CLARIFICATION OF VETERANS’ CIVIL SERVICE EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES.

SEC. 511. CLARIFICATION OF VETERANS’ CIVIL SERVICE EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES. (a) Coordination of Amendments.—If the Federal Reserve Board Retirement Portability Act is enacted before this Act, the amendments made by subsection (b) shall be made and the amendments made by subsection (c) shall not be made. Otherwise, the amendments made by subsection (c) shall be made and the amendments made by subsection (b) and the amendments made by section 204 of the Federal Reserve Board Retirement Portability Act shall not be made. (b) Clarification of Civil Service Employment Opportunities.—Subject to subsection (a), section 3304(f) of title 5, United States Code, as amended by section 204 of the Federal Reserve Board Retirement Portability Act, is amended— (1) in paragraph (2), as added by such section, by striking “shall acquire competitive status and”; and (2) by adding at the end the following new paragraph: “(5) The Office of Personnel Management shall prescribe regulations necessary for the administration of this subsection. The regulations shall ensure that an individual who has completed an initial tour of active duty is not excluded from the application of this subsection because of having been released from such tour of duty shortly before completing 3 years of active service, having been honorably released from such duty.”. (c) Clarification of Civil Service Employment Opportunities.—Subject to subsection (a), section 3304(f) of title 5, United States Code, is amended— (1) by striking paragraph (4); (2) by redesignating paragraphs (2) and (3) as paragraphs (3) and (4), respectively; (3) by inserting after paragraph (1) the following new paragraph (2): “(2) If selected, a preference eligible or veteran described in paragraph (1) shall receive a career or career-conditional appointment, as appropriate.”; and (4) by adding at the end the following new paragraph: “(5) The Office of Personnel Management shall prescribe regulations necessary for the administration of this subsection. The regulations shall ensure that an individual who has completed an initial tour of active duty is not excluded from the application of this subsection because of having been released from such tour of duty shortly before completing 3 years of active service, having been honorably released from such duty.”. (d) Effective Date.—(1)If pursuant to subsection (a) the amendments specified in subsection (b) are made, those amendments shall apply as if included in section 204 of the Federal Reserve Board Retirement Portability Act. 113 STAT. 1576 (2) If pursuant to subsection (a) the amendments specified in subsection (c) are made, those amendments shall take effect as of October 31, 1998, as if included in subsection (f) of section 3304 of title 5, United States Code, as enacted by section 2 of the Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (Public Law 105–339; 112 Stat. 3182).