PUBLIC LAW 104-194—SEPT. 9, 1996 110 STAT. 2373 1996 (Public Law 104-134), is amended by adding at the end Ante, p. 1321-97. the following new section: " SEC. 2407. ABOLISHMENT OF POSITIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 1997. "(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, regulation, or collective bargaining agreement either in effect or to be negotiated while this legislation is in effect for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1997, each agency head is authorized, within the agency head's discretion, to identify positions for abolishment. "(b) Prior to February 1, 1997, each personnel authority shall make a final determination that a position within the personnel authority is to be abolished. "(c) Notwithstanding any rights or procedures established by any other provision of this title, any District government employee, regardless of date of hire, who encumbers a position identified for abolishment shall be separated without competition or assignment rights, except as provided in this section. "(d) An employee affected by the abolishment of a position pursuant to this section who, but for this section would be entitled to compete for retention, shall be entitled to one roimd of lateral competition pursuant to Chapter 24 of the District of Columbia Personnel Manual, which shall be limited to positions in the employ- ee's competitive level. "(e) Each employee who is a bona fide resident of the District of Columbia shall have added 5 years to his or her creditable service for reduction-in-force purposes. For purposes of this subsection only, a nonresident District employee who was hired by the District government prior to January 1, 1980, and has not had a break in service since that date, or a former employee of the United States Department of Health and Human Services at Saint Elizabeths Hospital who accepted employment with the District government on October 1, 1987, and has not had a break in service since that date, shall be considered a District resident. "(f) Each employee selected for separation pursuant to this Notice, section shall be given written notice of at least 30 days before the effective date of his or her separation. "(g) Neither the establishment of a competitive area smaller than an agency, nor the determination that a specific position is to be abolished, nor separation pursuant to this section shall be subject to review except as follows— "(1) an employee may file a complaint contesting a determination or a separation pursuant to title XV of this Act or section 303 of the Humsin Rights Act of 1977, effective December 13, 1977 (D.C. Law 2-38; D.C. Code, sec. 1 -2543); and "(2) an employee may file with the Office of Employee Appeals an appeal contesting that the separation procedures of subsections (d) and (f) of this section were not properly applied. "(h) An employee separated pursuant to this section shall be Severance pay. entitled to severance pay in accordance with title XI of this Act, except that the following shall be included in computing creditable service for severance pay for employees separated pursuant to this section— "(1) four years for an employee who quaUfied for veterans preference under this Act, and
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