I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 10278 

To build on America’s spirit of service to nurture, promote, and expand 

a culture of service to secure the Nation’s future, address critical needs 

of the Nation, and strengthen the civic fabric of American society. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

DECEMBER 3, 2024 

Mr. PANETTA (for himself, Ms. HOULAHAN, and Mr. BACON) introduced the 

following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and the 

Workforce, and in addition to the Committees on Armed Services, Foreign Affairs, Agriculture, Natural Resources, Ways and Means, Oversight 

and Accountability, Veterans’ Affairs, Homeland Security, Intelligence 

(Permanent Select), House Administration, the Judiciary, and Energy 

and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To build on America’s spirit of service to nurture, promote, 

and expand a culture of service to secure the Nation’s 

future, address critical needs of the Nation, and 

strengthen the civic fabric of American society. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Inspire to Serve Act 

5 of 2024’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

2 The table of contents for this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title. 

Sec. 2. Table of contents. 

TITLE I—PRIORITIZATION OF CIVIC EDUCATION AND SERVICE 

LEARNING 

Sec. 101. Civic education fund. 

Sec. 102. Service-learning fund. 

Sec. 103. National civics assessment. 

Sec. 104. Excellence in civics award. 

Sec. 105. Development of material on civic education and effective citizenship. 

Sec. 106. Sense of Congress regarding the importance of teachers in inspiring 

civic engagement. 

TITLE II—ELEVATION AND INTEGRATION OF ALL FORMS OF 

SERVICE 

Sec. 201. Council on Military, National, and Public Service. 

Sec. 202. Internet-based service platform. 

Sec. 203. Pilot program to coordinate military, national, and public service recruitment. 

Sec. 204. Joint market research and recruiting program to advance military 

and national service. 

Sec. 205. Information sharing to advance military and national service. 

Sec. 206. Transition opportunities for military servicemembers and national 

service participants. 

Sec. 207. Joint report to Congress on initiatives to integrate military and national service. 

TITLE III—ADVANCEMENT OF MILITARY, NATIONAL, AND PUBLIC 

SERVICE 

Sec. 300. Definitions. 

Subtitle A—Advancement of Military Service 

Sec. 301. New personnel management structure for military specialists. 

Sec. 302. Pre-service tuition grant program. 

Sec. 303. Pilot program on technical civilian professional credentials. 

Sec. 304. Expansion of Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps Program. 

Sec. 305. Expansion of Cyber Institutes Program. 

Sec. 306. Temporary authority for targeted recruitment incentives. 

Sec. 307. Multiyear appropriations for marketing and advertising. 

Subtitle B—Advancement of National Service 

Sec. 321. National service fellowships. 

Sec. 322. Expansion of youthbuild, youth conservation corps, and national 

guard youth challenge programs. 

Sec. 323. National service public awareness campaign. 

Sec. 324. Recognition of corporate contributions to national service. 

Sec. 325. Corporation for national and community service demonstration 

projects. 


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Sec. 326. Peace Corps remote demonstration projects. 

Sec. 327. National service living allowance increases. 

Sec. 328. Senior Corps stipend increases. 

Sec. 329. Wraparound support services for certain national service participants. 

Sec. 330. National service educational award increases. 

Sec. 331. Expanded use of national service educational award. 

Sec. 332. Discounted end-of-service cash stipend for national service members. 

Sec. 333. Exclusion of national service educational award from gross income. 

Sec. 334. Transferability of national service educational award. 

Sec. 335. Noncompetitive eligibility for full-time national service participants. 

Sec. 336. Pension service credit for Federal service corps participants. 

Sec. 337. Senior Corps competitive grant model. 

Subtitle C—Advancement of Public Service: Modernization of Federal 

Personnel Systems 

Sec. 341. Enhanced awareness of the value of Federal public service. 

Sec. 342. Responsibility for determining eligibility for hiring preferences and 

special hiring options. 

Sec. 343. Enhancement of special hiring authorities for military veterans. 

Sec. 344. Noncompetitive eligibility for high-performing civilian employees. 

Sec. 345. Flexibility for temporary and term appointments. 

Sec. 346. Criteria for granting direct-hire authority to agencies. 

Sec. 347. Cafeteria plan for Federal employees. 

Sec. 348. Modern benefits pilot program. 

Sec. 349. Demonstration project flexibility for the Office of Personnel Management. 

Sec. 350. Advanced assessment tools for Executive agency hiring. 

Sec. 351. Competency standards for human resources specialists. 

Sec. 352. Evaluation of improvements to the Federal civil service personnel system. 

Sec. 353. Proposals for modern talent-management system. 

Sec. 354. Annual report on blended Federal workforce. 

Sec. 355. Sense of Congress on effective and efficient management of the 

blended Federal workforce. 

Subtitle D—Advancement of Public Service: Students, Recent Graduates, and 

Critical Skills 

Sec. 361. Federal Fellowship and Scholarship Center. 

Sec. 362. Public Service Corps. 

Sec. 363. Public service academy grants. 

Sec. 364. Public service cadet program at military service academies. 

Sec. 365. Compensation for Federal interns. 

Sec. 366. Establishment of Pathways Program. 

Sec. 367. Enhanced hiring for recent college graduates and post-secondary students. 

Sec. 368. Aggregate number of hires of recent college graduates and post-secondary students. 

Sec. 369. Demonstration project to hire recent college graduates and post-secondary students with critical skills. 

Sec. 370. Noncompetitive eligibility for Federal developmental positions. 

Sec. 371. Facilitation of Federal employee reskilling. 

Sec. 372. Civilian Cybersecurity Reserve pilot project. 

Sec. 373. Expansion of cyber talent management system. 


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Sec. 374. Personnel policy demonstration project for Federal agencies with employees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics 

fields. 

Sec. 375. Development of proposal for simplified personnel system for Veterans 

Health Administration. 

Sec. 376. Portability of health care licensure for Federal employees. 

TITLE IV—STRENGTHENING OF NATIONAL MOBILIZATION 

Sec. 401. Modernization of the Selective Service System. 

Sec. 402. Report on exemptions and deferments for a possible military draft. 

Sec. 403. Responsibilities for national mobilization; personnel requirements. 

Sec. 404. Enhancements to national mobilization exercises. 

Sec. 405. Critical skills for the Department of Defense. 

Sec. 406. Individual Ready Reserve for Critical Skills. 

1 TITLE I—PRIORITIZATION OF 

2 CIVIC EDUCATION AND SERV3 ICE LEARNING 

4 SEC. 101. CIVIC EDUCATION FUND. 

5 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

6 (1) APPLIED CIVICS.—The term ‘‘applied 

7 civics’’ means an educational program applying serv8 ice-learning methods to provide students with prac9 tical and experiential opportunities to apply their 

10 civic knowledge and skills. 

11 (2) CIVIC EDUCATION.—The term ‘‘civic edu12 cation’’ means an educational program that provides 

13 participants with knowledge of law, government, and 

14 the rights and responsibilities of citizens and skills 

15 that enable participants to participate responsibly in 

16 democracy. 

17 (3) EDUCATIONAL SERVICE AGENCY AND STATE

18 EDUCATIONAL AGENCY.—The terms ‘‘educational 


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1 service agency’’ and ‘‘State educational agency’’ 

2 have the meanings given those terms in section 8101 

3 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 

4 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 

5 (4) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti6 ty’’ means— 

7 (A) any local educational agency; 

8 (B) any State educational agency; 

9 (C) any educational service agency; 

10 (D) any institution of higher education; 

11 (E) any community-based organization; 

12 (F) any nonprofit, nongovernmental orga13 nization; or 

14 (G) any consortium of entities described in 

15 subparagraphs (A) through (F). 

16 (5) HIGH-NEED SCHOOL.—The term ‘‘high-need 

17 school’’ means any public elementary school or sec18 ondary school that is located in an area in which the 

19 percentage of students from families with incomes 

20 below the poverty line is 30 percent or more, as de21 termined by the Secretary. 

22 (6) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 

23 term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 

24 meaning given that term in section 8101 of the EleVerDate Sep 11 2014 05:54 Dec 10, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H10278.IH H10278

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1 mentary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 

2 U.S.C. 7801). 

3 (7) LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY.—The term 

4 ‘‘local educational agency’’ has the meaning given 

5 that term in section 8101 of the Elementary and 

6 Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801) 

7 and includes any tribally sanctioned educational au8 thority as defined in section 3201 of that Act (20 

9 U.S.C. 7011). 

10 (8) SCHOOL.—The term ‘‘school’’ means— 

11 (A) any elementary school or secondary 

12 school as those terms are defined in section 

13 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu14 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801); and 

15 (B) any education program provided by the 

16 Secretary of Defense under section 2164 of title 

17 10, United States Code. 

18 (9) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

19 the Secretary of Education. 

20 (10) SERVICE-LEARNING.—The term ‘‘service21 learning’’ has the meaning given that term in section 

22 101 of the National and Community Service Act of 

23 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12511). 

24 (11) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each of 

25 the several States, the District of Columbia, the 


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1 Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and any other terri2 tory or possession of the United States. 

3 (b) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish 

5 and administer a Civic Education Fund from which 

6 the Secretary makes grants under this section to eli7 gible entities, on a competitive basis, to support the 

8 development and evaluation of civic education pro9 grams in schools. 

10 (2) PURPOSE.—The purposes of grants award11 ed from the Civic Education Fund are— 

12 (A) to promote and expand civic education 

13 by supporting the development and implementa14 tion of high-quality civic education, applied 

15 civics, and service-learning programming in 

16 schools; 

17 (B) to promote the development and imple18 mentation of evidence-based curricula and edu19 cational standards, and to provide teacher de20 velopment, with respect to civic education, ap21 plied civics, and service-learning programming 

22 in schools; and 

23 (C) to support State and local educational 

24 agencies, institutions of higher education, and 

25 nonprofit organizations in their efforts to supVerDate Sep 11 2014 05:54 Dec 10, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H10278.IH H10278

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1 port civic education, applied civics, and service2 learning in schools. 

3 (c) TEACHER DEVELOPMENT IN CIVIC EDUCATION, 

4 APPLIED CIVICS, AND SERVICE LEARNING.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity may apply 

6 for a grant under this section for the purpose of 

7 teacher development in civic education, applied 

8 civics, and service-learning in schools. Such grant 

9 may only be used— 

10 (A) to train teachers in effective strategies 

11 for instructing students in civic education, ap12 plied civics, and service-learning; 

13 (B) to host training sessions for teachers 

14 to share best practices and learn new skills; 

15 (C) to develop resources that teachers can 

16 use in the classroom to improve civic education, 

17 applied civics, and service-learning programs for 

18 students; 

19 (D) to coordinate with other local organi20 zations and community-based services and pro21 grams to provide hands-on civic learning devel22 opment opportunities; or 

23 (E) to support any other programs de24 signed to ensure that teachers have the reqVerDate Sep 11 2014 05:54 Dec 10, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H10278.IH H10278

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1 uisite knowledge and skills to successfully teach 

2 civic education and applied civics. 

3 (2) GRANTS.— 

4 (A) RESERVATION OF FUNDS FOR HIGH5 NEED SCHOOLS.—Of the funds made available 

6 for grants under this subsection, the Secretary 

7 shall reserve not less than 50 percent for grants 

8 to provide services for teachers in high-need 

9 schools. 

10 (B) GENERAL GRANTS.—The remainder of 

11 the funds made available for grants under this 

12 subsection (but not more than 50 percent of 

13 such funds) shall be granted on a competitive 

14 basis to eligible entities for the purpose of 

15 teacher development in civic education, applied 

16 civics, and service learning in schools. 

17 (d) DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF EF18 FECTIVE CIVIC EDUCATION, APPLIED CIVICS, AND SERV19 ICE-LEARNING PROGRAMS.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity may apply 

21 for a grant under this section for activities to sup22 port effective civic education, applied civics, and 

23 service-learning programs in schools. Such grant 

24 may only be used— 


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1 (A) to establish a new, or improve an exist2 ing, civic education, applied civics, or service3 learning program; 

4 (B) to evaluate the effect of such programs 

5 on participants and increase the effectiveness of 

6 such programs with respect to— 

7 (i) understanding of United States 

8 law, history, and government; 

9 (ii) voting and other forms of political 

10 and civic engagement; 

11 (iii) critical thinking and media lit12 eracy; 

13 (iv) interest in employment, and ca14 reers, in military, national, and public 

15 service; and 

16 (v) the ability of participants to col17 laborate and compromise with others to 

18 solve problems; 

19 (C) to develop and modify curricula relat20 ing to civic education, applied civics, and service 

21 learning; 

22 (D) to create and administer classroom ac23 tivities, thesis projects, individual or team 

24 projects, internships, or community service ac25 tivities related to civics education; 


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1 (E) to collaborate with government enti2 ties, nonprofit organizations, or consortia of 

3 such entities and organizations to provide stu4 dents with experiences related to civic edu5 cation; or 

6 (F) to develop and support any other pro7 grams the Secretary deems crucial to the effi8 cacy of civic education, applied civics, or serv9 ice-learning programs. 

10 (2) GRANTS.— 

11 (A) RESERVATION OF FUNDS FOR HIGH12 NEED SCHOOLS.—Of the funds made available 

13 for grants under this subsection, the Secretary 

14 shall reserve not less than 50 percent for grants 

15 for programs for students in high-need schools. 

16 (B) GENERAL GRANTS.—The remainder of 

17 the funds made available for grants under this 

18 subsection (but not more than 50 percent of 

19 such funds) shall be granted on a competitive 

20 basis to eligible entities for programs that de21 velop and implement effective civic education, 

22 applied civics, and service-learning programs in 

23 schools. 

24 (e) MATCHING FUNDS REQUIREMENTS.— 


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1 (1) REQUIREMENTS.—Except for grants for 

2 high-need schools under subsections (c)(2)(A) and 

3 (d)(2)(A), the Federal share of the cost of a pro4 gram that receives a grant under this section, 

5 whether the grant is provided directly or as a 

6 subgrant from the original recipient of the grant, 

7 may not exceed 50 percent of such cost. 

8 (2) CALCULATION.—In providing for the re9 maining share of the cost of carrying out the pro10 gram receiving the grant, the recipient— 

11 (A) may provide for such share through 

12 contributions in cash or in kind, fairly evalu13 ated, including facilities, equipment, or services; 

14 and 

15 (B) may provide for such share through 

16 non-Federal sources or from other Federal 

17 sources (other than funds made available under 

18 Federal programs administered by the Sec19 retary). 

20 (3) WAIVER.—The Secretary may waive in 

21 whole or in part the requirements of paragraph (1) 

22 with respect to a recipient in any fiscal year if the 

23 Secretary determines that such a waiver would be 

24 equitable due to a lack of available financial re25 sources at the local level. 


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1 (4) REPORT BY RECIPIENT ON OTHER FEDERAL

2 FUNDS.—A recipient of a grant to which this sub3 section applies shall report to the Secretary the 

4 amount and source of any Federal funds used to 

5 carry out the program for which the grant is pro6 vided, other than funds made available under pro7 grams administered by the Secretary, including the 

8 amounts and sources of the other Federal funds. 

9 (f) GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION.—To the extent 

10 practicable, the Secretary shall ensure an equitable geo11 graphic distribution of grants awarded under this section. 

12 (g) REPORTS.—The Secretary shall, not later than 

13 12 months after the date of the enactment of this Act and 

14 every 12 months thereafter, submit a report to Congress 

15 that contains the following: 

16 (1) Information on all programs for which 

17 grants were awarded under this section during the 

18 preceding 12-month period, including detail on the 

19 grant recipients, the programs funded by the grants, 

20 and the schools involved in the programs funded by 

21 the grants. 

22 (2) An evaluation of the successes of all pro23 grams for which grants are awarded under this sec24 tion, noting in particular the successes of such pro25 grams in achieving— 


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1 (A) progress toward exposing all students 

2 in schools to a robust civic education cur3 riculum by 2034; and 

4 (B) increases in the number of students in 

5 grades 4, 8, and 12 testing at or above the 

6 ‘‘Proficient’’ level in the civics portion of the 

7 National Assessment of Education Progress 

8 Test under section 303 of the National Assess9 ment of Educational Progress Authorization 

10 Act (20 U.S.C. 9622), as compared with the 

11 last administration of such Assessment. 

12 (3) An assessment of the potential need for ad13 ditional funding for programs under this section. 

14 (4) Information regarding each recipient of a 

15 grant under this section that uses Federal funds to 

16 carry out the program for which the grant is pro17 vided, other than funds made available under pro18 grams administered by the Secretary. 

19 (h) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary shall promulgate 

20 such regulations as may be necessary to carry out this 

21 section. Such regulations shall include— 

22 (1) procedures for eligible entities to apply for 

23 grants under this section; 

24 (2) the competitive process for the awarding of 

25 grants; 


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1 (3) any limitations on the use of funds from 

2 grants awarded under this section; and 

3 (4) reporting requirements by recipients of such 

4 grants. 

5 (i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

6 are authorized to be appropriated to the Civic Education 

7 Fund established under this section for each fiscal year 

8 not less than $100,000,000 to carry out programs author9 ized under subsection (c), and not less than $100,000,000 

10 to carry out programs authorized under subsection (d). 

11 SEC. 102. SERVICE-LEARNING FUND. 

12 (a) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—Section 119(a)(1) of the Na13 tional and Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 

14 12563(a)(1)) is amended— 

15 (1) by striking ‘‘a public or private elementary 

16 school or secondary school,’’; and 

17 (2) by striking ‘‘a consortium of such entities, 

18 or a consortium of 2 or more such entities and a for19 profit organization’’ and inserting ‘‘or a consortium 

20 of such entities.’’ 

21 (b) ESTABLISHMENT.—Section 119 of the National 

22 and Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12563) 

23 is amended by striking subsection (b) and inserting the 

24 following: 

25 ‘‘(b) SERVICE-LEARNING FUND.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in 

2 the Corporation a Service-Learning Fund (in this 

3 section referred to as the ‘Fund’). The purpose of 

4 the Fund is to make grants and fixed-amount grants 

5 (in accordance with section 129(l)) to eligible enti6 ties or eligible partnerships, as appropriate, for pro7 grams and activities described in subsection (c), in 

8 order to achieve the objectives set forth in paragraph 

9 (2). 

10 ‘‘(2) OBJECTIVES.—The objectives of the Fund 

11 are to ensure that, by 2031— 

12 ‘‘(A) all students in kindergarten through 

13 grade 12 receive in-class service-learning experi14 ences; 

15 ‘‘(B) at least 1,000,000 students in grades 

16 6 through 12 participate in a summer of service 

17 program each year; and 

18 ‘‘(C) at least 1,000,000 students in grades 

19 9 through 12 participate in a semester of serv20 ice program each year. 

21 ‘‘(3) ALLOCATION OF FUNDS.—Of the funds 

22 made available to the Fund each fiscal year— 

23 ‘‘(A) 20 percent shall be reserved for serv24 ice-learning programs in public schools under 


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1 paragraphs (1) through (7), (9), and (11) of 

2 subsection (c), of which amount— 

3 ‘‘(i) 80 percent shall be reserved for 

4 programs in elementary schools and sec5 ondary schools, of which amount not less 

6 than 50 percent shall be reserved for pro7 grams in low-income communities; and 

8 ‘‘(ii) 20 percent shall be reserved for 

9 programs at institutions of higher edu10 cation; 

11 ‘‘(B) 40 percent shall be reserved for sum12 mer of service programs under paragraph (8) of 

13 subsection (c), of which amount not less than 

14 50 percent shall be reserved for programs in 

15 low-income communities; and 

16 ‘‘(C) 40 percent shall be reserved for se17 mester of service programs under paragraph 

18 (10) of subsection (c), of which amount not less 

19 than 50 percent shall be reserved for programs 

20 in low-income communities.’’. 

21 (c) SUMMER OF SERVICE COMPLETION AWARDS.— 

22 Section 119(c)(8)(B)(iii) of the National and Community 

23 Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12563(c)(8)(B)(iii)) is 

24 amended— 


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1 (1) by inserting ‘‘no less than’’ before ‘‘100 

2 hours’’; and 

3 (2) by striking ‘‘educational award of $500 or 

4 $750 as described in sections 146(a)(2)(C) and 

5 147(d)’’ and inserting ‘‘completion award of $500 

6 (or, at the discretion of the Chief Executive Officer, 

7 of $750 in the case of a participant who is economi8 cally disadvantaged)’’. 

9 (d) SEMESTER OF SERVICE PROGRAMS.—Section 

10 119(c)(10)(A) of the National and Community Service Act 

11 of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12563(c)(10)(A)) is amended— 

12 (1) by inserting ‘‘in grades 9 through 12’’ after 

13 ‘‘secondary school students’’; and 

14 (2) by striking ‘‘70 hours’’ and inserting ‘‘150 

15 hours’’. 

16 (e) PRIORITY OF APPLICANTS.—Section 119(e) of 

17 the National and Community Service Act of 1990 (42 

18 U.S.C. 12563(e)) is amended by inserting ‘‘in accordance 

19 with the objectives and funding requirements set forth in 

20 subsection (b),’’ after ‘‘In making grants under this 

21 part,’’. 

22 (f) MATCHING FUND REQUIREMENT.—Subsection 

23 119(f) of the National and Community Service Act of 

24 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12563(f)) is amended— 


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1 (1) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘Serve Amer2 ica Act’’ and inserting ‘‘Inspire to Serve Act of 

3 2024’’; and 

4 (2) by adding at the end the following new 

5 paragraph: 

6 ‘‘(4) MATCHING FUND REQUIREMENT.— 

7 ‘‘(A) REQUIREMENT.—Except for pro8 grams that will be undertaken in low-income 

9 communities, the Federal share of the cost of a 

10 program that receives assistance under sub11 section (b), whether the assistance is provided 

12 directly or as a subgrant from the original re13 cipient of the assistance, may not exceed 50 

14 percent of such cost. 

15 ‘‘(B) CALCULATION.—In providing for the 

16 remaining share of the cost of carrying out a 

17 program under this section, the recipient— 

18 ‘‘(i) shall provide for such share 

19 through payment in cash or in kind, fairly 

20 evaluated, including facilities, equipment, 

21 or services; and 

22 ‘‘(ii) may provide for such share 

23 through State sources, local sources, or 

24 other Federal sources. 


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1 ‘‘(C) WAIVER.—The Chief Executive Offi2 cer may waive in whole or in part the require3 ments of this paragraph with respect to a re4 cipient in any fiscal year if the Chief Executive 

5 Officer determines that such waiver would be 

6 equitable due to a lack of available financial re7 sources at the local level.’’. 

8 (g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 

9 119 of the National and Community Service Act of 1990 

10 (42 U.S.C. 12563) is amended by adding at the end the 

11 following new subsection: 

12 ‘‘(g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

13 is authorized to be appropriated to the Service-Learning 

14 Fund $250,000,000 for each fiscal year.’’. 

15 SEC. 103. NATIONAL CIVICS ASSESSMENT. 

16 (a) ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION ACT

17 OF 1965.— 

18 (1) STATE PLANS.—Section 1111 of the Ele19 mentary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 

20 U.S.C. 6311) is amended— 

21 (A) in subsection (g)(2)(D), by striking 

22 ‘‘reading and mathematics’’ and inserting 

23 ‘‘reading, mathematics, and civics’’; and 


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1 (B) in subsection (h)(1)(C)(xii), by striking 

2 ‘‘reading and mathematics’’ and inserting 

3 ‘‘reading, mathematics, and civics’’. 

4 (2) LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY PLANS.— 

5 Section 1112(c)(3) of the Elementary and Secondary 

6 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6312(c)(3)) is 

7 amended by striking ‘‘reading and mathematics’’ 

8 and inserting ‘‘reading, mathematics, and civics’’. 

9 (b) NATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF EDUCATIONAL

10 PROGRESS.—Section 303 of the National Assessment of 

11 Educational Progress Authorization Act (20 U.S.C. 9622) 

12 is amended— 

13 (1) in subsection (b)— 

14 (A) in paragraph (2)— 

15 (i) in subparagraphs (B) and (E), by 

16 striking ‘‘reading and mathematics’’ and 

17 inserting ‘‘reading, mathematics, and 

18 civics’’; 

19 (ii) in subparagraph (D), by striking 

20 ‘‘civics,’’; 

21 (iii) in subparagraph (G), by striking 

22 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

23 (iv) in subparagraph (H), by striking 

24 the period and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

25 (v) by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(I) ensure that achievement data from the 

2 civics assessments described in subparagraphs 

3 (B) and (E) are made available both in the ag4 gregate for the United States and separately for 

5 each State.’’; and 

6 (B) in paragraph (3), in subparagraphs 

7 (A)(i) and (C)(ii), by striking ‘‘reading and 

8 mathematics’’ and inserting ‘‘reading, mathe9 matics, and civics’’; and 

10 (2) in subsection (d)(3), in subparagraphs (A) 

11 and (B), by striking ‘‘reading and mathematics’’ and 

12 inserting ‘‘reading, mathematics, and civics’’. 

13 SEC. 104. EXCELLENCE IN CIVICS AWARD. 

14 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

15 (1) APPLIED CIVICS.—The term ‘‘applied 

16 civics’’ means an educational program applying serv17 ice-learning methods to provide students with prac18 tical and experiential opportunities to apply their 

19 civic knowledge and skills. 

20 (2) CIVIC EDUCATION.—The term ‘‘civic edu21 cation’’ means an educational program that provides 

22 participants with knowledge of law, government, and 

23 the rights and responsibilities of citizens and with 

24 skills that enable participants to participate respon25 sibly in democracy. 


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1 (3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

2 the Secretary of Education. 

3 (4) SERVICE-LEARNING.—The term ‘‘service4 learning’’ has the meaning given that term in section 

5 101 of the National and Community Service Act of 

6 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12511). 

7 (5) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each of 

8 the several States, the District of Columbia, the 

9 Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and any other terri10 tory or possession of the United States. 

11 (b) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may annually 

12 award to States, school districts, schools, teachers, and 

13 students or groups of students the Excellence in Civics 

14 Award to highlight excellence in the delivery and teaching 

15 of civic education, applied civics, and service-learning, es16 pecially programs that address community needs. 

17 (c) APPLICATIONS.— 

18 (1) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible for an award 

19 under subsection (b), a State, school district, school, 

20 teacher, student, or group of students shall submit 

21 an application or be nominated to the Department 

22 of Education at such time, in such manner, and con23 taining such information as the Secretary of Edu24 cation may require. 


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1 (2) CONTENTS.—At a minimum, applications or 

2 nominations submitted to the Secretary or the com3 mittee created under subsection (d) shall include in4 formation specifying— 

5 (A) the types of innovative civic education, 

6 applied civics, or service-learning programs or 

7 projects previously administered or completed; 

8 (B) for awards given for service-learning 

9 programs or projects, the impact on measurable 

10 civics outcomes and learning, or the impact of 

11 the project on addressing community or na12 tional needs, including disaster relief, education, 

13 poverty reduction, ex-offender reintegration, 

14 and senior citizen aid; and 

15 (C) for awards given for education, the 

16 ability of the program, teaching style, or project 

17 to be used more broadly across the Nation. 

18 (d) COMMITTEE.—The Secretary shall create a select 

19 committee to review applications and nominations for and 

20 designate recipients of awards under this section. 

21 (e) REGULATIONS.—Not later than 12 months after 

22 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 

23 issue such regulations as may be necessary to govern ap24 plications and nominations for awards under this section, 


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1 evaluation of such applications and nominations, and mak2 ing such awards. 

3 SEC. 105. DEVELOPMENT OF MATERIAL ON CIVIC EDU4 CATION AND EFFECTIVE CITIZENSHIP. 

5 (a) COORDINATION.— 

6 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Librarian of Congress, 

7 the Director of the Institute of Museum and Library 

8 Services, and the Archivist of the United States 

9 shall work jointly to develop and distribute to the 

10 public educational materials and teaching resources 

11 on civic education and effective citizenship, including 

12 by enhancing existing online resources and sup13 porting the distribution of hard copy and digital ma14 terials to local libraries, polling locations, and 

15 schools, especially in rural areas. 

16 (2) CIVIC EDUCATION DEFINED.—In this sub17 section, the term ‘‘civic education’’ means an edu18 cational program that provides participants with 

19 knowledge of law, government, and the rights and 

20 responsibilities of citizens and skills that enable par21 ticipants to participate responsibly in democracy. 

22 (b) REPORTING.—The Librarian of Congress, the Di23 rector of the Institute of Museum and Library Services, 

24 and the Archivist of the United States shall submit as part 

25 of the budget request for each fiscal year an update on 


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1 the development and distribution efforts outlined under 

2 subsection (a). 

3 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

4 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 

5 necessary to carry out this section. 

6 SEC. 106. SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING THE IMPOR7 TANCE OF TEACHERS IN INSPIRING CIVIC EN8 GAGEMENT. 

9 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 

10 (1) Parents have a critical voice in ensuring 

11 their children receive an education that will help 

12 them to be engaged and productive members of 

13 American society, and members of the teaching pro14 fession are crucial to helping them achieve that goal. 

15 (2) The United States suffers from a lack of 

16 consistently effective civic education that imparts 

17 knowledge about government, democratic engage18 ment, and the Constitution. 

19 (3) Recent polling by the Annenberg Public 

20 Policy Center revealed that 22 percent of American 

21 adults are unable to name any of the three branches 

22 of government and 37 percent are unable to name 

23 or do not know any of the rights guaranteed by the 

24 First Amendment to the Constitution. 


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1 (4) Every State, the District of Columbia, the 

2 Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and any other terri3 tory or possession of the United States reported a 

4 lack of qualified teachers in at least one academic 

5 subject during the 2017–2018 school year. 

6 (5) The Learning Policy Institute reported a 

7 teacher shortage of about 64,000 teachers during 

8 the 2015–2016 academic year and estimated that, 

9 beginning in 2020, 300,000 new teachers will be 

10 needed each year. 

11 (6) Teachers often do not receive full support 

12 for classroom activities or for advancing their con13 tributions to the education system through career 

14 development. 

15 (7) A survey by the Department of Education 

16 found that 94 percent of public school teachers in 

17 the United States paid for their own classroom sup18 plies and materials without reimbursement during 

19 the 2014–2015 school year, with the average teacher 

20 spending $479 out-of-pocket. 

21 (8) Eighteen percent of teachers work a second 

22 job during the school year, making teachers three 

23 times as likely as all workers in the United States 

24 to work multiple jobs. 


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1 (9) Teachers in all subjects and at all grade lev2 els play a crucial role in educating youth about serv3 ice options and the ways youth can engage in their 

4 communities. 

5 (10) The advancement of civic education and 

6 the availability of well-trained and effective teachers 

7 are essential for the future health of civil society in 

8 the United States. 

9 (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con10 gress that— 

11 (1) teachers of all subjects and at all grade lev12 els, including those in public, private, and 

13 homeschool settings, are essential in inspiring civic 

14 knowledge and engagement in their students; 

15 (2) public school teachers are dedicated public 

16 servants and should be honored and supported in 

17 their work to educate youth in the United States; 

18 (3) teachers are crucial in inspiring their stu19 dents to contribute to their Nation and communities 

20 through all forms of service; 

21 (4) the profession of teaching is a noble endeav22 or and one that is vital to the civic education of 

23 American youth; 

24 (5) teachers across the country have sought to 

25 raise awareness of a crisis in resource support and 


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1 adequate compensation for teachers, especially at 

2 public schools; 

3 (6) officials at all levels of government should 

4 seek to address these concerns by providing teachers 

5 with resource support, adequate compensation, and 

6 career development opportunities; and 

7 (7) more Americans will be called to the teach8 ing profession when government officials at all levels 

9 demonstrate value for the essential role of teachers 

10 in our society by providing teachers with resource 

11 support, adequate compensation, and career develop12 ment opportunities. 

13 TITLE II—ELEVATION AND INTE14 GRATION OF ALL FORMS OF 

15 SERVICE 

16 SEC. 201. COUNCIL ON MILITARY, NATIONAL, AND PUBLIC 

17 SERVICE. 

18 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

19 (1) EXECUTIVE AGENCY.—The term ‘‘Executive 

20 agency’’ has the meaning given that term in section 

21 105 of title 5, United States Code. 

22 (2) MILITARY SERVICE.—The term ‘‘military 

23 service’’ means active service (as defined in sub24 section (d)(3) of section 101 of title 10, United 

25 States Code) or active status (as defined in subVerDate Sep 11 2014 05:54 Dec 10, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00029 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H10278.IH H10278

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1 section (d)(4) of such section) in one of the uni2 formed services (as defined in subsection (a)(5) of 

3 such section). 

4 (3) NATIONAL SERVICE.— 

5 (A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘national 

6 service’’ means participation, other than mili7 tary service or public service, in a program 

8 that— 

9 (i) is designed to enhance the common 

10 good and meet the needs of communities, 

11 the States, or the United States; and 

12 (ii) is funded or facilitated by— 

13 (I) an organization described in 

14 section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Rev15 enue Code of 1986 and exempt from 

16 tax under section 501(a) of such 

17 Code; 

18 (II) an institution of higher edu19 cation as defined in section 101 of the 

20 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

21 U.S.C. 1001); or 

22 (III) the Federal Government or 

23 a State, Tribal, or local government. 

24 (B) INCLUDED PROGRAMS.—The term 

25 ‘‘national service’’ includes— 


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1 (i) the programs authorized in— 

2 (I) sections 5 and 6 of the Peace 

3 Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2504 and 

4 2505); 

5 (II) section 171 of the Workforce 

6 Innovation and Opportunity Act (re7 lating to the YouthBuild Program; 29 

8 U.S.C. 3226); 

9 (III) part A of title I of the Do10 mestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973 

11 (relating to the Volunteers in Service 

12 to America; 42 U.S.C. 4951 et seq.); 

13 and 

14 (IV) subtitles C (relating to the 

15 National Service Trust Program; 42 

16 U.S.C. 12571 et seq.) and E (relating 

17 to the National Civilian Community 

18 Corps; 42 U.S.C. 12611 et seq.) of 

19 title I of the National and Community 

20 Service Act of 1990; and 

21 (ii) any other program that is con22 sistent with subparagraph (A), as deter23 mined by the Director of the Council on 

24 Military, National, and Public Service es25 tablished under subsection (b). 


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1 (4) PUBLIC SERVICE.—The term ‘‘public serv2 ice’’ means civilian employment in the Federal Gov3 ernment or a State, Tribal, or local government. 

4 (5) SERVICE.—The term ‘‘service’’ means a 

5 personal commitment of time, energy, and talent to 

6 a mission that contributes to the public good by pro7 tecting the Nation and its citizens, strengthening 

8 communities, or promoting the general social wel9 fare. 

10 (b) ESTABLISHMENT.— 

11 (1) IN GENERAL.—There is established in the 

12 Executive Office of the President a Council on Mili13 tary, National, and Public Service (in this section re14 ferred to as the ‘‘Council’’). 

15 (2) FUNCTIONS.—The Council shall— 

16 (A) advise the President with respect to 

17 promoting and expanding opportunities for mili18 tary service, national service, and public service 

19 for all Americans; 

20 (B) coordinate policies and initiatives of 

21 the executive branch to promote and expand op22 portunities for military service, national service, 

23 and public services; and 

24 (C) coordinate policies and initiatives of 

25 the executive branch to foster an increased 


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1 sense of service and civic responsibility among 

2 all Americans. 

3 (c) COMPOSITION.— 

4 (1) DIRECTOR.—The President shall appoint, 

5 by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, 

6 an Assistant to the President for Military, National, 

7 and Public Service, who shall serve at the pleasure 

8 of the President. The Assistant to the President for 

9 Military, National, and Public Service shall serve as 

10 the Director of the Council. 

11 (2) MEMBERSHIP.—In addition to the Director, 

12 the Council shall be composed of— 

13 (A) the Secretary of State; 

14 (B) the Secretary of Defense; 

15 (C) the Attorney General; 

16 (D) the Secretary of the Interior; 

17 (E) the Secretary of Commerce; 

18 (F) the Secretary of Labor; 

19 (G) the Secretary of Health and Human 

20 Services; 

21 (H) the Secretary of Education; 

22 (I) the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; 

23 (J) the Secretary of Homeland Security; 

24 (K) the Director of the Office of Manage25 ment and Budget; 


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1 (L) the Director of National Intelligence; 

2 (M) the Director of the Office of Personnel 

3 Management; 

4 (N) the Director of the Peace Corps; 

5 (O) the Chief Executive Officer of the Cor6 poration for National and Community Service; 

7 and 

8 (P) such other officers as the President 

9 may designate. 

10 (3) MEETINGS.—The Council shall meet on a 

11 quarterly basis, or more frequently as the Director 

12 may direct. 

13 (d) RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE COUNCIL.—In addi14 tion to performing such other functions as the President 

15 may direct, the Council shall do the following: 

16 (1) Assist and advise the President and the 

17 heads of Executive agencies in the establishment of 

18 policies, goals, objectives, and priorities to promote 

19 service and civic responsibility among all Americans. 

20 (2) Develop and recommend to the President 

21 and the heads of Executive agencies policies of com22 mon interest to Executive agencies for increasing the 

23 participation and propensity of Americans to partici24 pate in military, national, and public service in order 


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1 to address national security and other current and 

2 future needs of the Nation. 

3 (3) Serve as the interagency lead for identifying 

4 critical skills to address national security and other 

5 needs of the Nation, with responsibility for coordi6 nating Governmentwide efforts to address gaps in 

7 critical skills and identifying methods to recruit and 

8 retain individuals possessing such critical skills. 

9 (4) Serve as a forum for Federal officials re10 sponsible for military, national, and public service 

11 programs to coordinate and develop interagency, 

12 cross-service initiatives. 

13 (5) Lead the effort of the Federal Government 

14 to develop joint awareness and recruitment, reten15 tion, and marketing initiatives involving military, na16 tional, and public service, including the sharing of 

17 marketing and recruiting research between and 

18 among service agencies. 

19 (6) Coordinate and oversee the development and 

20 implementation of recruitment, retention, marketing, 

21 and public outreach initiatives for the Federal civil22 ian service and national service programs, includ23 ing— 

24 (A) efforts to reevaluate benefits for the 

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1 grams in order to increase awareness of, and 

2 remove barriers to entry into, such programs; 

3 and 

4 (B) efforts to develop pathways to service 

5 for college students and recent college grad6 uates. 

7 (7) Consider approaches for assessing impact of 

8 service on the needs of the Nation and individuals. 

9 (8) Consult with such representatives of non10 Federal entities, including State, local, and Tribal 

11 governments, State and local educational authorities, 

12 institutions of higher education, nonprofit organiza13 tions, philanthropic organizations, and the private 

14 sector, as the Council considers advisable, in order 

15 to promote and develop initiatives to foster and re16 ward military, national, and public service. 

17 (9) Oversee the implementation of the rec18 ommendations of the National Commission on Mili19 tary, National, and Public Service established under 

20 section 553 of the National Defense Authorization 

21 Act for Fiscal Year 2017 (Public Law 114–328). 

22 (10) Prepare and submit to the President and 

23 to the Congress a Quadrennial Military, National, 

24 and Public Service Strategy, with the first such 

25 Strategy submitted not later than 2 years after the 


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1 date of the enactment of this Act, which shall set 

2 forth— 

3 (A) a review of programs and initiatives of 

4 the Federal Government relating to the Coun5 cil’s mandate; 

6 (B) notable initiatives by State, local, and 

7 Tribal governments and by nongovernmental 

8 entities to increase awareness of and participa9 tion in service programs; 

10 (C) current and foreseeable trends for 

11 service to address the needs of the Nation; and 

12 (D) a program for addressing any defi13 ciencies identified by the Council, together with 

14 recommendations for legislation. 

15 (11) Prepare and submit to the President and 

16 the Congress a Quadrennial Report on Cross-Service 

17 Participation on the basis of the activities carried 

18 out under section 207, with the first such Report 

19 submitted not later than 4 years after the date of 

20 the enactment of this Act. 

21 (12) Prepare, for inclusion in the President’s 

22 annual budget submission to Congress under section 

23 1105 of title 31, United States Code, a detailed, sep24 arate analysis, by budget function, by agency, and 

25 by initiative area for the preceding fiscal year, the 


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1 current fiscal year, and the fiscal years for which the 

2 budget is submitted, identifying the amounts of 

3 gross and net appropriations or obligational author4 ity and outlays for initiatives consistent with the pri5 orities of the President under the Quadrennial Mili6 tary, National, and Public Service Strategy, with 

7 separate displays for mandatory and discretionary 

8 amounts. 

9 (13) Develop a definition of national service 

10 that incorporates domestic and international service 

11 and a joint national service messaging strategy that 

12 both the Corporation for National and Community 

13 Service and the Peace Corps would promote. 

14 (e) RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE DIRECTOR.—In addi15 tion to duties relating to the preceding provisions of this 

16 section, as well as such other functions as the President 

17 may direct, the Director shall— 

18 (1) coordinate with the Assistant to the Presi19 dent for National Security Affairs for any matter 

20 that may affect national security; 

21 (2) at the President’s discretion, serve as 

22 spokesperson of the executive branch on issues re23 lated to military, national, and public service; and 

24 (3) upon request, appear before any committee 

25 or subcommittee of the House of Representatives 


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1 and of the Senate to represent the position of the 

2 executive branch on matters within the scope of the 

3 Council’s responsibilities. 

4 (f) ORGANIZATIONAL MATTERS.— 

5 (1) ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT FOR MILI6 TARY, NATIONAL, AND PUBLIC SERVICE.—The As7 sistant to the President for Military, National, and 

8 Public Service shall be compensated at the rate pay9 able for level II of the Executive Schedule under sec10 tion 5313 of title 5, United States Code. 

11 (2) STAFF.—The Council may employ such offi12 cers and employees as may be necessary to carry out 

13 its functions. Staff of the Council shall be com14 pensated at a rate no higher than the rate payable 

15 for level IV of the Executive Schedule under section 

16 5315 of title 5, United States Code. 

17 (3) EXPERTS AND CONSULTANTS.—The Council 

18 may employ and fix the compensation of such ex19 perts and consultants as may be necessary for car20 rying out of its functions, in accordance with section 

21 3109 of title 5, United States Code. 

22 (4) ADVISORY COMMITTEES.—The Council may, 

23 in carrying out its functions, establish advisory com24 mittees composed of representatives from outside the 

25 Federal Government. 


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1 (5) AUTHORITY TO ACCEPT GIFTS.—The Coun2 cil may accept, use, and dispose of gifts or donations 

3 of services, goods, and property, except for cash, 

4 from non-Federal entities for the purposes of aiding 

5 and facilitating the work of the Council. 

6 (6) AUTHORITY TO ACCEPT VOLUNTARY SERV7 ICES.—Notwithstanding section 1342 of title 31, 

8 United States Code, the Council may accept and em9 ploy voluntary and uncompensated services in fur10 therance of the purposes of the Council. 

11 (g) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 1105(a) of 

12 title 31, United States Code, is amended by adding at the 

13 end the following: 

14 ‘‘(40) a separate statement of the amount of 

15 appropriations requested for the Council on Military, 

16 National, and Public Service in the Executive Office 

17 of the President. 

18 ‘‘(41) a separate analysis by budget function, 

19 by agency, and by initiative area, for the current fis20 cal year and the fiscal year for which the budget is 

21 submitted, identifying the amounts of obligational 

22 authority and outlays for initiatives consistent with 

23 the priorities of the President under the Quadrennial 

24 Military, National, and Public Service Strategy re25 quired by section 201(d) of the Inspire to Serve Act 


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1 of 2024, with separate displays for mandatory and 

2 discretionary amounts.’’. 

3 (h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

4 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 

5 necessary to carry out this section. 

6 SEC. 202. INTERNET-BASED SERVICE PLATFORM. 

7 (a) DECLARATION OF POLICY.—It is the policy of the 

8 United States, in promoting a culture of service in the 

9 United States and meeting the recruiting needs for mili10 tary, national, and public service programs, to provide a 

11 comprehensive, interactive, and integrated internet-based 

12 platform to enable Americans to learn about and connect 

13 with service organizations and opportunities and assist in 

14 the recruiting needs of service organizations. 

15 (b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

16 (1) COUNCIL ON MILITARY, NATIONAL, AND

17 PUBLIC SERVICE.—The term ‘‘Council on Military, 

18 National, and Public Service’’ means the Council on 

19 Military, National, and Public Service established 

20 under section 201. 

21 (2) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means 

22 the Director of the Office of Management and Budg23 et. 


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1 (3) EXECUTIVE AGENCY.—The term ‘‘Executive 

2 agency’’ has the meaning given that term in section 

3 105 of title 5, United States Code. 

4 (4) MEMBER.—The term ‘‘member’’ means an 

5 individual who is a member of the Service Platform 

6 under this section. 

7 (5) MILITARY DEPARTMENT.—The term ‘‘mili8 tary department’’ has the meaning given that term 

9 in section 102 of title 5, United States Code. 

10 (6) MILITARY SERVICE.—The term ‘‘military 

11 service’’ means active service (as defined in sub12 section (d)(3) of section 101 of title 10, United 

13 States Code) or active status (as defined in sub14 section (d)(4) of such section) in one of the uni15 formed services (as defined in subsection (a)(5) of 

16 such section). 

17 (7) NATIONAL SERVICE.— 

18 (A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘national 

19 service’’ means participation, other than mili20 tary or public service, in a program that— 

21 (i) is designed to enhance the common 

22 good and meet the needs of communities, 

23 the States, or the United States; and 

24 (ii) is funded or facilitated by— 


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1 (I) an organization described in 

2 section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Rev3 enue Code of 1986 and exempt from 

4 tax under section 501(a) of such 

5 Code; 

6 (II) an institution of higher edu7 cation as defined in section 101 of the 

8 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

9 U.S.C. 1001); or 

10 (III) the Federal Government or 

11 a State, Tribal, or local government. 

12 (B) INCLUDED PROGRAMS.—The term 

13 ‘‘national service’’ includes— 

14 (i) the programs authorized in— 

15 (I) sections 5 and 6 of the Peace 

16 Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2504 and 

17 2505); 

18 (II) section 171 of the Workforce 

19 Innovation and Opportunity Act (re20 lating to the YouthBuild Program; 29 

21 U.S.C. 3226); 

22 (III) part A of title I of the Do23 mestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973 

24 (relating to the Volunteers in Service 


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1 to America; 42 U.S.C. 4951 et seq.); 

2 and 

3 (IV) subtitles C (relating to the 

4 National Service Trust Program; 42 

5 U.S.C. 12571 et seq.) and E (relating 

6 to the National Civilian Community 

7 Corps; 42 U.S.C. 12611 et seq.) of 

8 title I of the National and Community 

9 Service Act of 1990; and 

10 (ii) any other program that is con11 sistent with subparagraph (A), as deter12 mined by the Director of the Council on 

13 Military, National, and Public Service. 

14 (8) PUBLIC SERVICE.—The term ‘‘public serv15 ice’’ means civilian employment in the Federal Gov16 ernment or a State, Tribal, or local government. 

17 (9) SERVICE.—The term ‘‘service’’ means a 

18 personal commitment of time, energy, and talent to 

19 a mission that contributes to the public good by pro20 tecting the Nation and its citizens, strengthening 

21 communities, or promoting the general social wel22 fare. 

23 (10) SERVICE MISSION.—The term ‘‘service 

24 mission’’ means the objectives of a service organiza25 tion or a service opportunity. 


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1 (11) SERVICE OPPORTUNITY.—The term ‘‘serv2 ice opportunity’’ means any paid, volunteer, or other 

3 position with a service organization. 

4 (12) SERVICE ORGANIZATION.—The term 

5 ‘‘service organization’’ means any military service, 

6 national service, or public service organization that 

7 participates in the Service Platform. 

8 (13) SERVICE PLATFORM.—The term ‘‘Service 

9 Platform’’ means the interactive and integrated 

10 internet-based platform established under this sec11 tion. 

12 (14) SERVICE TYPE.—The term ‘‘service type’’ 

13 means the period and form of service with a service 

14 organization, including part-time, full-time, term 

15 limited, sabbatical, temporary, episodic, and emer16 gency options for paid, volunteer, and stipend-based 

17 service. 

18 (15) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means the sev19 eral States, the District of Columbia, the Common20 wealth of Puerto Rico, and any other territory or 

21 possession of the United States. 

22 (c) ESTABLISHMENT OF THE SERVICE PLATFORM.— 

23 The Director of the Office of Management and Budget 

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1 form to serve as a centralized resource and database for 

2 the American public to learn about and connect with orga3 nizations and opportunities in military, national, and pub4 lic service and for those organizations to identify members 

5 of the American public with the skills necessary to address 

6 their needs. 

7 (d) COORDINATION AND OVERSIGHT.—The develop8 ment and maintenance of the Service Platform shall be 

9 subject to the oversight of the Director of the Council on 

10 Military, National, and Public Service who shall be respon11 sible for ensuring that the Service Platform achieves the 

12 policy objectives set forth in this section. 

13 (e) USE OF THE SERVICE PLATFORM.— 

14 (1) PUBLIC ACCESSIBILITY.—The Director shall 

15 determine, and make accessible by the public, infor16 mation about service organizations and service op17 portunities, without any requirement that a person 

18 seeking such access become a member of the Service 

19 Platform. 

20 (2) MEMBERS.—Any individual meeting criteria 

21 established by the Director by regulation may be22 come a member of the Service Platform. Registering 

23 as a member shall entitle the member to access in24 formation about service organizations and service 

25 opportunities available through the Service Platform. 


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1 (3) PROCEDURE FOR REGISTRATION OF MEM2 BERS.—An individual seeking to become a member 

3 shall provide to the Director such information as the 

4 Director may determine is necessary to facilitate the 

5 functionality of the Service Platform. 

6 (4) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS.—In addition 

7 to the requirements under paragraph (3), each pro8 spective member— 

9 (A) shall, unless specifically electing not to 

10 do so, consent to share any information entered 

11 into the Service Platform with, and to be con12 tacted by, any public service or national service 

13 organization that participates in the Service 

14 Platform; 

15 (B) may consent to share any information 

16 entered into the Service Platform with and to 

17 be contacted by any uniformed service that par18 ticipates in the Service Platform; 

19 (C) may consent to be contacted for poten20 tial service with any national or public service 

21 organization in the event of a national emer22 gency; and 

23 (D) may consent to be contacted to join 

24 the Armed Forces on a voluntary basis during 

25 an emergency requiring national mobilization. 


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1 (5) VERIFICATION.—The Director shall register 

2 an individual as a member when the Director verifies 

3 that the individual has not previously registered as 

4 a member. The Director shall, by written notice (in5 cluding by electronic communication), notify the 

6 member of such registration. 

7 (6) ADDITIONAL INFORMATION BY MEMBERS.— 

8 The Service Platform shall enable members to pro9 vide additional information to improve the 

10 functionality of the Service Platform, as determined 

11 by the Director. Such additional information may in12 clude information regarding— 

13 (A) educational background; 

14 (B) employment background; 

15 (C) professional skills, training, licenses, 

16 and certifications; 

17 (D) service organization preferences; 

18 (E) service type preferences; 

19 (F) service mission preferences; and 

20 (G) geographic preferences. 

21 (7) UPDATES.—Each member may update the 

22 member’s personal and other information in the 

23 Service Platform at any time. 

24 (8) REQUEST REGARDING MILITARY SERVICE.— 

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1 sents under paragraph (4)(D) to voluntarily join the 

2 Armed Forces during an emergency requiring na3 tional mobilization an annual request to confirm the 

4 member’s continued willingness to so serve. 

5 (9) WITHDRAWAL OF MEMBERS.—Each mem6 ber may withdraw as a member by submitting to the 

7 Service Platform a request to so withdraw. Within 

8 30 days after the request to withdraw is made, all 

9 records regarding that member shall be removed 

10 from the Service Platform and any other data stor11 age locations the Service Platform may use, notwith12 standing any obligations under the Federal Records 

13 Act (44 U.S.C. 3101 et seq.). 

14 (f) SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS.— 

15 (1) EXECUTIVE AGENCIES AND MILITARY DE16 PARTMENTS.—All Executive agencies and military 

17 departments shall participate in the Service Plat18 form as service organizations. 

19 (2) NON-FEDERAL SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS.— 

20 The regulations issued under subsection (i) shall in21 clude— 

22 (A) procedures that enable State, local, 

23 and Tribal government agencies to participate 

24 in the Service Platform as service organizations; 


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1 (B) procedures that enable nongovern2 mental organizations that undertake national 

3 service programs to participate in the Service 

4 Platform as service organizations; and 

5 (C) a timeline to implement the procedures 

6 described in subparagraphs (A) and (B). 

7 (3) INFORMATION ON SERVICE ORGANIZA8 TIONS.—Each service organization shall make avail9 able on the Service Platform— 

10 (A) information sufficient for members to 

11 identify and understand the organization’s serv12 ice opportunities and service mission; 

13 (B) information on the availability of serv14 ice opportunities by service type; 

15 (C) internet links to the service organiza16 tion’s hiring and recruiting websites; and 

17 (D) such additional information as the Di18 rector may determine. 

19 (4) ADDITIONAL PLATFORMS NOT PRE20 CLUDED.—Nothing in this subsection shall prevent 

21 any service organization from creating or maintain22 ing its own internet-based system or platform to re23 cruit individuals for employment or for volunteer or 

24 other service opportunities. 


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1 (g) MINIMUM DESIGN REQUIREMENTS.—In addition 

2 to the requirements set forth in this section, the Service 

3 Platform shall do the following: 

4 (1) Provide the public with access to informa5 tion on service organizations and service opportuni6 ties through an internet-based system that is user7 friendly, interactive, accessible, and fully functional 

8 through mobile applications and other widely used 

9 communications media, without a requirement that 

10 any person seeking such access register as a mem11 ber. 

12 (2) Provide individuals with the ability to reg13 ister as members in order to customize their experi14 ence in accordance with subsection (e)(6), include 

15 mechanisms to connect members with service organi16 zations and service opportunities that match the in17 terests of the members, and ensure robust search ca18 pabilities to facilitate the ability of members to ex19 plore service organizations and service opportunities. 

20 (3) Include mechanisms to enable service orga21 nizations to connect with members who have con22 sented to be contacted and meet the needs of the 

23 service organizations. 

24 (4) Incorporate, to the extent permitted by law 

25 and regulation, the ability of members to securely 


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1 upload information on education, employment, and 

2 skills from internet-based professional, recruiting, 

3 and social media systems, consistent with security 

4 requirements. 

5 (5) Ensure compatibility with relevant informa6 tion systems of Executive agencies and military de7 partments. 

8 (6) Use state-of-the-art technology and analyt9 ical tools to facilitate the efficacy of the Service 

10 Platform in connecting members with service oppor11 tunities and service organizations. 

12 (7) Retain all personal information in a manner 

13 that protects the privacy of members in accordance 

14 with section 552a of title 5, United States Code, and 

15 other applicable law, provide access to information 

16 relating to a member only in accordance with the 

17 consent of the member, and incorporate data secu18 rity and control policies that are adequate to ensure 

19 the confidentiality and security of information pro20 vided and maintained on the Service Platform. 

21 (h) DEVELOPMENT OF SERVICE PLATFORM PLAN.— 

22 (1) IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.—Not later than 

23 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, 

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1 ment the Service Platform that complies with all the 

2 requirements of this section. 

3 (2) CONSULTATION REQUIRED.—In developing 

4 the plan under this subsection, the Director shall 

5 consult with the Secretary of Defense, the Chief Ex6 ecutive Officer of the Corporation for National and 

7 Community Service, the Director of the Office of 

8 Personnel Management, the head of the United 

9 States Digital Service and, as needed, the heads of 

10 other Executive agencies. Such consultation may in11 clude seeking assistance in the design, development, 

12 and creation of the Service Platform. 

13 (3) TECHNICAL ADVICE PERMITTED.—In devel14 oping the plan under this subsection, the Director 

15 may seek and receive technical advice from experts 

16 outside of the Federal Government and to form a 

17 committee of such experts to assist in the design and 

18 development of the Service Platform. Notwith19 standing section 1342 of title 31, United States 

20 Code, the Director may accept the voluntary services 

21 of these individuals. A committee of the experts shall 

22 not be subject to the Federal Advisory Committee 

23 Act (5 U.S.C. App.). 

24 (4) INFORMATION COLLECTION AUTHORIZED.— 

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1 rector may collect information from the public 

2 through focus groups, surveys, and other mecha3 nisms, without regard to subchapter I of chapter 35 

4 of title 44, United States Code (commonly known as 

5 the ‘‘Paperwork Reduction Act’’). 

6 (i) REGULATIONS.—The Director shall issue regula7 tions to carry out this section not later than 12 months 

8 after the date of the enactment of this Act. 

9 (j) SELECTIVE SERVICE SYSTEM.—Section 10 of the 

10 Military Selective Service Act (50 U.S.C. 3809) is amend11 ed by adding at the end the following: 

12 ‘‘(i) SERVICE PLATFORM.—The Selective Service 

13 System shall provide to all registrants, on its website and 

14 in communications with registrants relating to registra15 tion, information about the Service Platform established 

16 under section 202 of the Inspire to Serve Act of 2024. 

17 The Selective Service System shall provide to each reg18 istrant, at the time of registration, an option to transfer 

19 to the Service Platform the information the registrant has 

20 provided to the Selective Service System. The Director of 

21 Selective Service shall consult with the Director of the Of22 fice of Management and Budget to ensure that informa23 tion provided by the Selective Service System is compatible 

24 with the information requirements of the Service Plat25 form.’’. 


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1 (k) REPORTS TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 12 

2 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, and 

3 every 12 months thereafter, the Director of the Council 

4 on Military, National, and Public Service shall provide a 

5 report to Congress on the Service Platform. Such report 

6 shall include information on the following: 

7 (1) Details on the status of implementation of 

8 the Service Platform and plans for further develop9 ment of the Service Platform. 

10 (2) Participation rates of service organizations 

11 and members. 

12 (3) The number of individuals visiting the Serv13 ice Platform, the number of service organizations 

14 participating in the platform, and the number of 

15 service opportunities available in the preceding 12- 

16 month period. 

17 (4) Any cybersecurity or privacy concerns. 

18 (5) The results of any surveys or studies under19 taken to increase the use and efficacy of the Service 

20 Platform. 

21 (6) Any additional information the Director or 

22 the President considers appropriate. 

23 (l) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

24 are authorized to be appropriated to the Office of Manage25 ment and Budget for each fiscal year such funds as may 


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1 be necessary for the development, maintenance, improve2 ment, and promotion of the Service Platform. 

3 SEC. 203. PILOT PROGRAM TO COORDINATE MILITARY, NA4 TIONAL, AND PUBLIC SERVICE RECRUIT5 MENT. 

6 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

7 (1) COUNCIL ON MILITARY, NATIONAL, AND

8 PUBLIC SERVICE.—The term ‘‘Council on Military, 

9 National, and Public Service’’ means the Council on 

10 Military, National, and Public Service established 

11 under section 201. 

12 (2) MILITARY SERVICE.—The term ‘‘military 

13 service’’ means active service (as defined in sub14 section (d)(3) of section 101 of title 10, United 

15 States Code) or active status (as defined in sub16 section (d)(4) of such section) in one of the Armed 

17 Forces (as defined in subsection (a)(4) of such sec18 tion). 

19 (3) NATIONAL SERVICE.— 

20 (A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘national 

21 service’’ means participation, other than mili22 tary or public service, in a program that— 

23 (i) is designed to enhance the common 

24 good and meet the needs of communities, 

25 the States, or the United States; and 


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1 (ii) is funded or facilitated by— 

2 (I) an organization described in 

3 section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Rev4 enue Code of 1986 and exempt from 

5 tax under section 501(a) of such 

6 Code; 

7 (II) an institution of higher edu8 cation as defined in section 101 of the 

9 Higher Education Act of 1965 (22 

10 U.S.C. 1001); or 

11 (III) the Federal Government or 

12 a State, Tribal, or local government. 

13 (B) INCLUDED PROGRAMS.—The term 

14 ‘‘national service’’ includes— 

15 (i) the programs authorized in— 

16 (I) sections 5 and 6 of the Peace 

17 Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2504 and 

18 2505); 

19 (II) section 171 of the Workforce 

20 Innovation and Opportunity Act (re21 lating to the YouthBuild Program; 29 

22 U.S.C. 3226); 

23 (III) part A of title I of the Do24 mestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973 

25 (relating to the Volunteers in Service 


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1 to America; 42 U.S.C. 4951 et seq.); 

2 and 

3 (IV) subtitles C (relating to the 

4 National Service Trust Program; 42 

5 U.S.C. 12571 et seq.) and E (relating 

6 to the National Civilian Community 

7 Corps; 42 U.S.C. 12611 et seq.) of 

8 the National and Community Service 

9 Act of 1990; and 

10 (ii) any other program that is con11 sistent with subparagraph (A), as deter12 mined by the Director of the Council on 

13 Military, National, and Public Service. 

14 (4) PUBLIC SERVICE.—The term ‘‘public serv15 ice’’ means civilian employment in the Federal Gov16 ernment or a State, Tribal, or local government. 

17 (b) PILOT PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.—The Director of 

18 the Council on Military, National, and Public Service may 

19 carry out a pilot program in coordination with depart20 ments and agencies responsible for recruiting individuals 

21 for military, national, and public service, to focus on re22 cruiting individuals from underserved markets and demo23 graphic populations, such as those defined by gender, ge24 ography, socioeconomic status, and critical skills, as deter25 mined by each participating department or agency, to betVerDate Sep 11 2014 05:54 Dec 10, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00058 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H10278.IH H10278

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1 ter reflect the demographics of the Nation while ensuring 

2 that recruiting needs are met. 

3 (c) CONSULTATION.—In developing a pilot program 

4 under this section, the Director of the Council on Military, 

5 National, and Public Service shall consult with the Sec6 retary of Defense, the Secretary of Homeland Security, 

7 the Secretaries of the military departments, the Com8 mandant of the United States Coast Guard, the Chief Ex9 ecutive Officer of the Corporation for National and Com10 munity Service, the Director of the Peace Corps, and the 

11 Director of the Office of Personnel Management. 

12 (d) DURATION.—The pilot program under this sec13 tion shall terminate no earlier than 2 years after its com14 mencement. 

15 (e) STATUS REPORTS.—Not later than 12 months 

16 after the initiation of any pilot program authorized by this 

17 section, and not later than 12 months thereafter, the Di18 rector of the Council on Military, National, and Public 

19 Service shall submit to Congress reports evaluating any 

20 pilot program carried out under this section. 

21 (f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

22 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 

23 necessary to carry out this section. 


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1 SEC. 204. JOINT MARKET RESEARCH AND RECRUITING 

2 PROGRAM TO ADVANCE MILITARY AND NA3 TIONAL SERVICE. 

4 (a) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary of De5 fense, the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation for 

6 National and Community Service, and the Director of the 

7 Peace Corps may carry out a joint market research, mar8 ket studies, recruiting, and advertising program to com9 plement the existing programs of the military depart10 ments, the national service programs administered by the 

11 Corporation, and the Peace Corps. 

12 (b) INFORMATION SHARING PERMITTED.—Section 

13 503 of title 10, United States Code, shall not be construed 

14 to prohibit sharing of information among, or joint mar15 keting efforts of, the Department of Defense, the Corpora16 tion for National and Community Service, and the Peace 

17 Corps to carry out this section. 

18 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

19 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 

20 necessary for carrying out this section. 

21 SEC. 205. INFORMATION SHARING TO ADVANCE MILITARY 

22 AND NATIONAL SERVICE. 

23 (a) ESTABLISHMENT OF PLAN.—The Secretary of 

24 Defense, the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation 

25 for National and Community Service, and the Director of 

26 the Peace Corps shall establish a joint plan to provide apVerDate Sep 11 2014 05:54 Dec 10, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00060 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H10278.IH H10278

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1 plicants who are either ineligible or otherwise not selected 

2 for service in the Armed Forces, in a national service pro3 gram administered by the Corporation, or in the Peace 

4 Corps, with information about the forms of such service 

5 for which they have not applied. 

6 (b) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 12 

7 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 

8 Secretary of Defense, the Chief Executive Officer of the 

9 Corporation for National and Community Service, and the 

10 Director of the Peace Corps shall submit to Congress a 

11 report on the plan established under subsection (a). 

12 SEC. 206. TRANSITION OPPORTUNITIES FOR MILITARY 

13 SERVICEMEMBERS AND NATIONAL SERVICE 

14 PARTICIPANTS. 

15 (a) EMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE.—Section 1143(c)(1) 

16 of title 10, United States Code, is amended by inserting 

17 ‘‘the Corporation for National and Community Service,’’ 

18 after ‘‘State employment agencies,’’. 

19 (b) EMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE, JOB TRAINING AS20 SISTANCE, AND OTHER TRANSITIONAL SERVICES: DE21 PARTMENT OF LABOR.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 1144 of title 10, 

23 United States Code, is amended— 

24 (A) in subsection (a)— 


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1 (i) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘and 

2 the Secretary of Veterans Affairs,’’ and in3 serting ‘‘the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, 

4 and the Chief Executive Officer of the Cor5 poration for National and Community 

6 Service,’’; 

7 (ii) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘and 

8 the Secretary of Veterans Affairs’’ and in9 serting ‘‘the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, 

10 and the Chief Executive Officer of the Cor11 poration for National and Community 

12 Service’’; and 

13 (iii) in paragraph (3), by inserting 

14 ‘‘and the Chief Executive Officer’’ after 

15 ‘‘The Secretaries’’; 

16 (B) in subsection (b), by adding at the end 

17 the following: 

18 ‘‘(11) Provide information on public service op19 portunities, training on public service job recruiting, 

20 and the advantages of careers with the Federal Gov21 ernment.’’; 

22 (C) in subsection (c)(2)(A), by striking 

23 ‘‘and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs,’’ and 

24 inserting ‘‘, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, 


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1 and the Chief Executive Officer of the Corpora2 tion for National and Community Service,’’; 

3 (D) in subsection (d), in the matter pre4 ceding paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘and the 

5 Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation for 

6 National and Community Service’’ after ‘‘the 

7 Secretaries’’; and 

8 (E) by adding at the end the following: 

9 ‘‘(g) CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY

10 SERVICE PROGRAMS.—In establishing and carrying out a 

11 program under this section, the Chief Executive Officer 

12 of the Corporation for National and Community Service 

13 shall do the following: 

14 ‘‘(1) Provide information concerning national 

15 service opportunities, including— 

16 ‘‘(A) opportunities to acquire and enhance 

17 technical skills available through national serv18 ice; 

19 ‘‘(B) certifications and verifications of job 

20 skills and experience available through national 

21 service; 

22 ‘‘(C) support services and benefits avail23 able during terms of service; and 


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1 ‘‘(D) job analysis techniques, job search 

2 techniques, and job interview techniques specific 

3 to national service positions. 

4 ‘‘(2) Inform such members that the Depart5 ment of Defense and the Department of Homeland 

6 Security are required, under section 1143(a) of this 

7 title, to provide proper certification or verification of 

8 job skills and experience acquired while on active 

9 duty that may have application to service in pro10 grams of the Corporation for National and Commu11 nity Service. 

12 ‘‘(3) Work with military and veterans’ service 

13 organizations and other appropriate organizations in 

14 promoting and publicizing job fairs for such mem15 bers. 

16 ‘‘(4) Provide information about disability-re17 lated employment and education protections.’’. 

18 (2) CONFORMING AND CLERICAL AMEND19 MENTS.— 

20 (A) HEADING AMENDMENT.—The heading 

21 of section 1144 of such title is amended to read 

22 as follows: 


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1 ‘‘§ 1144. Employment assistance, job training assist2 ance, and other transitional services: De3 partment of Labor and the Corporation 

4 for National and Community Service’’. 

5 (B) TABLE OF SECTIONS.—The table of 

6 sections at the beginning of chapter 58 of such 

7 title is amended by striking the item relating to 

8 section 1144 and inserting the following new 

9 item: 

‘‘1144. Employment assistance, job training assistance, and other transitional 

services: Department of Labor and the Corporation for National and Community Service.’’. 

10 (c) AUTHORITIES AND DUTIES OF THE CHIEF EXEC11 UTIVE OFFICER.—Section 193A(b) of the National and 

12 Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12651d(b)) 

13 is amended— 

14 (1) in paragraph (24), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 

15 end; 

16 (2) in paragraph (25), by striking the period at 

17 the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

18 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

19 ‘‘(26) ensure that individuals completing a par20 tial or full national service term receive information 

21 about military and public service opportunities for 

22 which they may qualify or in which they may be in23 terested.’’. 


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1 SEC. 207. JOINT REPORT TO CONGRESS ON INITIATIVES TO 

2 INTEGRATE MILITARY AND NATIONAL SERV3 ICE. 

4 (a) REPORTING REQUIREMENT.—Not later than 4 

5 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, and not 

6 later than the end of each 4-year period thereafter, the 

7 Director of the Council on Military, National, and Public 

8 Service established under section 201, in coordination with 

9 the Secretary of Defense, the Chief Executive Officer of 

10 the Corporation for National and Community Service, and 

11 the Director of the Peace Corps, shall submit to Congress 

12 a joint report on cross-service recruitment, including rec13 ommendations for increasing joint advertising and recruit14 ment initiatives, for the Armed Forces, programs adminis15 tered by the Corporation for National and Community 

16 Service, and the Peace Corps. 

17 (b) CONTENTS OF REPORT.—Each report under sub18 section (a) shall include the following: 

19 (1) The number of Peace Corps volunteers and 

20 participants in national service programs adminis21 tered by the Corporation for National and Commu22 nity Service who previously served as a member of 

23 the Armed Forces. 

24 (2) The number of members of the Armed 

25 Forces who previously served in the Peace Corps or 


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1 in a program administered by the Corporation for 

2 National and Community Service. 

3 (3) An assessment of existing joint recruitment 

4 and advertising initiatives undertaken by the De5 partment of Defense, the Peace Corps, or the Cor6 poration for National and Community Service. 

7 (4) An assessment of the feasibility and cost of 

8 expanding such existing initiatives. 

9 (5) An assessment of ways to improve the abil10 ity of the reporting agencies to recruit individuals 

11 from the other reporting agencies. 

12 (c) CONSULTATION.—The Director of the Council on 

13 Military, National, and Public Service established under 

14 section 201, the Secretary of Defense, the Chief Executive 

15 Officer of the Corporation for National and Community 

16 Service, and the Director of the Peace Corps shall— 

17 (1) consult with each other with respect to the 

18 content and production of the reports submitted 

19 under this section; and 

20 (2) undertake studies of recruiting efforts that 

21 are necessary to carry out the provisions of this sec22 tion. 


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1 TITLE III—ADVANCEMENT OF 

2 MILITARY, NATIONAL, AND 

3 PUBLIC SERVICE 

4 SEC. 300. DEFINITIONS. 

5 In this title, the terms ‘‘Executive agency’’ and ‘‘mili6 tary department’’ have the meanings given those terms in 

7 sections 105 and 102 of title 5, United States Code, re8 spectively. 

9 Subtitle A—Advancement of 

10 Military Service 

11 SEC. 301. NEW PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE FOR 

12 MILITARY SPECIALISTS. 

13 (a) PLAN FOR PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT.—The 

14 Secretary of each military department shall develop a plan 

15 to implement a new personnel management structure in 

16 such military department for the purpose of recruiting and 

17 retaining personnel for specific military occupational spe18 cialties requiring skills that are critical to meet current 

19 and future military requirements, including specialties in20 volving science, technology, cyber security, and engineer21 ing. 

22 (b) PLAN REQUIREMENTS.—Each plan under sub23 section (a) shall— 

24 (1) be based on the exercise of existing authori25 ties; 


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1 (2) examine the successes in recruiting and re2 taining personnel for other military occupational 

3 specialties requiring specific skills, such as medical 

4 workers, attorneys, and chaplains; and 

5 (3) examine methods to improve recruiting and 

6 retaining personnel for the military occupational spe7 cialties described in subsection (a) based on— 

8 (A) methods for members of the Armed 

9 Forces to transition more easily between reg10 ular and reserve components; and 

11 (B) methods for members of the Armed 

12 Forces to transition more easily between mili13 tary service, Federal civilian service, and non14 governmental civilian service. 

15 (c) SUBMITTAL TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 120 

16 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec17 retary of each military department shall submit to the 

18 Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the 

19 House of Representatives the plan developed by such Sec20 retary under this section. 

21 SEC. 302. PRE-SERVICE TUITION GRANT PROGRAM. 

22 (a) PRE-SERVICE TUITION GRANTS AUTHORIZED.— 

23 The Secretary of each military department may provide 

24 a grant, for a period of not more than 3 years, to pay 

25 all or a portion of the charges of an educational institution 


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1 for the tuition of an individual who is enrolled in such 

2 educational institution for a technical degree, certificate, 

3 or certification program to meet a critical need in such 

4 military department, and who makes a commitment to 

5 service in an Armed Force under the jurisdiction of such 

6 Secretary. Each Secretary shall create a list of degrees, 

7 certificates, and certifications that qualify for grants 

8 under this section and shall update that list at least once 

9 every 5 years. 

10 (b) REQUIREMENTS FOR RECEIPT OF GRANT.—The 

11 Secretary of a military department may not provide grant 

12 funds under subsection (a) to an individual unless the in13 dividual signs an enlistment contract for military service 

14 upon completion of the educational program for which the 

15 funds were provided, for such period as is determined by 

16 the Secretary. Upon signing such enlistment contract, the 

17 individual shall be placed in the Delayed Entry Program 

18 of the Armed Force concerned. If, at the time the indi19 vidual is expected to begin military training, the individual 

20 no longer qualifies for service or is otherwise unable or 

21 unwilling to serve, the individual shall, subject to sub22 section (c), repay the funds received, or serve a period 

23 equal to the military service commitment in a federally 

24 sponsored national service program. 


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1 (c) WAIVER.—The Secretary of a military depart2 ment may reduce or waive the service obligation of an indi3 vidual under this section in exigent circumstances, as de4 termined by the Secretary. 

5 (d) RELATION TO OTHER PERSONNEL AUTHORI6 TIES.—A grant under subsection (a) may be provided— 

7 (1) without regard to the lack of authority for 

8 the grant under title 10 or 37, United States Code; 

9 and 

10 (2) notwithstanding any provision of such titles, 

11 or any regulation prescribed under such provision, 

12 relating to methods of providing incentives to indi13 viduals to accept appointments or enlistments in the 

14 Armed Forces, including the provision of group indi15 vidual bonuses, pay, or other incentives. 

16 (e) NOTICE AND WAIT REQUIREMENT.—The Sec17 retary of a military department may not provide a grant 

18 under subsection (a) until— 

19 (1) the Secretary submits to the Committees on 

20 Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Rep21 resentatives a plan regarding the provision of grants 

22 under that subsection, which includes— 

23 (A) a description of the grant program, in24 cluding its purpose and the potential recruits to 

25 be addressed by the program; 


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1 (B) a description of the provisions of titles 

2 10 and 37, United States Code, that require re3 porting of incentives to individuals to accept ap4 pointment or enlistments in the Armed Forces, 

5 including the provision of group individual bo6 nuses, pay, or other incentives; 

7 (C) a statement of the anticipated out8 comes as a result of providing grants under the 

9 grant program; and 

10 (D) a description of the methods and 

11 metrics to be used to evaluate the effectiveness 

12 of the grant program; and 

13 (2) a period of 30 days beginning on the date 

14 on which the plan is submitted to the committees 

15 has expired. 

16 (f) LIMITATION ON NUMBER OF INCENTIVES.—The 

17 Secretary of a military department may not provide to an 

18 individual more than 2 incentives described in subsection 

19 (d)(2) to encourage the individual to enlist in an Armed 

20 Force under the jurisdiction of the Secretary, in addition 

21 to a grant under subsection (a). 

22 (g) LIMITATION ON NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS RE23 CEIVING TUITION GRANTS.—The number of individuals 

24 who receive a grant under subsection (a) from the Sec25 retary of a military department during a fiscal year for 


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1 an Armed Force under the jurisdiction of the Secretary 

2 may not exceed 20 percent of the number of enlistments 

3 for that fiscal year that is the objective of that Armed 

4 Force. 

5 (h) REPORTS TO CONGRESS.—If the Secretary of a 

6 military department provides a grant under subsection (a) 

7 during a fiscal year, the Secretary shall submit to the 

8 Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the 

9 House of Representatives a report, not later than 60 days 

10 after the end of that fiscal year, containing— 

11 (1) a description of each grant provided under 

12 subsection (a) during that fiscal year; and 

13 (2) an assessment of the impact of all such the 

14 grants on the recruitment of individuals for the 

15 Armed Force under the jurisdiction of the Secretary. 

16 (i) FEDERALLY SPONSORED NATIONAL SERVICE

17 PROGRAMS.—A federally sponsored national service pro18 gram referred to in subsection (b) includes the programs 

19 authorized in— 

20 (1) sections 5 and 6 of the Peace Corps Act (22 

21 U.S.C. 2504 and 2505); 

22 (2) section 171 of the Workforce Innovation 

23 and Opportunity Act (relating to the YouthBuild 

24 Program; 29 U.S.C. 3226); 


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1 (3) part A of title I of the Domestic Volunteer 

2 Service Act of 1973 (relating to the Volunteers in 

3 Service to America; 42 U.S.C. 4951 et seq.); and 

4 (4) subtitles C (relating to the National Service 

5 Trust Program; 42 U.S.C. 12571 et seq.) and E (re6 lating to the National Civilian Community Corps; 42 

7 U.S.C. 12611 et seq.) of the National and Commu8 nity Service Act of 1990. 

9 (j) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary of each military 

10 department shall issue such regulations as may be nec11 essary to carry out this section. 

12 (k) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

13 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 

14 necessary to carry out this section. 

15 SEC. 303. PILOT PROGRAM ON TECHNICAL CIVILIAN PRO16 FESSIONAL CREDENTIALS. 

17 (a) PILOT PROGRAM.—The Secretary of Defense 

18 shall carry out, through the Secretary of one of the mili19 tary departments, a pilot program, for a period of not 

20 more than 2 years, to assess the feasibility and advisability 

21 of establishing partnerships with community colleges and 

22 vocational schools to create technical education programs 

23 through which members of the Armed Forces may earn 

24 professional credentials in areas of critical need in the 

25 Armed Forces. The pilot program shall be comprised of 


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1 such partnerships with up to 3 community colleges and 

2 vocational schools. The educational programs created 

3 through the pilot program shall be open to participation 

4 by members of the Armed Forces (including recruits) and 

5 any other students at the selected community colleges and 

6 vocational schools. 

7 (b) COSTS.—The military department selected under 

8 subsection (a) shall bear at least 50 percent of the costs 

9 of the pilot program authorized under such subsection, 

10 and the community colleges and vocational schools in the 

11 pilot program shall bear the remaining costs, including 

12 providing the staff and facilities for the pilot program. 

13 (c) REPORTS.— 

14 (1) INITIAL REPORT.—Not later than 180 days 

15 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec16 retary of Defense shall submit to the Committees on 

17 Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Rep18 resentatives a report on the pilot program under this 

19 section. The report shall include— 

20 (A) a comprehensive framework for the 

21 education and credentials to be provided under 

22 the pilot program; 

23 (B) metrics to be used to assess the effec24 tiveness of the pilot program; and 


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1 (C) a description of mechanisms to be used 

2 to cover the costs of the technical education 

3 programs created under the pilot program. 

4 (2) FINAL REPORT.—Not later than 180 days 

5 after completion of the pilot program, the Secretary 

6 shall submit to the committees of Congress referred 

7 to in paragraph (1) a final report on the pilot pro8 gram. The report shall include— 

9 (A) an evaluation of the pilot program 

10 using the metrics of assessment set forth in the 

11 initial report; 

12 (B) an assessment of the effects of the 

13 pilot program on recruitment and retention of 

14 military personnel; and 

15 (C) an assessment on the feasibility and 

16 advisability of extending the term of the pilot 

17 program, expanding its scope, or both. 

18 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

19 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 

20 necessary to carry out this section. 

21 SEC. 304. EXPANSION OF JUNIOR RESERVE OFFICERS’ 

22 TRAINING CORPS PROGRAM. 

23 (a) EXPANSION OF JROTC CURRICULUM.—Section 

24 2031(a)(2) of title 10, United States Code, is amended 

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1 lowing: ‘‘(including an introduction to service opportuni2 ties in military, national, and public service)’’. 

3 (b) PLAN TO INCREASE NUMBER OF JROTC 

4 UNITS.—The Secretary of Defense shall, in consultation 

5 with the Secretaries of the military departments, develop 

6 and implement a plan to establish and support not fewer 

7 than 6,000 units of the Junior Reserve Officers’ Training 

8 Corps by September 30, 2034. 

9 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

10 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 

11 necessary to carry out this section. 

12 SEC. 305. EXPANSION OF CYBER INSTITUTES PROGRAM. 

13 Section 1640 of the John S. McCain National De14 fense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Public Law 

15 115–232; 132 Stat. 2310; 10 U.S.C. 2200 note) is amend16 ed by adding at the end the following: 

17 ‘‘(i) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than March 

18 1, 2025, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the 

19 Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the 

20 House of Representatives a report on the effectiveness of 

21 the Cyber Institutes and on opportunities to expand the 

22 Cyber Institutes to additional select institutions of higher 

23 learning that have a Reserve Officers’ Training Corps pro24 gram. 


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1 ‘‘(j) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—In addi2 tion to funds otherwise available to carry out this section, 

3 there are authorized to be appropriated to the Department 

4 of Defense such sums as may be necessary to prepare the 

5 report under subsection (g) and to expand the Cyber Insti6 tutes program under this section after September 30, 

7 2024.’’. 

8 SEC. 306. TEMPORARY AUTHORITY FOR TARGETED RE9 CRUITMENT INCENTIVES. 

10 Section 522(h) of the National Defense Authorization 

11 Act for Fiscal Year 2016 (10 U.S.C. 503 note) is amend12 ed— 

13 (1) by striking the semicolon and inserting a 

14 comma; and 

15 (2) by striking ‘‘December 31, 2020’’ and in16 serting ‘‘December 31, 2026’’. 

17 SEC. 307. MULTIYEAR APPROPRIATIONS FOR MARKETING 

18 AND ADVERTISING. 

19 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 141 of title 10, United 

20 States Code, is amended by inserting after section 2410s 

21 the following new section: 

22 ‘‘§ 2410t. Contracts for periods crossing fiscal years: 

23 Marketing and advertising contracts 

24 ‘‘(a) AUTHORITY.—The Secretary of Defense, the 

25 Secretary of a military department (as defined in section 


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1 102 of title 5), or the Secretary of Homeland Security 

2 with respect to the Coast Guard when it is not operating 

3 as a service in the Navy, may enter into a contract, for 

4 a period that begins in one fiscal year and ends in the 

5 next fiscal year (without regard to any option to extend 

6 the period of the contract), to procure marketing and ad7 vertising services. 

8 ‘‘(b) OBLIGATION OF FUNDS.—Funds made available 

9 in one fiscal year may be obligated or expended in the next 

10 fiscal year for a contract entered into under subsection 

11 (a).’’. 

12 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 

13 at the beginning of chapter 141 of such title is amended 

14 by inserting after the item relating to section 2410s the 

15 following new item: 

‘‘2410t. Contracts for periods crossing fiscal years: Marketing and advertising 

contracts.’’. 

16 Subtitle B—Advancement of 

17 National Service 

18 SEC. 321. NATIONAL SERVICE FELLOWSHIPS. 

19 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 198B of the National and 

20 Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12653b) is 

21 amended to read as follows: 

22 ‘‘SEC. 198B. NATIONAL SERVICE FELLOWSHIPS. 

23 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 


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1 ‘‘(1) AREA OF NATIONAL NEED.—The term 

2 ‘area of national need’ means targeted efforts to— 

3 ‘‘(A) improve education in schools for eco4 nomically disadvantaged students; 

5 ‘‘(B) expand and improve access to health 

6 care; 

7 ‘‘(C) improve energy efficiency and con8 serve natural resources; 

9 ‘‘(D) improve economic opportunities for 

10 economically disadvantaged individuals; 

11 ‘‘(E) improve disaster preparedness and 

12 response; or 

13 ‘‘(F) support the reintegration of ex-of14 fenders. 

15 ‘‘(2) DISADVANTAGED YOUTH.—The term ‘dis16 advantaged youth’ has the meaning given that term 

17 in section 101(13). 

18 ‘‘(3) ELIGIBLE FELLOWSHIP APPLICANT.—The 

19 term ‘eligible fellowship applicant’ means an indi20 vidual who is selected by the Corporation through a 

21 randomized lottery and, as a result of such selection, 

22 is eligible for a national service fellowship. 

23 ‘‘(4) FELLOW.—The term ‘fellow’ means an eli24 gible fellowship applicant who is awarded a national 


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1 service fellowship and is designated a fellow under 

2 subsection (e)(2). 

3 ‘‘(5) STATE.—The term ‘State’ means each of 

4 the several States, the District of Columbia, the 

5 Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and any other terri6 tory or possession of the United States. 

7 ‘‘(b) FELLOWSHIP AWARDS AND POSITIONS.— 

8 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—From the amounts appro9 priated to carry out this section, the Corporation 

10 shall award national service fellowships in accord11 ance with this section. 

12 ‘‘(2) ALLOTMENT OF POSITIONS.— 

13 ‘‘(A) ALLOTMENT BY CONGRESSIONAL DIS14 TRICT.—The Corporation shall allot 80 percent 

15 of the eligible fellowship positions supported 

16 under this section in a fiscal year on a formula 

17 basis to be distributed evenly among the con18 gressional districts in each of the States, to in19 clude districts of nonvoting delegates to the 

20 Congress, in accordance with the selection proc21 ess described in subsection (c)(1). The Corpora22 tion shall, to the extent practicable, reserve a 

23 percentage of eligible fellowship positions ap24 proximately equal to the percentage of dis25 advantaged youth residing in that district. In 


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1 any district in which one or more Indian tribes 

2 are located, a portion of the positions shall be 

3 reserved for applicants who are members of any 

4 such Indian tribe. 

5 ‘‘(B) ALLOTMENT TO SPECIFIC ORGANIZA6 TIONS.—The Corporation shall allot 20 percent 

7 of the eligible fellowship positions supported 

8 under this section in a fiscal year to service 

9 sponsor organizations, regardless of congres10 sional district, that have targeted service strate11 gies for utilizing fellows, in accordance with the 

12 selection processes described in subsections 

13 (c)(2) and (f)(2). The Corporation shall, to the 

14 extent practicable, reserve a percentage of eligi15 ble fellowship positions approximately equal to 

16 the nationwide percentage of disadvantaged 

17 youth. 

18 ‘‘(3) NUMBER OF POSITIONS.—The Corporation 

19 shall— 

20 ‘‘(A) establish the number of approved po21 sitions under this section at 25,000 for the first 

22 fiscal year that begins after the date of the en23 actment of the Inspire to Serve Act of 2024; 

24 and 


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1 ‘‘(B) increase the number of such approved 

2 positions by 25,000 for each fiscal year there3 after until the number of approved positions is 

4 at least 250,000. 

5 ‘‘(c) SELECTION BY LOTTERY.— 

6 ‘‘(1) IN CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS.—For posi7 tions described in subsection (b)(2)(A), the Corpora8 tion shall select, from the applications received 

9 under this section, the number of eligible fellowship 

10 applicants that may be supported for that fiscal year 

11 based on the amount of funds appropriated for that 

12 fiscal year to carry out this section. Such selection 

13 shall be done by randomized lottery for all appli14 cants, except that— 

15 ‘‘(A) for those positions reserved for dis16 advantaged youth applicants under such sub17 section, selection shall be done by randomized 

18 lottery for disadvantaged youth applicants; and 

19 ‘‘(B) for those positions reserved for In20 dian tribal applicants under such subsection, se21 lection shall be done by randomized lottery for 

22 Indian tribal applicants. 

23 ‘‘(2) OTHER POSITIONS.—For positions de24 scribed in subsection (b)(2)(B), the Corporation 

25 shall select, from the applications received, the numVerDate Sep 11 2014 05:54 Dec 10, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00083 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H10278.IH H10278

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1 ber of eligible fellowship applicants that may be sup2 ported for that fiscal year based on the amount of 

3 funds appropriated for that fiscal year to carry out 

4 this section. Such selection shall be done by random5 ized lottery for all applicants, except that for those 

6 positions reserved for disadvantaged youth appli7 cants under such subsection, selection shall be done 

8 by randomized lottery for disadvantaged youth appli9 cants. 

10 ‘‘(3) REGULATIONS.—In the regulations issued 

11 to carry out this section, the Corporation shall— 

12 ‘‘(A) establish the randomized lottery sys13 tem for positions described in subsection 

14 (b)(2)(A) and (b)(2)(B); 

15 ‘‘(B) establish preference for those individ16 uals who have not previously been an eligible 

17 fellowship applicant or a fellow; and 

18 ‘‘(C) create a waitlist for eligible fellowship 

19 applicants if any individual selected as such an 

20 applicant does not become a fellow. 

21 ‘‘(d) ELIGIBLE FELLOWSHIP APPLICANTS.— 

22 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An applicant desiring to 

23 become an eligible fellowship applicant shall submit 

24 an application to the Corporation at such time and 

25 in such manner as the Corporation may require and 


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1 containing information on the applicant’s age, edu2 cational status, disadvantaged youth status, Indian 

3 tribal status, and contact information, and stating 

4 whether the applicant elects to be considered for 

5 placement in a position in a congressional district 

6 under subsection (b)(2)(A) or in a position described 

7 in subsection (b)(2)(B). Each applicant may apply 

8 for only one national service fellowship for any fiscal 

9 year. 

10 ‘‘(2) AGE AND EDUCATION.—An applicant may 

11 be selected as an eligible fellowship applicant only if 

12 the applicant— 

13 ‘‘(A) is not less than age 18 and not more 

14 than age 25 on the date on which the applica15 tion is made; and 

16 ‘‘(B) holds a high school diploma or recog17 nized equivalent or will be working towards 

18 such diploma or recognized equivalent during 

19 the applicant’s term of service as a fellow. 

20 ‘‘(e) FELLOWS.— 

21 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible fellowship appli22 cant is eligible to participate in a service project as 

23 a fellow and receive a national service fellowship if— 

24 ‘‘(A) within 3 months after being selected 

25 as an eligible fellowship applicant, the applicant 


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1 selects a registered service sponsor organization 

2 described in subsection (f)— 

3 ‘‘(i) with which the applicant is inter4 ested in serving under this section; and 

5 ‘‘(ii) with which the applicant would 

6 serve in a position that is located in the 

7 congressional district in which the fellow 

8 resides or a district adjoining the district 

9 in which the fellow resides, for a position 

10 allotted under subsection (b)(2)(A), or 

11 would serve in a position allotted under 

12 subsection (b)(2)(B); 

13 ‘‘(B) enters into an agreement with the or14 ganization— 

15 ‘‘(i) that specifies the service the ap16 plicant will provide if the placement is ap17 proved; and 

18 ‘‘(ii) in which the applicant agrees to 

19 serve for at least 1,700 hours during the 

20 applicant’s fellowship year, including train21 ing, high school equivalency coursework, 

22 and special fellow events, except that the 

23 Chief Executive Officer may, on a case-by24 case basis, authorize a fellow to serve on a 


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1 part-time basis for a lesser number of 

2 hours; and 

3 ‘‘(C) submits such agreement to the Cor4 poration. 

5 ‘‘(2) DESIGNATION.—Upon receiving the eligi6 ble fellowship applicant’s agreement under para7 graph (1), the Corporation shall award a national 

8 service fellowship to the applicant and designate the 

9 applicant as a fellow. 

10 ‘‘(3) FELLOWSHIP AMOUNT.— 

11 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Corporation shall 

12 award to each fellow a stipend equal to the liv13 ing allowance under section 199K. 

14 ‘‘(B) PRORATION OF AMOUNT.—In the 

15 case of a fellow who is authorized to serve on 

16 a part-time basis under paragraph (1)(B)(ii), 

17 the amount provided to a fellow under this 

18 paragraph shall be prorated accordingly. 

19 ‘‘(4) EDUCATIONAL AWARDS.—A fellow who 

20 serves in a service project under this section shall be 

21 considered to have served in an approved national 

22 service position and, upon meeting the requirements 

23 of section 147 for full-time or part-time national 

24 service, shall be eligible for an educational award de25 scribed in such section or the alternative discounted 


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1 end-of-service cash stipend described in section 332 

2 of the Inspire to Serve Act of 2024. The Corporation 

3 shall transfer an appropriate amount of funds to the 

4 National Service Trust to provide for the educational 

5 award for such fellow. 

6 ‘‘(f) SERVICE SPONSOR ORGANIZATIONS.— 

7 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An organization is eligible 

8 to be a service sponsor organization if the organiza9 tion— 

10 ‘‘(A) is a nonprofit organization, a local 

11 government agency, a State government agency, 

12 or an agency of an Indian tribe; 

13 ‘‘(B) satisfies qualification criteria estab14 lished by the Corporation, including standards 

15 relating to organizational capacity, financial 

16 management, and programmatic oversight; and 

17 ‘‘(C) at the time of registration with a 

18 State Commission, enters into an agreement 

19 with the State Commission providing that the 

20 service sponsor organization shall— 

21 ‘‘(i) abide by all program require22 ments; 

23 ‘‘(ii) be responsible for certifying the 

24 number of hours served by each fellow and 

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1 nization successfully completes the national 

2 service fellowship; 

3 ‘‘(iii) provide supervision, supplies, 

4 and training for fellows, including a quar5 terly performance review; 

6 ‘‘(iv) provide educational resources, 

7 funding for coursework, and other nec8 essary resources to support fellows working 

9 towards their high school equivalency de10 grees; and 

11 ‘‘(v) provide, to the State Commission, 

12 the Corporation, and the Inspector General 

13 of the Corporation, timely access to 

14 records relating to the national service fel15 lowships. 

16 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBILITY AS A SPECIFIC ORGANIZA17 TION.—An organization is eligible to be considered 

18 for an allotment of positions under subsection 

19 (b)(2)(B) if the organization— 

20 ‘‘(A) satisfies the requirements of this sub21 section; 

22 ‘‘(B) submits an application to the Cor23 poration that includes a detailed description of 

24 the area of national need that fellows will ad25 dress with the organization, along with other 


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1 requirements that the Corporation may estab2 lish; and 

3 ‘‘(C) is selected by the Corporation in ac4 cordance with a selection process established by 

5 the Corporation. 

6 ‘‘(3) ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE.—Each service 

7 sponsor organization may provide additional benefits 

8 to fellows, including additional funding. 

9 ‘‘(4) REGISTRATION.— 

10 ‘‘(A) REQUIREMENT.—A service sponsor 

11 organization may not receive a fellow under this 

12 section until the organization registers with the 

13 State Commission of any State in which a fel14 low will be serving with the organization. 

15 ‘‘(B) CLEARINGHOUSE.—Each State Com16 mission shall maintain on a public website a list 

17 of service sponsor organizations registered with 

18 that State Commission. 

19 ‘‘(5) NONCOMPLIANCE.—If the Corporation de20 termines that a service sponsor organization is in 

21 violation of any of the applicable provisions of this 

22 subsection, or a State Commission determines that 

23 a service sponsor organization is in violation of any 

24 requirement for registration under paragraph (4)— 


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1 ‘‘(A) the State Commission shall revoke 

2 the registration of the organization; 

3 ‘‘(B) the organization shall not be eligible 

4 to receive assistance, approved national service 

5 fellows, or approved summer of service positions 

6 under this title for a period of not less than 5 

7 years; and 

8 ‘‘(C) the Corporation shall have the right 

9 to remove a fellow from the organization and 

10 relocate the fellow to another site. 

11 ‘‘(g) GRANTS FOR ANCILLARY SERVICES.— 

12 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Corporation may 

13 award grants to service sponsor organizations to off14 set the costs of providing ancillary services in sup15 port of fellows serving with those service sponsor or16 ganizations, including costs for— 

17 ‘‘(A) attending the convention described in 

18 subsection (j); 

19 ‘‘(B) courses and exams necessary to ob20 tain a high school diploma or recognized equiva21 lent; 

22 ‘‘(C) recruitment or training activities for 

23 fellows; and 

24 ‘‘(D) other activities approved by the Cor25 poration. 


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1 ‘‘(2) APPLICATIONS.—To be eligible to receive a 

2 grant under this subsection, a service sponsor orga3 nization shall submit an application to the Corpora4 tion at such time, in such manner, and containing 

5 such information as the Corporation may require. 

6 ‘‘(h) COORDINATION WITHIN CONGRESSIONAL DIS7 TRICT.—Service sponsor organizations shall coordinate 

8 with other service sponsor organizations on training and 

9 events beneficial to fellows serving within the same con10 gressional district and ensure that the offices of Members 

11 of Congress in those districts are kept apprised of such 

12 coordination. 

13 ‘‘(i) BRANDED ATTIRE.—The Corporation may pro14 vide fellows with branded attire to wear where appropriate. 

15 ‘‘(j) YEARLY CONVENTION.—The Corporation may 

16 sponsor a yearly convention to convene a geographically 

17 diverse group of fellows in a central location to provide 

18 the fellows with the opportunity to share experiences and 

19 to provide the fellows with information on opportunities 

20 to continue in national, public, or military service after 

21 their fellowships end. 

22 ‘‘(k) COMPLIANCE WITH INELIGIBLE SERVICE CAT23 EGORIES.—Service under a national service fellowship 

24 shall comply with section 132(a). For purposes of applying 

25 that section to this subsection, a reference to assistance 


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1 shall be considered to be a reference to assistance provided 

2 under this section. 

3 ‘‘(l) PUBLIC SERVICE INTEGRATION.—The Chief Ex4 ecutive Officer shall consult with the Council on Military, 

5 National, and Public Service established under section 201 

6 of the Inspire to Serve Act of 2024 regarding opportuni7 ties to place fellows in public service positions at the State, 

8 local, and tribal levels. 

9 ‘‘(m) SURVEYS OF FELLOWS.—The Corporation may 

10 survey fellows about their experiences as fellows, and shall 

11 make data acquired from any such survey publicly avail12 able. 

13 ‘‘(n) REGULATIONS.—The Corporation shall promul14 gate such regulations as may be necessary to carry out 

15 this section. 

16 ‘‘(o) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

17 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 

18 necessary to carry out this section.’’. 

19 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

20 (1) The item relating to section 198B of the 

21 National and Community Service Act of 1990 in the 

22 table of contents for that Act is amended to read as 

23 follows: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 198B. NATIONAL SERVICE FELLOWSHIPS.’’. 

2 (2) Section 123(7) of the National and Commu3 nity Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12573(7)) is 

4 amended by striking ‘‘ServeAmerica’’ and inserting 

5 ‘‘National Service’’. 

6 (3) Section 501(a)(4)(B) of the National and 

7 Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 

8 12681(a)(4)(B)) is repealed. 

9 SEC. 322. EXPANSION OF YOUTHBUILD, YOUTH CONSERVA10 TION CORPS, AND NATIONAL GUARD YOUTH 

11 CHALLENGE PROGRAMS. 

12 (a) YOUTHBUILD PROGRAM.— 

13 (1) EXPANSION.—The Secretary of Labor shall 

14 take the necessary steps to double, by December 31, 

15 2034, the number of participants in the YouthBuild 

16 program established under section 171 of the Work17 force Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 

18 3226), from the number of such participants in fis19 cal year 2023. 

20 (2) REPORTS TO CONGRESS.—The Secretary of 

21 Labor shall submit to Congress, not later than De22 cember 31 of each of the years 2026, 2029, 2032, 

23 and 2034, a report on the level of participation in 

24 the YouthBuild Program since the end of fiscal year 

25 2023 and on the efforts taken to achieve the goal 

26 described in paragraph (1). 


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1 (b) YOUTH CONSERVATION CORPS.— 

2 (1) EXPANSION.—The Secretaries of Agri3 culture and the Interior shall take the necessary 

4 steps to double, by December 31, 2034, the number 

5 of participants in the Youth Conservation Corps es6 tablished under the Act popularly known as the 

7 ‘‘Youth Conservation Corps Act of 1970’’ (title I of 

8 Public Law 91–378; 16 U.S.C. 1701–1706), from 

9 the number of such participants in fiscal year 2023. 

10 (2) REPORTS TO CONGRESS.—The Secretaries 

11 of Agriculture and the Interior shall submit to Con12 gress, not later than December 31 of each of the 

13 years 2026, 2029, 2032, and 2034, a report on the 

14 level of participation in the Youth Conservation 

15 Corps since the end of fiscal year 2023 and on the 

16 efforts taken to achieve the goal described in para17 graph (1). 

18 (c) YOUTH CHALLENGE PROGRAM.— 

19 (1) EXPANSION.—The Secretary of Defense 

20 shall take the necessary steps to double, by Decem21 ber 31, 2034, the number of participants in the Na22 tional Guard Youth Challenge Program established 

23 under section 509 of title 32, United States Code, 

24 from the number of such participants in fiscal year 

25 2023. 


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1 (2) REPORTS TO CONGRESS.—The Secretary of 

2 Defense shall submit to Congress, not later than De3 cember 31 of each of the years 2026, 2029, 2032, 

4 and 2034, a report on the level of participation in 

5 the National Guard Youth Challenge Program since 

6 the end of fiscal year 2023 and on the efforts taken 

7 to achieve the goal described in paragraph (1). 

8 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

9 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 

10 necessary to carry out this section. 

11 SEC. 323. NATIONAL SERVICE PUBLIC AWARENESS CAM12 PAIGN. 

13 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Chief Executive Officer of the 

14 Corporation for National and Community Service shall 

15 carry out a public awareness campaign to educate individ16 uals likely to provide the greatest influence on youth, in17 cluding parents, grandparents, teachers, guidance coun18 selors, clergy, and coaches, on opportunities for youth to 

19 engage in national service, the impacts of national service, 

20 and ways to encourage youth to provide such service. 

21 Funds made available to carry out this subsection may 

22 be used to identify best practices, carry out national out23 reach and education campaigns, produce and make avail24 able materials for schools and students from kindergarten 

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1 formation and opportunities, and advertise national serv2 ice programs nationwide. 

3 (b) REPORT REQUIRED.—Not later than 60 days 

4 after the end of the fiscal year in which funds are made 

5 available to carry out the public awareness campaign 

6 under subsection (a), the Chief Executive Officer shall 

7 submit to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, 

8 and Pensions of the Senate, and the Committee on Edu9 cation and Labor of the House of Representatives, a re10 port describing the scope and effectiveness of the public 

11 awareness campaign under this section. 

12 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

13 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 

14 necessary to carry out the campaign under subsection (a), 

15 including for salaries and expenses related to such cam16 paign. 

17 SEC. 324. RECOGNITION OF CORPORATE CONTRIBUTIONS 

18 TO NATIONAL SERVICE. 

19 The Corporation for National and Community Serv20 ice may annually designate not more than 25 corporations, 

21 whether publicly owned or privately held, with an award 

22 for their significant contributions to national service. The 

23 Corporation shall promulgate regulations describing eval24 uation criteria for the award under this section and may 

25 conduct a ceremony or give a symbolic medal or plaque 


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1 to recipients. This section does not authorize any mone2 tary award. 

3 SEC. 325. CORPORATION FOR NATIONAL AND COMMUNITY 

4 SERVICE DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS. 

5 (a) DEFINITIONS.— 

6 (1) EX-OFFENDER.—The term ‘‘ex-offender’’ 

7 means an individual who requires assistance in over8 coming barriers to employment resulting from a 

9 record of arrest or conviction for a crime under Fed10 eral, State, local, or Tribal law. 

11 (2) PLACE-BASED MODEL.—The term ‘‘place12 based model’’ means an investment initiative that 

13 seeks to leverage national service programs to ex14 pand the services available within a specific geo15 graphic location, to build the capacity of community 

16 organizations to provide those services, and to estab17 lish a community-wide culture of service and vol18 unteerism. 

19 (b) PRIORITY PILOTS.—The Chief Executive Officer 

20 of the Corporation for National and Community Service 

21 may conduct, during the 3-year period beginning on Octo22 ber 1, 2024, up to 5 demonstration projects to assess the 

23 feasibility and advisability of novel approaches to and 

24 focus areas of national service, with at least one dem25 onstration project focused on developing a place-based 


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1 model and at least one demonstration project supporting 

2 the reintegration of ex-offenders. 

3 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

4 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 

5 necessary to carry out the demonstration projects under 

6 subsection (b), including for salaries and expenses related 

7 to such projects. 

8 SEC. 326. PEACE CORPS REMOTE DEMONSTRATION 

9 PROJECTS. 

10 The Peace Corps may conduct demonstration projects 

11 to test the feasibility of permitting volunteers who serve 

12 less than 27 months to perform their services from within 

13 the United States, instead of traveling outside of the 

14 United States. 

15 SEC. 327. NATIONAL SERVICE LIVING ALLOWANCE IN16 CREASES. 

17 (a) ANNUAL INCREASES TO LIVING ALLOWANCES

18 FOR NATIONAL SERVICE PARTICIPANTS.—Section 140(a) 

19 of the National and Community Service Act of 1990 (42 

20 U.S.C. 12594(a)) is amended by adding at the end the 

21 following: 

22 ‘‘(7) INCREASES.—The Chief Executive Officer 

23 shall review the amounts of living allowances under 

24 this subsection on an annual basis and, subject to 

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1 flect changes in inflation, cost of living, and the geo2 graphical areas in which the national service pro3 grams are carried out.’’. 

4 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

5 are authorized to be appropriated to provide increases in 

6 living allowances under section 140(a) of the National and 

7 Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12594(a)), 

8 such sums as may be necessary to increase the allowances 

9 above the levels provided on the day before the date of 

10 enactment of this Act. 

11 SEC. 328. SENIOR CORPS STIPEND INCREASES. 

12 (a) GRANTS AND CONTRACTS FOR INDIVIDUAL SERV13 ICE PROJECTS.—Section 211(d) of the Domestic Volun14 teer Service Act of 1973 (42 U.S.C. 5011(d)) is amended 

15 by striking ‘‘$3.00 per hour’’ and inserting ‘‘60 percent 

16 of the Federal minimum wage under section 6 of the Fair 

17 Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 206)’’. 

18 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

19 are authorized to be appropriated to provide increases in 

20 allowances and stipends under section 211(d) of the Do21 mestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973 (42 U.S.C. 

22 5011(d)), such sums as may be necessary to increase the 

23 allowances and stipends above the levels provided on the 

24 day before the date of enactment of this Act. 


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1 SEC. 329. WRAPAROUND SUPPORT SERVICES FOR CERTAIN 

2 NATIONAL SERVICE PARTICIPANTS. 

3 (a) WRAPAROUND SUPPORT SERVICES FOR NA4 TIONAL SERVICE PARTICIPANTS.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 140 of the National 

6 and Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 

7 12594) is amended by adding at the end the fol8 lowing: 

9 ‘‘(g) WRAPAROUND SUPPORT SERVICES.— 

10 ‘‘(1) PROVISION OF ADDITIONAL SUPPORT

11 SERVICES.—In addition to the living allowance and 

12 other benefits provided under this section, and sub13 ject to the availability of appropriations to carry out 

14 this subsection, a State or other recipient of assist15 ance under section 121 shall provide support serv16 ices under this subsection (in this subsection re17 ferred to as ‘wraparound support services’) to those 

18 individuals who— 

19 ‘‘(A) are participants in a national service 

20 program carried out or supported by the recipi21 ent using the assistance; and 

22 ‘‘(B) are disadvantaged youth of ages 17 

23 through 26, are located in Indian lands, or are 

24 located in rural communities. 

25 ‘‘(2) GUIDELINES FOR WRAPAROUND SUPPORT

26 SERVICES.—Not later than 180 days after the date 


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1 of the enactment of this subsection, the Corporation 

2 shall establish guidelines regarding the cir3 cumstances under which wraparound support serv4 ices shall be made available under paragraph (1) 

5 and the types of wraparound support services that 

6 shall be made so available. Wraparound support 

7 services may include career counseling, transpor8 tation assistance, training and certification pro9 grams, and mental health assistance. In developing 

10 such guidelines, the Corporation shall consider the 

11 availability of philanthropic investment and the cost12 per-participant to recipients who support partici13 pants described in paragraph (1). 

14 ‘‘(3) EXEMPTION FROM LIVING ALLOWANCE.— 

15 Wraparound support services shall not be considered 

16 in determining the total living allowance under sub17 section (a)(2).’’. 

18 (2) LIMITATION ON PROGRAM COSTS.—Section 

19 189(c) of the National and Community Service Act 

20 of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12645c(c)) is amended to read 

21 as follows: 

22 ‘‘(c) COSTS NOT SUBJECT TO LIMITATION.—The 

23 limitation under subsection (a), and the increased limita24 tion under subsection (e)(1), shall not apply to— 


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1 ‘‘(1) expenses under a grant authorized under 

2 the national service laws to operate a program that 

3 are not included in the grant award for operating 

4 the program; or 

5 ‘‘(2) expenses for wraparound support services 

6 provided under section 140(g).’’. 

7 (b) WRAPAROUND SUPPORT SERVICES FOR VISTA 

8 PARTICIPANTS.—Section 105(b) of the Domestic Volun9 teer Service Act of 1973 (42 U.S.C. 4955(b)) is amended 

10 by adding at the end the following: 

11 ‘‘(4)(A) In addition to the stipend and other assist12 ance provided under this section, and subject to the avail13 ability of appropriations to carry out this paragraph, the 

14 Director shall provide support services under this para15 graph (in this paragraph referred to as ‘wraparound sup16 port services’) for volunteers who— 

17 ‘‘(i) are disadvantaged youth of ages 17 

18 through 26; 

19 ‘‘(ii) are located in Indian lands; or 

20 ‘‘(iii) are located in rural communities. 

21 ‘‘(B) Not later than 180 days after the date of the 

22 enactment of this paragraph, the Corporation shall estab23 lish guidelines regarding the circumstances under which 

24 wraparound support services shall be made available to 

25 volunteers under subparagraph (A), and the types of 


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1 wraparound support services that shall be made so avail2 able. Wraparound support services may include career 

3 counseling, transportation assistance, training and certifi4 cation programs, and mental health assistance. In devel5 oping such guidelines, the Corporation shall consider the 

6 availability of funds and the cost-per-volunteer to support 

7 such volunteers. 

8 ‘‘(C) In this paragraph, the terms ‘disadvantaged 

9 youth’ and ‘Indian lands’ have the meanings given those 

10 terms in section 101 of the National and Community Serv11 ice Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12511).’’. 

12 (c) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after the date 

13 of the enactment of this Act, the Chief Executive Officer 

14 of the Corporation for National and Community Service 

15 shall submit a report to Congress on the use of funds 

16 made available to provide wraparound support services 

17 under the amendments made by this section. 

18 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

19 are authorized to be appropriated to the Corporation for 

20 National and Community Service such sums as may be 

21 necessary to provide wraparound support services under 

22 section 140(g) of the National and Community Service Act 

23 of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12594(g)) and section 105(b)(4) of 

24 the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973 (42 U.S.C. 

25 4955(b)(4)). 


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1 SEC. 330. NATIONAL SERVICE EDUCATIONAL AWARD IN2 CREASES. 

3 (a) DETERMINATION OF EDUCATIONAL AWARD

4 AMOUNT.—Section 147(a) of the National and Commu5 nity Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12603(a)) is amended 

6 by striking ‘‘having a value equal to’’ and all that follows 

7 through ‘‘mandatory appropriations),’’ and inserting 

8 ‘‘equal to the average cost of 1 year of in-State tuition 

9 at a public institution of higher education that awards 

10 bachelor’s degrees, as determined by the Chief Executive 

11 Officer,’’. 

12 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

13 are authorized to be appropriated to provide increases in 

14 national service educational awards under section 147(a) 

15 of the National and Community Service Act of 1990 (42 

16 U.S.C. 12603(a)), such sums as may be necessary to in17 crease the awards above the level provided on the day be18 fore the date of enactment of this Act. 

19 SEC. 331. EXPANDED USE OF NATIONAL SERVICE EDU20 CATIONAL AWARD. 

21 (a) DISBURSEMENT OF EDUCATIONAL AWARDS.— 

22 Section 148(a)(4) of the National and Community Service 

23 Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12604(a)(4)) is amended by in24 serting after ‘‘Secretary of Veterans Affairs’’ the fol25 lowing: ‘‘, regardless of whether the individual is a veteran 

26 as defined under section 101’’. 


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1 (b) TREATMENT OF CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF

2 LAW.—Any individual who receives an educational award 

3 under section 146 of the National and Community Service 

4 Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12602) may use the award for 

5 expenses described in section 148(a)(4) of that Act (42 

6 U.S.C. 12604(a)(4)), as a result of the amendment made 

7 by subsection (a) of this section, notwithstanding the pro8 visions of any appropriations Act that does not specifically 

9 reference this section and that would not permit such use 

10 by the individual. 

11 SEC. 332. DISCOUNTED END-OF-SERVICE CASH STIPEND 

12 FOR NATIONAL SERVICE MEMBERS. 

13 (a) STIPEND; LIMITATION; PAYMENT UPON COMPLE14 TION OF TERM.— 

15 (1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

16 (A) CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER.—The 

17 term ‘‘Chief Executive Officer’’ means the Chief 

18 Executive Officer of the Corporation for Na19 tional and Community Service. 

20 (B) FULL-TIME SERVICE.—The term ‘‘full21 time service’’ means ‘‘full-time national service’’ 

22 within the meaning of section 139(b)(1) of the 

23 National and Community Service Act of 1990 

24 (42 U.S.C. 12593(b)(1)). 


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1 (C) NATIONAL SERVICE PARTICIPANT.— 

2 The term ‘‘national service participant’’ means 

3 a participant in a national service program who 

4 is described in section 137(a) of that Act (42 

5 U.S.C. 12591(a)). 

6 (D) PART-TIME SERVICE.—The term 

7 ‘‘part-time service’’ means ‘‘part-time national 

8 service’’ within the meaning of section 

9 139(b)(2) of that Act (42 U.S.C. 12593(b)(2)). 

10 (2) STIPEND FOR NATIONAL SERVICE PARTICI11 PANTS.— 

12 (A) AUTHORITY.— 

13 (i) FULL-TIME SERVICE.—Subject to 

14 clause (ii), the Chief Executive Officer may 

15 provide to each national service participant 

16 who is performing full-time service, a sti17 pend for any period in which such partici18 pant is in training or performing the par19 ticipant’s service assignments. 

20 (ii) PART-TIME SERVICE.—The Chief 

21 Executive Officer may, on a case-by-case 

22 basis, provide, to a national service partici23 pant who is performing part-time service, a 

24 stipend for any period described in clause 

25 (i). 


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1 (B) AMOUNT OF STIPEND.— 

2 (i) IN GENERAL.—Subject to clauses 

3 (ii) and (iii), the amount of the stipend 

4 under subparagraph (A) shall be set at a 

5 rate that is not less than $200 per month 

6 and not more than $280 per month. 

7 (ii) LEADER STIPENDS.—The Chief 

8 Executive Officer may set the amount of 

9 the stipend under subparagraph (A) at a 

10 rate that does not exceed $380 per month 

11 in the case of an individual who— 

12 (I) has completed a cor13 responding term of service as required 

14 under subtitle D of the National and 

15 Community Service Act of 1990 (42 

16 U.S.C. 12601 et seq.), subject to 

17 paragraph (4); and 

18 (II) has, in accordance with 

19 standards that the Chief Executive 

20 Officer shall establish in regulations, 

21 been designated a leader on the basis 

22 of experience among other national 

23 service participants. 

24 (iii) LIMITATION.—The amount of the 

25 stipend under this subparagraph is subject 


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1 to the availability of funds for such sti2 pend. 

3 (C) RESTRICTION ON CERTAIN INDIVID4 UALS.—The Chief Executive Officer may not 

5 provide a stipend under this subsection to an 

6 individual who elects to receive a national serv7 ice educational award under subtitle D of title 

8 I of the National and Community Service Act 

9 of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12601 et seq.). 

10 (3) STIPEND FOR NATIONAL CIVILIAN COMMU11 NITY CORPS MEMBERS.— 

12 (A) AUTHORITY.—The Chief Executive Of13 ficer may provide, to each member of the Na14 tional Civilian Community Corps who is en15 rolled in a national service program under sec16 tion 153 of the National and Community Serv17 ice Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12613), a stipend 

18 for any period in which such member is in 

19 training or performing the member’s service as20 signment. 

21 (B) AMOUNT OF STIPEND.— 

22 (i) IN GENERAL.—Subject to clauses 

23 (ii) and (iii), the amount of the stipend 

24 under subparagraph (A) shall be set at a 


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1 rate that is not less than $200 per month 

2 and not more than $280 per month. 

3 (ii) LEADER STIPENDS.—The Chief 

4 Executive Officer may set the amount of 

5 the stipend under subparagraph (A) at a 

6 rate that does not exceed $380 per month 

7 in the case of an individual who— 

8 (I) has completed a cor9 responding term of service as required 

10 under subtitle D of the National and 

11 Community Service Act of 1990 (42 

12 U.S.C. 12601 et seq.), subject to 

13 paragraph (4); and 

14 (II) has, in accordance with 

15 standards that the Chief Executive 

16 Officer shall establish in regulations, 

17 been designated a leader on the basis 

18 of experience among other national 

19 service members. 

20 (iii) LIMITATION.—The amount of the 

21 stipend under this subparagraph is subject 

22 to the availability of funds for such sti23 pend. 

24 (C) RESTRICTION ON CERTAIN INDIVID25 UALS.—The Chief Executive Officer may not 


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1 provide a stipend under this subsection to an 

2 individual who elects to receive a national serv3 ice educational award under section 158 of the 

4 National and Community Service Act of 1990 

5 (42 U.S.C. 12618). 

6 (4) ELIGIBILITY FOR STIPEND.—A stipend 

7 under paragraph (2) or (3) shall be payable to an 

8 individual only upon completion of a corresponding 

9 term of service, except under such circumstances as 

10 the Chief Executive Officer shall determine. In ac11 cordance with regulations which the Chief Executive 

12 Officer shall prescribe for payment under such cir13 cumstances, the accrued stipend, or any part of the 

14 accrued stipend, may be paid to the individual, or on 

15 behalf of the individual, to members of the individ16 ual’s family or others during the term of the individ17 ual’s service. In the event of the death of an indi18 vidual during service, the amount of any unpaid sti19 pend shall be paid in accordance with the provisions 

20 of section 5582 of title 5, United States Code. 

21 (b) NATIONAL SERVICE EDUCATIONAL AWARDS.— 

22 Section 141(a) of the National and Community Service 

23 Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12595(a)) is amended— 

24 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘and’’; 


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1 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking the period and 

2 inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

3 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

4 ‘‘(3) has not accepted the stipend authorized 

5 under section 332 of the Inspire to Serve Act of 

6 2024.’’. 

7 (c) AUTHORIZED BENEFITS FOR CORPS MEM8 BERS.—Section 158(f) of the National and Community 

9 Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12618(f)) is amended— 

10 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘and’’; 

11 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking the period and 

12 inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

13 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

14 ‘‘(3) has not accepted the stipend authorized 

15 under section 332 of the Inspire to Serve Act of 

16 2024.’’. 

17 SEC. 333. EXCLUSION OF NATIONAL SERVICE EDU18 CATIONAL AWARD FROM GROSS INCOME. 

19 (a) IN GENERAL.—Paragraph (2) of section 117(c) 

20 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended— 

21 (1) by striking ‘‘or’’ at the end of subparagraph 

22 (B); 

23 (2) by striking the period at the end of sub24 paragraph (C) and inserting ‘‘, or’’; and 


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1 (3) by adding at the end the following new sub2 paragraph: 

3 ‘‘(D) a national service educational award 

4 under subtitle D of title I of the National and 

5 Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 

6 12601 et seq.).’’. 

7 (b) EXCLUSION OF DISCHARGE OF STUDENT LOAN

8 DEBT.—Subsection (f) of section 108 of such Code is 

9 amended by adding at the end the following new para10 graph: 

11 ‘‘(6) PAYMENTS UNDER NATIONAL SERVICE

12 EDUCATIONAL AWARD PROGRAMS.—In the case of 

13 an individual, gross income shall not include any 

14 amount received under a national service educational 

15 award under subtitle D of title I of the National and 

16 Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12601 

17 et seq.).’’. 

18 (c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 

19 this section shall apply to taxable years ending after the 

20 date of the enactment of this Act. 

21 SEC. 334. TRANSFERABILITY OF NATIONAL SERVICE EDU22 CATIONAL AWARD. 

23 (a) DISBURSEMENT OF EDUCATIONAL AWARDS.— 

24 Section 148(f) of the National and Community Service Act 

25 of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12604) is amended— 


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1 (1) in paragraph (2)(A)(i), by striking ‘‘in a na2 tional service program that receives a grant under 

3 subtitle C’’ and inserting ‘‘in a position specified 

4 under section 123’’; and 

5 (2) in paragraph (8), by striking subparagraph 

6 (C) and inserting the following: 

7 ‘‘(C) who meets such other requirements 

8 as the Corporation shall specify in regula9 tions.’’. 

10 (b) INDIVIDUALS ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE AN EDU11 CATIONAL AWARD FROM THE TRUST.—Section 146(d)(3) 

12 of the National and Community Service Act of 1990 (42 

13 U.S.C. 12602(d)(3)) is amended by striking ‘‘a 10-year 

14 period’’ and all that follows through ‘‘basis of the award’’ 

15 and inserting ‘‘a 7-year period that begins on the date on 

16 which the designated individual who received the trans17 ferred educational award becomes 18 years of age’’. 

18 SEC. 335. NONCOMPETITIVE ELIGIBILITY FOR FULL-TIME 

19 NATIONAL SERVICE PARTICIPANTS. 

20 (a) NONCOMPETITIVE ELIGIBILITY FOR AMERICORPS

21 ALUMNI.— 

22 (1) VOLUNTEERS IN SERVICE TO AMERICA.— 

23 Section 415(d) of the Domestic Volunteer Service 

24 Act of 1973 (42 U.S.C. 5055(d)) is amended— 


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1 (A) by striking ‘‘appointment in the com2 petitive service’’ and inserting ‘‘noncompetitive 

3 appointment to a position in the competitive 

4 service (as defined in section 2101 of title 5, 

5 United States Code) for a period of 36 months, 

6 beginning on the date on which their required 

7 term of service ends,’’; and 

8 (B) by striking ‘‘Executive Order Number 

9 11103 (April 10, 1963)’’ and inserting ‘‘Execu10 tive Order 11103 (22 U.S.C. 2504 note, relat11 ing to Providing for the Appointment of 

12 Former Peace Corps Volunteers to the Civilian 

13 Career Services), as amended by Executive 

14 Order 12107 (44 Fed. Reg. 1055; relating to 

15 the Civil Service Commission and Labor-Man16 agement in the Federal Service), without regard 

17 to section 4 of such Order’’. 

18 (2) OTHER NATIONAL SERVICE PARTICI19 PANTS.— 

20 (A) IN GENERAL.—Part III of subtitle C 

21 of title I of the National and Community Serv22 ice Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12591 et seq.) is 

23 amended by adding at the end the following 

24 new section: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 142. NONCOMPETITIVE ELIGIBILITY FOR NATIONAL 

2 SERVICE PARTICIPANTS. 

3 ‘‘Participants in a national service program who are 

4 eligible to receive a national service educational award 

5 under section 141, and who the Chief Executive Officer 

6 determines have successfully completed their terms of 

7 service, shall be eligible for noncompetitive appointment 

8 in a position in the competitive service (as defined in sec9 tion 2101 of title 5, United States Code) for a period of 

10 36 months beginning on the date on which their required 

11 term of service ends. The Chief Executive Officer shall 

12 make the determination about successful completion in ac13 cordance with the requirements of Executive Order 11103 

14 (22 U.S.C. 2504 note, relating to Providing for the Ap15 pointment of Former Peace Corps Volunteers to the Civil16 ian Career Services), as amended by Executive Order 

17 12107 (44 Fed. Reg. 1055; relating to the Civil Service 

18 Commission and Labor-Management in the Federal Serv19 ice), without regard to section 4 of such Order.’’. 

20 (B) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The 

21 table of contents of the National and Commu22 nity Service Act of 1990 is amended by insert23 ing after the item relating to section 141 the 

24 following: 

‘‘Sec. 142. Noncompetitive eligibility for national service participants.’’. 


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1 (b) NONCOMPETITIVE ELIGIBILITY FOR RETURNED

2 PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEERS AND VOLUNTEER LEAD3 ERS.—Section 5 of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2504) 

4 is amended by adding at the end the following: 

5 ‘‘(q)(1) Volunteers and volunteer leaders shall be eli6 gible for a noncompetitive appointment in a position in 

7 the competitive service (as defined in section 2101 of title 

8 5, United States Code) for a term of 3 years if— 

9 ‘‘(A) they have completed a term of service of 

10 2 years or more under this Act; and 

11 ‘‘(B) the Director determines that they have 

12 successfully completed their terms of service under 

13 this Act. 

14 ‘‘(2) The 3-year appointment in the competitive serv15 ice shall begin on the first day after the ending date of 

16 the term of service referred to in paragraph (1)(A). 

17 ‘‘(3) The Director shall make each determination 

18 under paragraph (1)(B) in accordance with sections 1, 2, 

19 3, and 5 of Executive Order 11103 (22 U.S.C. 2504 note, 

20 relating to Providing for the Appointment of Former 

21 Peace Corps Volunteers to the Civilian Career Services), 

22 as amended by Executive Order 12107 (44 Fed. Reg. 

23 1055; relating to the Civil Service Commission and Labor24 Management in the Federal Service).’’. 


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1 (c) APPLICABILITY.—The amendments made by this 

2 section shall apply to any individual— 

3 (1) who is— 

4 (A) a volunteer under the Domestic Volun5 teer Service Act of 1973 (42 U.S.C. 4950 et 

6 seq.); 

7 (B) a participant, in a national service pro8 gram, to whom section 141 of the National and 

9 Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 

10 12595) applies; or 

11 (C) a volunteer or volunteer leader under 

12 the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2501 et seq.); 

13 and 

14 (2) who has not completed the corresponding 

15 required term of service as of the date of the enact16 ment of this Act. 

17 SEC. 336. PENSION SERVICE CREDIT FOR FEDERAL SERV18 ICE CORPS PARTICIPANTS. 

19 (a) CREDITABLE SERVICE.—Section 8411(h) of title 

20 5, United States Code, is amended by inserting ‘‘as a Na21 tional Civilian Community Corps member or leader under 

22 subtitle E of title I of the National and Community Serv23 ice Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12611 et seq.), as a member 

24 of a program under title I of the Act entitled ‘An Act to 

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1 rior and Agriculture designated as the Youth Conservation 

2 Corps, and for other purposes’, approved August 13, 1970 

3 (commonly known as the ‘Youth Conservation Corps Act 

4 of 1970’; 16 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) or the Public Lands 

5 Corps Act of 1993 (16 U.S.C. 1721 et seq.),’’ after ‘‘Do6 mestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973,’’. 

7 (b) CONTRIBUTIONS FOR CREDITABLE SERVICE.— 

8 Section 8422(f)(1) of title 5, United States Code, is 

9 amended— 

10 (1) by inserting ‘‘as a National Civilian Com11 munity Corps member or leader under subtitle E of 

12 title I of the National and Community Service Act 

13 of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12611 et seq.), as a member of 

14 a program under title I of the Act entitled ‘An Act 

15 to establish a pilot program in the Departments of 

16 the Interior and Agriculture designated as the Youth 

17 Conservation Corps, and for other purposes’, ap18 proved August 13, 1970 (commonly known as the 

19 ‘Youth Conservation Corps Act of 1970’; 16 U.S.C. 

20 1701 et seq.) or the Public Lands Corps Act of 1993 

21 (16 U.S.C. 1721 et seq.),’’ after ‘‘Domestic Volun22 teer Service Act of 1973,’’ the first place the term 

23 appears; 

24 (2) by striking ‘‘or the stipend’’ and inserting 

25 ‘‘, of the stipend’’; and 


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1 (3) by striking ‘‘for each period of service as 

2 such a volunteer or volunteer leader’’ and inserting 

3 ‘‘or of the living allowance paid to the National Ci4 vilian Community Corps member or leader under 

5 subtitle E of title I of the National and Community 

6 Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12611 et seq.), or 

7 to the member of a program under title I of the Act 

8 entitled ‘An Act to establish a pilot program in the 

9 Departments of the Interior and Agriculture des10 ignated as the Youth Conservation Corps, and for 

11 other purposes’, approved August 13, 1970 (com12 monly known as the ‘Youth Conservation Corps Act 

13 of 1970’; 16 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) or the Public 

14 Lands Corps Act of 1993 (16 U.S.C. 1721 et seq.), 

15 for each period of service as such a volunteer, volun16 teer leader, member, or leader’’. 

17 SEC. 337. SENIOR CORPS COMPETITIVE GRANT MODEL. 

18 (a) GRANTS AND CONTRACTS FOR VOLUNTEER

19 SERVICE PROJECTS.—Section 201 of the Domestic Volun20 teer Service Act of 1973 (42 U.S.C. 5001) is amended— 

21 (1) in subsection (e)— 

22 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking subpara23 graph (A) and inserting the following: 

24 ‘‘(A) awarded for a period of not more than 3 

25 years; and’’; and 


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1 (B) in paragraph (2)(B)— 

2 (i) in clause (iii), by adding ‘‘and’’ 

3 after the semicolon; and 

4 (ii) by striking clause (iv) and redesig5 nating clause (v) as clause (iv); and 

6 (2) by striking subsection (i) and redesignating 

7 subsection (j) as subsection (i). 

8 (b) MULTIYEAR GRANTS OR CONTRACTS.—Section 

9 227(a) of the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973 (42 

10 U.S.C. 5027(a)) is amended— 

11 (1) by striking paragraph (2); and 

12 (2) in paragraph (1)— 

13 (A) by striking ‘‘(1) Subject to paragraph 

14 (2) and’’ and inserting ‘‘Subject to’’; and 

15 (B) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) 

16 and (B) as paragraphs (1) and (2), respectively. 

17 (c) NOTICE AND HEARING PROCEDURES FOR SUS18 PENSION AND TERMINATION OF FINANCIAL ASSIST19 ANCE.—Section 412(a) of the Domestic Volunteer Service 

20 Act of 1973 (42 U.S.C. 5052) is amended— 

21 (1) in paragraph (1), by adding ‘‘and’’ after the 

22 semicolon; and 

23 (2) by striking paragraphs (2) and (3) and re24 designating paragraph (4) as paragraph (2). 


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1 Subtitle C—Advancement of Public 

2 Service: Modernization of Fed3 eral Personnel Systems 

4 SEC. 341. ENHANCED AWARENESS OF THE VALUE OF FED5 ERAL PUBLIC SERVICE. 

6 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF ACTIVITY.—Subchapter I of 

7 chapter 3 of title 5, United States Code, is amended by 

8 adding at the end the following: 

9 ‘‘§ 307. Enhanced awareness of the value of Federal 

10 public service 

11 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to guidance that the 

12 Comptroller General of the United States shall issue, any 

13 Executive agency or military department may use appro14 priated funds to educate and inform the public about the 

15 role of Federal employees, the value of Federal employ16 ment, and the mission of the agency or department. 

17 ‘‘(b) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—The use of funds 

18 pursuant to the guidance issued by the Comptroller Gen19 eral of the United States under subsection (a) may not 

20 be construed as self-aggrandizement, publicity, or propa21 ganda that is otherwise prohibited under any other provi22 sion of law that is enacted before, on, or after the date 

23 of enactment of this section.’’. 

24 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The table of sec25 tions for chapter 3 of title 5, United States Code, is 


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1 amended by inserting after the item relating to section 

2 306 the following: 

‘‘307. Enhanced awareness of the value of Federal public service.’’. 

3 (c) GUIDANCE.—Not later than 120 days after the 

4 date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General 

5 of the United States shall issue the guidance required 

6 under section 307(a) of title 5, United States Code, as 

7 added by subsection (a) of this section. 

8 (d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—Except as provided in sub9 section (c), section 307 of title 5, United States Code, as 

10 added by subsection (a) of this section, and the amend11 ment made by subsection (b) of this section, shall take 

12 effect on the date that is 180 days after the date of enact13 ment of this Act. 

14 SEC. 342. RESPONSIBILITY FOR DETERMINING ELIGIBILITY 

15 FOR HIRING PREFERENCES AND SPECIAL 

16 HIRING OPTIONS. 

17 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

18 (1) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means 

19 the Director of the Office of Personnel Management. 

20 (2) PREFERENCE ELIGIBLE.—The term ‘‘pref21 erence eligible’’ has the meaning given the term in 

22 section 2108 of title 5, United States Code. 

23 (b) AUTHORITY TO DETERMINE ELIGIBILITY.—The 

24 Director shall determine whether an individual is a pref25 erence eligible, or whether an individual is eligible for apVerDate Sep 11 2014 05:54 Dec 10, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00123 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H10278.IH H10278

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1 pointment to a position in an Executive agency, under any 

2 each of the following authorities: 

3 (1) Section 4214 of title 38, United States 

4 Code. 

5 (2) Section 3112 of title 5, United States Code. 

6 (3) Section 3304(f) of title 5, United States 

7 Code. 

8 (4) Section 3330d of title 5, United States 

9 Code. 

10 (5) Section 415(d) of the Domestic Volunteer 

11 Service Act of 1973 (42 U.S.C. 5055(d)), as amend12 ed by section 335(a)(1) of this Act. 

13 (6) Section 142 of the National and Community 

14 Service Act of 1990, as added by section 335(a)(2) 

15 of this Act. 

16 (7) Subsection (q) of section 5 of the Peace 

17 Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2504), as added by section 

18 335(b) of this Act. 

19 (8) Section 344 of this Act. 

20 (9) Section 370 of this Act. 

21 (c) COORDINATION.—The Director shall coordinate 

22 with the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Veterans 

23 Affairs, the Director of the Peace Corps, and the Chief 

24 Executive Officer of the Corporation for National and 


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1 Community Service in developing the process for making 

2 determinations under subsection (b). 

3 (d) REGULATIONS.—Not later than 2 years after the 

4 date of enactment of this Act, the Director shall issue reg5 ulations setting forth the manner in which applicants for 

6 employment in Executive agencies may access determina7 tions made under subsection (b) and the procedures to ap8 peal those determinations. 

9 (e) PREPARATION OF CERTIFICATES OF ELIGI10 BILITY.— 

11 (1) IN GENERAL.—Executive agencies shall rely 

12 on the eligibility determinations made by the Direc13 tor under subsection (b) in preparing lists, registers, 

14 and certificates of such eligibility. 

15 (2) GUIDANCE.—The Director shall issue guid16 ance to Executive agencies on the policies and proce17 dures of the Office of Personnel Management that 

18 are established under this section. 

19 (f) OTHER REMEDIES AVAILABLE TO PREFERENCE

20 ELIGIBLES NOT AFFECTED.—Nothing in this section may 

21 be construed to limit the right of a preference eligible to 

22 seek administrative or judicial redress under section 

23 3330a or 3330b of title 5, United States Code, respec24 tively. 


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1 SEC. 343. ENHANCEMENT OF SPECIAL HIRING AUTHORI2 TIES FOR MILITARY VETERANS. 

3 (a) EXCEPTION TO PREFERENCE ELIGIBILITY.—Sec4 tion 2108 of title 5, United States Code, is amended by 

5 striking paragraph (4) and inserting the following: 

6 ‘‘(4) except for the purposes of chapters 43 and 

7 75 of this title, ‘preference eligible’ does not in8 clude— 

9 ‘‘(A) a retired member of the Armed 

10 Forces unless— 

11 ‘‘(i) the individual is a disabled vet12 eran; or 

13 ‘‘(ii) the individual retired below the 

14 rank of major or its equivalent; 

15 ‘‘(B) a veteran who has been discharged or 

16 released from active duty for more than 10 

17 years, as of the date on which the individual 

18 would be appointed; or 

19 ‘‘(C) a veteran who is an employee who has 

20 been in the competitive service for more than 2 

21 years, as of the date on which the individual 

22 would be appointed; and’’. 

23 (b) VETERANS’ PREFERENCE AS A TIEBREAKER

24 AMONG EQUALLY QUALIFIED CANDIDATES.— 


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1 (1) REGISTERS OF ELIGIBLES.—Section 3313 

2 of title 5, United States Code, is amended to read 

3 as follows: 

4 ‘‘§ 3313. Competitive service; registers of eligibles 

5 ‘‘The names of applicants who have qualified in ex6 aminations for the competitive service shall be entered on 

7 appropriate registers or lists of eligibles in the order of 

8 their ratings, including points added under section 3309 

9 of this title. The names of preference eligibles shall be en10 tered ahead of others having the same rating.’’. 

11 (2) ALTERNATIVE RANKING AND SELECTION

12 PROCEDURES.—Section 3319(b) of title 5, United 

13 States Code, is amended by striking the second sen14 tence. 

15 (c) VETERANS RECRUITMENT APPOINTMENT IM16 PROVEMENTS.— 

17 (1) DEFINITION OF RECENTLY SEPARATED

18 VETERAN.—Section 4211(6) of title 38, United 

19 States Code, is amended by striking ‘‘three-year’’ 

20 and inserting ‘‘10-year’’. 

21 (2) DEFINITION OF QUALIFIED COVERED VET22 ERAN.—Section 4214(a)(2)(B) of title 38, United 

23 States Code, is amended to read as follows: 

24 ‘‘(B) The term ‘qualified covered veteran’ 

25 means a veteran described in section 4212(a)(3) of 


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1 this title, but does not include a retired member of 

2 the Armed Forces unless the individual qualifies for 

3 retirement under chapter 61 of title 10.’’. 

4 SEC. 344. NONCOMPETITIVE ELIGIBILITY FOR HIGH-PER5 FORMING CIVILIAN EMPLOYEES. 

6 (a) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘‘competi7 tive service’’ has the meaning given the term in section 

8 2102 of title 5, United States Code. 

9 (b) REGULATIONS.—Under such regulations as the 

10 Director of the Office of Personnel Management shall 

11 issue, an Executive agency may noncompetitively appoint, 

12 for other than temporary employment, to a position in the 

13 competitive service any individual who— 

14 (1) is certified by the Director as having been 

15 a high-performing employee in a former position in 

16 the competitive service; 

17 (2) has been separated from the former position 

18 described in paragraph (1) for less than 6 years; and 

19 (3) is qualified for the new position in the com20 petitive service, as determined by the head of the 

21 Executive agency making the noncompetitive ap22 pointment. 

23 (c) LIMITATION ON AUTHORITY.—An individual may 

24 not be appointed to a position under subsection (b) more 

25 than once. 


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1 (d) DESIGNATION OF HIGH-PERFORMING EMPLOY2 EES.—The Director of the Office of Personnel Manage3 ment shall, in the regulations issued under subsection (b), 

4 set forth the criteria for certifying an individual as a 

5 ‘‘high-performing employee’’ in a former position, which 

6 shall be based on— 

7 (1) the final performance appraisal of the indi8 vidual in that former position; and 

9 (2) a recommendation by the immediate or 

10 other supervisor of the individual in that former po11 sition. 

12 SEC. 345. FLEXIBILITY FOR TEMPORARY AND TERM AP13 POINTMENTS. 

14 (a) TEMPORARY AND TERM APPOINTMENTS.—Sub15 chapter I of chapter 31 of title 5, United States Code, 

16 is amended by adding at the end the following: 

17 ‘‘§ 3117. Temporary and term appointments 

18 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

19 ‘‘(1) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘Director’ means 

20 the Director of the Office of Personnel Management. 

21 ‘‘(2) TEMPORARY APPOINTMENT.—The term 

22 ‘temporary appointment’ means an appointment in 

23 the competitive service for a period of not more than 

24 1 year. 


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1 ‘‘(3) TERM APPOINTMENT.—The term ‘term 

2 appointment’ means an appointment in the competi3 tive service for a period of more than 1 year and not 

4 more than 5 years. 

5 ‘‘(b) APPOINTMENT.— 

6 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The head of an Executive 

7 agency may make a temporary appointment or term 

8 appointment to a position in the competitive service 

9 when the need for the services of an employee in the 

10 position is not permanent. 

11 ‘‘(2) EXTENSION.—Under conditions prescribed 

12 by the Director, the head of an Executive agency 

13 may— 

14 ‘‘(A) extend a temporary appointment 

15 made under paragraph (1) in increments of not 

16 more than 1 year each, up to a maximum of 3 

17 total years of service; and 

18 ‘‘(B) extend a term appointment made 

19 under paragraph (1) in increments determined 

20 appropriate by the head of the agency, up to a 

21 maximum of 6 total years of service. 

22 ‘‘(c) APPOINTMENTS FOR CRITICAL HIRING

23 NEEDS.— 

24 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Under conditions pre25 scribed by the Director, the head of an Executive 


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1 agency may make a noncompetitive temporary ap2 pointment, or a noncompetitive term appointment 

3 for a period of not more than 18 months, to a posi4 tion in the competitive service for which a critical 

5 hiring need exists, as determined under section 

6 3304, without regard to the requirements of sections 

7 3327 and 3330. 

8 ‘‘(2) NO EXTENSIONS.—An appointment made 

9 under paragraph (1) may not be extended. 

10 ‘‘(d) REGULATIONS.— 

11 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), 

12 the Director may prescribe regulations to carry out 

13 this section. 

14 ‘‘(2) APPLICATION.—Any regulations prescribed 

15 by the Director for the administration of this section 

16 shall not apply to the Secretary of Defense in the ex17 ercise of the authorities granted under section 1105 

18 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 

19 Year 2017 (Public Law 114–328; 130 Stat. 2447). 

20 ‘‘(e) SPECIAL PROVISION REGARDING THE DEPART21 MENT OF DEFENSE.—Nothing in this section shall pre22 clude the Secretary of Defense from making temporary 

23 and term appointments in the competitive service pursu24 ant to section 1105 of the National Defense Authorization 


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1 Act for Fiscal Year 2017 (Public Law 114–328; 130 Stat. 

2 2447). 

3 ‘‘(f) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec4 tion may be construed to affect the authorities granted 

5 under section 3109.’’. 

6 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The table of sec7 tions for chapter 31 of title 5, United States Code, is 

8 amended by inserting after the item relating to section 

9 3116 the following: 

‘‘3117. Temporary and term appointments.’’. 

10 SEC. 346. CRITERIA FOR GRANTING DIRECT-HIRE AUTHOR11 ITY TO AGENCIES. 

12 Section 3304(a)(3)(B) of title 5, United States Code, 

13 is amended by striking ‘‘shortage of candidates’’ and all 

14 that follows through ‘‘highly qualified candidates)’’ and in15 serting ‘‘shortage of highly qualified candidates’’. 

16 SEC. 347. CAFETERIA PLAN FOR FEDERAL EMPLOYEES. 

17 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

18 (1) CAFETERIA PLAN.—The term ‘‘cafeteria 

19 plan’’ has the meaning given the term in section 

20 125(d) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. 

21 (2) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means 

22 the Director of the Office of Personnel Management. 

23 (3) QUALIFIED CARRIER.—The term ‘‘qualified 

24 carrier’’ means an insurance company (or consor25 tium of insurance companies) that is licensed to 


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1 issue disability-income insurance under the laws of 

2 48 of the States and the District of Columbia, tak3 ing into account any subsidiaries of such a company 

4 (and, in the case of a consortium, considering the 

5 member companies and any subsidiaries thereof, col6 lectively). 

7 (b) PLAN AUTHORIZED.—The Director shall estab8 lish and administer a cafeteria plan through which an em9 ployee of an Executive agency may select certain benefits 

10 from a menu of options, including cash, life insurance, dis11 ability-income insurance, flexible spending arrangements 

12 for health care, flexible spending arrangements for de13 pendent care, a health savings account, enhanced dental 

14 benefits, and enhanced vision benefits. 

15 (c) CONTRIBUTION.— 

16 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than October 1 of 

17 each year, the Director shall— 

18 (A) identify the amount of the Federal 

19 Government’s contribution to the cafeteria plan 

20 established under subsection (b); and 

21 (B) in making the identification required 

22 under subparagraph (A), determine the annual 

23 adjustment of the Federal Government’s con24 tribution based on inflation and other appro25 priate factors as determined by the Director. 


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1 (2) DIRECTOR RESPONSIBILITY.—The Director 

2 shall ensure that the amount of the Federal Govern3 ment’s contribution for the cafeteria plan described 

4 in subsection (b) does not increase or decrease Gov5 ernmentwide spending by Executive agencies on ben6 efits for employees of those agencies. 

7 (d) CONTRACTING AUTHORITY.—The Director— 

8 (1) may, without regard to subsections (b), (c), 

9 and (d) of section 6101 of title 41, United States 

10 Code, or any other statute requiring competitive bid11 ding, enter into contracts with 1 or more qualified 

12 carriers for a policy or policies of disability-income 

13 insurance, for the cafeteria plan authorized under 

14 subsection (b); and 

15 (2) shall ensure that each contract entered into 

16 under paragraph (1) is entered into on the basis of 

17 contractor qualifications, price, and reasonable com18 petition. 

19 (e) NO EFFECT ON ELIGIBILITY FOR OTHER BENE20 FITS.—Nothing in this section may be construed to affect 

21 the eligibility for insurance and other benefits under sub22 part G of part III of title 5, United States Code. 

23 (f) REGULATIONS.—The Director shall, not later 

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1 ment the plan authorized by this section, including regula2 tions for a disability-income insurance program for Fed3 eral employees. 

4 (g) STATUTORY PROPOSALS.—The Director shall, 

5 not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of 

6 this Act, submit to Congress recommendations for legisla7 tive proposals that should be made to chapter 87 of title 

8 5, United States Code, that are necessary for the estab9 lishment of the cafeteria plan under this section. 

10 SEC. 348. MODERN BENEFITS PILOT PROGRAM. 

11 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

12 (1) CIVIL SERVICE.—The term ‘‘civil service’’ 

13 has the meaning given the term in section 2101 of 

14 title 5, United States Code. 

15 (2) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means 

16 the Director of the Office of Personnel Management. 

17 (3) ELIGIBLE EMPLOYEE.—The term ‘‘eligible 

18 employee’’ means an employee in the civil service, 

19 other than a public safety employee, who has com20 pleted less than 5 years of civilian service creditable 

21 under section 8411 of title 5, United States Code. 

22 (4) PILOT PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘pilot pro23 gram’’ means the pilot program established by the 

24 Director under subsection (b)(1). 


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1 (5) PUBLIC SAFETY EMPLOYEE.—The term 

2 ‘‘public safety employee’’ means an employee serving 

3 an Executive agency as a law enforcement officer, 

4 air traffic controller, firefighter, nuclear materials 

5 courier, or customs and border protection officer, as 

6 those terms are defined in section 8401 of title 5, 

7 United States Code. 

8 (b) PILOT PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.— 

9 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall establish 

10 a pilot program in 3 Executive agencies to offer eli11 gible employees a benefits package described in sub12 section (d). 

13 (2) CONSULTATIONS.—With respect to the pilot 

14 program, the Director— 

15 (A) shall, in establishing the pilot program, 

16 consult with benefits experts, actuaries, labor 

17 unions, and the participating Executive agen18 cies; and 

19 (B) may carry out the pilot program with20 out regard to any requirement or limitation 

21 under section 4703 of title 5, United States 

22 Code (as amended by this Act), except that the 

23 pilot program shall be considered to be a dem24 onstration project for purposes of subsection (a) 

25 of such section 4703. 


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1 (c) ELECTION OF BENEFITS PACKAGE BY EMPLOY2 EES.— 

3 (1) NEW EMPLOYEES.—An eligible employee 

4 who is appointed to a position in an Executive agen5 cy after the date on which the pilot program is es6 tablished may elect to be covered by the benefits 

7 package in the pilot program or the benefits package 

8 otherwise applicable to civil service employees in the 

9 Executive agency. 

10 (2) RECENT HIRES.—An eligible employee who 

11 is appointed to a position in an Executive agency 

12 during the 5-year period ending on the date on 

13 which the pilot program is established may elect to 

14 switch coverage to the benefits package in the pilot 

15 program. 

16 (3) APPLICABILITY.—An employee who elects 

17 the benefits package in the pilot program shall not 

18 be eligible for an annuity or annuitant health care 

19 benefits under chapter 84 of title 5, United States 

20 Code. 

21 (d) PROGRAM DETAILS.—The Director shall ensure 

22 that the benefits package authorized under this section is 

23 of equivalent value to the benefits package otherwise appli24 cable to employees in the civil service in the applicable Ex25 ecutive agencies and offers the following: 


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1 (1) An enhanced Thrift Savings Plan benefit, 

2 including eligibility for a total agency contribution of 

3 not less than 10 percent of pay, vested immediately. 

4 (2) Not less than 12 weeks of paid leave for a 

5 purpose described in subparagraph (A) or (B) of 

6 section 6382(a)(1) of title 5, United States Code, 

7 which shall be in addition to any accrued or accumu8 lated annual or sick leave. 

9 (3) Immediate eligibility for agency-paid short10 term and long-term disability-income insurance that 

11 replaces not less than 60 percent of the employee’s 

12 current salary. 

13 (4) Not less than 5 weeks of flexible paid time 

14 off accrued each year, in lieu of annual and sick 

15 leave. 

16 (5) Such other benefits as the Director may au17 thorize. 

18 (e) REPORTS.—Not later than 6 years after the date 

19 on which the pilot program under this section is estab20 lished, the Director of the Office of Management and 

21 Budget and the Comptroller General of the United States 

22 shall each submit to the Director and to Congress a report 

23 on the pilot program that includes— 

24 (1) evaluations of the pilot program; and 


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1 (2) recommendations on whether to modify, 

2 continue, expand, or terminate the pilot program, or 

3 to make the program permanent for all Executive 

4 agencies. 

5 (f) ADDITIONAL REPORT.—Not later than 1 year 

6 after the date on which the pilot program under this sec7 tion is established, the Director shall contract with the 

8 National Academy of Public Administration— 

9 (1) to conduct a study of the pilot program; 

10 and 

11 (2) to submit to the Director, not later than 6 

12 years after the date on which the pilot program is 

13 established, a report on the pilot program that in14 cludes the elements set forth in subsection (e). 

15 (g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

16 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 

17 necessary for the Director to carry out this section. 

18 SEC. 349. DEMONSTRATION PROJECT FLEXIBILITY FOR 

19 THE OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT. 

20 (a) LIMITATION ON DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS.— 

21 Section 4703(d)(1) of title 5, United States Code, is 

22 amended by striking ‘‘demonstration project shall’’ and all 

23 that follows through ‘‘5-year period’’ and inserting ‘‘dem24 onstration period shall terminate before the end of the 10- 

25 year period’’. 


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1 (b) EVALUATION OF DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS.— 

2 Section 4703 of title 5, United States Code, is amended 

3 by striking subsection (h) and inserting the following: 

4 ‘‘(h)(1) The Comptroller General of the United 

5 States and the Director of the Office of Management and 

6 Budget shall, every 5 years, each evaluate any demonstra7 tion project conducted under this section for its impact 

8 on improving public management, which shall, at a min9 imum, evaluate the following: 

10 ‘‘(A) The effectiveness of the demonstration 

11 project in achieving the purpose identified in the 

12 project plan. 

13 ‘‘(B) Significant impacts on any other matters 

14 important to attracting and maintaining a highly 

15 qualified workforce. 

16 ‘‘(C) The cost-effectiveness of the demonstra17 tion project. 

18 ‘‘(D) Whether the Director of the Office of Per19 sonnel Management should continue, cease, or adjust 

20 the demonstration project. 

21 ‘‘(E) Whether the Director of the Office of Per22 sonnel Management should make the demonstration 

23 project permanent. 


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1 ‘‘(2) The Director of the Office of Personnel Manage2 ment shall, every 5 years, contract with the National 

3 Academy of Public Administration— 

4 ‘‘(A) to conduct a study to evaluate any dem5 onstration project conducted under this section for 

6 its impact on improving public management, includ7 ing an evaluation of the items contained in para8 graph (1); and 

9 ‘‘(B) to submit to the Director of the Office of 

10 Personnel Management a report on the results of 

11 each such study. 

12 ‘‘(3) The Director of the Office of Personnel Manage13 ment may promulgate regulations to make a demonstra14 tion project permanent, without requesting separate statu15 tory approval therefor, if at least 1 of the 2 officers evalu16 ating the demonstration project under paragraph (1) rec17 ommends in such evaluation that the demonstration 

18 project be expanded Governmentwide. In exercising the 

19 authority under this paragraph, the Director of the Office 

20 of Personnel Management may consider the reports made 

21 under paragraph (2).’’. 

22 SEC. 350. ADVANCED ASSESSMENT TOOLS FOR EXECUTIVE 

23 AGENCY HIRING. 

24 (a) ADOPTION OF SKILLS-BASED ASSESSMENT

25 TECHNOLOGY.—The Director of the Office of Personnel 


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1 Management shall support the distribution to, and use by, 

2 Executive agencies in their hiring processes of advanced 

3 skills-based assessment technology that the Director of the 

4 Office of Personnel Management has validated as effective 

5 for the recruitment, qualification, and assessment of can6 didates. The Office of Personnel Management shall not 

7 charge an Executive agency for the use of advanced skills8 based assessment technology that the Office has developed 

9 or procured under this subsection. 

10 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

11 are authorized to be appropriated to the Office of Per12 sonnel Management such sums as may be necessary to 

13 carry out this section, including for entering into licensing 

14 arrangements, purchasing technology, providing training, 

15 and incurring other expenses related to the use and dis16 tribution to Executive agencies of the technology described 

17 in subsection (a). 

18 SEC. 351. COMPETENCY STANDARDS FOR HUMAN RE19 SOURCES SPECIALISTS. 

20 Section 1303(b) of the Homeland Security Act of 

21 2002 (5 U.S.C. 1401 note) is amended by inserting before 

22 the period at the end the following: ‘‘, and to establish 

23 competency standards for human resources employees, in24 cluding technical knowledge, analytical skills, and collabo25 rative skills’’. 


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1 SEC. 352. EVALUATION OF IMPROVEMENTS TO THE FED2 ERAL CIVIL SERVICE PERSONNEL SYSTEM. 

3 (a) REPORTS REQUIRED.—Not later than December 

4 31, 2029, the Director of the Office of Management and 

5 Budget and the Comptroller General shall each submit to 

6 Congress a report evaluating changes to laws, regulations, 

7 and policies governing the Federal civil service personnel 

8 system that address or reflect recommendations contained 

9 in the final report of the National Commission on Military, 

10 National, and Public Service required under section 

11 555(e)(1) of the National Defense Authorization Act for 

12 Fiscal Year 2017 (Public Law 114–328; 130 Stat. 2136) 

13 (in this section referred to as the ‘‘Commission Report’’). 

14 (b) ADDITIONAL REPORT.—Not later than 1 year 

15 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director of 

16 the Office of Personnel Management shall contract with 

17 the National Academy of Public Administration— 

18 (1) to conduct a study evaluating changes to 

19 laws, regulations, and policies governing the Federal 

20 civil service personnel system that address or reflect 

21 recommendations contained in the Commission Re22 port; and 

23 (2) to submit to the Director of the Office of 

24 Personnel Management, not later than December 

25 31, 2029, a report on such study, which the Director 

26 shall submit to Congress. 


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1 (c) ELEMENTS.—Each report under subsections (a) 

2 and (b) shall include the following: 

3 (1) A list of all changes to laws, regulations, 

4 and policies governing the Federal civil service per5 sonnel system that address or reflect recommenda6 tions contained in the Commission Report. 

7 (2) An evaluation of the changes identified 

8 under paragraph (1), including assessments of— 

9 (A) the effectiveness of the changes, espe10 cially with respect to enabling Executive agen11 cies to attract and retain highly qualified, 

12 younger employees and employees with critical 

13 skills; 

14 (B) the cost of implementing the changes; 

15 and 

16 (C) the challenges associated with imple17 menting the changes. 

18 (3) Additional recommendations from the Com19 mission Report that should be undertaken to attract 

20 and retain a highly qualified workforce that meets 

21 the needs of Executive agencies. 

22 (4) Additional recommendations, as appro23 priate, to more effectively attract and retain a highly 

24 qualified workforce that meets the needs of Execu25 tive agencies. 


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1 (d) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘‘civil 

2 service’’ has the meaning given that term in section 2101 

3 of title 5, United States Code. 

4 SEC. 353. PROPOSALS FOR MODERN TALENT-MANAGEMENT 

5 SYSTEM. 

6 (a) REPORTS REQUIRED.—Not later than December 

7 31, 2034, the Director of the Office of Management and 

8 Budget and the Comptroller General shall each submit to 

9 the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental 

10 Affairs and the Committee on Armed Services of the Sen11 ate and the Committee on Oversight and Reform and the 

12 Committee on Armed Services of the House of Represent13 atives a report setting forth detailed proposals for a mod14 ern talent-management system to replace existing civil 

15 service personnel systems. 

16 (b) ADDITIONAL REPORT.—Not later than 1 year 

17 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director of 

18 the Office of Personnel Management shall contract with 

19 the National Academy of Public Administration— 

20 (1) to conduct a study of proposals for a mod21 ern talent-management system to replace existing 

22 civil service personnel systems; and 

23 (2) to submit to the Director of the Office of 

24 Personnel Management, not later than December 

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1 rector shall submit to the committees of Congress 

2 referred to in subsection (a). 

3 (c) ELEMENTS.—Each report under subsections (a) 

4 and (b) shall include the following: 

5 (1) A detailed proposal for a new, comprehen6 sive civil service personnel system designed to re7 place existing civil service personnel systems in Ex8 ecutive agencies, with particular attention to— 

9 (A) classification; 

10 (B) hiring; 

11 (C) compensation; 

12 (D) evaluation; and 

13 (E) promotion. 

14 (2) Evidence from previous changes to civil 

15 service personnel systems that supports the proposed 

16 design of the new civil service personnel system. 

17 (3) Considerations of the views of relevant 

18 stakeholders to proposed changes to the existing civil 

19 service personnel systems. 

20 (d) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘‘civil 

21 service’’ has the meaning given that term in section 2101 

22 of title 5, United States Code. 


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1 SEC. 354. ANNUAL REPORT ON BLENDED FEDERAL WORK2 FORCE. 

3 Section 1103(c) of title 5, United States Code, is 

4 amended— 

5 (1) in paragraph (1)— 

6 (A) by striking ‘‘(c)(1)’’ and inserting 

7 ‘‘(c)(1)(A)’’; and 

8 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

9 ‘‘(B)(i) The Office of Personnel Management shall 

10 collect from Executive agencies, other than elements of the 

11 intelligence community (as defined in section 3(4) of the 

12 National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3003(4))), on 

13 at least an annual basis the following: 

14 ‘‘(I) The total number of persons employed di15 rectly by the Executive agency. 

16 ‘‘(II) The total number of prime contractor em17 ployees and subcontractor employees, as those terms 

18 are defined in section 8701 of title 41, issued cre19 dentials allowing access to Executive agency prop20 erty or computer systems. 

21 ‘‘(III) The total number of employees of Fed22 eral grant and cooperative agreement recipients, as 

23 those legal instruments are described in sections 

24 6304 and 6305 of title 31, United States Code, who 

25 are issued credentials allowing access to Executive 

26 agency property or computer systems. 


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1 ‘‘(IV) A total count of the workforce, including 

2 employees, prime contractor employees, subcon3 tractor employees, grantee employees, and coopera4 tive agreement employees. 

5 ‘‘(ii) The Office of Personnel Management shall com6 pile the data collected under clause (i) and issue, and post 

7 on its website, an annual report containing the data.’’; and 

8 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘paragraph 

9 (1)’’ and inserting ‘‘paragraph (1)(A)’’. 

10 SEC. 355. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON EFFECTIVE AND EFFI11 CIENT MANAGEMENT OF THE BLENDED FED12 ERAL WORKFORCE. 

13 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 

14 (1) The implementation of Federal laws and the 

15 competent administration of Federal programs re16 quire skilled and capable personnel. 

17 (2) Executive agencies depend on a blended 

18 workforce that includes Federal employees, employ19 ees of prime contractors and subcontractors per20 forming services to Executive agencies, and employ21 ees of State or local governments, nonprofit organi22 zations, or institutions of higher education per23 forming services to Executive agencies under the 

24 terms of grants and cooperative agreements (in this 

25 section referred to as ‘‘grantees’’), all of whom make 


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1 essential contributions to achieving the missions of 

2 the Government in service to the American people. 

3 (3) Approximately 2,000,000 Federal employees 

4 help to execute the laws of the United States, sup5 plemented by an unknown number, estimated to ex6 ceed 5,000,000, of employees of prime contractors, 

7 subcontractors, and grantees providing services to 

8 Executive agencies. 

9 (4) Policymakers, Executive agencies, and ob10 servers have often focused on individual components 

11 of the blended workforce, such as employees, without 

12 considering all components or considering the entire 

13 blended workforce and how all 3 components can 

14 work most effectively together. 

15 (5) Executive agencies inhibit their own work16 force planning and risk making decisions that may 

17 reduce the overall efficiency and cost effectiveness of 

18 the blended workforce by focusing on only 1 compo19 nent in isolation. 

20 (6) Establishing artificial limits on headcounts 

21 or full-time equivalent positions for Federal employ22 ees, administrators, and managerial employees of 

23 Executive agencies may discourage the employment 

24 of interns or entry-level employees to build a bal25 anced employment pipeline and may inadvertently 


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1 encourage managers to shift work to contractors and 

2 grantees for the purpose of complying with such nu3 merical limits, even if those decisions are not justi4 fied by an approach to improve the efficiency or cost 

5 effectiveness of the Executive agency’s work. 

6 (7) The Government Accountability Office has 

7 identified strategic human capital management as a 

8 high-risk area for the Federal Government, adding 

9 that critical skills gaps ‘‘impede the government 

10 from cost-effectively serving the public and achieving 

11 results’’. 

12 (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con13 gress that— 

14 (1) Executive agencies should manage the en15 tire Federal blended workforce, including employees, 

16 contractors, and grantees, using a comprehensive 

17 and holistic approach to advance their missions as 

18 effectively and cost efficiently as possible, within ap19 propriated budgets and without using artificial nu20 merical limits on headcounts or full-time-equivalent 

21 positions; and 

22 (2) Executive agencies should conduct a holistic 

23 review of their blended workforce and develop a com24 prehensive plan to ensure an efficient and cost-effec25 tive blended workforce. 


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1 Subtitle D—Advancement of Public 

2 Service: Students, Recent Grad3 uates, and Critical Skills 

4 SEC. 361. FEDERAL FELLOWSHIP AND SCHOLARSHIP CEN5 TER. 

6 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

7 (1) CENTER.—The term ‘‘Center’’ means the 

8 Federal Fellowship and Scholarship Center estab9 lished under subsection (b). 

10 (2) CIVIL SERVICE.—The term ‘‘civil service’’ 

11 has the meaning given the term in section 2101 of 

12 title 5, United States Code. 

13 (3) COVERED AGENCY.—The term ‘‘covered 

14 agency’’ means an Executive agency or military de15 partment. 

16 (4) CRITICAL SKILLS.—The term ‘‘critical 

17 skills’’ means any knowledge, skills, abilities, or edu18 cation that a sponsoring agency determines is nec19 essary to meet critical workforce requirements. 

20 (5) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means 

21 the Director of the Office of Personnel Management. 

22 (6) EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Execu23 tive Director’’ means the Executive Director of the 

24 Center appointed under subsection (c)(1). 


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1 (7) FELLOWSHIP.—The term ‘‘fellowship’’ 

2 means a short-term employment opportunity (other 

3 than a post-fellowship service requirement), of not 

4 more than 2 years in length, that is intended to pro5 vide the recipient with work experience with a cov6 ered agency that prepares the recipient for perma7 nent employment with a covered agency. 

8 (8) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 

9 term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 

10 meaning given the term in section 101 of the Higher 

11 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001). 

12 (9) INTERN.—The term ‘‘intern’’ means a stu13 dent enrolled in an institution of higher education 

14 who is providing voluntary services to a covered 

15 agency under section 3111(b) of title 5, United 

16 States Code. 

17 (10) SCHOLARSHIP.—The term ‘‘scholarship’’ 

18 means— 

19 (A) financial support paid by a covered 

20 agency towards the cost to an individual of at21 tendance at an institution of higher education 

22 that is authorized to participate in a Federal 

23 student aid program under title IV of the High24 er Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070 et 

25 seq.) in a course of study leading to a credential 


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1 in a critical skill or another program that re2 quires the individual to demonstrate an interest 

3 in or agreement to pursue a career in public 

4 service; or 

5 (B) financial support paid by a covered 

6 agency towards the cost to an individual of pro7 curing private instruction in a critical skill. 

8 (11) SPONSORING AGENCY.—The term ‘‘spon9 soring agency’’ means any covered agency, or any 

10 administration, service, board, or bureau part there11 of, that operates a fellowship or scholarship pro12 gram. 

13 (b) ESTABLISHMENT OF FEDERAL FELLOWSHIP AND

14 SCHOLARSHIP CENTER.—The Director shall establish and 

15 maintain a Federal Fellowship and Scholarship Center to 

16 administer, manage, and promote all fellowship and schol17 arship programs in order to attract individuals to serve 

18 in the Federal Government in a civilian capacity and facili19 tate the entry of those individuals into the civil service. 

20 (c) MANAGEMENT OF CENTER.— 

21 (1) EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.— 

22 (A) APPOINTMENT.—The Director shall 

23 appoint an individual with appropriate expertise 

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1 ter, which shall be a position in the Senior Ex2 ecutive Service. 

3 (B) TERM.—The Executive Director shall 

4 be appointed for a term of 5 years. 

5 (2) ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT FOR MILI6 TARY, NATIONAL, AND PUBLIC SERVICE.—The Di7 rector of the Council on Military, National, and Pub8 lic Service established under section 201 shall pro9 vide strategic guidance to, and facilitate interagency 

10 cooperation with, the Executive Director. 

11 (3) REGULATIONS.—The Executive Director 

12 shall issue any regulations necessary to implement 

13 and manage the Center. 

14 (d) FUNCTIONS OF THE CENTER.—The Center 

15 shall— 

16 (1) establish, maintain, and operate an online 

17 platform accessible to the public that contains infor18 mation regarding every fellowship and scholarship 

19 opportunity available, including information on how 

20 individuals may apply for the opportunity; 

21 (2) approve, promote, and facilitate fellowship 

22 and scholarship programs at the request of a spon23 soring agency to meet workforce requirements of the 

24 sponsoring agency, especially in critical skill areas; 


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1 (3) develop a standard application for fellow2 ships and scholarships for use by applicants and 

3 sponsoring agencies, which may be supplemented by 

4 additional requirements of a sponsoring agency; and 

5 (4) ensure that an individual who successfully 

6 completes a fellowship or scholarship program is 

7 able to utilize the noncompetitive eligibility for em8 ployment in the competitive service provided under 

9 section 370(b). 

10 (e) VIRTUAL STUDENT FEDERAL SERVICE.— 

11 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Executive Director shall 

12 establish and operate a Virtual Student Federal 

13 Service, an online platform through which Executive 

14 agencies may solicit for interns to work approxi15 mately 10 hours per week during the academic 

16 school year. 

17 (2) INTERN RESPONSIBILITIES.—An intern ap18 pointed by an Executive agency under paragraph 

19 (1)— 

20 (A) shall communicate with and submit 

21 work to the Executive agency electronically; and 

22 (B) shall not be required to travel. 

23 (3) AGENCY RESPONSIBILITIES.—An Executive 

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1 ter with relevant information about the intern serv2 ices needed by the Executive agency. 

3 (f) RESPONSIBILITIES AND AUTHORITIES OF SPON4 SORING AGENCIES.—The head of a sponsoring agency— 

5 (1) shall establish the terms of each fellowship 

6 or scholarship program, including eligibility require7 ments, compensation, and length of service require8 ments; 

9 (2) shall provide the Center with the necessary 

10 information on existing fellowship and scholarship 

11 programs to enable the Center to fulfill its respon12 sibilities to promote and facilitate those programs 

13 through the online platform and application process 

14 described in paragraphs (1) and (3), respectively, of 

15 subsection (d); 

16 (3) shall select recipients of fellowships and 

17 scholarships in a timely manner from among the ap18 plicants identified by the Center; 

19 (4) with respect to a scholarship awarded to an 

20 individual, may pay the scholarship— 

21 (A) directly to the individual; or 

22 (B) to the institution of higher education 

23 in which the individual is enrolled, if applicable; 

24 and 


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1 (5) shall comply with requests from the Center 

2 for information about the status of the fellowship 

3 and scholarship programs of the sponsoring agency. 

4 (g) REPORTS TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 1 year 

5 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Executive Di6 rector shall submit to Congress a report on the establish7 ment of the Center, including— 

8 (1) the status of the online platform established 

9 under subsection (d)(1); 

10 (2) the participation of sponsoring agencies; 

11 (3) the number of applicants; and 

12 (4) any additional information the Director re13 quires. 

14 (h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

15 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 

16 necessary to carry out this section. 

17 SEC. 362. PUBLIC SERVICE CORPS. 

18 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

19 (1) TERMS DEFINED IN SECTION 361.—The 

20 terms ‘‘civil service’’, ‘‘Center’’, ‘‘covered agency’’, 

21 ‘‘Director’’, and ‘‘Executive Director’’ have the 

22 meanings given those terms in section 361. 

23 (2) OTHER TERMS.— 

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1 cation’’ has the meaning given the term in sec2 tion 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 

3 (20 U.S.C. 1001). 

4 (B) PUBLIC SERVICE CORPS HOST; PSC

5 HOST.—The term ‘‘Public Service Corps host’’ 

6 or ‘‘PSC host’’ means an institution of higher 

7 education that has been selected by the Center 

8 to host Public Service Corps members. 

9 (C) PUBLIC SERVICE CORPS HOST PRO10 GRAM; PSC HOST PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘Public 

11 Service Corps host program’’ or ‘‘PSC host pro12 gram’’ means a program operated by a PSC 

13 host under this section. 

14 (D) PUBLIC SERVICE CORPS MEMBER; PSC

15 MEMBER.—The term ‘‘Public Service Corps 

16 member’’ or ‘‘PSC member’’ means a student 

17 at a Public Service Corps host who is awarded 

18 a Public Service Corps scholarship. 

19 (E) PUBLIC SERVICE CORPS SCHOLAR20 SHIP.—The term ‘‘Public Service Corps scholar21 ship’’ means a scholarship provided to an indi22 vidual in exchange for a commitment from the 

23 individual to serve in the civil service upon— 

24 (i) completion of requirements estab25 lished by the sponsoring agency; and 


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1 (ii) graduation from the PSC host. 

2 (F) SPONSORING AGENCY.—The term 

3 ‘‘sponsoring agency’’ means a covered agency 

4 that funds a Public Service Corps scholarship 

5 for an individual. 

6 (b) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Director shall establish 

7 within the Center a Public Service Corps Program. 

8 (c) SELECTION OF PUBLIC SERVICE CORPS

9 HOSTS.— 

10 (1) SELECTION.—The Executive Director shall 

11 select a PSC host through a competitive process 

12 using criteria established by the Executive Director, 

13 which shall include a demonstrated commitment by 

14 the institution of higher education concerned to fos15 ter public service careers. 

16 (2) STANDARDS; CONSISTENCY.—The Executive 

17 Director shall— 

18 (A) develop standards for PSC hosts; and 

19 (B) ensure consistency among PSC host 

20 programs. 

21 (3) APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS FOR PSC

22 HOSTS.—An institution of higher education that de23 sires to become a PSC host shall apply to the Center 

24 at such time and in such manner as required under 

25 the regulations issued under subsection (i). 


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1 (4) PSC INTERACTION WITH OTHER TRAINING

2 PROGRAMS.—A PSC host that also supports a Sen3 ior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program under 

4 section 2102 of title 10, United States Code, or a 

5 Defense Civilian Training Corps established under 

6 chapter 113 of title 10, United States Code, shall— 

7 (A) establish joint leadership training op8 portunities; 

9 (B) offer joint courses; and 

10 (C) permit PSC members, members of the 

11 Senior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps pro12 gram, and members of the Defense Civilian 

13 Training Corps program to enroll in coursework 

14 from either of the other 2 programs, on a 

15 space-available basis. 

16 (5) INTEGRATION OF STATE, LOCAL, AND TRIB17 AL GOVERNMENT SERVICE PROGRAMS.—A PSC host 

18 shall consider the establishment of public service 

19 scholarship programs with State, local, and Tribal 

20 governments that are similar to the PSC host pro21 gram, with the goal of integrating PSC members 

22 and State, local, and Tribal scholarship students in 

23 PSC programs on campus. 

24 (d) SELECTION OF PUBLIC SERVICE CORPS MEM25 BERS.— 


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1 (1) APPLICATION.—A student interested in a 

2 PSC scholarship shall submit an application to the 

3 sponsoring agency at such time and in such manner 

4 as the Executive Director may require. 

5 (2) SELECTION.—A sponsoring agency shall se6 lect each student to whom the sponsoring agency 

7 will offer a PSC scholarship. 

8 (3) ELIGIBILITY.—An applicant may receive a 

9 PSC scholarship only if the applicant is enrolled in 

10 or admitted to a PSC host. 

11 (4) SCHOLARSHIPS.— 

12 (A) DURATION.—A sponsoring agency may 

13 offer a scholarship with a duration of 2 years, 

14 3 years, or 4 years to a PSC member. 

15 (B) SOCIOECONOMIC DIVERSITY.—To en16 sure socioeconomic diversity, a sponsoring agen17 cy shall reserve a portion of the scholarships of18 fered by the agency for students who meet the 

19 eligibility requirements for a Federal Pell Grant 

20 under section 401 of the Higher Education Act 

21 of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070a). 

22 (e) REQUIREMENTS FOR PUBLIC SERVICE CORPS

23 MEMBERS.— 


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1 (1) CONTRACT.—A sponsoring agency shall 

2 enter into a contract with a PSC member in accord3 ance with paragraph (2). 

4 (2) REQUIREMENTS.—A contract entered into 

5 under paragraph (1) shall include— 

6 (A) a requirement that the PSC member 

7 be enrolled full-time as a student at a PSC 

8 host; 

9 (B) any conditions imposed by the spon10 soring agency on the scholarship, including— 

11 (i) whether the PSC member must 

12 complete a specific academic program, 

13 major, certificate, or coursework relevant 

14 to the needs of the sponsoring agency; and 

15 (ii) the consequences if the PSC mem16 ber does not comply with the terms and 

17 conditions of the scholarship; 

18 (C) any obligations imposed by the spon19 soring agency on the PSC member to partici20 pate in structured academic and experiential 

21 leadership training, a community service 

22 project, or an internship with a Federal, State, 

23 local, or Tribal entity; 


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1 (D) a requirement that the PSC member 

2 serve in the civil service for a 4-year period 

3 upon— 

4 (i) completion of requirements estab5 lished by the sponsoring agency; and 

6 (ii) graduation from the PSC host; 

7 and 

8 (E) any other terms or conditions as deter9 mined by the sponsoring agency. 

10 (f) RESPONSIBILITIES AND AUTHORITIES OF SPON11 SORING AGENCIES.— 

12 (1) SELECTION OF SCHOLARSHIP RECIPI13 ENTS.—A sponsoring agency shall interview and se14 lect scholarship recipients in accordance with proce15 dures established by the Executive Director. 

16 (2) AMOUNT OF SCHOLARSHIP.— 

17 (A) MINIMUM.—The annual amount of a 

18 scholarship offered by a sponsoring agency may 

19 not be less than the maximum amount of a 

20 Federal Pell Grant under section 401 of the 

21 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

22 1070a) that a student eligible for a Federal Pell 

23 Grant may receive in the aggregate (without re24 gard to whether the funds are provided through 

25 discretionary or mandatory appropriations), for 


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1 the award year for which the PSC scholarship 

2 is offered. 

3 (B) RELATION TO ELIGIBILITY FOR OTHER

4 FEDERAL STUDENT ASSISTANCE.—The eligi5 bility of an individual for Federal student as6 sistance provided under title IV of the Higher 

7 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1070 et 

8 seq.) shall not be affected by receipt of a PSC 

9 scholarship. 

10 (C) OTHER BENEFITS.—Other benefits 

11 that may be accrued, such as pay for intern12 ships or travel allowances, shall not count to13 ward the minimum amount of the scholarship 

14 required under subparagraph (A). 

15 (3) COORDINATION OF INTERNSHIP OPPORTU16 NITIES.—A sponsoring agency shall coordinate in17 ternship opportunities for a PSC member during the 

18 term of the scholarship of the PSC member. 

19 (4) SECURITY CLEARANCES.—A sponsoring 

20 agency shall coordinate, sponsor, and manage the 

21 process for a PSC member to obtain any necessary 

22 security clearances. 

23 (g) PUBLIC SERVICE EMPLOYMENT.— 

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1 tively appoint, for temporary employment, a PSC 

2 member for the purpose of completing an internship. 

3 (2) OTHER NONCOMPETITIVE APPOINT4 MENTS.—A sponsoring agency may noncompetitively 

5 appoint to the competitive service, for other than 

6 temporary employment, a PSC member who has— 

7 (A) satisfactorily completed the require8 ments of the PSC scholarship; and 

9 (B) graduated from the PSC host. 

10 (3) SERVICE COMMITMENT.— 

11 (A) IN GENERAL.—If a sponsoring agency 

12 makes an offer of employment to a PSC mem13 ber sponsored by the sponsoring agency after 

14 the PSC member satisfactorily completes the 

15 requirements of a PSC scholarship and grad16 uates from a PSC host, the PSC member shall 

17 accept the offer. 

18 (B) NO OFFER BY SPONSORING AGENCY.— 

19 If a sponsoring agency does not make an offer 

20 of employment to a PSC member described in 

21 subparagraph (A), the PSC member— 

22 (i) shall be eligible for noncompetitive 

23 appointment to the competitive service by 

24 a covered agency during the 3-year period 


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1 beginning on the date on which the PSC 

2 member graduated from the PSC host; and 

3 (ii) may fulfill the service commitment 

4 of the PSC member described in subsection 

5 (e)(2)(D) through employment with any 

6 covered agency. 

7 (h) FAILURE TO COMPLETE SCHOLARSHIP RE8 QUIREMENTS.— 

9 (1) LIABILITY FOR RESTITUTION IN CASE OF

10 NONCOMPLETION OR DECLINATION OF EMPLOY11 MENT.—A PSC member who does not complete the 

12 required course of instruction, fails to graduate in 

13 accordance with the terms of the Public Service 

14 Corps scholarship, or fails to complete the 4-year 

15 service commitment described in subsection 

16 (e)(2)(D) shall, subject to paragraph (2) of this sub17 section, repay the amount of the scholarship to the 

18 sponsoring agency. 

19 (2) WAIVER OF LIABILITY.—The Executive Di20 rector may, in extraordinary circumstances, waive 

21 some or all of the liability for the 4-year service 

22 commitment under subsection (d)(4)(B) or the re23 quirements of paragraph (1) of this subsection. 


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1 (i) REGULATIONS.—The Director and the Executive 

2 Director shall jointly issue any regulations necessary to 

3 carry out this section. 

4 (j) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

5 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 

6 necessary to carry out this section. 

7 SEC. 363. PUBLIC SERVICE ACADEMY GRANTS. 

8 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

9 (1) ENROLLMENT OF NEEDY STUDENTS.—The 

10 term ‘‘enrollment of needy students’’ has the mean11 ing given the term in section 312(d) of the Higher 

12 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1058(d)). 

13 (2) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 

14 term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 

15 meaning given the term in section 101(a) of the 

16 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)). 

17 (3) PUBLIC SERVICE.—The term ‘‘public serv18 ice’’ means civilian employment in the Federal Gov19 ernment or a State, local, or Tribal government in 

20 the United States. 

21 (4) PUBLIC SERVICE ACADEMY.—The term 

22 ‘‘public service academy’’ means a leadership devel23 opment program at an institution of higher edu24 cation that is designed to prepare students for public 


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1 service through curricular, extracurricular, experien2 tial learning, and internship programs. 

3 (5) PUBLIC SERVICE ACADEMY COST.—The 

4 term ‘‘public service academy cost’’ means the cost 

5 of developing and administering a public service 

6 academy at an institution of higher education. 

7 (6) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

8 the Secretary of Education. 

9 (b) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary shall es10 tablish and administer a program to issue grants to not 

11 more than 50 institutions of higher education, on a com12 petitive basis, to support the development of public service 

13 academies— 

14 (1) to attract postsecondary students to careers 

15 in public service; 

16 (2) to promote public service as a career path 

17 for younger Americans; 

18 (3) to prepare future generations with skills 

19 needed in all levels of public service; and 

20 (4) to support the Federal Government and 

21 State, local, and Tribal governments in their efforts 

22 to attract exceptional talent from the Nation’s re23 cent graduates. 

24 (c) GRANT APPLICATION.—An institution of higher 

25 education seeking a grant under this section shall submit 


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1 an application to the Secretary at such time, in such man2 ner, and containing such information as the Secretary may 

3 require. Such application shall include— 

4 (1) a plan for the development of a public serv5 ice academy, including an account of existing cur6 ricular, extracurricular, experiential learning, and in7 ternship programs at the institution of higher edu8 cation that would be included in the public service 

9 academy, as well as new curricular, extracurricular, 

10 experiential learning, and internship programs that 

11 would be established with grant funds; 

12 (2) an assessment of anticipated costs for the 

13 public service academy in each of the first 4 years 

14 of operation, including the potential sources of non15 Federal funds to be used for the public service acad16 emy; and 

17 (3) information regarding the enrollment of 

18 needy students at the institution of higher edu19 cation. 

20 (d) SELECTION BY COMPETITIVE PROCESS.— 

21 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall issue 

22 grants under this section pursuant to a competitive 

23 process and shall establish rules for evaluating appli24 cants and awarding grants under this section. 


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1 (2) RESERVATION OF FUNDS FOR CERTAIN IN2 STITUTIONS.—Of the funds made available for 

3 grants under this section, the Secretary shall reserve 

4 not less than 50 percent for grants to institutions of 

5 higher education that have enrollments of needy stu6 dents. 

7 (3) EQUITABLE GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF

8 GRANTS.—To the extent practicable, the Secretary 

9 shall ensure an equitable geographic distribution of 

10 grants awarded under this section. 

11 (e) DURATION AND AMOUNT OF FEDERAL

12 GRANTS.— 

13 (1) DURATION.—A grant under this section 

14 shall be awarded for a period of not more than 4 

15 years. 

16 (2) CERTAIN COSTS EXCLUDED.—A grant 

17 under this section shall not include funds for the 

18 cost of any curricular, extracurricular, experiential 

19 learning, and internship programs maintained or 

20 sponsored by the institution of higher education at 

21 the time an application for a grant under this sec22 tion is made. 

23 (3) AMOUNT OF GRANT.—The amount of the 

24 grant may not exceed— 


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1 (A) 75 percent of the public service acad2 emy cost in the first year; and 

3 (B) 50 percent of the public service acad4 emy cost in each of the second, third, and 

5 fourth years. 

6 (f) PERMISSIBLE USES.—An institution of higher 

7 education receiving a grant under this section may use 

8 funds from the grant— 

9 (1) to develop, expand, and modify curricula to 

10 prepare students for careers in public service, includ11 ing experiential learning components of curricula; 

12 (2) to create and administer classroom activi13 ties, thesis projects, individual or team projects, in14 ternships, degree or certificate programs, or commu15 nity service activities related to promoting public 

16 service and preparing students for careers in public 

17 service; 

18 (3) to collaborate with government entities, 

19 nonprofit organizations, or consortia of such entities 

20 and organizations to provide students with public 

21 service-related work experiences and introduce stu22 dents to potential careers upon their graduation; 

23 (4) to provide scholarships for students who 

24 participate in the public service academy; and 


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1 (5) to evaluate the effectiveness of the public 

2 service academy as it relates to leading participants 

3 into careers with local, State, or Federal Govern4 ment agencies. 

5 (g) ANNUAL GRANTEE REPORT.—A recipient of a 

6 grant under this section shall submit to the Secretary on 

7 an annual basis a comprehensive report on the public serv8 ice academy supported by the grant and the use of the 

9 grant funds to support the academy. The Secretary shall 

10 provide guidance on what information shall be included 

11 in the report. 

12 (h) CONGRESSIONAL REPORTS.—The Secretary 

13 shall— 

14 (1) not later than 12 months after the date of 

15 the enactment of this Act and every 12 months 

16 thereafter, submit to Congress a report on the re17 sults or outcomes of all public service academies pro18 vided grants under this section and the potential 

19 need for additional funding for such academies; and 

20 (2) in the fourth annual report submitted under 

21 paragraph (1), include a recommendation to Con22 gress about whether the grant program under this 

23 section should receive continued funding. 


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1 (i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

2 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 

3 necessary to carry out this section. 

4 SEC. 364. PUBLIC SERVICE CADET PROGRAM AT MILITARY 

5 SERVICE ACADEMIES. 

6 (a) PLAN FOR PUBLIC SERVICE CADET PROGRAM.— 

7 The Superintendent of each military service academy, in 

8 consultation with the Secretaries of the military depart9 ments and the Director of the Office of Personnel Manage10 ment, shall develop a plan to create a program for the 

11 instruction of and preparation for public service of certain 

12 cadets at such service academy, in accordance with sub13 section (b). 

14 (b) ELEMENTS OF PLAN.—The plan described in 

15 subsection (a) shall— 

16 (1) provide for the appointment of cadets to a 

17 public service cadet program representing at least 5 

18 percent of the total incoming class at each academy, 

19 with no corresponding decline in enrollment of mili20 tary cadets or midshipmen; 

21 (2) require that each graduate of the public 

22 service cadet program accept an appointment to the 

23 Federal civil service and commit to serve in the Fed24 eral civil service for a period of 5 years after such 

25 appointment; 


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1 (3) provide a process for any graduate who does 

2 not serve in a position in the Federal civil service or 

3 who resigns from a position in the Federal civil serv4 ice before the expiration of the 5-year service com5 mitment to pay back the cost of the graduate’s edu6 cation at the military service academy, consistent 

7 with requirements of military cadets or midshipmen, 

8 along with a process for the Superintendent to issue 

9 a waiver to all or part of such requirement; 

10 (4) specify the training, curricular, and other 

11 requirements for public service cadets; 

12 (5) address the applicability of the Uniform 

13 Code of Military Justice or alternative disciplinary 

14 procedures to public service cadets; and 

15 (6) provide a detailed plan for implementing the 

16 public service cadet program, including the amount 

17 of time needed to implement the plan. 

18 (c) SUBMITTAL TO CONGRESS.—Not later than one 

19 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Su20 perintendent of each military service academy shall submit 

21 to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and 

22 the House of Representatives the plan developed by such 

23 Superintendent under this section. 


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1 SEC. 365. COMPENSATION FOR FEDERAL INTERNS. 

2 (a) FEDERAL AGENCY INTERNS.—Section 3111 of 

3 title 5, United States Code, is amended— 

4 (1) in subsection (b)(1), by inserting before the 

5 semicolon the following: ‘‘, but only insofar as the 

6 institution provides academic credit to the student 

7 for the voluntary service’’; and 

8 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

9 ‘‘(f) An agency may provide reimbursement for trans10 portation and subsistence expenses for any student who 

11 provides voluntary service under subsection (b), pursuant 

12 to regulations issued by the Office of Personnel Manage13 ment.’’. 

14 (b) LEGISLATIVE BRANCH INTERNS.—Part 3 of title 

15 IV of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1970 (2 

16 U.S.C. 4101) is amended by adding at the end the fol17 lowing: 

18 ‘‘SEC. 432. INTERNS IN THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH. 

19 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

20 ‘‘(1) INTERN.—The term ‘intern’ means, with 

21 respect to a legislative branch office, an individual 

22 who serves in the legislative branch office for not 

23 more than 120 days in a 12-month period and whose 

24 service is primarily for the educational experience of 

25 the individual. 


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1 ‘‘(2) LEGISLATIVE BRANCH OFFICE.—The term 

2 ‘legislative branch office’ means each of the fol3 lowing: 

4 ‘‘(A) An employing office, as defined in 

5 section 101 of the Congressional Accountability 

6 Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1301). 

7 ‘‘(B) The Government Accountability Of8 fice. 

9 ‘‘(C) The Government Publishing Office. 

10 ‘‘(b) IN GENERAL.—The head of each legislative 

11 branch office shall pay an intern who serves in the legisla12 tive branch office not less than the minimum wage rate 

13 established under section 6 of the Fair Labor Standards 

14 Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 206), unless— 

15 ‘‘(1) the intern is a student who is participating 

16 in a program established by the institution at which 

17 the intern is enrolled; and 

18 ‘‘(2) the institution provides academic credit to 

19 the student for the voluntary service of the intern. 

20 ‘‘(3) BENEFIT EXCLUSION.—Interns com21 pensated under this subsection shall be excluded 

22 from the operation of the following provisions of title 

23 5, United States Code: 

24 ‘‘(A) Chapter 84 (relating to the Federal 

25 Employees Retirement System). 


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1 ‘‘(B) Chapter 87 (relating to life insur2 ance). 

3 ‘‘(C) Chapter 89 (relating to health insur4 ance). 

5 ‘‘(c) SENATE ALLOWANCE.—There is established for 

6 the Senate an allowance which shall be available for the 

7 compensation of interns who serve in the offices of Sen8 ators during a calendar year.’’. 

9 (c) FEDERAL JUDICIARY INTERNS.— 

10 (1) COMPENSATION.—The Director of the Ad11 ministrative Office of the United States Courts shall 

12 issue regulations to provide for the compensation of 

13 all interns serving in the judicial branch. 

14 (2) INTERN DEFINED.—In this subsection, the 

15 term ‘‘intern’’ means an individual— 

16 (A) who serves in a court of the United 

17 States or the Administrative Office of the 

18 United States Courts for not more than 120 

19 days during a 12-month period; and 

20 (B) whose service is primarily for the edu21 cational experience of the individual. 

22 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

23 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 

24 necessary to carry out this section and the amendments 

25 made by this section. 


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1 SEC. 366. ESTABLISHMENT OF PATHWAYS PROGRAM. 

2 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

3 (1) AGENCY.—The term ‘‘agency’’ means— 

4 (A) an Executive agency, as defined in sec5 tion 105 of title 5, United States Code; and 

6 (B) the Government Publishing Office. 

7 (2) CIVIL SERVICE.—The term ‘‘civil service’’ 

8 has the meaning given the term in section 2101 of 

9 title 5, United States Code. 

10 (3) COMPETITIVE SERVICE.—The term ‘‘com11 petitive service’’ has the meaning given the term in 

12 section 2102 of title 5, United States Code. 

13 (4) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means 

14 the Director of the Office. 

15 (5) EXCEPTED SERVICE.—The term ‘‘excepted 

16 service’’ has the meaning given the term in section 

17 2103 of title 5, United States Code. 

18 (6) OFFICE.—The term ‘‘Office’’ means the Of19 fice of Personnel Management. 

20 (b) ESTABLISHMENT.— 

21 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall establish 

22 the Pathways Program. 

23 (2) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the Pathways 

24 Program is to promote employment opportunities in 

25 the Federal workforce for students and recent grad26 uates by excepting participants in the Program from 


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1 competitive service hiring requirements for certain 

2 positions in the civil service. 

3 (3) SUB-PROGRAMS.—The Pathways Program 

4 shall consist of an Internship Program and a Recent 

5 Graduates Program. 

6 (c) REGULATIONS.—The Director shall issue regula7 tions for the Pathways Program, which shall include— 

8 (1) a description of the positions that agencies 

9 may fill through the Pathways Program because 

10 conditions of good administration necessitate except11 ing those positions from the competitive hiring rules; 

12 (2) rules governing whether, to what extent, 

13 and in what manner agencies must provide public 

14 notice of job opportunities in the Pathways Pro15 gram; 

16 (3) a description of opportunities for career de17 velopment, training, and mentorship for participants 

18 in the Pathways Program; 

19 (4) requirements that managers assess the per20 formance of participants in the Pathways Program 

21 to identify the individuals who should be considered 

22 for conversion to career civil service positions; 

23 (5) a description of oversight by the Office of 

24 the use of the Pathways Program by agencies to en25 sure that— 


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1 (A) the Pathways Program serves as a 

2 supplement to, and not a substitute for, the 

3 competitive hiring process; and 

4 (B) agencies are using the Pathways Pro5 gram in order to develop talent for careers in 

6 the civil service; 

7 (6) a description of plans by the Office to evalu8 ate— 

9 (A) the effectiveness of agencies in recruit10 ing and retaining talent using the Pathways 

11 Program; and 

12 (B) the satisfaction of the students and 

13 graduates participating in the Pathways Pro14 gram; and 

15 (7) standard naming conventions across agen16 cies, so that students and recent graduates can 

17 clearly understand and compare the available career 

18 pathway opportunities in the Federal Government. 

19 (d) INTERNSHIP PROGRAM.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Internship Program 

21 shall provide a student in high school, a community 

22 college, a 4-year institution of higher education, a 

23 trade school, a career or technical education pro24 gram, or another qualifying educational institution 

25 or program, as determined by the Director, with 


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1 paid opportunities to work in agencies and explore 

2 Federal careers while still in school. 

3 (2) PRINCIPLES AND POLICIES.—The following 

4 principles and policies shall govern the Internship 

5 Program: 

6 (A) A participant in the Internship Pro7 gram shall be a student enrolled, or accepted 

8 for enrollment, in a qualifying educational insti9 tutions or program, as determined by the Direc10 tor. 

11 (B) Subject to such exceptions as may be 

12 provided by regulation, an agency shall provide 

13 an intern with meaningful developmental work 

14 and set clear expectations regarding the work 

15 experience of the intern. 

16 (C) A student employed by a third-party 

17 internship provider but placed in an agency 

18 may, to the extent permitted by regulation, be 

19 treated as a participant in the Internship Pro20 gram. 

21 (D) An agency shall participate in the In22 ternship Program for the primary purpose of 

23 developing and evaluating entry-level talent for 

24 future permanent employment with the Federal 

25 Government. 


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1 (e) RECENT GRADUATES PROGRAM.— 

2 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Recent Graduates Pro3 gram shall provide an individual who has recently 

4 graduated from a qualifying educational institution 

5 or program with developmental experiences in the 

6 Federal Government intended to promote a possible 

7 career in the civil service. 

8 (2) PRINCIPLES AND POLICIES.—The following 

9 principles and policies shall govern the Recent Grad10 uates Program: 

11 (A)(i) Except as provided in clause (ii), a 

12 participant in the Recent Graduates Program 

13 shall have obtained a qualifying degree, or com14 pleted a qualifying career or technical education 

15 program, as determined by the Director, during 

16 the 3-year period preceding application to the 

17 Recent Graduates Program. 

18 (ii) In the case of a veteran who, due to 

19 the military service obligation of the veteran, 

20 would be precluded from participating in the 

21 Recent Graduates Program because the veteran 

22 is unable to apply during the 3-year period re23 quired under clause (i), that clause shall be ap24 plied by substituting ‘‘6-year period’’ for ‘‘3- 

25 year period’’. 


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1 (B) Responsibilities assigned to a recent 

2 graduate shall be consistent with— 

3 (i) the qualifications, educational 

4 background, and career interests of the 

5 graduate; 

6 (ii) the purpose of the Recent Grad7 uates Program; and 

8 (iii) the needs of agencies. 

9 (f) APPOINTMENT AND CONVERSION.—The following 

10 requirements shall apply to an appointment in the Path11 ways Program: 

12 (1) An appointment to the Pathways Program 

13 shall be under the excepted service. 

14 (2) An appointment to the Recent Graduates 

15 Program may not exceed 2 years, unless extended by 

16 the employing agency for a period of not more than 

17 120 days. 

18 (3) An appointment to the Pathways Program 

19 shall not confer any right to further Federal employ20 ment in the competitive service or the excepted serv21 ice upon the expiration of the appointment, except 

22 that an agency— 

23 (A) may convert a participant noncompeti24 tively to a term, career, or career-conditional 

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1 quirements to be established by the Director; 

2 and 

3 (B) may noncompetitively convert a partic4 ipant who was initially converted to a term ap5 pointment under this section to a career or ca6 reer-conditional appointment before the term 

7 appointment expires. 

8 (g) DEFINITION OF FEDERAL INTERNSHIP PRO9 GRAM.—Section 3111a(c)(1) of title 5, United States 

10 Code, is amended— 

11 (1) by redesignating subparagraphs (B), (C), 

12 and (D) as subparagraphs (C), (D), and (E), respec13 tively; and 

14 (2) by inserting after subparagraph (A) the fol15 lowing: 

16 ‘‘(B) the Internship Program established 

17 under section 366(d) of the Inspire to Serve 

18 Act of 2024;’’. 

19 SEC. 367. ENHANCED HIRING FOR RECENT COLLEGE GRAD20 UATES AND POST-SECONDARY STUDENTS. 

21 (a) RECENT GRADUATE HIRING AUTHORITY.—Sec22 tion 3115(e) of title 5, United States Code, is amended— 

23 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking all that follows 

24 ‘‘exceed’’ and inserting the following: ‘‘the greater 

25 of— 


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1 ‘‘(A) the number equal to 15 percent of 

2 the number of individuals that the agency head 

3 appointed during the previous fiscal year to per4 manent employment; or 

5 ‘‘(B) the number equal to 1 percent of the 

6 average number of permanent employees in the 

7 agency during the previous fiscal year.’’; and 

8 (2) by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the 

9 following: 

10 ‘‘(2) TEMPORARY CAP INCREASE.— 

11 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Under a regulation 

12 prescribed under subsection (f), the Director 

13 shall increase the limit on the number of indi14 viduals that may be appointed by the head of 

15 an agency under paragraph (1) of this sub16 section during a fiscal year as necessary to 

17 meet the target under section 368 of the In18 spire to Serve Act of 2024 (relating to aggre19 gate number of hires of recent college graduates 

20 and post-secondary students). 

21 ‘‘(B) DURATION.—The increased limit 

22 under subparagraph (A) shall terminate not 

23 later than September 30, 2034.’’. 


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1 (b) POST-SECONDARY STUDENT HIRING AUTHOR2 ITY.—Section 3116 of title 5, United States Code, is 

3 amended— 

4 (1) in subsection (d)— 

5 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking all that 

6 follows ‘‘exceed’’ and inserting the following: 

7 ‘‘the greater of— 

8 ‘‘(A) the number equal to 15 percent of 

9 the number of individuals that the agency head 

10 appointed during the previous fiscal year to per11 manent employment; or 

12 ‘‘(B) the number equal to 1 percent of the 

13 average number of permanent employees in the 

14 agency during the previous fiscal year.’’; and 

15 (B) by striking paragraph (2) and insert16 ing the following: 

17 ‘‘(2) TEMPORARY CAP INCREASE.— 

18 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Under a regulation 

19 prescribed under subsection (g), the Director 

20 shall increase the limit on the number of indi21 viduals that may be appointed by a head of an 

22 agency under paragraph (1) of this subsection 

23 during a fiscal year as necessary to meet the 

24 target under section 368 of the Inspire to Serve 

25 Act of 2024 (relating to aggregate number of 


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1 hires of recent college graduates and post-sec2 ondary students). 

3 ‘‘(B) DURATION.—The increased limit 

4 under subparagraph (A) shall terminate not 

5 later than September 30, 2031.’’; and 

6 (2) in subsection (e)(2), by striking ‘‘640’’ and 

7 inserting ‘‘400’’. 

8 SEC. 368. AGGREGATE NUMBER OF HIRES OF RECENT COL9 LEGE GRADUATES AND POST-SECONDARY 

10 STUDENTS. 

11 (a) TARGETS.—The Director of the Office of Per12 sonnel Management shall ensure that the aggregate num13 ber of applicants hired into term or permanent, competi14 tive service positions in Federal agencies under section 

15 366 of this Act (relating to the Pathways Program), sec16 tion 1106 of the National Defense Authorization Act for 

17 Fiscal Year 2017 (10 U.S.C. note prec. 1580; Public Law 

18 114–238), and sections 3115 and 3116 of title 5, United 

19 States Code (as amended by section 367 of this Act)— 

20 (1) by September 30, 2029, is not less than 

21 30,000; and 

22 (2) by September 30, 2034, is not less than 

23 50,000. 

24 (b) PRO RATA SHARE DETERMINATION.—The Direc25 tor shall determine the pro rata share, for each fiscal year, 


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1 of the obligation of each Federal agency to meet the tar2 gets under subsection (a), based on the number of com3 petitive service positions at the agency as compared with 

4 the total number of competitive service positions across 

5 all agencies. 

6 (c) SHORTFALL DETERMINATION.—Each fiscal year, 

7 the Director shall determine the progress of each Federal 

8 agency in achieving the targets under subsection (a) by 

9 subtracting the number of applicants hired into term or 

10 permanent, competitive service positions at the agency 

11 during the preceding fiscal year under the provisions of 

12 law set forth in subsection (a) from the pro rata share 

13 of the agency determined under subsection (b). 

14 SEC. 369. DEMONSTRATION PROJECT TO HIRE RECENT 

15 COLLEGE GRADUATES AND POST-SEC16 ONDARY STUDENTS WITH CRITICAL SKILLS. 

17 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

18 (1) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means 

19 the Director of the Office of Personnel Management. 

20 (2) INTERNSHIP PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘intern21 ship program’’ has the meaning given the term in 

22 section 3111a(c)(1) of title 5, United States Code, 

23 as amended by section 366(g) of this Act. 

24 (b) DEMONSTRATION PROJECT.— 


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1 (1) PURPOSE.—The Director shall, pursuant to 

2 section 4703 of title 5, United States Code, carry 

3 out a demonstration project described in paragraph 

4 (2) of this subsection for the purpose of— 

5 (A) assessing the sufficiency of hiring au6 thorities to meet the hiring needs of Executive 

7 agencies in positions that require critical skills; 

8 and 

9 (B) determining whether changes are need10 ed in methods of establishing qualification re11 quirements for, recruitment for, and appoint12 ment to, positions described in subparagraph 

13 (A). 

14 (2) PROJECT DESCRIBED.—Under the dem15 onstration project under paragraph (1), an Execu16 tive agency shall appoint— 

17 (A) students to internship programs for 

18 the purpose of acquiring critical skills that ad19 dress the needs of the Executive agency; or 

20 (B) recent graduates to full-time positions 

21 in the Executive agency that require critical 

22 skills described in subparagraph (A). 

23 (c) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 60 days 

24 after the date on which the demonstration project under 

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1 gress a report on the project, including the assessment and 

2 determination of the Director under subsection (b)(1). 

3 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

4 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 

5 necessary to carry out the demonstration project under 

6 this section. 

7 SEC. 370. NONCOMPETITIVE ELIGIBILITY FOR FEDERAL 

8 DEVELOPMENTAL POSITIONS. 

9 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

10 (1) COMPETITIVE SERVICE.—The term ‘‘com11 petitive service’’ has the meaning given the term in 

12 section 2102 of title 5, United States Code. 

13 (2) FELLOWSHIP.—The term ‘‘fellowship’’ 

14 means a short-term employment opportunity (other 

15 than a post-fellowship service requirement), of not 

16 more than 2 years in length, that is intended to pro17 vide the recipient with work experience with an Ex18 ecutive agency or a military department that pre19 pares the recipient for permanent employment with 

20 an Executive agency or a military department. 

21 (3) INTERNSHIP.—The term ‘‘internship’’ has 

22 the meaning given the term ‘‘internship program’’ in 

23 section 3111a of title 5, United States Code. 

24 (4) SCHOLARSHIP.—The term ‘‘scholarship’’ 

25 means— 


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1 (A) financial support paid by an Executive 

2 agency or a military department towards an in3 dividual’s cost of attendance at an institution of 

4 higher education that is authorized to partici5 pate in a Federal student aid program under 

6 title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965 

7 (20 U.S.C. 1070 et seq.) in a course of study 

8 leading to a credential in a critical skill or an9 other program that requires the student to 

10 demonstrate an interest in or agreement to pur11 sue a career in public service; or 

12 (B) financial support paid by an Executive 

13 agency towards an individual’s cost of procuring 

14 private instruction in a critical skill. 

15 (5) THIRD-PARTY INTERNSHIP OR FELLOW16 SHIP.—The term ‘‘third-party internship or fellow17 ship’’ means an internship or a fellowship in the 

18 Federal Government that is facilitated and organized 

19 through a nongovernmental, third-party organization 

20 that has a formal arrangement with 1 or more Exec21 utive agencies, or with the legislative branch, to pro22 vide such internships or fellowships. 

23 (b) APPOINTMENT IN COMPETITIVE SERVICE.—The 

24 head of any Executive agency or military department may 

25 appoint in the competitive service any individual who has 


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1 been certified by the Office of Personnel Management, 

2 within the 12-month period preceding the appointment, as 

3 having successfully completed any internship, scholarship, 

4 or fellowship program, or a third-party internship or fel5 lowship. 

6 (c) DOCUMENTATION.—The Director of the Office of 

7 Personnel Management, through the Executive Director of 

8 the Federal Fellowship and Scholarship Center established 

9 under section 361, shall issue such documentation as is 

10 necessary to certify individuals under subsection (b) as eli11 gible for noncompetitive appointments in the competitive 

12 service. 

13 SEC. 371. FACILITATION OF FEDERAL EMPLOYEE 

14 RESKILLING. 

15 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

16 (1) COMPETITIVE SERVICE; EXCEPTED SERV17 ICE.—The terms ‘‘competitive service’’ and ‘‘ex18 cepted service’’ have the meanings given the terms 

19 in sections 2102 and 2103, respectively, of title 5, 

20 United States Code. 

21 (2) FEDERAL RESKILLING PROGRAM.—The 

22 term ‘‘Federal reskilling program’’ means a program 

23 approved by the Director of the Office of Personnel 

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1 ice with technical skill or expertise that will enable 

2 such employee to continue work in the Federal Gov3 ernment in a different position in the competitive or 

4 excepted service that requires such skill or expertise. 

5 (b) REENTRY AT SAME OR HIGHER CLASS AND

6 GRADE.—Any employee who successfully completes a Fed7 eral reskilling program and transfers to a position in the 

8 Federal Government in the competitive or excepted service 

9 that requires technical skill or expertise provided to the 

10 employee in such Federal reskilling program shall, not11 withstanding the classification requirements set out in 

12 chapter 51 of title 5, United States Code, serve in the 

13 new position at a class and grade at or higher than the 

14 class and grade of the position from which the employee 

15 transferred. 

16 (c) GUIDANCE AND REGULATIONS.—Not later than 

17 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 

18 Director of the Office of Personnel Management shall 

19 issue— 

20 (1) guidance on the approval process for Fed21 eral reskilling programs; and 

22 (2) regulations ensuring the rights of partici23 pants described in subsection (b). 


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1 SEC. 372. CIVILIAN CYBERSECURITY RESERVE PILOT 

2 PROJECT. 

3 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

4 (1) APPROPRIATE AGENCY HEAD.—The term 

5 ‘‘appropriate agency head’’ means— 

6 (A) in the case of the Department of 

7 Homeland Security, the Secretary of Homeland 

8 Security; and 

9 (B) in the case of the National Security 

10 Agency, the director of the National Security 

11 Agency. 

12 (2) COMPETITIVE SERVICE.—The term ‘‘com13 petitive service’’ has the meaning given that term in 

14 section 2102 of title 5, United States Code. 

15 (3) COVERED AGENCY.—The term ‘‘covered 

16 agency’’ means the Department of Homeland Secu17 rity or the National Security Agency. 

18 (4) UNIFORMED SERVICES.—The term ‘‘uni19 formed services’’ has the meaning given that term in 

20 section 2101 of title 5, United States Code. 

21 (b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to es22 tablish a Civilian Cybersecurity Reserve as a pilot project 

23 to provide to the Federal Government trained and quali24 fied civilian personnel who have previously served with the 

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1 rity needs of the United States to protect the national se2 curity of the United States. 

3 (c) PILOT PROJECT.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—Each appropriate agency 

5 head may carry out a pilot project to establish a Ci6 vilian Cybersecurity Reserve at the covered agency. 

7 (2) NONCOMPETITIVE APPOINTMENT.—Under a 

8 pilot project authorized under paragraph (1), the ap9 propriate agency head may noncompetitively appoint 

10 members of the Civilian Cybersecurity Reserve to 

11 temporary positions in the competitive service. 

12 (d) ELIGIBILITY; APPLICATION AND SELECTION.— 

13 (1) IN GENERAL.—Under a pilot project au14 thorized under subsection (c), the appropriate agen15 cy head shall establish criteria for— 

16 (A) individuals to be eligible for the Civil17 ian Cybersecurity Reserve in the covered agen18 cy; and 

19 (B) the application and selection processes 

20 for the Reserve. 

21 (2) REQUIREMENTS FOR INDIVIDUALS.—The 

22 criteria established under paragraph (1)(A) with re23 spect to an individual shall include— 


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1 (A) previous employment by the Federal 

2 Government or within the uniformed services; 

3 and 

4 (B) cybersecurity expertise. 

5 (3) AGREEMENT REQUIRED.—An individual 

6 may become a member of the Civilian Cybersecurity 

7 Reserve only if the individual enters into an agree8 ment with the appropriate agency head to become 

9 such a member. The agreement shall set forth the 

10 rights and obligations of the individual and the cov11 ered agency. 

12 (4) EXCEPTION FOR CONTINUING MILITARY

13 SERVICE COMMITMENTS.—A member of the Selected 

14 Reserve under section 10143 of title 10, United 

15 States Code, may not be a member of the Civilian 

16 Cybersecurity Reserve. 

17 (e) COMPONENTS OF THE CIVILIAN CYBERSECURITY

18 RESERVE.—The appropriate agency head may consider, 

19 in carrying out a pilot project authorized under subsection 

20 (c), developing different components of the Civilian Cyber21 security Reserve in the covered agency, one with an obliga22 tion to respond when called into activation at the direction 

23 of the appropriate agency head and one that is not com24 pelled to so respond, with appropriate corresponding dif25 fering benefits for each such component. 


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1 (f) SECURITY CLEARANCES.—The appropriate agen2 cy head shall ensure that all members of the Civilian Cy3 bersecurity Reserve in the covered agency have an active 

4 security clearance in accordance with Executive Order 

5 12968 (50 U.S.C. 3161 note; relating to access to classi6 fied information) and Executive Order 13467 (50 U.S.C. 

7 3161 note; relating to reforming processes related to suit8 ability for Government employment, fitness for contractor 

9 employees, and eligibility for access to classified national 

10 security information). 

11 (g) PROJECT GUIDANCE.— 

12 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

13 after the date of the enactment of this Act, each ap14 propriate agency head may issue guidance estab15 lishing and implementing a pilot project authorized 

16 under subsection (c) at the covered agency. 

17 (2) PENALTIES.—In developing guidance under 

18 paragraph (1), an appropriate agency head may pro19 vide for penalties for individuals who do not respond 

20 to activation when called, such as loss of security 

21 clearance, recoupment of pay or benefits earned as 

22 a member of the Civilian Cybersecurity Reserve, or 

23 recoupment of civilian service creditable under sec24 tion 8411 of title 5, United States Code. 


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1 (h) EVALUATION.—Not later than 5 years after the 

2 pilot project authorized under subsection (c) is established 

3 in each covered agency, the Comptroller General of the 

4 United States shall— 

5 (1) conduct a study evaluating the pilot project 

6 at that agency; and 

7 (2) submit to Congress— 

8 (A) a report on the results of the study; 

9 and 

10 (B) a recommendation with respect to 

11 whether the pilot project should be modified, 

12 extended in duration, or established as a per13 manent program. 

14 (i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

15 are authorized to be appropriated to each appropriate 

16 agency head such sums as may be necessary to carry out 

17 this section. 

18 SEC. 373. EXPANSION OF CYBER TALENT MANAGEMENT 

19 SYSTEM. 

20 (a) EXPANSION OF CYBER TALENT MANAGEMENT

21 SYSTEM.—Subject to subsection (b), the head of any Ex22 ecutive agency, as defined in section 105 of title 5, United 

23 States Code, may exercise the authorities under section 

24 2208 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 


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1 658) to the same extent as the Secretary of Homeland 

2 Security may exercise such authorities. 

3 (b) COORDINATION BY SECRETARY OF HOMELAND

4 SECURITY.—The Secretary of Homeland Security shall 

5 coordinate with the heads of Executive agencies to facili6 tate the exercise of authorities under subsection (a). 

7 SEC. 374. PERSONNEL POLICY DEMONSTRATION PROJECT 

8 FOR FEDERAL AGENCIES WITH EMPLOYEES 

9 IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, 

10 AND MATHEMATICS FIELDS. 

11 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Director of the Office of 

12 Personnel Management, in consultation with the heads of 

13 the agencies specified in subsection (b), shall develop and 

14 implement a personnel policy demonstration project to as15 sess innovative approaches to new personnel policies for 

16 employees, that may include implementing— 

17 (1) more flexible job classifications; 

18 (2) competency-based hiring; 

19 (3) market-based pay; 

20 (4) promotion based on experience, skill, and 

21 performance; and 

22 (5) streamlined personnel transfers between 

23 agencies. 

24 (b) AGENCIES.—The agencies referred to in sub25 section (a) are— 


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1 (1) the National Aeronautics and Space Admin2 istration; 

3 (2) the Department of Energy; 

4 (3) the National Science Foundation; 

5 (4) the Department of Commerce; 

6 (5) the Department of the Interior; 

7 (6) the Environmental Protection Agency; and 

8 (7) not more than 2 additional agencies, which 

9 the Director of the Office of Personnel Management 

10 may designate, that have significant numbers of em11 ployees in positions that require skills in science, 

12 technology, engineering, or mathematics. 

13 (c) PARTICIPATION.—The head of each agency re14 ferred to in subsection (b) may determine whether the 

15 agency will participate in the personnel demonstration 

16 project under this section, and, if the agency head deter17 mines that the agency will so participate, whether the 

18 project will apply to current employees of that agency, cur19 rent employees of 1 or more components of that agency, 

20 newly hired employees of that agency, or newly hired em21 ployees of 1 or more components of that agency. 

22 (d) DURATION AND SIZE OF PROJECT.— 

23 (1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para24 graph (2), the demonstration project under this secVerDate Sep 11 2014 05:54 Dec 10, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00200 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H10278.IH H10278

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1 tion shall be carried out for a 10-year period begin2 ning on the date of enactment of this Act. 

3 (2) EXTENSION.—The Director of the Office of 

4 Personnel Management may extend the demonstra5 tion project under this section for an additional 10- 

6 year period. 

7 (3) TOTAL NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES.—The total 

8 number of Federal employees included in the dem9 onstration project in any 1-year period may not ex10 ceed 10 percent of the total number of Federal civil11 ian employees in all Executive agencies (as defined 

12 in section 105 of title 5, United States Code) in the 

13 preceding 1-year period. 

14 (e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

15 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 

16 necessary to carry out this section. 

17 SEC. 375. DEVELOPMENT OF PROPOSAL FOR SIMPLIFIED 

18 PERSONNEL SYSTEM FOR VETERANS HEALTH 

19 ADMINISTRATION. 

20 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs 

21 shall develop a legislative proposal to establish, under title 

22 38, United States Code, a single personnel system that— 

23 (1) applies to all positions in the Veterans 

24 Health Administration; 


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1 (2) applies best practices from the private sec2 tor to human capital management; and 

3 (3) supports pay and benefits that are competi4 tive with pay and benefits for health care delivery 

5 systems in the private sector. 

6 (b) MATTERS TO CONSIDER.—In developing the pro7 posal under subsection (a), the Secretary shall— 

8 (1) draw from, in addition to other resources, 

9 the applicable research and conclusions of the Com10 mission on Care established under section 202 of the 

11 Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 

12 2014 (Public Law 113–146; 38 U.S.C. 1701 note), 

13 including recommendation number 15 of the Com14 mission as set forth in the final report of the Com15 mission submitted under subsection (b)(3)(B) of 

16 such section, dated June 30, 2016, and titled, 

17 ‘‘Final Report of the Commission on Care’’; and 

18 (2) consult with the heads of other Federal 

19 agencies that operate health care delivery systems, 

20 employees of the Veterans Health Administration, 

21 and labor unions that represent employees of the 

22 Veterans Health Administration. 

23 (c) AVAILABILITY OF PROPOSAL.—The Secretary 

24 shall make the proposal developed under subsection (a) 


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1 available for use by other Federal agencies that operate 

2 health care delivery systems. 

3 (d) REPORT.—Not later than one year after the date 

4 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit 

5 to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate and 

6 the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Rep7 resentatives a report containing the proposal developed 

8 under subsection (a). 

9 SEC. 376. PORTABILITY OF HEALTH CARE LICENSURE FOR 

10 FEDERAL EMPLOYEES. 

11 (a) PORTABILITY OF LICENSURE FOR FEDERAL

12 HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS.—Notwithstanding any 

13 other provision of law regarding the licensure of health 

14 care providers, a health care professional described in sub15 section (b) may practice, at any location in any State, the 

16 District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, 

17 or any other territory or possession of the United States, 

18 the health profession or professions for which the health 

19 care professional has a license described in subsection 

20 (b)(2), regardless of where such health care professional 

21 or the patient involved is located, if the practice is within 

22 the scope of the authorized Federal duties of such health 

23 care professional. 

24 (b) INDIVIDUALS DESCRIBED.—A health care profes25 sional described in this subsection is a Federal employee— 


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1 (1) who is credentialed and privileged at a Fed2 eral health care institution; 

3 (2) who has a current license to practice medi4 cine, osteopathic medicine, dentistry, psychology, 

5 nursing, therapy, or another health profession; and 

6 (3) who is performing authorized duties for the 

7 Federal Government to practice the health profes8 sion described in paragraph (2) for which such li9 cense was issued. 

10 (c) DEFINITION OF LICENSE.—As used in this sec11 tion, the term ‘‘license’’ means a grant of permission by 

12 an official agency of a State, the District of Columbia, 

13 the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or any other territory 

14 or possession of the United States to provide health care 

15 independently as a health care professional and includes, 

16 in the case of such care furnished in a foreign country 

17 by any person who is not a national of the United States, 

18 a grant of permission by an official agency of that foreign 

19 country for that person to provide health care independ20 ently as a health care professional. 


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1 TITLE IV—STRENGTHENING OF 

2 NATIONAL MOBILIZATION 

3 SEC. 401. MODERNIZATION OF THE SELECTIVE SERVICE 

4 SYSTEM. 

5 (a) PURPOSE.—Section 1 of the Military Selective 

6 Service Act (50 U.S.C. 3801) is amended— 

7 (1) in subsection (b)— 

8 (A) by striking ‘‘armed strength’’ and in9 serting ‘‘military strength, including a sufficient 

10 number of personnel with the capabilities re11 quired to mobilize the Department of Defense 

12 during a national emergency,’’; and 

13 (B) by striking ‘‘insure’’ and inserting ‘‘en14 sure’’; 

15 (2) in subsection (c), by inserting ‘‘which is not 

16 for the sole purpose of providing replacements for 

17 combat,’’ after ‘‘just,’’; and 

18 (3) in subsection (d), by striking ‘‘as expressed 

19 in the National Defense Act of 1916, as amended’’. 

20 (b) SOLEMNITY OF MILITARY SERVICE.—Section 3 

21 of such Act (50 U.S.C. 3802) is amended by adding at 

22 the end the following: 

23 ‘‘(c) Regulations prescribed pursuant to subsection 

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1 quired to register, the solemn obligation for military serv2 ice in the event of a military draft.’’. 

3 (c) MAINTAINING THE HEALTH OF THE SELECTIVE

4 SERVICE SYSTEM.—Section 10(a) of such Act (50 U.S.C. 

5 3809(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following 

6 new paragraph: 

7 ‘‘(5)(A) The Director shall periodically conduct exer8 cises of all mobilization plans, systems, and processes to 

9 evaluate and test the effectiveness of such plans, systems, 

10 and processes. 

11 ‘‘(B) Once every four years, such exercise— 

12 ‘‘(i) shall include the full range of internal and 

13 interagency procedures to ensure functionality and 

14 interoperability; and 

15 ‘‘(ii) may be included as part of the annual mo16 bilization exercise under section 10208 of title 10, 

17 United States Code. 

18 ‘‘(C) The Director shall conduct a public awareness 

19 campaign in conjunction with each exercise to commu20 nicate the purpose of such exercise to the public.’’. 

21 (d) DUE PROCESS FOR FAILURE TO REGISTER.— 

22 Section 12 of such Act (50 U.S.C. 3811) is amended— 

23 (1) in subsection (f)— 


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1 (A) in paragraph (2), by inserting before 

2 the period at the end ‘‘or proof of registration 

3 in accordance with subsection (g)’’; 

4 (B) in paragraph (3)— 

5 (i) in the first sentence, by striking 

6 ‘‘compliance’’ and inserting ‘‘compliance or 

7 proof of registration’’; and 

8 (ii) in the second sentence, by insert9 ing before the period at the end ‘‘or proof 

10 of registration’’; and 

11 (C) in paragraph (4), in the second sen12 tence— 

13 (i) by striking ‘‘thereunder’’ and in14 serting ‘‘thereunder, or failure to provide 

15 proof of registration in accordance with 

16 subsection (g),’’; and 

17 (ii) by inserting before the period at 

18 the end ‘‘or has registered in accordance 

19 with subsection (g)’’; and 

20 (2) by striking paragraphs (1) and (2) of sub21 section (g) and inserting the following: 

22 ‘‘(1)(A) the requirement for such person to reg23 ister has terminated or become inapplicable to such 

24 person; and 


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1 ‘‘(B) such person shows, by a preponderance of 

2 the evidence, that such failure was not a knowing 

3 failure; or 

4 ‘‘(2) such person so registered not later than 30 

5 days after receiving notice of such requirement, re6 gardless of the person’s age at the time of registra7 tion.’’. 

8 (e) TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

9 The Military Selective Service Act (50 U.S.C. 3801 et 

10 seq.) is amended— 

11 (1) in section 4 (50 U.S.C. 3803)— 

12 (A) in subsection (a)— 

13 (i) by striking ‘‘his acceptability in all 

14 respects, including his’’ and inserting 

15 ‘‘such person’s acceptability in all respects, 

16 including’’; and 

17 (ii) by striking ‘‘he may prescribe’’ 

18 and inserting ‘‘the President may pre19 scribe’’; 

20 (B) in subsection (c)— 

21 (i) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘Any 

22 enlisted member’’ and inserting ‘‘Any per23 son who is an enlisted member’’; and 


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1 (ii) in paragraphs (3), (4), and (5), by 

2 striking ‘‘in which he resides’’ and insert3 ing ‘‘in which such person resides’’; 

4 (C) in subsection (g), by striking ‘‘coordi5 nate with him’’ and inserting ‘‘coordinate with 

6 the Director’’; and 

7 (D) in subsection (k)(1), by striking ‘‘find8 ing by him’’ and inserting ‘‘finding by the 

9 President’’; 

10 (2) in section 5(d) (50 U.S.C. 3805(d)), by 

11 striking ‘‘he may prescribe’’ and inserting ‘‘the 

12 President may prescribe’’; 

13 (3) in section 6 (50 U.S.C. 3806)— 

14 (A) in subsection (c)(2)(D), by striking 

15 ‘‘he may prescribe’’ and inserting ‘‘the Presi16 dent may prescribe’’; 

17 (B) in subsection (d)(3), by striking ‘‘he 

18 may deem appropriate’’ and inserting ‘‘the 

19 President considers appropriate’’; and 

20 (C) in subsection (h), by striking ‘‘he may 

21 prescribe’’ each place it appears and inserting 

22 ‘‘the President may prescribe’’; 

23 (4) in section 10 (50 U.S.C. 3809)— 

24 (A) in subsection (b)— 

25 (i) in paragraph (3)— 


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1 (I) by striking ‘‘He shall create’’ 

2 and inserting ‘‘The President shall 

3 create’’; and 

4 (II) by striking ‘‘upon his own 

5 motion’’ and inserting ‘‘upon the 

6 President’s own motion’’; 

7 (ii) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘his 

8 status’’ and inserting ‘‘such individual’s 

9 status’’; and 

10 (iii) in paragraphs (4), (6), (8), and 

11 (9), by striking ‘‘he may deem’’ each place 

12 it appears and inserting ‘‘the President de13 termines’’; and 

14 (B) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘vested 

15 in him’’ and inserting ‘‘vested in the Presi16 dent’’; 

17 (5) in section 12 (50 U.S.C. 3811), by striking 

18 ‘‘present himself’’ each place it appears and insert19 ing ‘‘appear’’; 

20 (6) in section 13(b) (50 U.S.C. 3812(b)), by 

21 striking ‘‘regulation if he’’ and inserting ‘‘regulation 

22 if the President’’; 

23 (7) in section 15 (50 U.S.C. 3813)— 


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1 (A) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘his’’ 

2 each place it appears and inserting ‘‘the reg3 istrant’s’’; and 

4 (B) in subsection (d), by striking ‘‘he may 

5 deem’’ and inserting ‘‘the President considers’’; 

6 (8) in section 16(g) (50 U.S.C. 3814(g))— 

7 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘who as 

8 his regular and customary vocation’’ and insert9 ing ‘‘who, as such person’s regular and cus10 tomary vocation,’’; and 

11 (B) in paragraph (2)— 

12 (i) by striking ‘‘one who as his cus13 tomary vocation’’ and inserting ‘‘a person 

14 who, as such person’s customary voca15 tion,’’; and 

16 (ii) by striking ‘‘he is a member’’ and 

17 inserting ‘‘such person is a member’’; 

18 (9) in section 18(a) (50 U.S.C. 3816(a)), by 

19 striking ‘‘he is authorized’’ and inserting ‘‘the Presi20 dent is authorized’’; 

21 (10) in section 21 (50 U.S.C. 3819)— 

22 (A) by striking ‘‘he is sooner’’ and insert23 ing ‘‘sooner’’; 

24 (B) by striking ‘‘he’’ each subsequent place 

25 it appears and inserting ‘‘such member’’; and 


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1 (C) by striking ‘‘his consent’’ and inserting 

2 ‘‘such member’s consent’’; 

3 (11) in section 22(b) (50 U.S.C. 3820(b)), in 

4 paragraphs (1) and (2), by striking ‘‘his’’ each place 

5 it appears and inserting ‘‘the registrant’s’’; and 

6 (12) except as otherwise provided in this sec7 tion— 

8 (A) by striking ‘‘he’’ each place it appears 

9 and inserting ‘‘such person’’; 

10 (B) by striking ‘‘his’’ each place it appears 

11 and inserting ‘‘such person’s’’; and 

12 (C) by striking ‘‘him’’ each place it ap13 pears and inserting ‘‘such person’’. 

14 (f) CONFORMING AMENDMENT REGARDING FED15 ERAL EMPLOYEES.—Subsection (a) of section 3328 of 

16 title 5, United States Code, is amended to read as follows: 

17 ‘‘(a) A person required to register under section 3 

18 of the Military Selective Service Act (50 U.S.C. 3803) but 

19 who failed to so register shall be ineligible for appointment 

20 to a position in an Executive agency unless— 

21 ‘‘(1)(A) such requirement has terminated or be22 come inapplicable to such person; and 

23 ‘‘(B) the head of such Executive agency deter24 mines, by a preponderance of the evidence, that such 

25 failure was not a knowing failure; or 


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1 ‘‘(2) such person so registered not later than 30 

2 days after receiving notice of such requirement, re3 gardless of the person’s age at the time of registra4 tion.’’. 

5 (g) PARTIALLY DELAYED EFFECTIVE DATE.—The 

6 amendments made by subsections (c) and (f) of this sec7 tion shall take effect one year after the date of the date 

8 of the enactment of this Act. 

9 SEC. 402. REPORT ON EXEMPTIONS AND DEFERMENTS FOR 

10 A POSSIBLE MILITARY DRAFT. 

11 Not later than 120 days after the date of the enact12 ment of this Act, the Director of the Selective Service Sys13 tem, in coordination with the Secretary of Defense and 

14 the Secretary of Homeland Security, shall submit to Con15 gress a report providing a review of exemptions and 

16 deferments from registration, training, and service under 

17 the Military Selective Service Act (50 U.S.C. 3801 et seq.) 

18 and of proposed revisions to those exemptions and 

19 deferments, taking into account amendments to the Mili20 tary Selective Service Act under section 401(d) of this Act 

21 to require registration of all United States citizens and 

22 persons residing in the United States. 


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1 SEC. 403. RESPONSIBILITIES FOR NATIONAL MOBILIZA2 TION; PERSONNEL REQUIREMENTS. 

3 (a) LEAD OFFICIAL FOR NATIONAL MOBILIZA4 TION.—The President shall designate an employee of the 

5 National Security Council to serve as lead national mobili6 zation official, whose duties and responsibilities shall in7 clude coordinating the planning and execution of any na8 tional effort to mobilize government and industry to re9 spond to a national emergency. 

10 (b) EXECUTIVE AGENT FOR NATIONAL MOBILIZA11 TION.—The Secretary of Defense shall designate a senior 

12 official within the Office of the Secretary of Defense as 

13 the Executive Agent for National Mobilization. The Exec14 utive Agent for National Mobilization shall be responsible 

15 for— 

16 (1) developing, managing, and coordinating pol17 icy and plans that address the full spectrum of mili18 tary mobilization readiness, including full mobiliza19 tion of personnel from volunteers to draftees in the 

20 event of a draft activation; 

21 (2) providing Congress and the Selective Serv22 ice System with updated requirements and timelines 

23 for obtaining draft inductees in the event of a na24 tional emergency requiring mass mobilization and 

25 activation of the draft; and 


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1 (3) providing Congress with a plan, developed 

2 in coordination with the Selective Service System, to 

3 induct large numbers of volunteers who may respond 

4 to a national call for volunteers during an emer5 gency. 

6 (c) REPORT REQUIRED.—Not later than one year 

7 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

8 of Defense shall submit to Congress a plan for obtaining 

9 draft inductees as part of a mobilization timeline for the 

10 Selective Service System. The plan shall include a descrip11 tion of resources, locations, and capabilities of the Armed 

12 Forces required to train, equip, and integrate drafted per13 sonnel into the total force, addressing scenarios that would 

14 include 300,000, 600,000, and 1,000,000 new volunteer 

15 and drafted personnel. The plan may be provided in classi16 fied form. 

17 SEC. 404. ENHANCEMENTS TO NATIONAL MOBILIZATION 

18 EXERCISES. 

19 Section 10208 of title 10, United States Code, is 

20 amended by adding at the end the following new sub21 section: 

22 ‘‘(c)(1) The Secretary shall, beginning in the first fis23 cal year that begins after the date of the enactment of 

24 this subsection, and every 5 years thereafter, as part of 

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1 clude the processes of the Selective Service System in 

2 preparation for a draft, and submit to Congress a report 

3 on the results of this exercise. The report may be sub4 mitted in classified form. 

5 ‘‘(2) The exercise under this subsection— 

6 ‘‘(A) shall include a review of national mobiliza7 tion strategic and operational concepts; 

8 ‘‘(B) shall include a simulation of a mobiliza9 tion of all armed forces and reserve units, with plans 

10 and processes for incorporating Selective Service 

11 System inductees; and 

12 ‘‘(C) shall involve the Selective Service System, 

13 the Department of Homeland Security, the Depart14 ment of Commerce, the Department of Labor, and 

15 other relevant interagency stakeholders.’’. 

16 SEC. 405. CRITICAL SKILLS FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF DE17 FENSE. 

18 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find19 ings: 

20 (1) The Department of Defense needs a work21 force of skilled individuals to meet the national secu22 rity challenges facing the United States. 

23 (2) As the Department develops tools to bring 

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1 tary service, it must identify the type and number 

2 of critically skilled personnel that are needed. 

3 (b) CRITICAL SKILLS AND SKILLED INDIVIDUALS.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense, 

5 acting through the Under Secretary of Defense for 

6 Personnel and Readiness, shall develop and maintain 

7 a list of the critical skills and numbers of skilled in8 dividuals needed for the Department of Defense, the 

9 Armed Forces, and the National Guard. 

10 (2) CRITICAL SKILLS.—For purposes of this 

11 section, critical skills are those skills for which the 

12 Department has a critical need, such as medical, 

13 dental, and nursing skills, language skills, cyber 

14 skills, and science, technology, engineering, and 

15 mathematics skills. 

16 (c) RESPONSIBILITY.— 

17 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Under Secretary of De18 fense for Personnel and Readiness shall ensure that 

19 the list developed under subsection (b) is updated 

20 annually in accordance with paragraph (2). 

21 (2) COORDINATION.—The Under Secretary 

22 shall develop, maintain, and update the list of crit23 ical skills in close consultation with each military de24 partment, through its Assistant Secretaries for Man25 power and Reserve Affairs, with the Chief of the NaVerDate Sep 11 2014 05:54 Dec 10, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00217 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H10278.IH H10278

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1 tional Guard Bureau, with the Director of the Selec2 tive Service System, and with the Council on Mili3 tary, National, and Public Service established under 

4 section 201. 

5 (3) IMPLEMENTATION.—The Under Secretary 

6 shall implement the list of critical skills under this 

7 section not later than January 1, 2025. 

8 SEC. 406. INDIVIDUAL READY RESERVE FOR CRITICAL 

9 SKILLS. 

10 (a) INDIVIDUAL READY RESERVE.— 

11 (1) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 1005 of title 10, 

12 United States Code, is amended by inserting after 

13 section 10144 the following new section: 

14 ‘‘§ 10144a. Ready Reserve: Individual Ready Reserve 

15 for Critical Skills 

16 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—For the purpose of recruiting 

17 personnel with the requisite critical skills, the Secretary 

18 of each military department, under the direction of the 

19 President, may establish and maintain an Individual 

20 Ready Reserve for Critical Skills within the Ready Reserve 

21 of each of the reserve components under the jurisdiction 

22 of such Secretary. 

23 ‘‘(b) MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS.—The Secretary 

24 of Defense shall outline the requirements for membership 


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1 in the Individual Ready Reserve for Critical Skills, includ2 ing providing guidance on— 

3 ‘‘(1) a means for each armed force to establish 

4 qualifying critical skills for inclusion in its Individual 

5 Ready Reserve for Critical Skills; 

6 ‘‘(2) the standards and process for selection of 

7 individuals who are not otherwise in a reserve status 

8 to qualify for Individual Ready Reserve for Critical 

9 Skills of an armed force; 

10 ‘‘(3) requirements for screening and re-evalua11 tion of members in the Individual Ready Reserve for 

12 Critical Skills; 

13 ‘‘(4) the training and obligations required for 

14 members in the Individual Ready Reserve for Crit15 ical Skills; and 

16 ‘‘(5) the use of allowances and nonmonetary in17 centives to retain members in the Individual Ready 

18 Reserve for Critical Skills. 

19 ‘‘(c) MOBILIZATION.— 

20 ‘‘(1) ACTIVE DUTY.—A member of the Indi21 vidual Ready Reserve for Critical Skills may be or22 dered to active duty without the consent of the mem23 ber in accordance with section 12304, or in accord24 ance with any other provision of law authorizing ac25 tivation of Individual Ready Reserve members. 


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1 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBILITY FOR BENEFITS.—A member 

2 of the Individual Ready Reserve for Critical Skills 

3 who is mobilized under paragraph (1) shall be eligi4 ble for benefits available to members of the Selected 

5 Reserve.’’. 

6 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sec7 tions at the beginning of chapter 1005 of such title 

8 is amended by inserting after the item relating to 

9 section 10144 the following new item: 

‘‘10144a. Ready Reserve: Individual Ready Reserve for Critical Skills.’’. 

10 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 12304(a) 

11 of title 10, United States Code, is amended— 

12 (1) by striking ‘‘or any member’’ and inserting 

13 ‘‘any member’’; and 

14 (2) by inserting ‘‘, or any member in the Indi15 vidual Ready Reserve for Critical Skills’’ after ‘‘by 

16 the Secretary concerned,’’. 

17 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

18 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 

19 necessary to carry out this section. 

Æ 


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