S874-119

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Expanding Whistleblower Protections for Contractors Act of 2025.

2. Defense contractor employees: protection from reprisal for disclosure of certain information Section 4701 of title 10, United States Code, is amended— in subsection (a)— in paragraph (1)— in the matter preceding subparagraph (A)— by striking An employee and all that follows through services contractor and inserting A protected individual; and by striking disclosing and all that follows through evidence of; and by striking subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C) and inserting the following subparagraphs: Refusing to obey an order that would require the protected individual to violate a law, rule, or regulation related to any contract, subcontract, grant, or subgrant. Disclosing to a person or body described in paragraph (2) information that the protected individual reasonably believes is evidence of the following: Gross mismanagement of any Department of Defense contract or grant, any gross waste of Department funds, any abuse of authority relating to any Department contract, subcontract, grant, or subgrant, or any violation of law, rule, or regulation related to any Department contract or subcontract (including the competition for or negotiation of a contract or subcontract) or grant or subgrant. Gross mismanagement of any National Aeronautics and Space Administration contract or grant, any gross waste of Administration funds, any abuse of authority relating to an Administration contract, subcontract, grant, or subgrant, or any violation of law, rule, or regulation related to any Administration contract or subcontract (including the competition for or negotiation of a contract or subcontract) or grant or subgrant. A substantial and specific danger to public health or safety. in paragraph (3)— in subparagraph (A), by striking an employee and inserting a protected individual; and by striking subparagraph (B) and inserting the following subparagraph: it shall not be within the authority of an executive branch official to request that a contractor, subcontractor, grantee, or subgrantee engage in a reprisal prohibited by paragraph (1). in subsection (c)— in paragraph (1), by adding at the end the following subparagraph: Propose appropriate disciplinary action against any executive branch official for any request made of a contractor, subcontractor, grantee, or subgrantee that subjected the complainant to a reprisal prohibited by subsection (a). by striking paragraph (7) and inserting the following paragraph: The rights, forum, and remedies provided for in this section may not be waived by any public or private agreement, policy, form, or condition of employment, including by any predispute arbitration agreement. No provision of the predispute arbitration agreement shall be valid or enforceable if it requires arbitration of a dispute arising under this section. by striking subsection (e) and redesignating subsections (f) and (g) as subsections (e) and (f), respectively; in subsection (e), as so redesignated— by striking an employee and inserting a protected individual; and by striking the employee and inserting the protected individual; and in subsection (f), as so redesignated, by adding at the end the following new paragraph: The term protected individual means— a contractor, subcontractor, grantee, or subgrantee of the Department of Defense or the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, including— the government of each of the several States, the District of Columbia, an Indian tribe or authorized tribal organization, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, or any other territory or possession of the United States; the government of any political subdivision of, agency of, or instrumentality of, a government listed in clause (i); and an element of the intelligence community (as defined in section 3 of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3003)) within the Department of Defense; an employee of a contractor, subcontractor, grantee, or subgrantee of the Department of Defense or the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, or a former employee of such contractor, subcontractor, grantee, or subgrantee whose protected disclosure or engagement in any activity protected against reprisal under this section occurred prior to termination, including an employee of— the government of each of the several States, the District of Columbia, an Indian tribe or authorized tribal organization, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, or any other territory or possession of the United States; the government of any political subdivision of, agency of, or instrumentality of, a government listed in clause (i); and an element of the intelligence community (as defined in section 3 of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3003)) within the Department of Defense; or a person performing personal services for the Department of Defense or the National Aeronautics and Space Administration pursuant to a contractual agreement for the performance of personal services, including a personal services contract or personal services agreement, and who engages in an activity for which any reprisal is prohibited under subsection (a), including a person performing personal services pursuant such a contractual agreement for— the government of each of the several States, the District of Columbia, an Indian tribe or authorized tribal organization, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, or any other territory or possession of the United States; the government of any political subdivision of, agency of, or instrumentality of, a government listed in clause (i); and an element of the intelligence community (as defined in section 3 of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3003)) within the Department of Defense. (A)Refusing to obey an order that would require the protected individual to violate a law, rule, or regulation related to any contract, subcontract, grant, or subgrant.(B)Disclosing to a person or body described in paragraph (2) information that the protected individual reasonably believes is evidence of the following:(i)Gross mismanagement of any Department of Defense contract or grant, any gross waste of Department funds, any abuse of authority relating to any Department contract, subcontract, grant, or subgrant, or any violation of law, rule, or regulation related to any Department contract or subcontract (including the competition for or negotiation of a contract or subcontract) or grant or subgrant.(ii)Gross mismanagement of any National Aeronautics and Space Administration contract or grant, any gross waste of Administration funds, any abuse of authority relating to an Administration contract, subcontract, grant, or subgrant, or any violation of law, rule, or regulation related to any Administration contract or subcontract (including the competition for or negotiation of a contract or subcontract) or grant or subgrant.(iii)A substantial and specific danger to public health or safety.; and (B)it shall not be within the authority of an executive branch official to request that a contractor, subcontractor, grantee, or subgrantee engage in a reprisal prohibited by paragraph (1).; (E)Propose appropriate disciplinary action against any executive branch official for any request made of a contractor, subcontractor, grantee, or subgrantee that subjected the complainant to a reprisal prohibited by subsection (a).; and (7)Clarification for scope of waiver restrictions(A)The rights, forum, and remedies provided for in this section may not be waived by any public or private agreement, policy, form, or condition of employment, including by any predispute arbitration agreement.(B)No provision of the predispute arbitration agreement shall be valid or enforceable if it requires arbitration of a dispute arising under this section.; (8)The term protected individual means—(A)a contractor, subcontractor, grantee, or subgrantee of the Department of Defense or the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, including—(i) the government of each of the several States, the District of Columbia, an Indian tribe or authorized tribal organization, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, or any other territory or possession of the United States; (ii) the government of any political subdivision of, agency of, or instrumentality of, a government listed in clause (i); and(iii)an element of the intelligence community (as defined in section 3 of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3003)) within the Department of Defense;(B)an employee of a contractor, subcontractor, grantee, or subgrantee of the Department of Defense or the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, or a former employee of such contractor, subcontractor, grantee, or subgrantee whose protected disclosure or engagement in any activity protected against reprisal under this section occurred prior to termination, including an employee of—(i)the government of each of the several States, the District of Columbia, an Indian tribe or authorized tribal organization, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, or any other territory or possession of the United States; (ii)the government of any political subdivision of, agency of, or instrumentality of, a government listed in clause (i); and(iii)an element of the intelligence community (as defined in section 3 of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3003)) within the Department of Defense; or(C)a person performing personal services for the Department of Defense or the National Aeronautics and Space Administration pursuant to a contractual agreement for the performance of personal services, including a personal services contract or personal services agreement, and who engages in an activity for which any reprisal is prohibited under subsection (a), including a person performing personal services pursuant such a contractual agreement for—(i)the government of each of the several States, the District of Columbia, an Indian tribe or authorized tribal organization, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Virgin Islands, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, or any other territory or possession of the United States; (ii)the government of any political subdivision of, agency of, or instrumentality of, a government listed in clause (i); and(iii)an element of the intelligence community (as defined in section 3 of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3003)) within the Department of Defense..