5 USC Sec. 2302
(a)(1) For the purpose of this title, "prohibited personnel
practice" means any action described in subsection (b).
(2) For the purpose of this section -
(A) "personnel action" means -
(i) an appointment;
(ii) a promotion;
(iii) an action under chapter 75 of this title or other
disciplinary or corrective action;
(iv) a detail, transfer, or reassignment;
(v) a reinstatement;
(vi) a restoration;
(vii) a reemployment;
(viii) a performance evaluation under chapter 43 of this
title;
(ix) a decision concerning pay, benefits, or awards,
concerning education or training if the education or training
may reasonably be expected to lead to an appointment,
promotion, performance evaluation, or other action described in
this subparagraph;
(x) a decision to order psychiatric testing or examination;
and
(xi) any other significant change in duties,
responsibilities, or working conditions;

with respect to an employee in, or applicant for, a covered
position in an agency, and in the case of an alleged prohibited
personnel practice described in subsection (b)(8), an employee or
applicant for employment in a Government corporation as defined
in section 9101 of title 31;
(B) "covered position" means, with respect to any personnel
action, any position in the competitive service, a career
appointee position in the Senior Executive Service, or a position
in the excepted service, but does not include any position which
is, prior to the personnel action -
(i) excepted from the competitive service because of its
confidential, policy-determining, policy-making, or policy-
advocating character; or
(ii) excluded from the coverage of this section by the
President based on a determination by the President that it is
necessary and warranted by conditions of good administration;
and

(C) "agency" means an Executive agency and the Government
Printing Office, but does not include -
(i) a Government corporation, except in the case of an
alleged prohibited personnel practice described under
subsection (b)(8);
(ii) the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Central
Intelligence Agency, the Defense Intelligence Agency, the
National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, the National Security
Agency, and, as determined by the President, any Executive
agency or unit thereof the principal function of which is the
conduct of foreign intelligence or counterintelligence
activities; or

(iii) the Government Accountability Office.

(b) Any employee who has authority to take, direct others to
take, recommend, or approve any personnel action, shall not, with
respect to such authority -
(1) discriminate for or against any employee or applicant for
employment -
(A) on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national
origin, as prohibited under section 717 of the Civil Rights Act
of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000e-16);
(B) on the basis of age, as prohibited under sections 12 and
15 of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (29
U.S.C. 631, 633a);
(C) on the basis of sex, as prohibited under section 6(d) of
the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 206(d));
(D) on the basis of handicapping condition, as prohibited
under section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C.
791); or
(E) on the basis of marital status or political affiliation,
as prohibited under any law, rule, or regulation;

(2) solicit or consider any recommendation or statement, oral
or written, with respect to any individual who requests or is
under consideration for any personnel action unless such
recommendation or statement is based on the personal knowledge or
records of the person furnishing it and consists of -
(A) an evaluation of the work performance, ability, aptitude,
or general qualifications of such individual; or
(B) an evaluation of the character, loyalty, or suitability
of such individual;

(3) coerce the political activity of any person (including the
providing of any political contribution or service), or take any
action against any employee or applicant for employment as a
reprisal for the refusal of any person to engage in such
political activity;

(4) deceive or willfully obstruct any person with respect to
such person's right to compete for employment;

(5) influence any person to withdraw from competition for any
position for the purpose of improving or injuring the prospects
of any other person for employment;

(6) grant any preference or advantage not authorized by law,
rule, or regulation to any employee or applicant for employment
(including defining the scope or manner of competition or the
requirements for any position) for the purpose of improving or
injuring the prospects of any particular person for employment;

(7) appoint, employ, promote, advance, or advocate for
appointment, employment, promotion, or advancement, in or to a
civilian position any individual who is a relative (as defined in
section 3110(a)(3) of this title) of such employee if such
position is in the agency in which such employee is serving as a
public official (as defined in section 3110(a)(2) of this title)
or over which such employee exercises jurisdiction or control as
such an official;

(8) take or fail to take, or threaten to take or fail to take, a personnel action with respect to any employee or applicant for employment because of -

(A) any disclosure of information by an employee or applicant
which the employee or applicant reasonably believes evidences -

(i) a violation of any law, rule, or regulation, or
(ii) gross mismanagement, a gross waste of funds, an abuse
of authority, or a substantial and specific danger to public
health or safety,

if such disclosure is not specifically prohibited by law and if
such information is not specifically required by Executive
order to be kept secret in the interest of national defense or
the conduct of foreign affairs; or
(B) any disclosure to the Special Counsel, or to the
Inspector General of an agency or another employee designated
by the head of the agency to receive such disclosures, of
information which the employee or applicant reasonably believes
evidences -
(i) a violation of any law, rule, or regulation, or
(ii) gross mismanagement, a gross waste of funds, an abuse
of authority, or a substantial and specific danger to public
health or safety;

(9) take or fail to take, or threaten to take or fail to take,
any personnel action against any employee or applicant for
employment because of -
(A) the exercise of any appeal, complaint, or grievance right
granted by any law, rule, or regulation;
(B) testifying for or otherwise lawfully assisting any
individual in the exercise of any right referred to in
subparagraph (A);
(C) cooperating with or disclosing information to the
Inspector General of an agency, or the Special Counsel, in
accordance with applicable provisions of law; or
(D) for refusing to obey an order that would require the
individual to violate a law;

(10) discriminate for or against any employee or applicant for
employment on the basis of conduct which does not adversely
affect the performance of the employee or applicant or the
performance of others; except that nothing in this paragraph
shall prohibit an agency from taking into account in determining
suitability or fitness any conviction of the employee or
applicant for any crime under the laws of any State, of the
District of Columbia, or of the United States;

(11)(A) knowingly take, recommend, or approve any personnel
action if the taking of such action would violate a veterans'
preference requirement; or
(B) knowingly fail to take, recommend, or approve any personnel
action if the failure to take such action would violate a
veterans' preference requirement; or

(12) take or fail to take any other personnel action if the
taking of or failure to take such action violates any law, rule,
or regulation implementing, or directly concerning, the merit
system principles contained in section 2301 of this title.

This subsection shall not be construed to authorize the withholding
of information from the Congress or the taking of any personnel
action against an employee who discloses information to the
Congress.