November 18, 2025
Mr. Pappas (for himself and Mr. Bacon) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
To prohibit reductions in the workforce at the Drug Enforcement Administration, and for other purposes.
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Laboratory Analysts and Biometric Personnel Act of 2025
or the LAB Personnel Act of 2025
.
Sec. 2. Prohibition on reducing the laboratory workforce at the Drug Enforcement Agency
(a) In general
The laboratory workforce at the Drug Enforcement Administration shall be exempt from any hiring freezes or workforce reductions related to spending cuts, reprogramming of funds, or the probationary status of employees.
(b) Laboratory workforce at the Drug Enforcement Administration defined
In this section, the term laboratory workforce at the Drug Enforcement Administration means—
(1)
positions in the Drug Enforcement Administration at forensic laboratories of the Drug Enforcement Administration, including—
(A)
forensic chemists;
(B)
fingerprint specialists;
(C)
digital forensic examiners; and
(D)
any other positions in the Drug Enforcement Administration at such forensic laboratories; and
(2)
other positions in the Drug Enforcement Administration at locations other than such a forensic laboratory that will be relocated to such a forensic laboratory that, as of the date of the enactment of this Act, is being constructed or otherwise finalized.
(c) Rule of construction
Nothing in this section may be construed to restrict the authority of the Attorney General to manage the workforce of the Department of Justice under existing procedures in cases of misconduct or poor performance.