§2445 Limitation on Bonuses for Employees Who Engage in Improper Program Management

Summary

The Secretary of Energy or the Administrator must not give a covered employee a bonus for one year after they find the employee mismanaged a program in a way that led to a formal notice under section 2753 or that seriously hurt the cost, scope, or schedule for getting Critical Decision 3 approval for a project. The Secretary had to issue guidance for that rule within one year after November 25, 2015. Within 180 days after November 25, 2015, both the Secretary and the Administrator had to issue guidance banning one-year bonus payments when mismanagement endangered the health, safety, or security of nuclear workers or facilities, or affected defense nuclear nonproliferation work. The Secretary or the Administrator can waive the ban for a specific case, but they must tell the appropriate congressional committees and wait 60 days after that notice. “Appropriate congressional committees” means the congressional defense committees, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. “Bonus” means an award paid under title 5 (including chapters 45 or 53) or any other law. “Covered employee” is defined in section 2443.