H. R. 7148—329 
(4) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, rates of pre-
mium pay for employees subject to this subsection may not be 
changed from the rates in effect on September 30, 2025, except 
to the extent determined by the Office of Personnel Management 
to be consistent with the purpose of this subsection. 
(5) This subsection shall apply with respect to pay for service 
performed after September 30, 2025. 
(6) For the purpose of administering any provision of law 
(including any rule or regulation that provides premium pay, retire-
ment, life insurance, or any other employee benefit) that requires 
any deduction or contribution, or that imposes any requirement 
or limitation on the basis of a rate of salary or basic pay, the 
rate of salary or basic pay payable after the application of this 
subsection shall be treated as the rate of salary or basic pay. 
(7) Nothing in this subsection shall be considered to permit 
or require the payment to any employee covered by this subsection 
at a rate in excess of the rate that would be payable were this 
subsection not in effect. 
(8) The Office of Personnel Management may provide for excep-
tions to the limitations imposed by this subsection if the Office 
determines that such exceptions are necessary to ensure the recruit-
ment or retention of qualified employees. 
(b) Notwithstanding subsection (a), the adjustment in rates 
of basic pay for the statutory pay systems that take place in 
fiscal year 2026 under sections 5344 and 5348 of title 5, United 
States Code, shall be— 
(1) not less than the percentage received by employees 
in the same location whose rates of basic pay are adjusted 
pursuant to the statutory pay systems under sections 5303 
and 5304 of title 5, United States Code: Provided, That pre-
vailing rate employees at locations where there are no 
employees whose pay is increased pursuant to sections 5303 
and 5304 of title 5, United States Code, and prevailing rate 
employees described in section 5343(a)(5) of title 5, United 
States Code, shall be considered to be located in the pay locality 
designated as ‘‘Rest of United States’’ pursuant to section 5304 
of title 5, United States Code, for purposes of this subsection; 
and 
(2) effective as of the first day of the first applicable pay 
period beginning after September 30, 2025. 
SEC. 738. (a) The head of any Executive branch department, 
agency, board, commission, or office funded by this or any other 
appropriations Act shall submit annual reports to the Inspector 
General or senior ethics official for any entity without an Inspector 
General, regarding the costs and contracting procedures related 
to each conference held by any such department, agency, board, 
commission, or office during fiscal year 2026 for which the cost 
to the United States Government was more than $100,000. 
(b) Each report submitted shall include, for each conference 
described in subsection (a) held during the applicable period— 
(1) a description of its purpose; 
(2) the number of participants attending; 
(3) a detailed statement of the costs to the United States 
Government, including— 
(A) the cost of any food or beverages; 
(B) the cost of any audio-visual services;
H. R. 7148—330 
(C) the cost of employee or contractor travel to and 
from the conference; and 
(D) a discussion of the methodology used to determine 
which costs relate to the conference; and 
(4) a description of the contracting procedures used 
including— 
(A) whether contracts were awarded on a competitive 
basis; and 
(B) a discussion of any cost comparison conducted by 
the departmental component or office in evaluating poten-
tial contractors for the conference. 
(c) Within 15 days after the end of a quarter, the head of 
any such department, agency, board, commission, or office shall 
notify the Inspector General or senior ethics official for any entity 
without an Inspector General, of the date, location, and number 
of employees attending a conference held by any Executive branch 
department, agency, board, commission, or office funded by this 
or any other appropriations Act during fiscal year 2026 for which 
the cost to the United States Government was more than $20,000. 
(d) A grant or contract funded by amounts appropriated by 
this or any other appropriations Act may not be used for the 
purpose of defraying the costs of a conference described in sub-
section (c) that is not directly and programmatically related to 
the purpose for which the grant or contract was awarded, such 
as a conference held in connection with planning, training, assess-
ment, review, or other routine purposes related to a project funded 
by the grant or contract. 
(e) None of the funds made available in this or any other 
appropriations Act may be used for travel and conference activities 
that are not in compliance with Office of Management and Budget 
Memorandum M–12–12 dated May 11, 2012 or any subsequent 
revisions to that memorandum. 
SEC. 739. None of the funds made available in this or any 
other appropriations Act may be used to increase, eliminate, or 
reduce funding for a program, project, or activity as proposed in 
the President’s budget request for a fiscal year until such proposed 
change is subsequently enacted in an appropriation Act, or unless 
such change is made pursuant to the reprogramming or transfer 
provisions of this or any other appropriations Act. 
SEC. 740. None of the funds made available by this or any 
other Act may be used to implement, administer, enforce, or apply 
the rule entitled ‘‘Competitive Area’’ published by the Office of 
Personnel Management in the Federal Register on April 15, 2008 
(73 Fed. Reg. 20180 et seq.). 
SEC. 741. None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made 
available by this or any other Act may be used to begin or announce 
a study or public-private competition regarding the conversion to 
contractor performance of any function performed by Federal 
employees pursuant to Office of Management and Budget Circular 
A–76 or any other administrative regulation, directive, or policy. 
SEC. 742. (a) None of the funds appropriated or otherwise 
made available by this or any other Act may be available for 
a contract, grant, or cooperative agreement with an entity that 
requires employees or contractors of such entity seeking to report 
fraud, waste, or abuse to sign internal confidentiality agreements 
or statements prohibiting or otherwise restricting such employees 
or contractors from lawfully reporting such waste, fraud, or abuse
H. R. 7148—331 
to a designated investigative or law enforcement representative 
of a Federal department or agency authorized to receive such 
information. 
(b) The limitation in subsection (a) shall not contravene require-
ments applicable to Standard Form 312, Form 4414, or any other 
form issued by a Federal department or agency governing the 
nondisclosure of classified information. 
SEC. 743. (a) No funds appropriated in this or any other Act 
may be used to implement or enforce the agreements in Standard 
Forms 312 and 4414 of the Government or any other nondisclosure 
policy, form, or agreement if such policy, form, or agreement does 
not contain the following provisions: ‘‘These provisions are con-
sistent with and do not supersede, conflict with, or otherwise alter 
the employee obligations, rights, or liabilities created by existing 
statute or Executive order relating to (1) classified information, 
(2) communications to Congress, (3) the reporting to an Inspector 
General or the Office of Special Counsel of a violation of any 
law, rule, or regulation, or mismanagement, a gross waste of funds, 
an abuse of authority, or a substantial and specific danger to 
public health or safety, or (4) any other whistleblower protection. 
The definitions, requirements, obligations, rights, sanctions, and 
liabilities created by controlling Executive orders and statutory 
provisions are incorporated into this agreement and are control-
ling.’’: Provided, That notwithstanding the preceding provision of 
this section, a nondisclosure policy form or agreement that is to 
be executed by a person connected with the conduct of an intel-
ligence or intelligence-related activity, other than an employee or 
officer of the United States Government, may contain provisions 
appropriate to the particular activity for which such document 
is to be used. Such form or agreement shall, at a minimum, require 
that the person will not disclose any classified information received 
in the course of such activity unless specifically authorized to do 
so by the United States Government. Such nondisclosure forms 
shall also make it clear that they do not bar disclosures to Congress, 
or to an authorized official of an executive agency or the Department 
of Justice, that are essential to reporting a substantial violation 
of law. 
(b) A nondisclosure agreement may continue to be implemented 
and enforced notwithstanding subsection (a) if it complies with 
the requirements for such agreement that were in effect when 
the agreement was entered into. 
(c) No funds appropriated in this or any other Act may be 
used to implement or enforce any agreement entered into during 
fiscal year 2014 which does not contain substantially similar lan-
guage to that required in subsection (a). 
SEC. 744. None of the funds made available by this or any 
other Act may be used to enter into a contract, memorandum 
of understanding, or cooperative agreement with, make a grant 
to, or provide a loan or loan guarantee to, any corporation that 
has any unpaid Federal tax liability that has been assessed, for 
which all judicial and administrative remedies have been exhausted 
or have lapsed, and that is not being paid in a timely manner 
pursuant to an agreement with the authority responsible for col-
lecting the tax liability, where the awarding agency is aware of 
the unpaid tax liability, unless a Federal agency has considered
H. R. 7148—332 
suspension or debarment of the corporation and has made a deter-
mination that this further action is not necessary to protect the 
interests of the Government. 
SEC. 745. None of the funds made available by this or any 
other Act may be used to enter into a contract, memorandum 
of understanding, or cooperative agreement with, make a grant 
to, or provide a loan or loan guarantee to, any corporation that 
was convicted of a felony criminal violation under any Federal 
law within the preceding 24 months, where the awarding agency 
is aware of the conviction, unless a Federal agency has considered 
suspension or debarment of the corporation and has made a deter-
mination that this further action is not necessary to protect the 
interests of the Government. 
SEC. 746. (a) During fiscal year 2026, on the date on which 
a request is made for a transfer of funds in accordance with section 
1017 of Public Law 111–203, the Bureau of Consumer Financial 
Protection shall notify the Committees on Appropriations of the 
House of Representatives and the Senate, the Committee on Finan-
cial Services of the House of Representatives, and the Committee 
on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate of such 
request. 
(b) Any notification required by this section shall be made 
available on the Bureau’s public website. 
SEC. 747. (a) Notwithstanding any official rate adjusted under 
section 104 of title 3, United States Code, the rate payable to 
the Vice President during calendar year 2026 shall be the rate 
payable to the Vice President on December 31, 2025, by operation 
of section 747 of division B of Public Law 118–47, as continued 
in effect and modified by section 1605 of title VI of division A 
of Public Law 119–4 (as continued in effect and modified by division 
A of Public Law 119–37). 
(b) Notwithstanding any official rate adjusted under section 
5318 of title 5, United States Code, or any other provision of 
law, the payable rate during calendar year 2026 for an employee 
serving in an Executive Schedule position, or in a position for 
which the rate of pay is fixed by statute at an Executive Schedule 
rate, shall be the rate payable for the applicable Executive Schedule 
level on December 31, 2025, by operation of section 747 of division 
B of Public Law 118–47, as continued in effect and modified by 
section 1605 of title VI of division A of Public Law 119–4 (as 
continued in effect and modified by division A of Public Law 119– 
37). 
(c) Notwithstanding section 401 of the Foreign Service Act 
of 1980 (Public Law 96–465) or any other provision of law, a 
chief of mission or ambassador at large is subject to subsection 
(b) in the same manner as other employees who are paid at an 
Executive Schedule rate. 
(d)(1) This subsection applies to— 
(A) a noncareer appointee in the Senior Executive Service 
paid a rate of basic pay at or above the official rate for level 
IV of the Executive Schedule; or 
(B) a limited term appointee or limited emergency 
appointee in the Senior Executive Service serving under a 
political appointment and paid a rate of basic pay at or above 
the official rate for level IV of the Executive Schedule. 
(2) Notwithstanding sections 5382 and 5383 of title 5, United 
States Code, an employee described in paragraph (1) may not