USC Chapter 305

in effect

51 U.S.C. § 30501 Lessons learned and best practices

(a) In General.—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 an implementation plan describing the Administration’s approach for obtaining, implementing, and sharing lessons learned and best practices for its major programs and projects not later than 180 days after December 30, 2005. The implementation plan shall be updated and maintained to ensure that it is current and consistent with the burgeoning culture of learning and safety that is emerging at the Administration. (b) Required Content.—The implementation plan shall contain at a minimum the lessons learned and best practices requirements for the Administration, the organizations or positions responsible for enforcement of the requirements, the reporting structure, and the objective performance measures indicating the effectiveness of the activity. (c) Incentives.—The Administrator shall provide incentives to encourage sharing and implementation of lessons learned and best practices by employees, projects, and programs, as well as penalties for programs and projects that are determined not to have demonstrated use of those resources.

51 U.S.C. § 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 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) Goal.—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) Plan.—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) Report.—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.

51 U.S.C. § 30503 Performance assessments

(a) In General.—The performance of each division in the Science directorate of the Administration shall be reviewed and assessed by the National Academy of Sciences at 5-year intervals. (b) Timing.—Beginning with the first fiscal year following December 30, 2005, the Administrator shall select at least one division for review 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 external review; and (3) including a summary of findings and recommendations from any other relevant external reviews of the Administration’s science mission priorities and programs.

51 U.S.C. § 30504 Assessment of science mission extensions

(a) Assessments.—(1) In general.—The Administrator shall carry out triennial reviews within each of the Science divisions to assess the cost and benefits of extending the date of the termination of data collection for those missions that exceed their planned missions’ lifetime. (2) Considerations.—In conducting an assessment under paragraph (1), the Administrator shall consider whether and how extending missions impacts the start of future missions. (b) Consultation and Consideration of Potential Benefits of Instruments on Missions.—When deciding whether to extend a mission that has an operational component, the Administrator shall—(1) consult with any affected Federal agency; and (2) take into account the potential benefits of instruments on missions that are beyond their planned mission lifetime. (c) Reports.—The Administrator shall submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives, at the same time as the submission to Congress of the Administration’s annual budget request for each fiscal year, a report detailing any assessment under subsection (a) that was carried out during the previous year.