Prohibition on participation by political appointees in NIH activities

Section 401 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 281) is amended— (1) by redesignating subsections (g) and (h) as subsections (h) and (i), respectively; and (2) by inserting after subsection (f) the following: (g) Prohibition on participation by political appointees in NIH activities (1) In general Except for the Director of NIH, the Director of the National Cancer Institute, and the Director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, no political employee may— (A) be employed by the National Institutes of Health; or (B) participate in the implementation of general policies respecting the management and operation of programs and activities within the National Institutes of Health. (2) Exception Paragraph (1)(B) shall not apply to the participation of a political employee in an activity carried out by the National Institutes of Health if— (A) the political employee is employed by a Federal department or agency other than the National Institutes of Health; and (B) the participation is specifically required under this title. (3) Rule of construction Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to affect the requirements of section 406 or 492..