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<bill bill-stage="Introduced-in-House" dms-id="H62BC7168F779452BA9EA09399C33970F" public-private="public" key="H" bill-type="olc"><metadata xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">
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<dc:title>119 HR 9614 IH: NRC Staff Pay Alignment Act</dc:title>
<dc:publisher>U.S. House of Representatives</dc:publisher>
<dc:date>2026-07-09</dc:date>
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<dc:language>EN</dc:language>
<dc:rights>Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.</dc:rights>
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<distribution-code display="yes">I</distribution-code><congress display="yes">119th CONGRESS</congress><session display="yes">2d Session</session><legis-num display="yes">H. R. 9614</legis-num><current-chamber>IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES</current-chamber><action display="yes"><action-date date="20260709">July 9, 2026</action-date><action-desc><sponsor name-id="M001226">Mr. Menendez</sponsor> introduced the following bill; which was referred to the <committee-name committee-id="HIF00">Committee on Energy and Commerce</committee-name></action-desc></action><legis-type>A BILL</legis-type><official-title display="yes">To amend the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to provide compensation authority for certain career appointees, and for other purposes.</official-title></form><legis-body id="H707C7F969A6842F1B68F3BE9347B614B" style="OLC"> 
<section id="HDA28005A3E3243079E817D2BFC62C906" section-type="section-one"><enum>1.</enum><header>Short title</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">This Act may be cited as the <quote><short-title>NRC Staff Pay Alignment Act</short-title></quote>.</text></section> <section id="H697642F7F13A4F148E7A00FEBAD38E9A"> <enum>2.</enum> <header>Compensation authority for career appointees</header> <subsection id="H6682ECBD09F6478C9CEC62BE9F8EA721"><enum>(a)</enum><header>In general</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Section 161B of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/42/2201b">42 U.S.C. 2201b</external-xref>) is amended—</text> 
<paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="HA1719763669142819FA66A22CC383327"> <enum>(1)</enum> <text>by redesignating subsections (d) through (h) as subsections (e) through (i), respectively;</text> </paragraph> <paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="H93E45ED23AC54852B64BB91ECA81B587"> <enum>(2)</enum> <text>by inserting after subsection (c) the following:</text> 
<quoted-block id="HCB34F09BD5774663A906F785DBBCA71C" style="OLC" act-name=""> 
<subsection id="HDB7040E88C9C436D9F97CE13C3F0DF93"> <enum>(d)</enum> <header>Compensation authority for career appointees</header> 
<paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="H806DE50FA1F5480FBA05EEBE78CFEDED"> <enum>(1)</enum> <header display-inline="yes-display-inline">In general</header> <text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Chairman may fix the compensation of a career appointee at an annual rate of basic pay that is not greater than 110 percent of the maximum annual rate of basic pay for Senior Executive Service positions within the Commission established under section 5382 of title 5, United States Code.</text> </paragraph> <paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="H6B8C25730EAB45C0B536634A2AD32267"> <enum>(2)</enum> <header>Applicability</header> <text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The authority to fix the compensation of a career appointee under paragraph (1) shall apply regardless of when the career appointee was appointed.</text></paragraph> 
<paragraph id="H621DD79C71A44DE0A82A73ABD2681AD0"><enum>(3)</enum><header>Effect on certain certification</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The exercise of the authority to fix the compensation of a career appointee under paragraph (1) may not affect the certification of any performance appraisal system of the Commission under section 5307(d) of title 5, United States Code.</text></paragraph> <paragraph id="HD5AD4C52CE014B4BAEF777E967B5942F" commented="no"><enum>(4)</enum><header>Career appointee defined</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">In this subsection, the term <term>career appointee</term> has the meaning given such term in section 3132(a) of title 5, United States Code.</text></paragraph> </subsection> <after-quoted-block>;</after-quoted-block> </quoted-block> </paragraph> 
<paragraph id="HA0CC079098B048FD845AF5A97DF1230C"> <enum>(3)</enum> <text>in subsection (g) (as so redesignated), in paragraph (2)(C)—</text> <subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="HC783825504604D47924A1E98F5C4C0A0"> <enum>(A)</enum> <text display-inline="yes-display-inline">in clause (ii)—</text> 
<clause commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="HF2974E2FFA984F879184AA41576EF326"> <enum>(i)</enum> <text display-inline="yes-display-inline">in each of subclauses (I) and (III), by striking <quote>subsection (g)(1)</quote> each place it appears and inserting <quote>subsection (h)(1)</quote>; and</text> </clause> <clause commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="H6C2038935D3A4042B554873BC95D42F9"> <enum>(ii)</enum> <text>in each of subclauses (II) and (IV), by striking <quote>subsection (g)(2)</quote> each place it appears and inserting <quote>subsection (h)(2)</quote>;</text> </clause> </subparagraph> 
<subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="H4862B17C70634A20B2B990A56036C6B5"> <enum>(B)</enum> <text>in clause (iv), by striking <quote>and</quote> at the end;</text> </subparagraph> <subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="H1CBD07BF9F7D4E068A0F7C9BA71E6D2F"> <enum>(C)</enum> <text>by redesignating clause (v) as clause (vi); and</text> </subparagraph> 
<subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="H8AD90A88FB5B4A859B9AEE4F029C3A34"> <enum>(D)</enum> <text>by inserting after clause (iv) the following:</text> <quoted-block id="H686AF4591DBE4B30B2F902FF54B343E6" style="OLC" act-name=""> <clause id="H0075D94147484DFD921E20031830AE93"> <enum>(v)</enum> <text>the total number of career appointees that have their compensation fixed pursuant to subsection (d); and</text> </clause> <after-quoted-block>; and</after-quoted-block> </quoted-block> </subparagraph> </paragraph> 
<paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="H369404A6896B4E08937D20410208BE67"> <enum>(4)</enum> <text>in subsection (i) (as so redesignated)—</text> <subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="HDE4B7DCEF5E2432A99209D547A5C4F70"> <enum>(A)</enum> <text>in each of paragraphs (1) and (3), by striking <quote>subsections (a) and (b)</quote> each place it appears and inserting <quote>subsections (a), (b), and (d)</quote>;</text> </subparagraph> 
<subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="HD7F877949FDD45B392E5C643A512C1A4"> <enum>(B)</enum> <text>in paragraph (2), by striking <quote>or both subsections</quote> and inserting <quote>subsection (d), or any combination of those subsections</quote>; and</text></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="H5363EF44033440EFB2BDD088848B2803" commented="no"><enum>(C)</enum><text>in paragraph (3)—</text> 
<clause id="H96F9D123B0AB4289864AF95954455B0F" commented="no">
              <enum>(i)</enum>
 <text>by inserting <quote>, or a career appointee,</quote> after <quote>compensation of an employee or other personnel serving in a covered position</quote>; and</text>
            </clause> 
<clause id="H291D312C310C4692BACB8F2B2258AA56" commented="no"><enum>(ii)</enum><text>by striking <quote>subsection (a) or (b)</quote> and inserting <quote>subsection (a), (b), or (d)</quote>.</text> </clause></subparagraph> </paragraph> </subsection> <subsection id="HC029D47A7F0B4049854BF330C7B622CC"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Conforming amendment relating to Government Accountability Office report</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Section 502(b) of the ADVANCE Act of 2024 is amended by striking <quote>subsections (a), (b), and (c)</quote> each place it appears and inserting <quote>subsections (a), (b), (c), and (d)</quote>.</text></subsection> </section> 
</legis-body></bill>

