January 10, 2017

To: District Government Agency Heads

Subject: Inauguration Day - DPM Op. 2016-1220

Every four years following a Presidential election, an inauguration is held to officially swear-in the President and Vice-President of the United-States. As Friday, January 20, 2017, marks the next inauguration Day, this communication is being sent to provide guidance to agency heads on pertinent compensation and time off issues specific to this holiday. (6B DCMR § 1220.2)

Compensation and Holiday Premium Pay
January 20, 2017(Inauguration Day) shall be observed as a legal public holiday for employees scheduled to work on that day. With respect to compensation on this date, employees who are excused from duty that day are entitled to holiday pay. An employee who is required to work his or her regularly scheduled tour of duty on Inauguration Day is entitled to pay at his or her rate of basic pay for the scheduled non-overtime tour of duty plus a holiday worked premium for each hour worked during the scheduled daily tour of duty. The holiday worked premium is only available for the originally scheduled tour of duty and only for non-overtime hours. (6B DCMR § 1132)

Overtime
Overtime is separate and distinct from premium pay. Overtime is compensation that has been approved in advance and in writing for work more than 40 hours in a workweek or 80 hours in a pay period for an FLSA non-exempt employee.[1] In the event an employee is required to work on Inauguration Day, and the time worked constitutes overtime, an FLSA non-exempt employee is entitled to overtime pay or compensatory time. On occasion, an FLSA exempt employee [2] may also be required to work beyond his or her scheduled tour of duty. An exempt employee required to work on Inauguration Day in excess of his or her tour may be entitled to exempt time off (ETO) or overtime pay at the discretion of the agency head.

No "In-Lieu-Of" Day
Unlike other legal public holidays, there is no “in lieu of” holiday when Inauguration Day falls on an employee’s scheduled day off, including employees with compressed schedules. An employee on a compressed work schedule whose day off falls on Inauguration Day is not entitled to an “in lieu of” holiday.

While this information is meant to provide an overview, in addition to the above chapters and issuances, more information may be viewed in DPM Bulletin No. 12-312, and in any applicable collective bargaining agreement.