US Code

Public Law 119-73 (01/23/2026)

29 U.S.C. § 1232

Protection for employees under Federal procurement, construction, and research contracts and grants

(a)

Study and investigation by Secretary of Labor

The Secretary of Labor shall, during the 2–year period beginning on , conduct a full and complete study and investigation of the steps necessary to be taken to insure that professional, scientific, and technical personnel and others working in associated occupations employed under Federal procurement, construction, or research contracts or grants will, to the extent feasible, be protected against forfeitures of pension or retirement rights or benefits, otherwise provided, as a consequence of job transfers or loss of employment resulting from terminations or modifications of Federal contracts, grants, or procurement policies. The Secretary of Labor shall report the results of his study and investigation to the Congress within 2 years after . The Secretary of Labor is authorized, to the extent provided by law, to obtain the services of private research institutions and such other persons by contract or other arrangement as he determines necessary in carrying out the provisions of this section.

(b)

Consultation

In the course of conducting the study and investigation described in subsection (a), and in developing the regulations referred to in subsection (c), the Secretary of Labor shall consult—
(1)
with appropriate professional societies, business organizations, and labor organizations, and
(2)
with the heads of interested Federal departments and agencies.
(c)

Regulations

Within 1 year after the date on which he submits his report to the Congress under subsection (a), the Secretary of Labor shall, if he determines it to be feasible, develop regulations, which will provide the protection of pension and retirement rights and benefits referred to in subsection (a).

(d)

Congressional review of regulations; resolution of disapproval

(1)
Any regulations developed pursuant to subsection (c) shall take effect if, and only if—
(A)
the Secretary of Labor, not later than the day which is 3 years after , delivers a copy of such regulations to the House of Representatives and a copy to the Senate, and
(B)
before the close of the 120–day period which begins on the day on which the copies of such regulations are delivered to the House of Representatives and to the Senate, neither the House of Representatives nor the Senate adopts, by an affirmative vote of a majority of those present and voting in that House, a resolution of disapproval.
(2)
For purposes of this subsection, the term “resolution of disapproval” means only a resolution of either House of Congress, the matter after the resolving clause of which is as follows: “That the __ does not favor the taking effect of the regulations transmitted to the Congress by the Secretary of Labor on __”, the first blank space therein being filled with the name of the resolving House and the second blank space therein being filled with the day and year.
(3)
A resolution of disapproval in the House of Representatives shall be referred to the Committee on Education and Labor. A resolution of disapproval in the Senate shall be referred to the Committee on Labor and Public Welfare.
(4)
(A)
If the committee to which a resolution of disapproval has been referred has not reported it at the end of 7 calendar days after its introduction, it is in order to move either to discharge the committee from further consideration of the resolution or to discharge the committee from further consideration of any other resolution of disapproval which has been referred to the committee.
(B)
A motion to discharge may be made only by an individual favoring the resolution, is highly privileged (except that it may not be made after the committee has reported a resolution of disapproval), and debate thereon shall be limited to not more than 1 hour, to be divided equally between those favoring and those opposing the resolution. An amendment to the motion is not in order, and it is not in order to move to reconsider the vote by which the motion is agreed to or disagreed to.
(C)
If the motion to discharge is agreed to or disagreed to, the motion may not be renewed, nor may another motion to discharge the committee be made with respect to any other resolution of disapproval.
(5)
(A)
When the committee has reported, or has been discharged from further consideration of, a resolution of disapproval, it is at any time thereafter in order (even though a previous motion to the same effect has been disagreed to) to move to proceed to the consideration of the resolution. The motion is highly privileged and is not debatable. An amendment to the motion is not in order, and it is not in order to move to reconsider the vote by which the motion is agreed to or disagreed to.
(B)
Debate on the resolution of disapproval shall be limited to not more than 10 hours, which shall be divided equally between those favoring and those opposing the resolution. A motion further to limit debate is not debatable. An amendment to, or motion to recommit, the resolution is not in order, and it is not in order to move to reconsider the vote by which the resolution is agreed to or disagreed to.
(6)
(A)
Motions to postpone, made with respect to the discharge from committee or the consideration of a resolution of disapproval, and motions to proceed to the consideration of other business, shall be decided without debate.
(B)
Appeals from the decisions of the Chair relating to the application of the rules of the House of Representatives or the Senate, as the case may be, to the procedure relating to any resolution of disapproval shall be decided without debate.
(7)
Whenever the Secretary of Labor transmits copies of the regulations to the Congress, a copy of such regulations shall be delivered to each House of Congress on the same day and shall be delivered to the Clerk of the House of Representatives if the House is not in session and to the Secretary of the Senate if the Senate is not in session.
(8)
The 120 day period referred to in paragraph (1) shall be computed by excluding—
(A)
the days on which either House is not in session because of an adjournment of more than 3 days to a day certain or an adjournment of the Congress sine die, and
(B)
any Saturday and Sunday, not excluded under subparagraph (A), when either House is not in session.
(9)
This subsection is enacted by the Congress—
(A)
as an exercise of the rulemaking power of the House of Representatives and the Senate, respectively, and as such they are deemed a part of the rules of each House, respectively, but applicable only with respect to the procedure to be followed in that House in the case of resolutions of disapproval described in paragraph (2); and they supersede other rules only to the extent that they are inconsistent therewith; and
(B)
with full recognition of the constitutional right of either House to change the rules (so far as relating to the procedures of that House) at any time, in the same manner and to the same extent as in the case of any other rule of that House.

Pub. L. 93–406, title III, § 303288 Stat. 1000(, , .)

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Change of Name

Committee on Education and Labor of House of Representatives changed to Committee on Education and the Workforce of House of Representatives by House Resolution No. 5, One Hundred Eighteenth Congress, .

Committee on Labor and Public Welfare of Senate abolished and replaced by Committee on Human Resources of Senate, effective . See Rule XXV of Standing Rules of Senate, as amended by Senate Resolution No. 4 (popularly cited as the “Committee System Reorganization Amendments of 1977”), approved . Committee on Human Resources of Senate changed to Committee on Labor and Human Resources of Senate, effective , by Senate Resolution No. 30, 96th Congress. See, also, Rule XXV of Standing Rules of Senate adopted . Committee on Labor and Human Resources of Senate changed to Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of Senate by Senate Resolution No. 20, One Hundred Sixth Congress, .