5 U.S.C. § 5383 — Setting individual senior executive pay

(a) Each "appointing authority" must choose, using criteria established by the Office of Personnel Management, which pay rate within the range established under section 5382 will be paid to each "senior executive" under that authority. (b) Members of the "Senior Executive Service" are subject to the limit in section 5307. (c) Unless regulations issued by the Office under section 5385 provide otherwise, the basic pay rate for a "senior executive" may not be adjusted more than once in any 12-month period. (d) The basic pay rate for any "career appointee" may be lowered only if that career appointee receives written notice of the reduction at least 15 days before the reduction. (e) (1) This subsection applies to— (A) an individual who has served at least 5 years of current continuous service in one or more positions in the "competitive service" and is appointed as a career appointee without a break in service; and (B) an individual who— (i) holds a position that is changed from the competitive service to a "career reserved position" in the Senior Executive Service; and (ii) on the date of that change, has at least 5 years of current continuous service in one or more positions in the competitive service. (2) (A) If a career appointee is appointed in the circumstances described in paragraph (1)(A), the appointee’s initial pay rate may not be lower than the basic pay rate last payable to that individual immediately before the appointment. (B) If a career appointee’s position is changed as described in paragraph (1)(B), the appointee’s initial pay rate after the change may not be lower than the basic pay rate last payable to that individual immediately before the position was changed. This section does not define "appointing authority," "senior executive," "Senior Executive Service," "career appointee," "competitive service," "career reserved position," or "current continuous service."