Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary shall not be considered to be a Federal employee and shall not be subject to the provisions of law relating to Federal employment, including those relating to hours of work, rates of compensation, leave, unemployment compensation, Federal employee benefits, ethics, conflicts of interest, and other similar criminal or civil statutes and regulations governing the conduct of Federal employees. However, nothing in this subsection shall constrain the Commandant from prescribing standards for the conduct and behavior of members of the Auxiliary.

A member of the Auxiliary while assigned to duty shall be deemed to be a Federal employee only for the purposes of the following:

(1) Chapter 171 of title 28 (popularly known as the Federal Tort Claims Act).

(2) Section 2733 of title 10 (popularly known as the Military Claims Act).

(3) Section 30101 of title 46 (popularly known as the Admiralty Extension Act).

(4) Chapter 309 of title 46 (known as the Suits in Admiralty Act).

(5) Chapter 311 of title 46 (known as the Public Vessels Act).

(6) Other matters related to noncontractual civil liability.

(7) Compensation for work injuries under chapter 81 of title 5.

(8) The resolution of claims relating to damage to or loss of personal property of the member incident to service under the Military Personnel and Civilian Employees’ Claims Act of 1964 (31 U.S.C. 3721).1

(9) Section 651 of Public Law 104–208.

A member of the Auxiliary, while assigned to duty, shall be deemed to be a person acting under an officer of the United States or an agency thereof for purposes of section 1442(a)(1) of title 28.

(Added Pub. L. 104–324, title IV, § 403(a), Oct. 19, 1996, 110 Stat. 3923, § 823a; amended Pub. L. 107–295, title IV, § 415, Nov. 25, 2002, 116 Stat. 2121; Pub. L. 109–304, § 17(c), Oct. 6, 2006, 120 Stat. 1707; Pub. L. 114–120, title II, § 209(15), Feb. 8, 2016, 130 Stat. 41; Pub. L. 115–232, div. C, title XXXV, § 3533(i), Aug. 13, 2018, 132 Stat. 2321; renumbered § 3904, Pub. L. 115–282, title I, § 119(b), Dec. 4, 2018, 132 Stat. 4236.)