HR 3136119th CongressIn Committee

Protect our Public Health Workforce Act

Introduced: May 1, 2025

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

Protect our Public Health Workforce Act would require the reinstatement of certain CDC employees who were involuntarily removed or dismissed without cause between January 20, 2025 and the enactment date of the bill, at the employee’s option. Reinstatement would be to the same job or an equivalent position, with backpay consistent with section 5596 of title 5, United States Code. In addition, the bill would compel the CDC Director to provide quarterly reports to designated congressional committees detailing CDC terminations, including counts, job titles, and reasons for removals, with the reporting requirement sunsetting on January 20, 2029. The measure does not create a new funding line in the text but directs backpay to be governed by existing law.

Key Points

1Reinstatement with backpay for CDC employees who were involuntarily removed without cause between January 20, 2025 and enactment; employees may elect to be reinstated to the same or an equivalent position.
2Backpay would be provided under the existing framework in 5 U.S.C. 5596.
3The CDC Director must report to specified congressional committees not later than 60 days after enactment and then every three months, detailing total terminations, titles/descriptions, and reasons.
4The reporting requirement has a sunset date of January 20, 2029.
5The bill specifies which congressional committees are “appropriate” for receiving the reports (House and Senate committees listed in the text).

Impact Areas

Primary group/area affected:- CDC federal employees who were involuntarily terminated without cause during the specified window; they gain an option for reinstatement with backpay.Secondary group/area affected:- The U.S. federal workforce and human resources processes at the CDC; unions or employee representative bodies may be involved in discussions about reinstatement and appeals.Additional impacts:- Potential fiscal impact on the federal budget due to backpay obligations; the bill relies on existing backpay authorities rather than creating a new funding line.- Increased congressional oversight via quarterly reporting; potential administrative burden on the CDC to collect and report data.- The policy creates a time-limited reporting mandate (through 2029) that could influence transparency and workforce management considerations.

Generated by gpt-5-nano on Nov 18, 2025