Section 10
SEC. 10. Section Twenty-four of the same Act is hereby amended to read as follows: "SEC. 24. Personnel Actions and Employment Status.&mdashWhenever used with reference to this Act, any action denoting the movement and progress of personnel in the civil service shall be known as personnel action. Such an action shall include appointment, promotion, transfer, demotion, separation and reinstatement. "(a) Appointment in the Civil Service.— Appointment in the civil service shall be either permanent or temporary. "(b) Permanent Appointment.— A permanent appointment shall be issued to a person who has met all the requirements for the position to which he is being appointed in accordance with the provisions of this Act and the rules and standards promulgated in pursuance thereto. All such persons must serve a probationary period of six months following their original appointment and shall undergo a thorough character investigation in order to acquire permanent civil service status. A probationer may be dropped from the service for unsatisfactory conduct or want of capacity any time before the expiration of the probationary period: Provided, That such action is appealable to the Commissioner of Civil Service, under section sixteen, paragraph (j) of this Act. "(c) Temporary Appointment.— A temporary appointment may be issued to a person who has not qualified in an appropriate examination but who otherwise meets the requirements for the position to which he is being appointed, whenever a vacancy occurs and the immediate filling of the vacancy is urgently required in the public interest or such vacancy is not permanent, in the absence of eligibles actually and immediately available. Temporary appointments to permanent vacancies in the competitive service shall not exceed twelve months, and those to temporary vacancies shall terminate upon the return of the incumbent. "(d) Effectivity of appointments.— Appointments shall not require previous approval by the Commission on Civil Service for their effectivity, without prejudice to the authority of the Commission on Civil Service to disapprove the same under section sixteen, paragraph (h). "(e) Other Personnel Actions.— Promotions, transfers, demotion, separation and/or reinstatement of employees in the service shall be reported to the Commission in accordance with the provisions of this Act and the rules promulgated pursuant thereto. "(f) Limitation on Employment of Persons in the Non-Competitive Service.— No person appointed to a position in the non-competitive service shall perform the duties properly belonging to any position in the competitive service. "(g) Reduction in Force.— Whenever it becomes necessary because of lack of work or funds or due to a necessary change in the scope or nature of an agency's program, or whenever it is advisable in the interest of economy to reduce the staff of any department, office, bureau, or agency, those in the same group or class of position in one or more bureaus or offices within the particular Department wherein the reduction is to be effected, shall be reasonably compared in terms of relative fitness, efficiency and length of service, and those found to be least qualified for the remaining positions shall be laid off. The Commissioner of Civil Service shall promulgate rules and regulations to carry out the provisions of this subjection. "(h) Limitation on appointment in the Civil Service.— No person shall be appointed to nor hold two or more full-time position in the government including the government-owned or controlled corporations or offices whether in a temporary or permanent capacity or with or without salary, emoluments and/or allowances: Provided, That this prohibition shall not apply to a person who holds a position or positions in an ex-officio capacity or in consequence of an express provision of law.