14 USC § 2508 - Emergency leave retention authority

---
identifier: "/us/usc/t14/s2508"
source: "usc"
legal_status: "official_legal_evidence"
title: "14 USC § 2508 - Emergency leave retention authority"
title_number: 14
title_name: "COAST GUARD"
section_number: "2508"
section_name: "Emergency leave retention authority"
chapter_number: 25
chapter_name: "PERSONNEL; GENERAL PROVISIONS"
subchapter_number: "I"
subchapter_name: "GENERAL PROVISIONS"
positive_law: true
currency: "119-84"
last_updated: "2026-03-26"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
source_credit: "(Added Pub. L. 111–281, title II, § 207(a), Oct. 15, 2010, 124 Stat. 2912, § 426; renumbered § 2508, Pub. L. 115–282, title I, § 114(b), Dec. 4, 2018, 132 Stat. 4223; amended Pub. L. 117–263, div. A, title VI, § 631(c)(1), Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 2631.)"
---


# § 2508. Emergency leave retention authority

**(a)** **In General.—** A duty assignment for an active duty member of the Coast Guard in support of a declaration of a major disaster or emergency by the President under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.) or in response to a spill of national significance shall be treated, for the purpose of section 701(e) of title 10, as a duty assignment in support of a contingency operation.

**(b)** **Definitions.—** In this section:

**(1)** **Spill of national significance.—** The term “spill of national significance” means a discharge of oil or a hazardous substance that is declared by the Commandant to be a spill of national significance.

**(2)** **Discharge.—** The term “discharge” has the meaning given that term in section 1001 of the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (33 U.S.C. 2701).

---

**Source Credit**: (Added Pub. L. 111–281, title II, § 207(a), Oct. 15, 2010, 124 Stat. 2912, § 426; renumbered § 2508, Pub. L. 115–282, title I, § 114(b), Dec. 4, 2018, 132 Stat. 4223; amended Pub. L. 117–263, div. A, title VI, § 631(c)(1), Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 2631.)

## Editorial Notes

### References in Text

The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, referred to in subsec. (a), is , , , which is classified principally to chapter 68 (§ 5121 et seq.) of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title note set out under  and Tables.

### Amendments

2022—Subsec. (a).  substituted “section 701(e)” for “section 701(f)(2)”.

2018— renumbered  as this section.

## Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Effective Date of 2022 Amendment

Amendment by  effective , see , set out as a note under , Armed Forces.

### Effective Date

> “The amendments made by this section [enacting this section] shall be deemed to have been enacted on
> 
> .”

, , , provided that: