---
kind: "section"
citation: "42 U.S.C. § 19312"
title: "42"
title_heading: "The Public Health and Welfare"
number: "19312"
heading: "Entrepreneurial leave program"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/42/19312"
units:
  - "Chapter 163 — Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation"
  - "Subchapter VI — Miscellaneous Science and Technology Provisions"
  - "Part H — Energizing Technology Transfer"
  - "Subpart 2 — supporting technology development at the national laboratories"
---

# §19312. Entrepreneurial leave program

- (a) **In general—** The [Secretary](/usc/42/19291.md?p=8) shall delegate to [Directors](/usc/42/19184.md?p=1) the authority to carry out an entrepreneurial leave program (referred to in this section as the “program”) to allow [National Laboratory](/usc/42/19291.md?p=7) employees to take a full leave of absence from their position, with the option to return to that or a comparable position up to 3 years later, or a partial leave of absence, to advance the commercial application of energy and related technologies relevant to the mission of the [Department](/usc/42/19291.md?p=2).
- (b) **Termination authority—** [Directors](/usc/42/19184.md?p=1) shall retain the authority to terminate [National Laboratory](/usc/42/19291.md?p=7) employees that participate in the program if such employees are found to violate terms prescribed by the [National Laboratory](/usc/42/19291.md?p=7) at which such employee is employed.
- (c) **Licensing—** To reduce barriers to participation in the program, the [Secretary](/usc/42/19291.md?p=8) shall delegate to the [Directors](/usc/42/19184.md?p=1) the requirement to establish streamlined mechanisms for facilitating the licensing of technology that is the focus of [National Laboratory](/usc/42/19291.md?p=7) employees who participate in the program.
- (d) **Report—** In accordance with [section 16391a of this title](/usc/42/16391a.md), the [Secretary](/usc/42/19291.md?p=8) shall report annually on the utilization of this authority at [National Laboratories](/usc/42/19291.md?p=7), including the number of employees who participate in this program at each [National Laboratory](/usc/42/19291.md?p=7) and the number of employees who take a permanent leave from their positions at [National Laboratories](/usc/42/19291.md?p=7) as a result of participating in this program.
- (e) **Federal ethics—** Nothing in this section shall affect existing Federal ethics rules applicable to Federal personnel.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 117–167, div. B, title VI, § 10719, Aug. 9, 2022, 136 Stat. 1707.)