Federal

DEI Pay Cap Act of 2023

Source: Congress.gov · 357 words in original text

What This Bill Does

This bill limits the military rank and civilian pay grades of people who work on diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the Department of Defense. It prevents the Secretary of Defense from hiring or employing people above a certain rank level for these specific roles.

Who It Affects

The Secretary of Defense, military personnel, civilian employees of the Department of Defense, and people currently working in diversity, equity and inclusion positions.

Key Provisions

• The Secretary of Defense cannot appoint or employ anyone in diversity, equity and inclusion roles who has a rank higher than E-5 base pay (military) or GS-5 (civilian pay grade not adjusted for locality) (Sec. 2(a)). • Covered diversity, equity and inclusion duties include developing and implementing diversity, equity and inclusion policy; leading working groups and councils to set goals and measure performance; and creating education, training and workshops on these topics (Sec. 2(b)). • Any current employee in a diversity, equity and inclusion position who holds a higher rank or grade than allowed must be reassigned to a different position within 180 days after this law takes effect (Sec. 2(c)).

What Changes

If this becomes law, the Department of Defense can no longer assign high-ranking military officers or highly-paid civilian employees to diversity, equity and inclusion jobs. Employees already in these roles above the pay cap must move to other positions.

Important Definitions

None defined in bill text.

II 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 221 To restrict the appointment of certain military personnel to diversity, equity, and inclusion positions. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES FEBRUARY 1, 2023 Mr. COTTON introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services A BILL To restrict the appointment of certain military personnel to diversity, equity, and inclusion positions. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘DEI Pay Cap Act of 4 2023’’. 5 SEC. 2. DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION PERSONNEL 6 GRADE CAP. 7 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense may not 8 appoint to, or otherwise employ in, any position with du- 9 ties as described in subsection (b) a military or civilian 10 VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:17 Feb 11, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S221.IS S221 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 2 •S 221 IS employee with a rank or grade in excess of E–5 base pay 1 or GS–5 not adjusted for locality. 2 (b) COVERED DUTIES.—The duties referred to in 3 subsection (a) are as follows: 4 (1) Developing, refining, and implementing di- 5 versity, equity, and inclusion policy. 6 (2) Leading working groups and councils to de- 7 velop diversity, equity, and inclusion goals and objec- 8 tives to measure performance and outcomes. 9 (3) Creating and implementing diversity, equity, 10 and inclusion education, training courses, and work- 11 shops for military and civilian personnel. 12 (c) APPLICABILITY TO CURRENT EMPLOYEES.—Any 13 military or civilian employee appointed to a position with 14 duties described in subsection (b) who holds a rank or 15 grade in excess of that allowed under subsection (a) shall 16 be reassigned to another position not later than 180 days 17 after the date of the enactment of this Act. 18 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:17 Feb 11, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\S221.IS S221 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB

Important: This plain English summary was generated by AI and is provided for informational purposes only. It is not legal advice. Always consult the official bill text on Congress.gov or a qualified attorney for legal matters.