[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 110 (Wednesday, June 9, 1999)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 31103-31104]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-14825]
[[Page 31101]]
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Part VIII
The President
_______________________________________________________________________
Executive Order 13124--Amending the Civil Service Rules Relating to
Federal Employees With Psychiatric Disabiliites
                        Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 64, No. 110 / Wednesday, June 9, 1999 /
Presidential Documents
___________________________________________________________________
Title 3--
The President
[[Page 31103]]
                Executive Order 13124 of June 4, 1999
Amending the Civil Service Rules Relating To
                Federal Employees With Psychiatric Disabilities
                By the authority vested in me as President by the
                Constitution and the laws of the United States of
                America, including sections 3301 and 3302 of title 5,
                United States Code, and in order to give individuals
                with psychiatric disabilities the same hiring
                opportunities as persons with severe physical
                disabilities or mental retardation under the Civil
                Service Rules, and to permit individuals with
                psychiatric disabilities to obtain Civil Service
                competitive status, it is hereby ordered as follows:
                Section 1. Policy.
                    (a) It is the policy of the United States to assure
                equality of opportunity, full participation,
                independent living, and economic self-sufficiency for
                persons with disabilities. The Federal Government as an
                employer should serve as a model for the employment of
                persons with disabilities and utilize the full
                potential of these talented citizens.
                    (b) The Civil Service Rules governing appointment
                of persons with psychiatric disabilities were adopted
                years ago when attitudes about mental illness were
                different than they are today, which led to stricter
                standards for hiring persons with psychiatric
                disabilities than for persons with mental retardation
                or severe physical disabilities. The Civil Service
                Rules provide that persons with mental retardation,
                severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric
                disabilities may be hired under excepted appointing
                authorities. While persons with mental retardation or
                severe physical disabilities may be appointed for more
                than 2 years and may convert to competitive status
                after completion of 2 years of satisfactory service in
                their excepted position, people with psychiatric
                disabilities may not.
                    (c) The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and
                the President's Task Force on Employment of Adults with
                Disabilities believe that the Federal Government could
                better benefit from the contributions of persons with
                psychiatric disabilities if they were given the same
                opportunities available to people with mental
                retardation or severe physical disabilities.
                Sec. 2. Implementation.
                    (a) The Director of the Office of Personnel
                Management shall, consistent with OPM authority,
                provide that persons with psychiatric disabilities are
                subject to the same hiring rules as persons with mental
                retardation or severe physical disabilities.
                    (b) Civil Service Rule III (5 CFR Part 3) is
                amended by adding the following new paragraph to
                subsection (b) of section 3.1:
                       ``(3) An employee with psychiatric disabilities
                who completes at least 2 years of satisfactory service
                in a position excepted from the competitive service.''
[[Page 31104]]
                Sec. 3. The Director of the Office of Personnel
                Management shall prescribe such regulations as may be
                necessary to implement this order.
                    (Presidential Sig.)
                THE WHITE HOUSE,
                    June 4, 1999.
[FR Doc. 99-14825
Filed 6-8-99; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P