§30502 — Title 51 National and Commercial Space Programs | U.S. Code

Summary

The Administrator must send a plan to the House Committee on Science and Technology and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation no later than 1 year after December 30, 2005. The plan must show how the Administration will protect employees who report clear, serious dangers to public health or safety or serious risks to mission success. The Administrator must put the plan into action within 1 year after sending it and must make sure the plan describes a system that protects employees who raise or want to raise such concerns. At a minimum the plan must include ways to keep a reporter’s identity secret from the person complained about, one safe place to file complaints, a way for reporters to track case status, training for employees about their whistleblower rights and duties, training on handling investigations, and training for HR staff and managers about personnel rules. Beginning February 15, 2007 and each year by February 15 thereafter, the Administrator must send the same two committees a report listing how many concerns were raised in the past fiscal year (divided into safety and health, mission assurance, and mismanagement), how those concerns were resolved (including whether anyone was disciplined), and any recommendations to better prevent retaliation.

Title 51, §30502

National and Commercial Space Programs — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)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 protect from retaliation Administration employees who raise concerns about substantial and specific 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 employees have the full protection required by law. The Administrator shall implement the plan not more than 1 year after its transmittal.

(b)The Administrator shall ensure that the plan describes a system that will protect employees who wish to raise or have raised concerns described in subsection (a).

(c)At a minimum, the plan shall include, consistent with Federal law—

(1)a reporting structure that ensures that the officials who are the subject of a whistleblower’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 concerns; and

(6)activities to educate all appropriate Administration Human Resources professionals, and all Administration managers and supervisors, regarding personnel laws, rules, and regulations.

(d)Not later than February 15 of each year beginning February 15, 2007, 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 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 mismanagement, and the disposition of those concerns, including whether any employee was disciplined as a result of a concern having been raised; and

(2)any recommendations for reforms to further prevent retribution against employees who raise concerns.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Revised SectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 3050242 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 substituted for “the date of enactment of this Act” to reflect 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 “Committee 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 substituted 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.

§30502 Whistleblower protection