This bill prevents the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), a federal research agency, from laying off or reducing its workforce until Congress passes a complete budget for NIST for fiscal year 2026. The moratorium applies specifically to formal "reduction in force" procedures and protects NIST employees from involuntary job cuts during the appropriations process. The bill affects thousands of NIST workers who conduct scientific research and technical standards development across the country. The moratorium remains in effect only until the full fiscal year 2026 budget is enacted into law, at which point NIST would regain normal authority to conduct personnel actions if needed. The legislation does not provide new funding but rather creates a temporary pause on workforce reductions during budget negotiations.
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