CPM 2002-16

December 20, 2002

MEMORANDUM FOR HEADS OF EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES

FROM:	KAY COLES JAMES Director
SUBJECT:	Half-Day Closing of Government Departments and Agencies on Tuesday, December 24, 2002

The President has issued an Executive order excusing Federal employees from duty for the last half of the scheduled workday on Tuesday, December 24, 2002, except those who, in the judgment of the head of the agency, cannot be excused for reasons of national security, defense, or other essential public business. For pay and leave purposes, this period will be treated as falling within the scope of statutes and Executive orders governing holidays for Federal employees. A copy of the Executive order will be posted on the Office of Personnel Management's Web site as soon as it becomes available from the White House.

Most employees who are excused from duty on December 24th will receive the basic pay they would have received if no Executive order had been issued. An employee who was previously scheduled to take annual leave on December 24th will be charged annual leave (or any other form of paid leave, compensatory time off, or credit hours) only for the first half of his or her scheduled workday. (This policy does not apply to employees who receive annual premium pay for standby duty under 5 U.S.C. 5545(c)(1) or to firefighters who are covered by the special pay provisions of 5 U.S.C. 5545b.) An employee who is required to work nonovertime hours during the last half of his or her scheduled workday on December 24th is entitled to holiday premium pay under 5 U.S.C. 5546(b).

For general pay and leave administration instructions, please refer to our fact sheets on-

• Federal holidays, at http://www.opm.gov/oca/worksch/HTML/HOLIDAY.ASP;
• Compressed work schedules, at http://www.opm.gov/oca/worksch/HTML/AWScws.asp; and
• Flexible work schedules, at http://www.opm.gov/oca/worksch/HTML/awsfws.asp.

Employees of the U.S. Postal Service and contract employees should contact their supervisor (or contract officer) to obtain information on their pay and leave entitlements for December 24th.