Executive Order 741

Rule VIII of the civil service rules is hereby amended to read as follows:

Rule VIII.—Temporary Appointment.

1. Temporary appointment without examination and certification by the Commission shall not be made to a competitive position in any case except when the public interest so requires, and then only upon the prior authorization of the Commission; and any appointment so authorized shall continue only for such period as may be necessary to make appointment through certification of eligibles and in no case without prior approval of the Commission shall extend beyond thirty days from receipt by the appointing officer of the Commission's certificate; and when a vacancy is to be filled by promotion or transfer for which the Commission's certificate is not required and a temporary appointment is authorized by the Commission under the provisions of this section pending the promotion or transfer, such temporary appointment shall in no case continue beyond the period of thirty days, without prior approval of the Commission.
2. When there are no eligibles upon a register for any grade in which a vacancy exists and the public interest requires that it be filled before eligibles can be provided by the Commission, then the Commission may authorize temporary appointment without examination. Such appointment shall continue only for such period as may be necessary to make appointment through certification and in no case without prior approval of the Commission shall extend beyond thirty days from the receipt by the appointing officer of the Commission's certification of eligibles.
3. When there is at least one eligible and not more than two eligibles on a register for any grade in which a vacancy exists, the Commission shall, upon requisition from the proper appointing officer, certify the name of the one eligible or the names of the two eligibles, which shall be considered by the appointing officer with a view to probational appointment; and if the appointing officer shall elect not to make probational appointment from such certificate of less than three names, then if temporary appointment is required it shall be made from such certificate unless reasons satisfactory to the Commission are given why such appointment should not be made. Such temporary appointment may continue until three eligibles are provided. If selection is not made from the certificate for either probational or temporary appointment under the provisions of this section, then temporary appointment, if required, may be made under the provisions of section 2 of this rule.
4. When there is work of a temporary character, at the completion of which the services of an additional employee will not be required, a temporary appointment may be made with the prior consent of the Commission for a period not to exceed three months, and may with like consent of the Commission be extended for a further period of three months. Such temporary appointment shall be made through certification from the Commission's eligible registers unless the Commission shall decide in any case that there are no available eligibles. Such temporary appointment shall not extend beyond six months unless there are no eligibles available for the additional period or under unusual circumstances which seem to the Commission to justify an extension beyond six months; and in no case shall such temporary appointment extend beyond six months for any purpose other than to complete the job of work for which the person was originally employed. The Commission may restrict certification for temporary appointment to such eligibles as by reason of residence or other conditions are immediately available.
5. The acceptance of an eligible of a temporary appointment shall not affect his standing on any register for permanent employment, and experience gained as a temporary appointee shall in no way vary the order of certification for permanent appointment. A temporary appointment may be made permanent when the temporary appointee is within reach for permanent appointment at the time of his temporary appointment or in case he is so within reach during his temporary service. In such case the probational appointment may date from the time when he became within reach for probational appointment. A person who has been temporarily employed under the provisions of one section of this rule shall not for that reason be ineligible for employment under any other section. Any appointment under sections 1, 2, or 3 of this rule shall be promptly reported by letter to the Commission, as made, with a statement of the action taken for making permanent appointment. The Commission is authorized to inspect the records of any Department or Office to aid it in observing and enforcing the operation of the provisions of this rule and reporting thereon to the President.

Theodore Roosevelt.

The White House, January 27, 1908.