DOE O 137.1B Chg. 3 (LtdChg), Operating in the Event of a Lapse of Appropriations
To establish the Department of Energy (DOE), including the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Plan and procedures for: (a.) Continuing operations using available balances (unexpired prior-year appropriations, receipts, reimbursable authority, revolving funds, or other authority available by law), where available, during a lapse in appropriations and (b.)Upon exhaustion of all available balances, (1) continuing only those functions excepted from shutdown and activities related to the safety of human life or the protection of property and (2) initiating orderly shutdown of those activities not included under (1).
Supersedes:
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Text extracted from the attached file. Refer to the original document for the authoritative version.
Section 1
AVAILABLE ONLINE AT: INITIATED BY:
www.directives.doe.gov Office of the Chief Financial Officer
U.S. Department of Energy ORDER
Washington, DC
Approved: 9-30-2011
Chg 1 (LtdChg): 4-30-2020
Chg 2 (AdminChg): 9-24-2021
Chg 3 (LtdChg): 12-18-2024
SUBJECT: OPERATING IN THE EVENT OF A LAPSE IN APPROPRIATIONS
1. PURPOSE. To establish the Department of Energy (DOE), including the National
Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Plan and procedures for:
a. Continuing operations using available balances (unexpired prior-year
appropriations, receipts, reimbursable authority, revolving funds, or other
authority available by law), where available, during a lapse in appropriations and
b. Upon exhaustion of all available balances, (1) continuing only those functions
excepted from shutdown and activities related to the safety of human life or the
protection of property and (2) initiating orderly shutdown of those activities not
included under (1).
2. CANCELS/SUPERSEDES. DOE O 137.1B Chg 2 (LtdChg), Operating in the Event of
a Lapse in Appropriations, dated 4-30-2020. Cancellation of a directive does not, by
itself, modify or otherwise affect any contractual or regulatory obligation to comply
with the directive.
3. APPLICABILITY.
a. Departmental Applicability. Except for the equivalencies/exemptions in paragraph
3.c., this directive applies to all Departmental elements.
(1) The Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration
(NNSA) must assure that NNSA employees comply with their
responsibilities under this directive. Nothing in this directive will be
construed to interfere with the NNSA Administrator’s authority under
section 3212(d) of Public Law (P.L.) 106-65 to establish
Administration-specific policies, unless disapproved by the Secretary.
(2) The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) has been self-financed with
a permanent, indefinite appropriation since 1974, does not receive annual
appropriations and thereby this order is not entirely applicable to BPA.
The Department's Chief Financial Officer, Chief Human Capital Officer,
and the BPA Chief Financial Officer will work collaboratively to provide
the DOE Chief Financial Officer and Chief Human Capital Officer any
necessary and applicable information that DOE must report consistent
with this Order.
DRAFT
DOE O 137.1B
http://www.directives.doe.gov/
2 DOE O 137.1B
9-30-2011
b. DOE Contractors. This Order does not apply to contractors.Financial Assistance.
This Directive applies to the Federal management of financial assistance
programs, including the administration, oversight, or awarding of financial
assistance agreements. This Directive does not apply directly to recipients of
financial assistance.
c. Equivalencies/Exemptions for DOE O 137.1B.
Exemption. This Order does not apply to the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission as an independent regulatory commission.
4. BACKGROUND.
a. If Congress fails to pass appropriations for the new fiscal year by October 1, it is
likely a continuing resolution will be enacted to provide limited, interim funding.
In this situation, allotments will be issued in accordance with the provisions of the
continuing resolution and implementing guidance from the Office of Management
and Budget (OMB).
b. A continuing resolution provides budget authority for ongoing activities for a
specific, limited period of time. The amount appropriated by a continuing
resolution will vary. However, the terms of the continuing resolution will specify
Section 2
how to determine the amount of budget authority provided for each Treasury
Appropriation Fund Symbol (TAFS). The terms specify the number of days
covered and the specific basis for determining the amount of budget authority
(such as the prior year appropriation acts, the current rate, the current year House
or Senate proposed appropriation bills, the President's Budget Request, or some
combination thereof).
(1) The Advice of Allotment (HQ F 2260.2) is restricted to the amount
permitted under the terms of the continuing resolution and consistent with
OMB guidance. The funds provided by the allotment may not be used to—
(a) exceed any limitations or provisions specified in the terms of the
continuing resolution; or
(b) exceed any obligation control levels established; or
(c) exceed any administrative or statutory restrictions established in
the Advice of Allotment.
(2) The Chief Financial Officer will provide additional information pertaining
to operating under a continuing resolution, as necessary to ensure the
orderly execution of program funds during this period.
5. REQUIREMENTS.
DOE O 137.1B 3
9-30-11
a. Operating in the Absence of New Appropriations. This is commonly referred to as
a “Lapse in Appropriations.” The Attorney General of the United States issued an
opinion on 4-25-80, stating that the language and legislative history of 31 United
States Code (U.S.C.) 1341, the Anti-Deficiency Act, unambiguously prohibits
Federal officials from incurring obligations in the absence of appropriations.
Essentially, in the absence of appropriations for the new fiscal year, DOE may not
incur new obligations, unless they can lawfully be funded from unexpired prior
year appropriations, or are otherwise authorized by law. If no unobligated
amounts from unexpired prior-year appropriations exist, DOE may only incur
obligations under authority of 31 U.S.C. 1342 for activities involving the safety of
human life or the protection of property.
(1) If neither regular appropriations nor a continuing resolution is enacted,
only funds currently obligated and available unobligated prior year
balances will be available for current fiscal year operations. Under this
situation, each organization must carefully manage the funds available to
ensure that only mandatory requirements (e.g., payroll, contracts, etc.) are
funded until an appropriation or continuing resolution is passed.
(2) If a lapse in appropriations is likely to occur, the following actions will be
taken:
(a) The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) or designee, in coordination
with NNSA, will issue data calls to all Departmental elements as
needed to obtain an estimate of the available balances, as well as
any other needed information.
(b) The Chief Human Capital Officer (CHCO) or designee, in
coordination with NNSA, will issue a data call to organizational
elements as needed to obtain information on the identities and
functions of proposed excepted employees (those who will be
performing functions required during a lapse in appropriations), as
well as any other needed information.
(c) The Senior Procurement Executive for DOE and NNSA or
designee(s) will issue a data call to program offices via Heads of
Contracting Activity and Procurement Directors as needed to
obtain information regarding contracts and financial assistance
agreements necessary to determine appropriate acquisition actions.
(d) The Departmental elements, including the NNSA, will respond
Section 3
promptly to any data calls issued by the CFO, the CHCO, the
Senior Procurement Executive or their designees.
(3) If a Lapse in Appropriations occurs (e.g., DOE’s regular annual
appropriations are not enacted and no continuing resolution is passed),
DOE could face a no-funds situation for selected activities. A no-funds
4 DOE O 137.1B
9-30-11
situation occurs when DOE is under a Lapse in Appropriations and all
available balances are fully utilized for a given program, project or
activity. Under this situation, Headquarters elements and field offices
would be required to identify the affected programs, and the actions
identified in paragraph 5.c. would apply.
(4) The potential exists for no-funds situations to occur multiple times. If the
continuing resolution is of a short duration (less than a year), DOE must
prepare for a potential no-funds situation each time the continuing
resolution expires. Should this situation occur, guidance will be provided
by the CFO as each continuing resolution expires, and available balances
will be distributed, as law permits. Because of the potential for a no-funds
situation occurring upon expiration of a continuing resolution, current year
funds provided under a continuing resolution should be used before other
available balances, within legal restrictions. This will preserve the
available balances for operations in the event a no-funds situation does
occur. The actual timetable for shutdown depends on the type and amount
of funding carried over and available to the organization, function,
program, or activity.
(5) In the case of time-limited funds, any unobligated balances expire for
purposes of incurring new obligations at the end of the period of
availability, and shutdown commences immediately. Departmental
elements funded by no-year or unexpired multiyear appropriations must
continue to perform all activities at the minimum level possible until all
available balances carried over from prior fiscal years has been exhausted.
If Congress has not enacted an appropriation or continuing resolution at
that time, those Departmental elements must commence shutdown
activities. Each Departmental element with funds available should
exercise prudence in making new obligations.
(6) Departmental elements utilizing use of receipts, revolving fund, or
reimbursable authority, or other available authority will continue to
perform all activities until all available balances have been exhausted. If
the receipts available for obligation are decreasing or likely to be
interrupted, programmatic activities should be reduced to a minimum level
to prolong operations.
(7) In the case of DOE activities financed by revolving funds, shutdown
activities commence if the fund revenues are interrupted or exhausted. If
the fund revenues are decreasing or likely to be interrupted, programmatic
activities should be reduced to a minimum level to prolong operation of
the fund.
b. General Steps Before Initiating Shutdown. If the Congress fails to pass a
continuing resolution or full-year appropriations bill, or if the short-term
continuing resolution authority has expired, DOE will limit its activities to those
DOE O 137.1B 5
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necessary to continue operations at a minimal level, utilizing available balances.
When the exhaustion of available balances is imminent (a no-funds situation) and
no other authorized funding mechanisms are available, the Department must
Section 4
initiate actions necessary to begin the orderly shutdown of operations.
(1) Budget Related Steps.
(a) The CFO will redistribute available balances to the extent
permitted by law to forestall the interruption of operations.
(b) The CFO will notify organizations that funds have been reallotted
below the appropriation and fund account level. Such changes
must be documented and/or immediately reflected in formal
written revisions to DOE F 2260.2, Advice of Allotment.
(c) DOE will seek approval to use available reprogramming and
transfer authority to reprogram and transfer funds between
appropriations and/or fund accounts as necessary. The transfers
will be effected in accordance with the standard fiscal procedures
governing appropriation transfer of DOE funds. Such transfers
generally will be effected on Standard Form (SF) 1151,
“Nonexpenditure Transfer Authorization.”
(d) As provided in OMB Bulletin 80-14 (Shutdown of Agency
Operations Upon Failure by the Congress to Enact
Appropriations, August 28, 1980), as amended, amounts contained
in OMB apportionments may be adjusted without submission of a
reapportionment request.
(e) After all available balances have been reallotted or transferred and
the available balances finally exhausted, the organizations,
functions, programs, or activities funded through the now-depleted
appropriations must begin the orderly shutdown of all activities not
identified as excepted.
(f) DOE may incur obligations for excepted and shutdown activities
once available balances have been exhausted; however, no funds
will be disbursed for these obligations without the enactment of an
appropriations act or continuing resolution.
(2) Personnel and Other Related Steps.
(a) Prior to a Lapse in Funding. Departmental elements must identify
excepted activities to be continued during a no-funds shutdown,
where available balances have been exhausted, including those
performed by DOE that are authorized by law and those involving
the safety of human life or the protection of property.
6 DOE O 137.1B
9-30-11
The decision to continue any activities during a no-funds
situation depends on the specific circumstances at that time. Not
every action within an excepted activity is necessarily one that
protects life or property. Moreover, only the absolute minimum
number of employees needed to perform authorized excepted
activities should be identified. The heads of Departmental
elements should submit their proposed list of excepted employees
along with their title, series, grade, and individual justification to
the CHCO. The CHCO, the General Counsel, and for NNSA, the
NNSA General Counsel will jointly make the final decision on
which employees will be authorized to perform excepted
activities. All other Federal employees will be furloughed. If the
Administrator of NNSA does not agree with the final list for
NNSA, the matter may be elevated to the Secretary or Deputy
Secretary for resolution.
Excepted activities must be performed at the absolute minimum
level necessary. The minimum number of staff and support
services may also be maintained to perform each of these
activities. If an employee is not needed for a full work day to carry
out excepted activities, they must only come into the office or
otherwise perform their duties for the minimum period of time
necessary to complete the excepted activities.
(b) The CHCO must authorize the transmission of a “Furlough
Section 5
Decision Notice Due to Lapse of Appropriations” (5 Code of
Federal Regulations, Part 752). This notice should be issued prior
to the furlough, but when this is not feasible, any reasonable notice
(telecommunication, written, or oral) is permissible. If prior
written notice is not provided, DOE must provide the employee
with a written decision notice at the earliest possible time
following the furlough.
(c) Departmental elements must notify excepted personnel of their
status before shutdown occurs and inform them of their obligation
to report to work in a non-pay status to conduct only excepted
activities. Such employees are advised that the United States will
not contest its legal obligation to pay for their service after
appropriations are passed.
(d) During the period of time leading up to a lapse of appropriations,
travel should be closely monitored to avoid unnecessary travel
expenses.
(e) Mission-critical travel is permitted during a lapse at the discretion
of each program until available balances are exhausted.
DOE O 137.1B 7
9-30-11
Once available balances have been exhausted, supervisors must
contact any employee on travel status and advise him or her to
either return to the duty station immediately, or volunteer to be
furloughed at the travel site when such arrangement is in the best
interest of the Federal Government, see section 5.c.(2)(c) Travelers
who return to their duty stations should return in accordance with
normal Federal Travel Regulations.
(f) Employee Recall. Employees required to complete shutdown
activities and those employees required to maintain excepted
activities during the shutdown period will be recalled only with the
advice and approval of the CHCO, the General Counsel. For
NNSA, the NNSA General Counsel must advise and approve the
recall of any NNSA employee in coordination with the CHCO and
the General Counsel. Shutdown activities include, but are not
limited to the following:
1 Canceling meetings, hearings, and other previously
arranged business and notifying parties such as other
Federal agencies, State governments, and private entities
involved in Departmental matters of the cessation of
normal business.
2 Documenting the status of cases and projects so they can be
resumed, transferred, or otherwise appropriately handled
when the funding situation is determined.
3 Taking steps to plan, control, and maintain orderliness
throughout the phase down of operations.
4 Performing the fiscal and accounting tasks required to
maintain accountability and reporting obligations and
expenditures of all funds.
5 Performing those tasks necessary to protect classified
information, including listing all papers to the accorded
classified status and securing all appropriate files and
automatic data processing information.
6 Performing requisite administrative functions, such as
processing the payroll of the previous pay period, and
continuing those functions until available balances are
exhausted.
7 Conducting other functions that contribute directly to the
orderly shutdown of DOE, and protect life and safeguard
Government property and records.
8 DOE O 137.1B
9-30-11
c. Instructions for Shutdown on Non-Excepted Activities.
(1) General Operations During a Lapse in Appropriations.
(a) Only personnel designated as excepted from furlough will report to
work during Departmental shutdowns. Excepted employees
perform duties vital to the continuation of excepted activities as
Section 6
determined under this order described in paragraph 5b(2)(a). These
employees will not be furloughed under the provisions of this
Order. Excepted employees also perform functions to orderly
cease non-excepted functions as expeditiously as possible and will
not be dismissed or excused from work due to emergency
situations described in OMB Bulletin No. 80-14, “Shutdown of
Agency Operations Upon Failure by the Congress to Enact
Appropriations,” dated 8-28-80 (amended by OMB Memorandum,
“Agency Operations in the Absence of Appropriations,” dated 11-
17-81, further updated by Department of Justice memorandum,
“Government Operations in the Event of a Lapse in
Appropriations,” dated 8-16-95), and other applicable OMB
guidance.
(b) The Servicing Human Resource Office must distribute copies of
the specific furlough notice to each employee not designated as
excepted. Personnel actions to effect the furlough will be processed
centrally by the staff of the CHCO.
(c) To facilitate the issuance of furlough notices, the CFO must notify
the CHCO when available balances for specific organizations or
functions remain available to cover activities for approximately 3
workdays.
(d) Members of the Senior Executive Service (SES) will be furloughed
in accordance with applicable law and DOE guidance.
(e) Presidential appointees, who are outside the SES and are not
otherwise subject to 5 U.S.C. 6301, the “Federal Employees
Family Friendly Leave Act,” and attendant regulations governing
leave in the Federal service, are not subject to furlough.
(f) The specific authority for furloughing individuals working under
mobility agreements pursuant to the Intergovernmental Personnel
Act of 1970 (42 U.S.C. 4701), in organizations either inside or
outside the Federal Government, will depend on the nature of
individual agreements, the status of the appointments, and/or the
funding arrangements for the assignments. As a general rule, the
following principles apply in determining whether to furlough
DOE O 137.1B 9
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personnel on Intergovernmental Personnel Act mobility
assignments:
1 Employees on detail to agencies affected by the lapse in
appropriations should return to DOE, provided that DOE
has sufficient funding for that employee.
2 Employees on detail to agencies not affected by the lapse of
appropriations should remain at their detail agency.
3 Employees on detail to DOE are subject to furlough in the
same manner as other DOE employees, and should contact
their home agency for additional instructions during a lapse
in appropriations.
(g) Temporary employees must be furloughed in the same manner as
permanent employees.
(h) Excepted employees performing excepted activities may not be
required to stay the entire workday. They must stay only as long as
required to perform those activities for orderly shutdown or to
perform identified excepted activities. Accurate documentation of
time and attendance for excepted employees during the shutdown
is the joint responsibility of both the employee and supervising
official at the time.
(i) As employees required to perform shutdown activities complete
their assigned work, they will be placed in a furlough status. Each
employee’s supervisor is responsible for promptly notifying the
servicing personnel office through the organizational point of
contact when an employee is placed on furlough for proper record
keeping. The Servicing Human Resource Office must then notify
Section 7
the CHCO to initiate furlough action.
(j) Supervisors should identify employees or positions that are
necessary to perform the functions associated with the orderly
cessation of activity. These employees will continue to work for
the length of time necessary to complete shutdown activities. All
shutdown activities should be accomplished to facilitate efficient
reactivation of operations when funds are again available. The
selection of employees to participate in shutdown activities should
be based on the following criteria:
1 the number of employees or positions necessary for the
orderly termination of an activity and
2 the special knowledge, skills, or abilities required to
terminate activities.
10 DOE O 137.1B
9-30-11
(2) Prohibited Activities. Unless they are necessary to the direct support of
authorized excepted activities, the following activities will not be
permitted after available balances are exhausted unless the lack of the
proposed activity would jeopardize a property interest of the United States
or endanger human life. These activities include, but are not limited to:
(a) Awards of grants, contracts, cooperative agreements, scholarships,
and small purchases.
(b) Hiring of personnel or extending the appointment of personnel
whose appointments have expired, if doing so would result in
unauthorized obligation of funds during a lapse of appropriations.
(c) Travel of persons and transportation of things; an exception to this
prohibition is that persons in travel status on the first day of a lapse
in appropriations will return to their duty stations as soon as
possible or volunteer to be furloughed at the travel site, as provided
in Paragraph 5b(2)(d).
(d) Meetings, conferences, and seminars.
(e) New or continued employment of experts and consultants, if such
actions will incur a financial obligation.
(f) Training classes and other training activities.
(g) Use of equipment and utilities (including the use of Government
issued devices) not related to authorized activities where their use
creates liabilities for the Government beyond those existing on the
date of the funding lapse.
(h) Authorization of overtime.
(3) The list in paragraph 5.b.(2)(a) should not be considered exhaustive.
Actions taken should be consistent with the U.S. Attorney General’s
opinion (see letters dated 4-25-80 and 1-16- 81) and subsequent OMB
guidance. Questions of interpretation should be referred to the CHCO, the
Office of the General Counsel, or General Counsel for NNSA as
appropriate.
(4) The Government Fair Treatment Act of 2019 makes the legal requirement
to pay furloughed and excepted employees affected by the lapse in
appropriations permanent. The Act does not affect the pay of contractors.
Back pay will be consistent with OPM and OMB guidance.
DOE O 137.1B 11
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6. RESPONSIBILITIES.
a. Secretary. Designates the CHCO, the CFO, the General Counsel, and the Director,
Office of Administration (MA), or his or her designee(s) to coordinate activities
associated with the shutdown plan. The designated group will coordinate all
activities and information through the designated points of contact.
b. Heads of Departmental Elements, including NNSA.
(1) Review as needed the list of excepted activities to determine whether any
activities should be deleted or new activities added; Identify those
employees necessary to maintain and continue excepted activities and
Section 8
those needed to perform shutdown activities; Respond promptly to the
CHCO’s call regarding excepted personnel, and submit this information to
the CHCO, as required.
(2) Provide written notification to excepted employees of their designation as
such in writing and emphasize that they may perform only those activities
identified as excepted or part of the shutdown operations.
(3) Designate an individual from each organization to serve as the point of
contact for instructions pertaining to overall implementation of the
shutdown plan and subsequent reactivation of DOE operations.
(4) Notify appropriate bargaining agents of any proposed shutdown due to a
lack of funds as soon as feasible after the decision has been made and
prior to delivery of furlough notices to employees.
(5) Respond promptly to the CFO’s call for estimated available balances and
mandatory requirements.
c. General Counsel.
(1) Assist the Secretary and heads of Departmental elements in identifying
both the excepted functions performed by DOE and the associated
excepted personnel required to perform these functions to ensure
compliance with OMB guidance and opinions of the Attorney General.
(2) Provide review of reprogramming and transfer packages.
(3) Provide review of employee furlough notices.
(4) Participate with the CHCO in the review of excepted activities and the lists
of employees requested to perform those activities including any follow-
on requests for employee recalls. The NNSA General Counsel must
concur on all such requests from NNSA in coordination with the General
Counsel and CHCO.
12 DOE O 137.1B
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(5) Provide review of Congressional testimony statements related to any lapse
in appropriations.
(6) Provide review of guidance on the use of federally funded technology
devices.
d. Chief Financial Officer (CFO).
(1) Update the Department’s Plan for Operating During a Lapse in
Appropriations as required by OMB Circular No. A-11 and post the plan
on the DOE website.
(2) Establish financial mechanisms to track and monitor all obligations
incurred in maintaining excepted activities and terminating Departmental
operations as funds are depleted.
(3) Notify the CHCO when available balances for specific organizations or
functions remain available to cover activities for approximately 3
workdays.
(4) In conjunction with General Counsel, and NNSA General Counsel, and
within the limitations permitted by law, redistribute available balances to
meet urgent requirements and to delay, to the extent possible, the
shutdown of functions and organizations, and provide guidance on the
continuation of Work for Others activities.
(5) Notify the Secretary when funds for specific functions or organizations are
depleted and shutdown procedures are to be implemented.
e. Chief Human Capital Officer (CHCO).
(1) In conjunction with the General Counsel, obtain and approve the lists of
excepted activities and the employees requested to perform those activities
including any follow-on requests for employee recalls from Departmental
elements. The NNSA General Counsel must concur on all such requests
from NNSA, in coordination with the General Counsel and CHCO.
(2) Prepare examples of furlough notices consistent with OPM and DOE
regulations and policies, and transmit the examples to the General Counsel
for review and approval.
(3) Delegate to servicing human resources offices authority to issue furlough
notices to the field elements.
Section 9
(4) Manage the batch processing of furlough personnel actions for all
applicable Departmental elements.
DOE O 137.1B 13
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(5) Provide guidance on the rights and benefits of employees while they are in
a furlough status.
(6) Coordinate the review and approval of employee recalls with the General
Counsel and NNSA General Counsel.
f. Heads of Contracting Activities.
(1) Comply with directions and information requests issued by the Senior
Procurement Executive.
(2) Suspend acquisition and assistance awards pending validation of program
award decisions.
(3) Facilitate the deobligation of funds for unexpired appropriation accounts
through contract modifications to maximize funds availability for DOE
activities.
(4) Ensure timely modification of contracts in accordance with program
determinations.
(5) Ensure contract actions have been properly approved.
g. Director, Office of Administration, Office of Management (MA).
(1) In conjunction with the CFO and the General Counsel, provide guidance
on travel during a lapse of appropriation to the designated Program and
Field officials.
(2) Respond promptly to requests made by the CFO and the General Counsel
for travel-related information or guidance.
h. Program Managers at Headquarters and Field Elements.
(1) Review all pending and active program release or obligation documents to
determine whether the action should be continued or canceled.
(2) Submit each program release document or obligation document to the
appropriate senior official, pursuant to paragraph 6.a., for review and to
determine whether the request appears to be for an excepted function.
(3) Certify on each program release document that the commitment or
obligation of funds is excepted in accordance with the functions permitted
during a period of funding hiatus.
i. Chief Information Officer (CIO). Prepare and distribute guidance on the use of
federally funded technology devices as required, after review by the General
Counsel.
14 DOE O 137.1B
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j. NNSA General Counsel. Coordinate with the CHCO and the General Counsel
on the review and approval of excepted employees and recalled employees for
NNSA.
k. Designated Financial Officers.
(1) In coordination with CFO analyze expenditure rates of all programs and
contractors within their allottee in order to determine available balances.
(2) In coordination with CFO work with program offices to inform them of
any programmatic disruptions that appear inevitable upon exhaustion of
available balances.
(3) In coordination with CFO, work with program and procurement officials
to obligate and de- obligate funding in STRIPES, expedite contract actions
as necessary, and process the necessary financial plan and funding
documents.
l. Servicing Human Resources Offices.
(1) Notify appropriate bargaining agents of any proposed shutdown due to a
lack of appropriations as soon as feasible after the decision has been made
and prior to delivery of furlough notices to employees.
(2) Negotiate the impact and implementation of the shutdown of operations if
time permits in accordance with DOE policy and the Federal Labor
Management Relations Statute (5 U.S.C., Chapter 71). The decision to
shutdown operations due to a lack of funds is not negotiable; therefore,
negotiations will not preempt that decision.
(3) Issue furlough notices to employees for whom they are responsible in
Section 10
accordance with the guidance and examples provided by the CHCO.
(4) Notify employees of their rights and benefits while they are in a furlough
status in accordance with the guidance provided by the CHCO.
7. REFERENCES.
a. Title 5 CFR, Part 752, “Adverse Actions,” which incorporates the principal
statutory requirements for suspensions of 14 days or less for employees in the
SES.
b. Title 5 U.S.C., Chapter 71, “Labor Management Relations,” protects the right of
employees to organize, bargain collectively, and participate through labor
organizations of their own choosing in decisions that affect them.
c. Title 5 U.S.C., 6301 et seq., “Federal Employees Family Friendly Leave Act,”
which governs leave in the Federal service.
DOE O 137.1B 15
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d. Title 31 U.S.C., Section 1341, “Anti-Deficiency Act,” which states that no
Federal officer or employee may authorize Government obligations or
expenditures in advance of or in excess of an appropriation, unless otherwise
authorized by law.
e. Title 31 U.S.C., Section 1342, which states no Federal officer or employee may
accept voluntary services, except as authorized by law.
f. The Government Fair Treatment Act of 2019, which makes the legal requirement
to pay furloughed and excepted employees affected by the lapse in appropriations
permanent.
g. DOE O 130.1B, Budget Planning, Formulation, Execution, and Departmental
Performance Management, dated 1-7-21, which sets forth DOE requirements and
responsibilities for the distribution and control of all obligational authority
available to DOE for conducting operations.
h. DOE Financial Management Handbook, which presents DOE standards,
procedures, and operational requirements in support of DOE accounting policies,
principles, and legal requirements.
i. General Accounting Office Report, “Funding Gaps Jeopardize Federal
Government Operations,” dated 3-3-81, which addresses the problems created by
late appropriations and fund interruptions; describes the factors that delay the
enactment of legislation; and recommends action to prevent funding delays in the
future.
j. OMB Bulletin 80-14, as amended 8-20-82, “Shutdown of Agency Operations
upon Failure by Congress to Enact Appropriations,” which provides policy
guidance and instructions for actions to be taken when Congress fails to enact
appropriations.
k. OMB Memorandum, “Agency Operations in the Absence of Appropriations,”
dated 9-30-80, which states that in the absence of new appropriations, agencies
may continue only those activities otherwise authorized by law, and those
necessary to begin phasing down other activities.
l. OMB Circular No. A-11 (2021) Section 124, “Agency Operations in the Absence
of Appropriations,” which states that Federal officers may not incur any
obligations that cannot lawfully be funded from prior appropriations unless such
obligations are otherwise authorized by law.
m. Opinion of the U.S. Attorney General, in a letter from Benjamin R. Civiletti to the
President, dated 4-25-80, which states that upon a lapse of appropriations, Federal
agencies may incur no obligations that cannot lawfully be funded from prior
appropriations unless such obligations are otherwise authorized by law. It further
states that the Department of Justice would enforce the criminal provisions of the
Anti-Deficiency Act in the case of future willful violations.
16 DOE O 137.1B
9-30-11
n. Opinion of the U.S. Attorney General, in a letter from Benjamin R. Civiletti to the
Section 11
President, dated 1-16-81, (43 Op. Atty. Gen. 293) which provides the basis for
OMB’s guidance of 9-30-80, on agency operations during a lapse of
appropriations and presents additional questions of interpretation.
o. Opinion of the Assistant Attorney General, Walter Dellinger, in a letter to Alice
M. Rivlin, Director, OMB, dated 8-16-95, which clarified that only those
functions considered emergencies involving the safety of human life or the
protection of property would continue upon exhaustion of available funding.
8. CONTACT. Office of Budget, 202-586-4180.
DAVID M. TURK
Deputy Secretary
Untitled
1. PURPOSE. To establish the Department of Energy (DOE), including the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Plan and procedures for:
2. CANCELS/SUPERSEDES. DOE O 137.1B Chg 2 (LtdChg), Operating in the Event of a Lapse in Appropriations, dated 4-30-2020. Cancellation of a directive does not, by itself, modify or otherwise affect any contractual or regulatory obligation to comply with the directive.
3. APPLICABILITY.
4. BACKGROUND.
5. REQUIREMENTS.
6. RESPONSIBILITIES.
7. REFERENCES.
8. CONTACT. Office of Budget, 202-586-4180.