S.Amdt. 4022

SA 4022. Mrs. SHAHEEN (for herself and Mr. Crapo) submitted an
amendment intended to be proposed by her to the bill H.R. 4016, making
appropriations for the Department of Defense for the fiscal year ending
September 30, 2026, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on
the table; as follows:

At the appropriate place, insert the following:

SEC. _____. LABORATORY ANALYSTS AND BIOMETRIC PERSONNEL.

(a) Definition.--In this section, the term ``laboratory
workforce at the Drug Enforcement Administration'' means--
(1) positions in the Drug Enforcement Administration at
forensic laboratories of the Drug Enforcement Administration,
including--
(A) forensic chemists;
(B) fingerprint specialists;
(C) digital forensic examiners; and
(D) any other positions in the Drug Enforcement
Administration at such forensic laboratories; and
(2) other positions in the Drug Enforcement Administration
at locations other than such a forensic laboratory that will
be relocated to such a forensic laboratory that, as of the
date of the enactment of this Act, is being constructed or
otherwise finalized.
(b) Prohibition on Reducing the Laboratory Workforce at the
Drug Enforcement Agency.--
(1) In general.--The laboratory workforce at the Drug
Enforcement Administration shall be exempt from any hiring
freezes or workforce reductions related to spending cuts,
reprogramming of funds, or the probationary status of
employees.
(2) Rule of construction.--Nothing in this subsection may
be construed to restrict the authority of the Attorney
General to manage the workforce of the Department of Justice
under existing procedures in cases of misconduct or poor
performance.
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