Congress Passes NDAA with Paid Administrative Leave Fix

Before heading home for the holidays, Congress finished out the year by passing a number of measures, including the necessary Continuing Resolution (CR) to keep the government up and running.

Additionally, they passed the $618.7 billion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), sending it to the desk of the president for signature.

The NDAA contained a $3.2 billion increase in military spending and a number of other provisions, including one to codify paid administrative leave. Earlier this year, Senators Grassley, Tester, Carper and Johnson introduced a stand-alone bill to limit the broad use of paid administrative leave, with much of the same language ending up in the NDAA provision.

“This is a victory for good government,” said Bill Valdez, President of the Senior Executives Association. “The misuse of extended administrative leave has a significant impact on the efficiency and effectiveness of departments and agencies, in addition to its infringement on employees’ due process rights. This provision will curb that unnecessary waste of taxpayer resources so the government can continue to best provide its services for the American public.”

The final bill did not include several controversial provisions including the Russell Amendment, which was touted as a "religious freedom" measure. Democrats opposed this amendment, expressing concern that it would have allowed federal contractors to discriminate against workers on the basis of gender or sexual orientation. Also removed from the final text was a provision that would have required women to register for the military draft.