---
kind: "section"
citation: "6 U.S.C. § 552"
title: "6"
title_heading: "Domestic Security"
number: "552"
heading: "Savings provisions"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/6/552"
units:
  - "Chapter 1 — Homeland Security Organization"
  - "Subchapter XII — Transition"
  - "Part B — Transitional Provisions"
---

# §552. Savings provisions

- (a) **Completed administrative actions—**
  - (1) Completed administrative actions of an [agency](/usc/6/671.md?p=1) shall not be affected by the enactment of this chapter or the transfer of such [agency](/usc/6/671.md?p=1) to the [Department](/usc/6/101.md?p=5), but shall continue in effect according to their terms until amended, modified, superseded, terminated, set aside, or revoked in accordance with law by an officer of the [United States](/usc/6/101.md?p=19-A) or a court of competent jurisdiction, or by operation of law.
  - (2) For purposes of [paragraph (1)](#a-1), the term “completed administrative action” includes orders, determinations, rules, regulations, [personnel](/usc/6/101.md?p=15) actions, permits, agreements, grants, contracts, certificates, licenses, registrations, and privileges.
- (b) **Pending proceedings—** Subject to the authority of the [Secretary](/usc/6/101.md?p=16) under this chapter—
  - (1) pending proceedings in an [agency](/usc/6/671.md?p=1), including notices of proposed rulemaking, and applications for licenses, permits, certificates, grants, and financial assistance, shall continue notwithstanding the enactment of this chapter or the transfer of the [agency](/usc/6/671.md?p=1) to the [Department](/usc/6/101.md?p=5), unless discontinued or modified under the same terms and conditions and to the same extent that such discontinuance could have occurred if such enactment or transfer had not occurred; and
  - (2) orders issued in such proceedings, and appeals therefrom, and payments made pursuant to such orders, shall issue in the same manner and on the same terms as if this chapter had not been enacted or the [agency](/usc/6/671.md?p=1) had not been transferred, and any such orders shall continue in effect until amended, modified, superseded, terminated, set aside, or revoked by an officer of the [United States](/usc/6/101.md?p=19-A) or a court of competent jurisdiction, or by operation of law.
- (c) **Pending civil actions—** Subject to the authority of the [Secretary](/usc/6/101.md?p=16) under this chapter, pending civil actions shall continue notwithstanding the enactment of this chapter or the transfer of an [agency](/usc/6/671.md?p=1) to the [Department](/usc/6/101.md?p=5), and in such civil actions, proceedings shall be had, appeals taken, and judgments rendered and enforced in the same manner and with the same effect as if such enactment or transfer had not occurred.
- (d) **References—** References relating to an [agency](/usc/6/671.md?p=1) that is transferred to the [Department](/usc/6/101.md?p=5) in statutes, Executive orders, rules, regulations, directives, or delegations of authority that precede such transfer or the effective date of this chapter shall be deemed to refer, as appropriate, to the [Department](/usc/6/101.md?p=5), to its officers, employees, or agents, or to its corresponding organizational units or [functions](/usc/6/101.md?p=9). Statutory reporting requirements that applied in relation to such an [agency](/usc/6/671.md?p=1) immediately before the effective date of this chapter shall continue to apply following such transfer if they refer to the [agency](/usc/6/671.md?p=1) by name.
- (e) **Employment provisions—**
  - (1) Notwithstanding the generality of the foregoing (including subsections [(a)](#a) and [(d)](#d)), in and for the [Department](/usc/6/101.md?p=5) the [Secretary](/usc/6/101.md?p=16) may, in regulations prescribed jointly with the [Director](/usc/6/677a.md?p=3) of the Office of [Personnel](/usc/6/101.md?p=15) Management, adopt the rules, procedures, terms, and conditions, established by statute, rule, or regulation before the effective date of this chapter, relating to employment in any [agency](/usc/6/671.md?p=1) transferred to the [Department](/usc/6/101.md?p=5) pursuant to this chapter; and
  - (2) except as otherwise provided in this chapter, or under authority granted by this chapter, the transfer pursuant to this chapter of [personnel](/usc/6/101.md?p=15) shall not alter the terms and conditions of employment, including compensation, of any employee so transferred.
- (f) **Statutory reporting requirements—** Any statutory reporting requirement that applied to an [agency](/usc/6/671.md?p=1), transferred to the [Department](/usc/6/101.md?p=5) under this chapter, immediately before the effective date of this chapter shall continue to apply following that transfer if the statutory requirement refers to the [agency](/usc/6/671.md?p=1) by name.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 107–296, title XV, § 1512, Nov. 25, 2002, 116 Stat. 2310.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### References in Text

This chapter, referred to in text, was in the original “this Act”, meaning Pub. L. 107–296, Nov. 25, 2002, 116 Stat. 2135, known as the Homeland Security Act of 2002, which is classified principally to this chapter. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title note set out under section 101 of this title and Tables.

The effective date of this chapter, referred to in subsecs. (d), (e)(1), and (f), is 60 days after Nov. 25, 2002, see section 4 of Pub. L. 107–296, set out as an Effective Date note under section 101 of this title.