Sponsor
Robert Menendez
Representative · D-NJ
Representative · D-NJ
Authorizes the NRC Chairman to set career appointee pay up to 110% of the Commission SES max, applies retroactively, and updates reporting and GAO review requirements.
Official title: To amend the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to provide compensation authority for certain career appointees, and for other purposes.
Introduced July 9, 2026 by Robert Menendez · Last progress July 9, 2026
The bill gives the NRC flexible, retroactive pay authority to help recruit and retain career appointees while keeping performance accountability and adding transparency, but it increases potential payroll costs for taxpayers and raises fairness and concentrated-discretion concerns.
NRC career appointees can be paid up to 110% of the Commission's maximum SES rate, making it easier to recruit and retain experienced staff.
Current NRC career appointees receive the pay authority retroactively, so incumbents can benefit immediately rather than waiting for future appointments.
The bill preserves the NRC's certified performance appraisal requirements, maintaining performance-based accountability for pay decisions.
Taxpayers could face higher federal payroll costs if the higher pay authority is used broadly at the NRC.
Other federal employees may view the retroactive pay authority as unfair, creating morale or equity concerns across the civil service.
Concentrating enhanced pay-setting discretion with the NRC Chairman could raise concerns about inconsistent decisions or politicization of pay.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Adds a new pay authority allowing the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Chairman to set a career appointee’s basic pay up to 110% of the Commission’s maximum SES rate, makes that authority apply retroactively to current incumbents, preserves existing NRC performance appraisal certification, and updates statutory cross‑references and reporting requirements, including GAO reporting scope. Also renumbers and updates related subsections and adds a required data element to NRC reports specifying how many career appointees have pay fixed under the new authority.