# Surface Transportation Assistance Act (STAA) — Federal Whistleblower Protection Filing Deadlines by Statute

For Surface Transportation Assistance Act (STAA), usc citation is 49 U.S.C. § 31105; filing deadline days is 180; covered industry is Commercial motor vehicle transportation; enforcement mechanism is Complaint filed with Secretary of Labor; Secretary investigates, issues preliminary order with relief, then final order after hearing; governed by legal burdens of proof set forth in section 42121(b); private right of action is Yes; if the Secretary of Labor has not issued a final decision within 210 days after the filing of the complaint and if the delay is not due to the bad faith of the employee, the employee may bring an original action at law or equity for de novo review in the appropriate district court of the United States, recorded from its source on 2026-08-15.

- **statute short name:** Surface Transportation Assistance Act (STAA)
- **usc citation:** 49 U.S.C. § 31105
- **filing deadline days:** 180 _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **covered industry:** Commercial motor vehicle transportation _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **enforcement mechanism:** Complaint filed with Secretary of Labor; Secretary investigates, issues preliminary order with relief, then final order after hearing; governed by legal burdens of proof set forth in section 42121(b)
- **private right of action:** Yes; if the Secretary of Labor has not issued a final decision within 210 days after the filing of the complaint and if the delay is not due to the bad faith of the employee, the employee may bring an original action at law or equity for de novo review in the appropriate district court of the United States

## What the source says

> An employee alleging discharge, discipline, or discrimination in violation of subsection (a) of this section, or another person at the employee's request, may file a complaint with the Secretary of Labor not later than 180 days after the alleged violation occurred.

## Source

- https://www.whistleblowers.gov/statutes/staa

Last verified: 2026-08-15. Review by: 2027-08-15.
Part of [Federal Whistleblower Protection Filing Deadlines by Statute](https://referencesource.org/whistleblower-filing-deadlines/).