NASA Talent Exchange Program Act

Sponsor: Andy Kim (Democratic-NJ)January 15, 2026

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Introduced

In Committee

Passed One Chamber

Passed Both Chambers

Signed into Law

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Lets NASA employees and private company workers temporarily swap jobs to share skills.

This bill would let NASA set up a new program. Its employees could temporarily work at private companies, and private company employees could work at NASA. This program aims to help both sides share knowledge and skills. Currently, NASA does not have the clear legal power to do this.

What Would Change

Currently, NASA does not have the explicit legal authority to run a program that allows its employees to temporarily work for private companies or for private sector employees to work at NASA. If this bill passes, NASA would be able to set up this public-private talent program, enabling temporary job exchanges between NASA and private companies under specific rules and agreements, lasting between 90 days and up to 4 years.

Key Provisions

Lets NASA and private companies temporarily swap employees, with both the company and employee agreeing to the exchange.
Requires NASA employees to work for NASA for twice the length of their assignment after returning from a private company.
Prohibits NASA employees assigned to private companies from improperly using sensitive NASA information for the private company's benefit.
Sets temporary assignments to last from 90 days to 2 years, with possible extensions up to 4 years for critical projects.
Ensures NASA employees remain federal employees for all purposes during their private sector assignments.
Requires private sector employees assigned to NASA to keep getting paid by their private employer, follow certain federal laws like ethics rules, and not perform work that only government employees can do.

View on Congress.gov

S 3672 · 119th Congress · January 15, 2026 · AI Summary by gemini-2.5-flash · 9/10

NASA Talent Exchange Program Act

What Would Change

Key Provisions

Lobbying Activity