RETENTION OF EXPIRED FUNDS DURING THE PENDENCY OF CONTRACT LITIGATION.

SEC. 831. RETENTION OF EXPIRED FUNDS DURING THE PENDENCY OF CONTRACT LITIGATION. (a) In General.—Chapter 141 of title 10, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new section: “§ 2410m. Retention of amounts collected from contractor during the pendency of contract dispute “(a) Retention of Funds.—Notwithstanding sections 1552(a) and 3302(b) of title 31, any amount, including interest, collected from a contractor as a result of a claim made by a military department or Defense Agency under the Contract Disputes Act of 1978 (41 U.S.C. 601 et seq.), shall remain available in accordance with this section to pay— “(1) any settlement of the claim by the parties; “(2) any judgment rendered in the contractor’s favor on an appeal of the decision on that claim to the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals under section 7 of such Act (41 U.S.C. 606); or “(3) any judgment rendered in the contractor’s favor in an action on that claim in a court of the United States. “(b) Period of Availability.—(1) The period of availability of an amount under subsection (a), in connection with a claim— “(A) expires 180 days after the expiration of the period for bringing an action on that claim in the United States Court of Federal Claims under section 10(a) of the Contract Disputes Act of 1978 (41 U.S.C. 609(a)) if, within that 180-day period— “(i) no appeal on the claim is commenced at the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals under section 7 of such Act; and “(ii) no action on the claim is commenced in a court of the United States; or “(B) if not expiring under subparagraph (A), expires— “(i) in the case of a settlement of the claim, 180 days after the date of the settlement; or “(ii) in the case of a judgment rendered on the claim in an appeal to the Armed Services Board of Contract 111 STAT. 1842Appeals under section 7 of the Contract Disputes Act of 1978 or an action in a court of the United States, 180 days after the date on which the judgment becomes final and not appealable. “(2) While available under this section, an amount may be obligated or expended only for a purpose described in subsection (a). “(3) Upon the expiration of the period of availability of an amount under paragraph (1), the amount shall be covered into the Treasury as miscellaneous receipts. “(c) Reporting Requirement.—Each year, the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) shall submit to Congress a report on the amounts, if any, that are available for obligation pursuant to this section. The report shall include, at a minimum, the following: “(1) The total amount available for obligation. “(2) The total amount collected from contractors during the year preceding the year in which the report is submitted. “(3) The total amount disbursed in such preceding year and a description of the purpose for each disbursement. “(4) The total amount returned to the Treasury in such preceding year.”. (b) Clerical Amendment.—The table of sections at the beginning of chapter 141 of title 10, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new item: “2410m. Retention of amounts collected from contractor during the pendency of contract dispute.”