- § 4701. Contractor employees: protection from reprisal for disclosure of certain information
- § 4702. Incentives and consideration for qualified training programs
- § 4703. Displaced contractor employees: assistance to obtain certification and employment as teachers or employment as teachers’ aides
- § 4704. Defense contractors: listing of suitable employment openings with local employment service office
§ 4701. Contractor employees: protection from reprisal for disclosure of certain information
(a)Prohibition of Reprisals.—
(1) An employee of a contractor, subcontractor, grantee, or subgrantee or personal services contractor may not be discharged, demoted, or otherwise discriminated against as a reprisal for disclosing to a person or body described in paragraph (2) information that the employee reasonably believes is evidence of the following:
(A) Gross mismanagement of a Department of Defense contract or grant, a gross waste of Department funds, an abuse of authority relating to a Department contract or grant, or a violation of law, rule, or regulation related to a Department contract (including the competition for or negotiation of a contract) or grant.
(B) Gross mismanagement of a National Aeronautics and Space Administration contract or grant, a gross waste of Administration funds, an abuse of authority relating to an Administration contract or grant, or a violation of law, rule, or regulation related to an Administration contract (including the competition for or negotiation of a contract) or grant.
(C) A substantial and specific danger to public health or safety.
(2) The persons and bodies described in this paragraph are the persons and bodies as follows:
(A) A Member of Congress or a representative of a committee of Congress.
(B) An Inspector General.
(C) The Government Accountability Office.
(D) An employee of the Department of Defense or the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, as applicable, responsible for contract oversight or management.
(E) An authorized official of the Department of Justice or other law enforcement agency.
(F) A court or grand jury.
(G) A management official or other employee of the contractor, subcontractor, grantee, subgrantee, or personal services contractor who has the responsibility to investigate, discover, or address misconduct.
(3) For the purposes of paragraph (1)—
(A) an employee who initiates or provides evidence of contractor, subcontractor, grantee, subgrantee, or personal services contractor misconduct in any judicial or administrative proceeding relating to waste, fraud, or abuse on a Department of Defense or National Aeronautics and Space Administration contract or grant shall be deemed to have made a disclosure covered by such paragraph; and
(B) a reprisal described in paragraph (1) is prohibited even if it is undertaken at the request of a Department or Administration official, unless the request takes the form of a nondiscretionary directive and is within the authority of the Department or Administration official making the request.
(b)Investigation of Complaints.—
(1) A person who believes that the person has been subjected to a reprisal prohibited by subsection (a) may submit a complaint to the Inspector General of the Department of Defense, or the Inspector General of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in the case of a complaint regarding the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Unless the Inspector General determines that the complaint is frivolous, fails to allege a violation of the prohibition in subsection (a), or has previously been addressed in another Federal or State judicial or administrative proceeding initiated by the complainant, the Inspector General shall investigate the complaint and, upon completion of such investigation, submit a report of the findings of the investigation to the person, the contractor, subcontractor, grantee, subgrantee, or personal services contractor concerned, and the head of the agency.
(2)
(A) Except as provided under subparagraph (B), the Inspector General shall make a determination that a complaint is frivolous, fails to allege a violation of the prohibition in subsection (a), or has previously been addressed in another Federal or State judicial or administrative proceeding initiated by the complainant or submit a report under paragraph (1) within 180 days after receiving the complaint.
(B) If the Inspector General is unable to complete an investigation in time to submit a report within the 180-day period specified in subparagraph (A) and the person submitting the complaint agrees to an extension of time, the Inspector General shall submit a report under paragraph (1) within such additional period of time, up to 180 days, as shall be agreed upon between the Inspector General and the person submitting the complaint.
(3) The Inspector General may not respond to any inquiry or disclose any information from or about any person alleging the reprisal, except to the extent that such response or disclosure is—
(A) made with the consent of the person alleging the reprisal;
(B) made in accordance with the provisions of section 552a of title 5 or as required by any other applicable Federal law; or
(C) necessary to conduct an investigation of the alleged reprisal.
(4) A complaint may not be brought under this subsection more than three years after the date on which the alleged reprisal took place.
(c)Remedy and Enforcement Authority.—
(1) Not later than 30 days after receiving an Inspector General report pursuant to subsection (b), the head of the agency concerned shall determine whether there is sufficient basis to conclude that the contractor, subcontractor, grantee, subgrantee, or personal services contractor concerned has subjected the complainant to a reprisal prohibited by subsection (a) and shall either issue an order denying relief or shall take one or more of the following actions:
(A) Order the contractor, subcontractor, grantee, subgrantee, or personal services contractor to take affirmative action to abate the reprisal.
(B) Order the contractor, subcontractor, grantee, subgrantee, or personal services contractor to reinstate the person to the position that the person held before the reprisal, together with compensatory damages (including back pay), employment benefits, and other terms and conditions of employment that would apply to the person in that position if the reprisal had not been taken.
(C) Order the contractor, subcontractor, grantee, subgrantee, or personal services contractor to pay the complainant an amount equal to the aggregate amount of all costs and expenses (including attorneys’ fees and expert witnesses’ fees) that were reasonably incurred by the complainant for, or in connection with, bringing the complaint regarding the reprisal, as determined by the head of the agency.
(D) Consider disciplinary or corrective action against any official of the Department of Defense.
(2) If the head of an executive agency issues an order denying relief under paragraph (1) or has not issued an order within 210 days after the submission of a complaint under subsection (b), or in the case of an extension of time under paragraph (b)(2)(B), not later than 30 days after the expiration of the extension of time, and there is no showing that such delay is due to the bad faith of the complainant, the complainant shall be deemed to have exhausted all administrative remedies with respect to the complaint, and the complainant may bring a de novo action at law or equity against the contractor, subcontractor, grantee, subgrantee, or personal services contractor to seek compensatory damages and other relief available under this section in the appropriate district court of the United States, which shall have jurisdiction over such an action without regard to the amount in controversy. Such an action shall, at the request of either party to the action, be tried by the court with a jury. An action under this paragraph may not be brought more than two years after the date on which remedies are deemed to have been exhausted.
(3) An Inspector General determination and an agency head order denying relief under paragraph (2) shall be admissible in evidence in any de novo action at law or equity brought pursuant to this subsection.
(4) Whenever a person fails to comply with an order issued under paragraph (1), the head of the agency shall file an action for enforcement of such order in the United States district court for a district in which the reprisal was found to have occurred. In any action brought under this paragraph, the court may grant appropriate relief, including injunctive relief, compensatory and exemplary damages, and reasonable attorney fees and costs. The person upon whose behalf an order was issued may also file such an action or join in an action filed by the head of the agency.
(5) Any person adversely affected or aggrieved by an order issued under paragraph (1) may obtain review of the order’s conformance with this subsection, and any regulations issued to carry out this section, in the United States court of appeals for a circuit in which the reprisal is alleged in the order to have occurred. No petition seeking such review may be filed more than 60 days after issuance of the order by the head of the agency. Review shall conform to chapter 7 of title 5. Filing such an appeal shall not act to stay the enforcement of the order of the head of an agency, unless a stay is specifically entered by the court.
(6) The legal burdens of proof specified in section 1221(e) of title 5 shall be controlling for the purposes of any investigation conducted by an Inspector General, decision by the head of an agency, or judicial or administrative proceeding to determine whether discrimination prohibited under this section has occurred.
(7) The rights and remedies provided for in this section may not be waived by any agreement, policy, form, or condition of employment.
(d)Notification of Employees.—The Secretary of Defense and the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration shall ensure that contractors, subcontractors, grantees, subgrantees, or personal services contractors of the Department of Defense and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, as applicable, inform their employees in writing of the rights and remedies provided under this section, in the predominant native language of the workforce.
(e)Exceptions.—
(1) This section shall not apply to any element of the intelligence community, as defined in section 3(4) of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3003(4)).
(2) This section shall not apply to any disclosure made by an employee of a contractor, subcontractor, grantee, subgrantee, or personal services contractor of an element of the intelligence community if such disclosure—
(A) relates to an activity of an element of the intelligence community; or
(B) was discovered during contract, subcontract, grantee, or subgrantee services provided to an element of the intelligence community.
(f)Construction.—Nothing in this section may be construed to authorize the discharge of, demotion of, or discrimination against an employee for a disclosure other than a disclosure protected by subsection (a) or to modify or derogate from a right or remedy otherwise available to the employee.
(g)Definitions.—In this section:
(1) The term “agency” means an agency named in section 3063 of this title.
[(2) Repealed. Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, § 1863(c)(2), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4278.]
(3) The term “contract” means a contract awarded by the head of an agency.
(4) The term “contractor” means a person awarded a contract with an agency.
(5) The term “Inspector General” means an Inspector General appointed under chapter 4 of title 5 and any Inspector General that receives funding from, or has oversight over contracts or grants awarded for or on behalf of, the Secretary of Defense.
(6) The term “abuse of authority” means the following:
(A) An arbitrary and capricious exercise of authority that is inconsistent with the mission of the Department of Defense or the successful performance of a Department contract or grant.
(B) An arbitrary and capricious exercise of authority that is inconsistent with the mission of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration or the successful performance of an Administration contract or grant.
(7) The term “grantee” means a person awarded a grant with an agency.
(Added Pub. L. 99–500, § 101(c) [title X, § 942(a)(1)], Oct. 18, 1986, 100 Stat. 1783–82, 1783–162, and Pub. L. 99–591, § 101(c) [title X, § 942(a)(1)], Oct. 30, 1986, 100 Stat. 3341–82, 3341–162, § 2409; Pub. L. 99–661, div. A, title IX, formerly title IV, § 942(a)(1), Nov. 14, 1986, 100 Stat. 3942, renumbered title IX, Pub. L. 100–26, § 3(5), Apr. 21, 1987, 101 Stat. 273; amended Pub. L. 102–25, title VII, § 701(k)(1), Apr. 6, 1991, 105 Stat. 116; Pub. L. 102–484, div. A, title X, § 1052(30)(A), Oct. 23, 1992, 106 Stat. 2500; Pub. L. 103–355, title VI, § 6005(a), Oct. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 3364; Pub. L. 104–106, div. D, title XLIII, § 4321(a)(10), Feb. 10, 1996, 110 Stat. 671; Pub. L. 110–181, div. A, title VIII, § 846, Jan. 28, 2008, 122 Stat. 241; Pub. L. 112–239, div. A, title VIII, § 827(a)–(f), Jan. 2, 2013, 126 Stat. 1833–1836; Pub. L. 113–291, div. A, title VIII, § 856, title X, § 1071(c)(10), Dec. 19, 2014, 128 Stat. 3460, 3509; Pub. L. 114–261, § 1(a)(1), Dec. 14, 2016, 130 Stat. 1362; renumbered § 4701 and amended Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, § 1863(b), (c), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4278; Pub. L. 117–263, div. A, title VIII, § 807(a), Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 2703; Pub. L. 117–286, § 4(b)(28), Dec. 27, 2022, 136 Stat. 4346.)
§ 4702. Incentives and consideration for qualified training programs
(a)Incentives.—The Secretary of Defense shall develop workforce development investment incentives for a contractor that implements a qualified training program to develop the workforce of the contractor in a manner consistent with the needs of the Department of Defense.
(b)Consideration of Qualified Training Programs.—The Secretary of Defense shall revise the Department of Defense Supplement to the Federal Acquisition Regulation to require that the system used by the Federal Government to monitor or record contractor past performance includes an analysis of the availability, quality, and effectiveness of a qualified training program of an offeror as part of the past performance rating of such offeror.
(c)Qualified Training Program Defined.—The term “qualified training program” means any of the following:
(1) A program eligible to receive funds under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3101 et seq.).
(2) A program eligible to receive funds under the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2301 et seq.).
(3) A program registered under the Act of August 16, 1937 (commonly known as the “National Apprenticeship Act”; 50 Stat. 664; chapter 663; 29 U.S.C. 50 et seq.).
(4) Any other program determined to be a qualified training program for purposes of this section, and that meets the workforce needs of the Department of Defense, as determined by the Secretary of Defense.
(Added Pub. L. 116–92, div. A, title VIII, § 864(a), Dec. 20, 2019, 133 Stat. 1522, § 2409a; renumbered § 4702 and amended Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title X, § 1081(a)(40), title XVIII, § 1863(b), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 3873, 4278.)
§ 4703. Displaced contractor employees: assistance to obtain certification and employment as teachers or employment as teachers’ aides
(a)Assistance Program.—The Secretary of Defense may enter into a cooperative agreement with a defense contractor in order—
(1) to assist an eligible scientist or engineer employed by the contractor whose employment is terminated to obtain—
(A) certification or licensure as an elementary or secondary school teacher; or
(B) the credentials necessary to serve as a teacher’s aide; and
(2) to facilitate the employment of the scientist or engineer by a local educational agency that—
(A) is receiving a grant under title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 et seq.) as a result of having within its jurisdiction concentrations of children from low-income families; and
(B) is also experiencing a shortage of teachers or teachers’ aides.
(b)Eligible Defense Contractors.—
(1) The Secretary of Defense shall establish an application and selection process for the participation of defense contractors in a cooperative agreement authorized under subsection (a).
(2) The Secretary shall determine which defense contractors are eligible to participate in the placement program on the basis of applications submitted under subsection (c). The Secretary shall limit participation to those defense contractors or subcontractors that—
(A) produce goods or services for the Department of Defense pursuant to a defense contract or operate nuclear weapons manufacturing facilities for the Department of Energy; and
(B) have recently reduced operations, or are likely to reduce operations, due to the completion or termination of a defense contract or program or by reductions in defense spending.
(3) The Secretary shall give special consideration to defense contractors who are located in areas that have been hit particularly hard by reductions in defense spending.
(c)Defense Contractor Applications.—
(1) A defense contractor desiring to enter into a cooperative agreement with the Secretary of Defense under subsection (a) shall submit an application to the Secretary containing the following:
(A) Evidence that the contractor has been, or is expected to be, adversely affected by the completion or termination of a defense contract or program or by reductions in defense spending.
(B) An explanation that scientists and engineers employed by the contractor have been terminated, laid off, or retired, or are likely to be terminated, laid off, or retired, as a result of the completion or termination of a defense contract or program or reductions in defense spending.
(C) A description of programs implemented or proposed by the contractor to assist these scientists and engineers.
(D) A commitment to help fund the costs associated with the placement program by paying 50 percent of the stipend provided under subsection (g) to an employee or former employee of the contractor selected to receive assistance under this section.
(2) Once a cooperative agreement is entered into under subsection (a) between the Secretary and the defense contractor, the contractor shall publicize the program and distribute applications to prospective participants, and assist the prospective participants with the State screening process.
(d)Eligible Scientists and Engineers.—An individual shall be eligible for selection by the Secretary of Defense to receive assistance under this section if the individual—
(1) is employed or has been employed for not less than five years as a scientist or engineer with a private defense contractor that has entered into an agreement under subsection (a);
(2) has received—
(A) in the case of an individual applying for assistance for placement as an elementary or secondary school teacher, a baccalaureate or advanced degree from an accredited institution of higher education; or
(B) in the case of an individual applying for assistance for placement as a teacher’s aide in an elementary or secondary school, an associate, baccalaureate, or advanced degree from an accredited institution of higher education or a junior or community college; and
(3) has been terminated or laid off (or received notice of termination or lay off) as a result of the completion or termination of a defense contract or program or reductions in defense spending; and
(4) satisfies such other criteria for selection as the Secretary may prescribe.
(e)Selection of Participants.—
(1) In selecting participants to receive assistance for placement as elementary or secondary school teachers, the Secretary shall give priority to individuals who—
(A) have educational, military, or employment experience in science, mathematics, or engineering and agree to seek employment as science, mathematics, or engineering teachers in elementary or secondary schools; or
(B) have educational, military, or employment experience in another subject area identified by the Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Education, as important for national educational objectives and agree to seek employment in that subject area in elementary or secondary schools.
(2) The Secretary may not select an individual under this section unless the Secretary has sufficient appropriations to carry out this section available at the time of the selection to satisfy the obligations to be incurred by the United States under this section with respect to that individual.
(f)Agreement.—An individual selected under this section shall be required to enter into an agreement with the Secretary in which the participant agrees—
(1) to obtain, within such time as the Secretary may require, certification or licensure as an elementary or secondary school teacher or the necessary credentials to serve as a teacher’s aide in an elementary or secondary school; and
(2) to accept—
(A) in the case of an individual selected for assistance for placement as a teacher, an offer of full-time employment as an elementary or secondary school teacher for not less than two school years with a local educational agency identified under section 1151(b)(2) of this title, as in effect on October 4, 1999, to begin the school year after obtaining that certification or licensure; or
(B) in the case of an individual selected for assistance for placement as a teacher’s aide, an offer of full-time employment as a teacher’s aide in an elementary or secondary school for not less than two school years with a local educational agency identified under section 1151(b)(3) of this title, as in effect on October 4, 1999, to begin the school year after obtaining the necessary credentials.
(g)Stipend for Participants.—
(1) The Secretary of Defense shall pay to each participant in the placement program a stipend in an amount equal to the lesser of—
(A) $5,000; or
(B) the total costs of the type described in paragraphs (1), (2), (3), (8), and (9) of section 472 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087ll) incurred by the participant while obtaining teacher certification or licensure or the necessary credentials to serve as a teacher’s aide and employment as an elementary or secondary school teacher or teacher aide.
(2) A stipend provided under this section shall be taken into account in determining the eligibility of the participant for Federal student financial assistance provided under title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070 et seq.).
(h)Placement of Participants as Teachers and Teachers’ Aides.—Subsections (h) through (k) of section 1151 of this title, as in effect on October 4, 1999, shall apply with respect to the placement as teachers and teachers’ aides of individuals selected under this section.
(Added Pub. L. 102–484, div. D, title XLIV, § 4443(a), Oct. 23, 1992, 106 Stat. 2732, § 2410c; renumbered § 2410j and amended Pub. L. 103–35, title II, § 201(b)(1)(A), (g)(6), May 31, 1993, 107 Stat. 97, 100; Pub. L. 103–160, div. A, title XIII, § 1331(c)(3), Nov. 30, 1993, 107 Stat. 1792; Pub. L. 103–382, title III, § 391(b)(5), Oct. 20, 1994, 108 Stat. 4022; Pub. L. 104–106, div. A, title XV, § 1503(a)(23), Feb. 10, 1996, 110 Stat. 512; Pub. L. 104–201, div. A, title V, § 576(c), Sept. 23, 1996, 110 Stat. 2535; Pub. L. 106–398, § 1 [[div. A], title X, § 1087(a)(14)], Oct. 30, 2000, 114 Stat. 1654, 1654A–291; renumbered § 4703, Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, § 1863(b), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4278.)
§ 4704. Defense contractors: listing of suitable employment openings with local employment service office
(a)Regulations.—The Secretary of Defense shall promulgate regulations containing the requirement described in subsection (b) and such other provisions as the Secretary considers necessary to administer such requirement. Such regulations shall require that each contract described in subsection (c) shall contain a clause requiring the contractor to comply with such regulations.
(b)Requirement.—The regulations promulgated under this section shall require each contractor carrying out a contract described in subsection (c) to list immediately with the appropriate local employment service office, and where appropriate the Interstate Job Bank (established by the United States Employment Service), all of its suitable employment openings under such contract.
(c)Covered Contracts.—The regulations promulgated under this section shall apply to any contract entered into with the Department of Defense in an amount of $500,000 or more.
(Added Pub. L. 102–484, div. D, title XLIV, § 4470(a)(1), Oct. 23, 1992, 106 Stat. 2753, § 2410d; renumbered § 2410k and amended Pub. L. 103–35, title II, §§ 201(b)(1)(A), 202(a)(18)(A), May 31, 1993, 107 Stat. 97, 102; renumbered § 4704, Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title XVIII, § 1863(b), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4278.)