The Director of the NIH shall hereafter require institutions that receive funds through a grant or cooperative agreement or other form of extramural award during fiscal year 2026 and in future years to complete any investigation undertaken due to concerns about harassment, bullying retaliation, or hostile working conditions regarding any individual identified as a principal investigator or key personnel in an NIH notice of award or progress report even if during the course of the investigation the individual under investigation leaves their current position and is no longer employed by the institution. The Director may hereafter decline transfer of an ongoing extramural award to a different institution if concerns about harassment, bullying, hostile work environment, or other professional misconduct on the part of a principal investigator or key personnel named in the Notice of Award or progress report have not been resolved to the NIH’s satisfaction. The Director of the NIH shall hereafter have the authority to share investigation reports, conclusions, and results of any investigation of individuals identified as a principal investigator or as key personnel in an NIH notice of award or progress report due to concerns about harassment, bullying, retaliation, or hostile working conditions on an as needed basis with any institution that receives funds through a grant or cooperative agreement or other form of extramural award during fiscal year 2026 or any subsequent fiscal year. The Director may issue regulations consistent with this section.
(Pub. L. 119–75, div. B, title II, § 238, Feb. 3, 2026, 140 Stat. 291.)
Editorial Notes
Codification
Section was enacted as part of the Department of Health and Human Services Appropriations Act, 2026, and also as part of the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026, and the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026, and not as part of the Public Health Service Act which comprises this chapter.