Federal health officers gain military-level leave protections
H.R. 2846 — To amend title II of the Public Health Service Act to include as an additional right or privilege of commissioned officers of the Public Health Service (and their beneficiaries) certain leave provided under title 10, United States Code to commissioned officers of the Army (or their beneficiaries). · Filed by Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) · 4 cosponsors · Introduced Apr 10, 2025 · Reported out
Your members of Congress
Enter a ZIP to see where your representative and both senators stood on this bill.
Looked up on this device — your ZIP is never stored on our servers.
What it does
This bill extends military leave benefits to commissioned officers of the Public Health Service (PHS) by incorporating Chapter 40 of title 10 (the military leave statute) into PHS law. It repeals a separate PHS leave provision (Section 219) to avoid duplication. The result: PHS officers and their beneficiaries gain access to the same leave entitlements—including annual leave, sick leave, and other protections—that Army officers receive.
Why we flagged it
The bill's sole operative function is to extend military leave protections to a federal civilian workforce (PHS officers) by statutory cross-reference, eliminating a gap in their benefits package relative to uniformed service members.
What the text implies
- Incorporation of Chapter 40 by reference means PHS officers automatically inherit any future amendments to military leave law without requiring separate legislative action, creating a dynamic link between military and civilian federal leave policy.
- Repeal of Section 219 removes a standalone PHS leave statute; if Section 219 contained provisions not covered by Chapter 40 (e.g., PHS-specific leave accrual or usage rules), those gaps are not addressed and may create ambiguity in implementation.
The full analysis lists 3 implications of this text.
Who it affects
PHS commissioned officers (who staff federal health agencies, disaster response, and public health missions) gain explicit statutory parity with military officers on leave entitlements, improving job security and work-life protections for federal health workers. The repeal of Section 219 eliminates a potentially weaker or narrower prior standard, consolidating benefits upward.