51 U.S.C. § 30502 — Whistleblower protection

Page 73 TITLE 51—NATIONAL AND COMMERCIAL SPACE PROGRAMS § 30503 In subsection (a), the date ‘‘December 30, 2005’’ is sub- stituted for ‘‘the date of enactment of this Act’’ to re- flect the date of enactment of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2005 (Public Law 109–155, 119 Stat. 2895). Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries CHANGE OF NAME Committee on Science and Technology of House of Representatives changed to Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of House of Representatives by House Resolution No. 5, One Hundred Twelfth Congress, Jan. 5, 2011. § 30502. Whistleblower protection (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after December 30, 2005, the Administrator shall transmit to the Committee on Science and Technology of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a plan describing steps to be taken by the Administration to pro- tect from retaliation Administration employees who raise concerns about substantial and spe- cific dangers to public health and safety or about substantial and specific factors that could threaten the success of a mission. The plan shall be designed to ensure that Administration em- ployees have the full protection required by law. The Administrator shall implement the plan not more than 1 year after its transmittal. (b) GOAL.—The Administrator shall ensure that the plan describes a system that will pro- tect employees who wish to raise or have raised concerns described in subsection (a). (c) PLAN.—At a minimum, the plan shall in- clude, consistent with Federal law— (1) a reporting structure that ensures that the officials who are the subject of a whistle- blower’s complaint will not learn the identity of the whistleblower; (2) a single point to which all complaints can be made without fear of retribution; (3) procedures to enable the whistleblower to track the status of the case; (4) activities to educate employees about their rights as whistleblowers and how they are protected by law; (5) activities to educate employees about their obligations to report concerns and their accountability before and after receiving the results of the investigations into their con- cerns; and (6) activities to educate all appropriate Ad- ministration Human Resources professionals, and all Administration managers and super- visors, regarding personnel laws, rules, and regulations. (d) REPORT.—Not later than February 15 of each year beginning February 15, 2007, the Ad- ministrator shall transmit a report to the Com- mittee on Science and Technology of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Com- merce, Science, and Transportation of the Sen- ate on the concerns described in subsection (a) that were raised during the previous fiscal year. At a minimum, the report shall provide— (1) the number of concerns that were raised, divided into the categories of safety and health, mission assurance, and mismanage- ment, and the disposition of those concerns, including whether any employee was dis- ciplined as a result of a concern having been raised; and (2) any recommendations for reforms to fur- ther prevent retribution against employees who raise concerns. (Pub. L. 111–314, § 3, Dec. 18, 2010, 124 Stat. 3367.) HISTORICAL AND REVISION NOTES Revised Section Source (U.S. Code) Source (Statutes at Large) 30502 .......... 42 U.S.C. 16618. Pub. L. 109–155, title I, § 110, Dec. 30, 2005, 119 Stat. 2914. In subsection (a), the date ‘‘December 30, 2005’’ is sub- stituted for ‘‘the date of enactment of this Act’’ to re- flect the date of enactment of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2005 (Public Law 109–155, 119 Stat. 2895). In subsections (a) and (d), the words ‘‘Committee on Science and Technology’’ are substituted for ‘‘Com- mittee on Science’’ on authority of Rule X(1)(o) of the Rules of the House of Representatives, adopted by House Resolution No. 6 (110th Congress, January 5, 2007). In subsection (d), the words ‘‘Not later than February 15 of each year beginning February 15, 2007’’ are sub- stituted for ‘‘Not later than February 15 of each year beginning with the year after the date of enactment of this Act’’ for clarity. Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries CHANGE OF NAME Committee on Science and Technology of House of Representatives changed to Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of House of Representatives by House Resolution No. 5, One Hundred Twelfth Congress, Jan. 5, 2011. § 30503. Performance assessments (a) IN GENERAL.—The performance of each di- vision in the Science directorate of the Adminis- tration shall be reviewed and assessed by the National Academy of Sciences at 5-year inter- vals. (b) TIMING.—Beginning with the first fiscal year following December 30, 2005, the Adminis- trator shall select at least one division for re- view under this section. The Administrator shall select divisions so that all disciplines will have received their first review within 6 fiscal years of December 30, 2005. (c) REPORTS.—Not later than March 1 of each year, beginning with the first fiscal year after December 30, 2005, the Administrator shall transmit a report to the Committee on Science and Technology of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate— (1) setting forth in detail the results of any external review under subsection (a); (2) setting forth in detail actions taken by the Administration in response to any exter- nal review; and (3) including a summary of findings and rec- ommendations from any other relevant exter- nal reviews of the Administration’s science mission priorities and programs. (Pub. L. 111–314, § 3, Dec. 18, 2010, 124 Stat. 3368.)