(a) An employee covered under this subpart who violates the regulatory prohibitions contained in this subpart may be subject to the following:

(1) Disciplinary action consisting of removal, reduction in grade, debarment from Federal employment for a period not to exceed 5 years, suspension, or reprimand;

(2) An assessment of a civil penalty not to exceed $1,000; or

(3) Any combination of the penalties described in paragraph (a)(1) or (2). In assessing a penalty, the discretion of the Surgeon General of the Public Health Service must be guided by applicable precedents of the Merit Systems Protection Board in its adjudication of cases arising under the Hatch Act Reform Amendments of 1993, as amended (5 U.S.C. 7321-7326).

(b) An employee covered under this subpart who violates any criminal or civil statute relating to political activity, including any criminal or civil counterpart to the regulatory prohibitions contained in this subpart, may be subject to the penalties specified in the applicable statute.