system
(a)
In General.—
Notwithstanding any other provision of this part, the Secretary of Homeland Security may, in regulations prescribed jointly with the Director of the Office of Personnel Management, establish, and from time to time adjust, a human resources management system for some or all of the organizational units of the Department of Homeland Security.
(b)
System Requirements.—
Any system established under subsection (a) shall—
(3)
not waive, modify, or otherwise affect—
(A)
the public employment principles of merit and fitness set forth in section
2301, including the principles of hiring based on merit, fair treatment without regard to political affiliation or other nonmerit considerations, equal pay for equal work, and protection of employees against reprisal for whistleblowing;
(c)
Other Nonwaivable Provisions.—
The other provisions of this part as referred to in subsection (b)(3)(D), are (to the extent not otherwise specified in subparagraph (A), (B), (C), or (D) of subsection (b)(3))—
(d)
Limitations Relating to Pay.—
Nothing in this section shall constitute authority—
(1)
to modify the pay of any employee who serves in—
(e)
Provisions to Ensure Collaboration With Employee Representatives.—
(1)
In general.—
In order to ensure that the authority of this section is exercised in collaboration with, and in a manner that ensures the participation of employee representatives in the planning, development, and implementation of any human resources management system or adjustments to such system under this section, the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Director of the Office of Personnel Management shall provide for the following:
(A)
Notice of proposal.—
The Secretary and the Director shall, with respect to any proposed system or adjustment—
(i)
provide to each employee representative representing any employees who might be affected, a written description of the proposed system or adjustment (including the reasons why it is considered necessary);
(B)
Pre-implementation congressional notification, consultation, and mediation.—
Following receipt of recommendations, if any, from employee representatives with respect to a proposal described in subparagraph (A), the Secretary and the Director shall accept such modifications to the proposal in response to the recommendations as they determine advisable and shall, with respect to any parts of the proposal as to which they have not accepted the recommendations—
(i)
notify Congress of those parts of the proposal, together with the recommendations of employee representatives;
(C)
Implementation.—
(i)
Any part of the proposal as to which the representatives do not make a recommendation, or as to which their recommendations are accepted by the Secretary and the Director, may be implemented immediately.
(ii)
With respect to any parts of the proposal as to which recommendations have been made but not accepted by the Secretary and the Director, at any time after 30 calendar days have elapsed since the initiation of the congressional notification, consultation, and mediation procedures set forth in subparagraph (B), if the Secretary determines, in the Secretary’s sole and unreviewable discretion, that further consultation and mediation is unlikely to produce agreement, the Secretary may implement any or all of such parts, including any modifications made in response to the recommendations as the Secretary determines advisable.
(iii)
The Secretary shall promptly notify Congress of the implementation of any part of the proposal and shall furnish with such notice an explanation of the proposal, any changes made to the proposal as a result of recommendations from employee representatives, and of the reasons why implementation is appropriate under this subparagraph.
(2)
Procedures.—
Any procedures necessary to carry out this subsection shall be established by the Secretary and the Director jointly as internal rules of departmental procedure which shall not be subject to review. Such procedures shall include measures to ensure—
(A)
in the case of employees within a unit with respect to which a labor organization is accorded exclusive recognition, representation by individuals designated or from among individuals nominated by such organization;
(B)
in the case of any employees who are not within such a unit, representation by any appropriate organization which represents a substantial percentage of those employees or, if none, in such other manner as may be appropriate, consistent with the purposes of the subsection;
(C)
the fair and expeditious handling of the consultation and mediation process described in subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1), including procedures by which, if the number of employee representatives providing recommendations exceeds 5, such representatives select a committee or other unified representative with which the Secretary and Director may meet and confer; and
(f)
Provisions Relating to Appellate Procedures.—
(1)
Sense of congress.—
It is the sense of Congress that—
(A)
employees of the Department are entitled to fair treatment in any appeals that they bring in decisions relating to their employment; and
(g)
Provisions Relating to Labor-Management Relations.—
Nothing in this section shall be construed as conferring authority on the Secretary of Homeland Security to modify any of the provisions of section 842 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002.
(h)
Sunset Provision.—
Effective 5 years after the conclusion of the transition period defined under section 1501 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, all authority to issue regulations under this section (including regulations which would modify, supersede, or terminate any regulations previously issued under this section) shall cease to be available.