H.R. 8523

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8523 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8523

To prohibit any reduction in force or involuntary separation at the 
Department of the Interior and the United States Forest Service, and 
for other purposes.

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IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

April 27, 2026

Mr. Neguse (for himself and Mr. Huffman) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in 
addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
concerned

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A BILL

To prohibit any reduction in force or involuntary separation at the 
Department of the Interior and the United States Forest Service, and 
for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Public Lands Workforce Stability 
Act''.

SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON REDUCTIONS IN FORCE AND INVOLUNTARY SEPARATIONS 
AT DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR AND UNITED STATES FOREST 
SERVICE.

(a) Prohibition.--During the period beginning on the date of the 
enactment of this Act and ending on September 30, 2030, without prior 
notification and approval of the chairs and ranking members of the 
Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the 
Senate, no Federal funds may be obligated or expended to--
(1) initiate, implement, or otherwise carry out a reduction 
in force within the Department of the Interior or the United 
States Forest Service; or
(2) carry out an involuntary separation of any employee in 
the competitive service, any career employee in the excepted 
service, or any career appointee in the Senior Executive 
Service at the Department of Interior or the United States 
Forest Service except for cause on charges of misconduct, 
delinquency, or performance.
(b) Definitions.--In subsection (a), the terms ``competitive 
service'', ``excepted service'', and ``career appointee'' have the 
meaning given those terms in sections 2102, 2103, and 3132(a), 
respectively, of title 5, United States Code.
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