Title 42, The Public Health and WelfareRelease 119-110

§19312 Entrepreneurial Leave Program

Title 42 › CHAPTER 163 — RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, COMPETITION, AND INNOVATION › SUBCHAPTER VI — MISCELLANEOUS SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY PROVISIONS › Part H — Energizing Technology Transfer › subpart 2 — supporting technology development at the national laboratories › § 19312

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

Gives National Laboratory directors the authority to run a program that lets lab employees take full or partial leave to help turn energy and related technologies into commercial products for the Department. A full leave can last up to 3 years and lets the employee return to the same or a similar job. Directors can fire participants who break lab rules. They must also create simpler ways to license the technology being worked on. The Secretary must report each year how many people use the program at each lab and how many leave permanently. Federal ethics rules still apply.

Full Legal Text

Title 42, §19312

The Public Health and Welfare, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)In general

The Secretary shall delegate to Directors the authority to carry out an entrepreneurial leave program (referred to in this section as the “program”) to allow National Laboratory employees to take a full leave of absence from their position, with the option to return to that or a comparable position up to 3 years later, or a partial leave of absence, to advance the commercial application of energy and related technologies relevant to the mission of the Department.

(b)Termination authority

Directors shall retain the authority to terminate National Laboratory employees that participate in the program if such employees are found to violate terms prescribed by the National Laboratory at which such employee is employed.

(c)Licensing

To reduce barriers to participation in the program, the Secretary shall delegate to the Directors the requirement to establish streamlined mechanisms for facilitating the licensing of technology that is the focus of National Laboratory employees who participate in the program.

(d)Report

In accordance with section 16391a of this title, the Secretary shall report annually on the utilization of this authority at National Laboratories, including the number of employees who participate in this program at each National Laboratory and the number of employees who take a permanent leave from their positions at National Laboratories as a result of participating in this program.

(e)Federal ethics

Nothing in this section shall affect existing Federal ethics rules applicable to Federal personnel.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

42 U.S.C. § 19312

Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110