H.R. 2209: Saving NIST’s Workforce Act (119th Congress) Bill Summary

This bill, known as the Saving NIST’s Workforce Act, aims to put a temporary hold on any job cuts at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Specifically, the key provisions of the bill are as follows:

Moratorium on Job Cuts

The primary focus of the bill is to prevent NIST from initiating any reductions in its workforce until at least the full-year appropriations for the fiscal year 2026 have been approved. This means that:

NIST cannot start or carry out any layoffs.
NIST is prohibited from involuntarily separating any employees in specific employment categories, which include:
- Competitive service employees
- Excepted service employees
- Career appointees in the Senior Executive Service

Conditions of the Moratorium

The bill clarifies that the only exception to these rules would be separations due to misconduct, delinquency, or inefficiency. Additionally, the bill emphasizes that these provisions are supplementary to any existing authorities regarding personnel actions, meaning they do not replace other regulations that govern employee conduct and separations.

Definitions and References

To support the implementation of the moratorium, the bill refers to specific definitions related to employment categories as outlined in title 5 of the United States Code. This adds clarity to the types of employees protected under this moratorium.

Legislative Progress

This bill was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives and has been referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology for further consideration.