Pub. L. 112-74, div. E, tit. I (as amended)

121.(a)16 U.S.C. 1725aDirect Hire Authority.—(1)During fiscal year 2012 and thereafter, the Secretary (as defined in section 203 of the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 (16 U.S.C. 1722)) may appoint, without regard to the provisions of subchapter I of chapter 33 of title 5, United States Code, other than sections 3303 and 3328 of such title, a qualified candidate described in paragraph (2) directly to a position for which the candidate meets Office of Personnel Management qualification standards.(2)Paragraph (1) applies with respect to a former resource assistant (as defined in section 203 of the Public Land Corps Act (16 U.S.C. 1722)) who—(A)completed a rigorous undergraduate or graduate summer internship with the Secretary (as so defined), such as the National Park Service Business Plan Internship;(B)successfully fulfilled the requirements of the internship program; and(C)subsequently earned an undergraduate or graduate degree from an accredited institution of higher education.(3)The direct hire authority under this subsection may not be exercised with respect to a specific qualified candidate after the end of the two-year period beginning on the date on which the candidate completed the undergraduate or graduate degree, as the case may be.(b)Local Hire Authority.—Section 1308 of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980 (16 U.S.C. 3198) is amended—(1)in subsection (a), by striking establish a program and inserting establish an excepted service appointment authority,;(2)in subsection (b), by striking competitive service as defined in section 2102 of such title for which such person is eligible under subchapter I of chapter 33 of such title, in selection to such position and inserting excepted service as defined in section 2103 of such title;(3)in subsection (e), by redesignating paragraph (2) as paragraph (3) and inserting after paragraph (1) the following new paragraph (2):(2)Conversion to competitive service.Employees who satisfactorily complete two years of continuous service in a permanent appointment made under subsection (a) and who meet satisfactory performance and competitive service qualification requirements shall have their appointment converted to competitive service career-conditional or career employment as appropriate. This paragraph applies to individuals appointed on or after March 30, 2009. An employee who does not meet competitive service qualification requirements after two years of continuous service in an appointment made under subsection (a) shall be converted upon meeting such qualification requirements. Temporary and time-limited appointments will be made in the excepted service. There is no provision for conversion to competitive service when appointments are time-limited..(c)Gulf of Mexico Region.—For fiscal years 2012 and 2013, funds made available in this title for the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement may be used by the Secretary of the Interior to establish higher minimum rates of basic pay for employees of the Department of the Interior in the Gulf of Mexico Region in the Geophysicist (GS-1313), Geologist (GS-1350), and Petroleum Engineer (GS-0881) job series at grades 5 through 15 at rates no greater than 25 percent above the minimum rates of basic pay normally scheduled, and such higher rates shall be consistent with the subsections (e) through (h) of section 5305 of title 5, United States Code.