10 U.S.C. § 4121 — Science and technology reinvention laboratories: authority and designation

(a) In General. (1) The Secretary of Defense may conduct personnel demonstration projects at Defense laboratories that the Secretary designates as science and technology reinvention laboratories. (2)(A) Each project must generally resemble the China Lake demonstration project. (B) That project is the project authorized by section 6 of the Civil Service Miscellaneous Amendments Act of 1983 (Public Law 98–224) to continue at the Naval Weapons Center in China Lake, California, and the Naval Ocean Systems Center in San Diego, California. (3) If the Secretary conducts a project under paragraph (1), title 5 section 4703 applies, except that subsection (d) does not apply; the Secretary uses the authority in paragraph (1), not the authority in section 4703; and the Secretary exercises the Office of Personnel Management's section 4703 authorities through the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. The Under Secretary must emphasize efficient laboratory operations and may ask science and technology reinvention laboratories for administrative help reviewing, researching, and deciding project proposals. (4) Employees covered by a project are exempt from, and may not be counted for, statutory or regulatory limits on supervisory ratios or on the maximum number of employees in particular employment categories. The laboratory director manages them under the Under Secretary's supervision. (5) Title 5 section 5373's limits do not apply to the Secretary's authority under this subsection to set salary schedules and related benefits. (b) Designation of Laboratories. The following are designated laboratories: (1) Air Force Research Laboratory; (2) Joint Warfare Analysis Center; (3) Army^* Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences; (4) Combat Capabilities Development Command Armaments Center; (5) Combat Capabilities Development Command Army Research Laboratory; (6) Combat Capabilities Development Command Aviation and Missile Center; (7) Combat Capabilities Development Command Chemical Biological Center; (8) Combat Capabilities Development Command Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Center; (9) Combat Capabilities Development Command Ground Vehicle Systems Center; (10) Combat Capabilities Development Command Soldier Center; (11) Engineer Research and Development Center; (12) Medical Research and Development Command; (13) Technical Center, US Army Space and Missile Defense Command; (14) Naval Air Systems Command Warfare Centers; (15) Naval Facilities Engineering Command Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center; (16) Naval Information Warfare Centers, Atlantic and Pacific; (17) Naval Medical Research Center; (18) Naval Research Laboratory; (19) Naval Sea Systems Command Warfare Centers; and (20) Office of Naval Research. (c) Conversion Procedures. The Secretary must create procedures to move the civilian personnel of each laboratory designated under subsection (b) into the personnel system of an appropriate demonstration project under subsection (a). The conversion must not adversely affect pay^* or any other employment term or condition; must be consistent with title 5 section 4703(f); must be finished within 18 months after designation; and does not apply to prevailing-rate^* employees (as defined in title 5 section 5342(a)(2)) or senior executives (as defined in title 5 section 3132(a)(3)). (d) Limitation. A designated laboratory may not implement another personnel system without prior congressional authorization.