RESTORE Act in plain language
1: Short title
This section gives the Act a short name: the Reinstating Employee Salaries To Original Rates and Entitlements Act, or the RESTORE Act.
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1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Reinstating Employee Salaries To Original Rates and Entitlements Act or the RESTORE Act .
2: Back pay for reinstated employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs
This section would give back pay to certain Department of Veterans Affairs employees. It would apply to anyone who was an employee of the Department (including someone serving a probationary or trial period because of a promotion) who was involuntarily removed from their job and was then reinstated or appointed to a position at the Department at some point between January 20, 2025, and the date this Act becomes law. That person would be entitled to back pay under section 5596 of title 5, United States Code. This back pay entitlement would not apply to anyone who was removed from a political position. The section defines a political position as any of three types of position: a position covered by sections 5312 through 5316 of title 5, United States Code, which relate to the Executive Schedule; a noncareer appointee, using the definition in section 3132(a) of title 5, United States Code; or a position in the executive branch that is confidential or policy-determining in character under schedule C of subpart C of part 213 of title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
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2. Back pay for reinstated employees of the Department of Veterans Affairs (a) Back pay Any individual who was an employee of the Department of Veterans Affairs (including employees who were serving under a probationary or trial period due to a promotion) and who was involuntarily removed and subsequently reinstated or appointed to a position at the Department during the period beginning on January 20, 2025, and ending on the date of the enactment of this Act shall be entitled to back pay in accordance with section 5596 of title 5, United States Code. (b) Limitation Subsection (a) shall not apply to any individual removed from a political position. (c) Political position defined In this section, the term political position means— (1) a position described under sections 5312 through 5316 of title 5, United States Code (relating to the Executive Schedule); (2) a noncareer appointee (as that term is defined in section 3132(a) of such title); or (3) a position in the executive branch of the Government of a confidential or policy-determining character under schedule C of subpart C of part 213 of title 5, Code of Federal Regulations.