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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 10358 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                               H. R. 10358

To amend the Foreign Service Act of 1980 to provide for portability of 
             professional licenses, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           December 11, 2024

 Mr. Castro of Texas introduced the following bill; which was referred 
                  to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
To amend the Foreign Service Act of 1980 to provide for portability of 
             professional licenses, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Foreign Service Families 
Improvements Act''.

SEC. 2. PORTABILITY OF PROFESSIONAL LICENSES.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 9 of title I of the Foreign Service Act of 
1980 (22 U.S.C. 4081 et seq.) is amended by adding after section 908 
the following:

``SEC. 909. PORTABILITY OF PROFESSIONAL LICENSES.

    ``(a) In General.--In any case in which a member of the Foreign 
Service or the spouse of a member of the Foreign Service has a covered 
United States license and such member of the Foreign Service or spouse 
relocates his or her residency because of an assignment or detail to a 
location that is not in the jurisdiction of the licensing authority 
that issued the covered license, such covered license shall be 
considered valid at a similar scope of practice and in the discipline 
applied for in the jurisdiction of such new residency for the duration 
of such an assignment or detail if such member of the Foreign Service 
or spouse--
            ``(1) provides a copy of the member's notification of 
        assignment to the licensing authority in the jurisdiction in 
        which the new residency is located;
            ``(2) remains in good standing with--
                    ``(A) the licensing authority that issued the 
                covered license; and
                    ``(B) every other licensing authority that has 
                issued to the member of the Foreign Service or spouse a 
                license valid at a similar scope of practice and in the 
                discipline applied in the jurisdiction of such 
                licensing authority; and
            ``(3) submits to the authority of the licensing authority 
        in the new jurisdiction for the purposes of standards of 
        practice, discipline, and fulfillment of any continuing 
        education requirements.
    ``(b) Interstate Licensure Compacts.--If a member of the Foreign 
Service or spouse of a member of the Foreign Service is licensed and 
able to operate in multiple jurisdictions through an interstate 
licensure compact, with respect to services provided in the 
jurisdiction of the interstate licensure compact by a licensee covered 
by such compact, the member of the Foreign Service or spouse of a 
member of the Foreign Service shall be subject to the requirements of 
the compact or the applicable provisions of law of the applicable State 
and not this section.
    ``(c) Covered License Defined.--In this section, the term `covered 
license' means a professional license or certificate--
            ``(1) that is in good standing with the licensing authority 
        that issued such professional license or certificate;
            ``(2) that the member of the Foreign Service or spouse of a 
        member of the Foreign Service has actively used during the two 
        years immediately preceding the relocation described in 
        subsection (a); and
            ``(3) that is not a license to practice law.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents in section 2 of the 
Foreign Service Act of 1980 is amended by inserting after the item 
relating to section 908 the following new item:

``Sec. 909. Portability of professional licenses.''.

SEC. 3. TERMINATION OF RESIDENTIAL OR MOTOR VEHICLE LEASES AND 
              TELEPHONE SERVICE CONTRACTS FOR MEMBERS OF THE FOREIGN 
              SERVICE.

    Section 907 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 4087) is 
amended by striking ``Service who are posted abroad at a Foreign 
Service post'' and inserting ``Foreign Service who are posted in the 
United States or posted abroad''.
                                 <all>
```