115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 2259 

AN ACT 

To amend the Peace Corps Act to expand services and 

benefits for volunteers, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
2 

•HR 2259 EH

1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

2 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

3 ‘‘Sam Farr and Nick Castle Peace Corps Reform Act of 

4 2018’’. 

5 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

6 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Definitions. 

TITLE I—PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEER SUPPORT 

Sec. 101. Peace Corps volunteer medical care reform. 

Sec. 102. Post-service peace corps volunteer medical care reform. 

Sec. 103. Peace Corps impact survey. 

Sec. 104. Extension of positions for Peace Corps employees. 

TITLE II—PEACE CORPS OVERSIGHT AND ACCOUNTABILITY 

Sec. 201. Peace Corps volunteer access to Inspector General. 

Sec. 202. Publication requirement for volunteer surveys. 

Sec. 203. Consultation with Congress required before opening or closing overseas offices and country programs. 

TITLE III—CRIME RISK REDUCTION ENHANCEMENTS 

Sec. 301. Independent review of volunteer death. 

Sec. 302. Additional disclosures to applicants for enrollment as volunteers. 

Sec. 303. Additional protections against sexual misconduct. 

Sec. 304. Extension of the office of victim advocacy. 

Sec. 305. Reform and extension of the Sexual Assault Advisory Council. 

Sec. 306. Definitions. 

7 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

8 In this Act: 

9 (1) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT10 TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com11 mittees’’ means— 

12 (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations of 

13 the Senate; 
3 

•HR 2259 EH

1 (B) the Committee on Appropriations of 

2 the Senate; 

3 (C) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of 

4 the House of Representatives; and 

5 (D) the Committee on Appropriations of 

6 the House of Representatives. 

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

8 the Director of the Peace Corps. 

9 (3) PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEER.—The term 

10 ‘‘Peace Corps volunteer’’ means an individual de11 scribed in section 5(a) of the Peace Corps Act (22 

12 U.S.C. 2504(a)). 

13 TITLE I—PEACE CORPS 

14 VOLUNTEER SUPPORT 

15 SEC. 101. PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEER MEDICAL CARE RE16 FORM. 

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Peace Corps Act is amend18 ed— 

19 (1) in section 5 (22 U.S.C. 2504)— 

20 (A) in subsection (e), in the first sentence, 

21 by striking ‘‘receive such immunization and 

22 dental care preparatory to their service’’ and in23 serting ‘‘receive, preparatory to their service, 

24 such immunization, dental care, and informa25 tion on prescription options and potential inter-
4 

•HR 2259 EH

1 actions, as necessary and appropriate and in ac2 cordance with subsection (f)’’; 

3 (B) by re-designating subsections (f), (g), 

4 (h), (i), (j), (k), (l), (m), and (n) as subsections 

5 (g), (h), (i), (j), (k), (l), (m), (n), and (o); 

6 (C) by inserting after subsection (e) the 

7 following new subsection— 

8 ‘‘(f) The Director of the Peace Corps shall consult 

9 with health experts outside the Peace Corps, including ex10 perts licensed in the field of mental health, and follow 

11 guidance by the Centers for Disease Control and Preven12 tion regarding the prescription of medications to a volun13 teer.’’; and 

14 (D) in subsection (i), as so redesignated, 

15 by striking ‘‘section, and’’ and inserting ‘‘sec16 tion), and’’; and 

17 (2) by inserting after section 5 the following 

18 new section: 

19 ‘‘SEC. 5A. HEALTH CARE FOR VOLUNTEERS AT PEACE 

20 CORPS POSTS. 

21 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The President shall ensure that 

22 each overseas post has the services of a medical office that 

23 is consistent in size and scope with the needs of the Peace 

24 Corps at such post, including, if necessary, by detailing 
5 

•HR 2259 EH

1 to any such post the licensed medical staff of other United 

2 States departments, agencies, or establishments. 

3 ‘‘(b) HIRING CRITERIA.—In selecting medical officers 

4 and support staff for overseas Peace Corps posts, the Di5 rector of the Peace Corps shall hire well-qualified and ca6 pable personnel to support the effectiveness of health care 

7 for Peace Corps volunteers by evaluating each can8 didate’s— 

9 ‘‘(1) medical training, experience, and accredi10 tations or other qualifications; 

11 ‘‘(2) record of performance; 

12 ‘‘(3) administrative capabilities; 

13 ‘‘(4) understanding of the local language and 

14 culture; 

15 ‘‘(5) ability to work in the English language; 

16 ‘‘(6) interpersonal skills; and 

17 ‘‘(7) such other factors that the Director deter18 mines appropriate. 

19 ‘‘(c) CERTAIN TRAINING.—The Director of the Peace 

20 Corps shall ensure that each Peace Corps medical officer 

21 serving in a malaria-endemic country receives training in 

22 the recognition of the side effects of such medications. 

23 ‘‘(d) REVIEW AND EVALUATION.— 

24 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the Peace 

25 Corps, acting through the Associate Director of the 
6 

•HR 2259 EH

1 Office of Health Services and the country directors, 

2 shall review and evaluate the performance and 

3 health care delivery of all Peace Corps medical staff, 

4 including medical officers, to— 

5 ‘‘(A) ensure compliance with all relevant 

6 Peace Corps policies, practices, and guidelines; 

7 and 

8 ‘‘(B) ensure that medical staff complete 

9 the necessary continuing medical education to 

10 maintain their skills and satisfy licensing and 

11 credentialing standards, as designated by the 

12 Director. 

13 ‘‘(2) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—The Director of 

14 the Peace Corps shall include, in the annual Peace 

15 Corps congressional budget justification, a confirma16 tion that the review and evaluation of all Peace 

17 Corps medical staff required under paragraph (1) 

18 has been completed. 

19 ‘‘(e) ANTIMALARIAL DRUGS.—The Director of the 

20 Peace Corps shall consult with experts at the Centers for 

21 Disease Control and Prevention regarding recommenda22 tions for prescribing malaria prophylaxis, in order to pro23 vide the best standard of care within the context of the 

24 Peace Corps environment.’’. 
7 

•HR 2259 EH

1 (b) IMPLEMENTATION OF RECOMMENDATIONS BY

2 THE INSPECTOR GENERAL OF THE PEACE CORPS.— 

3 (1) INSPECTOR GENERAL REPORT.—As prompt4 ly as practicable, the Director shall implement the 

5 actions outlined in the agency response for all open 

6 recommendations of the Inspector General of the 

7 Peace Corps set forth in the report entitled ‘‘Final 

8 Program Evaluation Report: OIG Follow-up Evalua9 tion of Issues Identified in the 2010 Peace Corps/ 

10 Morocco Assessment of Medical Care’’ (Report No. 

11 IG–16–01–E). 

12 (2) SEMIANNUAL REPORTS.— 

13 (A) INITIAL REPORT.—Not later than 180 

14 days after the date of the enactment of this 

15 Act, the Director shall submit a report to the 

16 appropriate congressional committees that de17 scribes the Director’s strategy for implementing 

18 the recommendations referred to in paragraph 

19 (1). 

20 (B) SUBSEQUENT REPORTS.—Not later 

21 than 180 days after the submission of the re22 port required under subparagraph (A), and 

23 semiannually thereafter, the Director shall sub24 mit a report to the appropriate congressional 

25 committees that describes the progress in imple-
8 

•HR 2259 EH

1 menting the recommendations referred to in 

2 paragraph (1) until all such recommendations 

3 have been implemented in accordance with the 

4 agency’s response to the report referred to in 

5 such paragraph. 

6 (3) NOTIFICATION.—After the submission of 

7 each report required under paragraph (2), the In8 spector General of the Peace Corps may notify the 

9 appropriate congressional committees of any rec10 ommendations from the report referred to in para11 graph (1) that the Inspector General determines re12 main unresolved. 

13 SEC. 102. POST-SERVICE PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEER MED14 ICAL CARE REFORM. 

15 Section 8142 of title 5, United States Code, is 

16 amended by adding at the end the following new sub17 section: 

18 ‘‘(d)(1) The Secretary shall authorize the Director of 

19 the Peace Corps to furnish medical benefits to a volunteer, 

20 who is injured during the volunteer’s period of service, for 

21 a period of 120 days following the termination of such 

22 service if the Director certifies that the volunteer’s injury 

23 probably meets the requirements under subsection (c)(3). 

24 The Secretary may then certify vouchers for these ex-
9 

•HR 2259 EH

1 penses for such volunteer out of the Employees’ Com2 pensation Fund. 

3 ‘‘(2) The Secretary shall prescribe the form and con4 tent of the certification required under paragraph (1). 

5 ‘‘(3) A certification under paragraph (1) will cease 

6 to be effective if the volunteer sustains compensable dis7 ability in connection with volunteer service. 

8 ‘‘(4) Nothing in this subsection may be construed to 

9 authorize the furnishing of any medical benefit that the 

10 Secretary of Labor is not otherwise authorized to reim11 burse for former Peace Corps volunteers who receive treat12 ment for injury or disease proximately caused by their 

13 service in the Peace Corps in accordance with this chap14 ter.’’. 

15 SEC. 103. PEACE CORPS IMPACT SURVEY. 

16 (a) IN GENERAL.—Beginning not later than 1 year 

17 after the date of the enactment of this Act and once every 

18 2 years thereafter for the following 6 years, the Director 

19 shall conduct a survey of former Peace Corps volunteers. 

20 (b) SCOPE OF SURVEY.—The survey required under 

21 subsection (a) shall assess, with respect to each former 

22 Peace Corps volunteer completing the survey, the impact 

23 of the Peace Corps on the former volunteer, including the 

24 volunteer’s— 

25 (1) well-being; 
10 

•HR 2259 EH

1 (2) career; 

2 (3) civic engagement; and 

3 (4) commitment to public service. 

4 (c) REPORT.—The Director shall submit a report 

5 containing the results of the survey conducted under sub6 section (a) to— 

7 (1) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the 

8 Senate; 

9 (2) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the 

10 House of Representatives; 

11 (3) the Committee on Appropriations of the 

12 Senate; and 

13 (4) the Committee on Appropriations of the 

14 House of Representatives. 

15 SEC. 104. EXTENSION OF POSITIONS FOR PEACE CORPS EM16 PLOYEES. 

17 Section 7(a) of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 

18 2506(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following 

19 new paragraph: 

20 ‘‘(8)(A) The Director of the Peace Corps may 

21 designate Peace Corps positions as critical manage22 ment or management support positions that require 

23 specialized technical or professional skills and knowl24 edge of Peace Corps operations. Such positions may 

25 include positions in the following fields: 
11 

•HR 2259 EH

1 ‘‘(i) Volunteer health services. 

2 ‘‘(ii) Financial management. 

3 ‘‘(iii) Information technology. 

4 ‘‘(iv) Procurement. 

5 ‘‘(v) Personnel. 

6 ‘‘(vi) Legal services. 

7 ‘‘(vii) Safety and security. 

8 ‘‘(B) Subject to subparagraphs (C) and (D), 

9 with respect to positions designated pursuant to sub10 paragraph (A), the Director may make or extend re11 newable appointments or assignments under para12 graph (2) notwithstanding limitations under sub13 paragraphs (A) and (B) of paragraph (2) and para14 graph (5). 

15 ‘‘(C) In exercising authority under subpara16 graph (B), the Director shall ensure that all deci17 sions regarding the appointment, assignment, or ex18 tension of employees to any position designated pur19 suant to subparagraph (A)— 

20 ‘‘(i) are consistent with Federal law and 

21 Peace Corps policy; and 

22 ‘‘(ii) are based upon operational and pro23 grammatic factors. 
12 

•HR 2259 EH

1 ‘‘(D) The term of any appointment or assign2 ment to any position designated pursuant to sub3 paragraph (A) may not exceed 5 years.’’. 

4 TITLE II—PEACE CORPS OVER5 SIGHT AND ACCOUNTABILITY 

6 SEC. 201. PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEER ACCESS TO INSPEC7 TOR GENERAL. 

8 Section 8 of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2507) 

9 is amended— 

10 (1) in subsection (a)— 

11 (A) by striking ‘‘he’’ and inserting ‘‘the 

12 President’’; and 

13 (B) by adding at the end the following new 

14 sentences: ‘‘As part of the training provided to 

15 all volunteers under subsection (a), and in co16 ordination with the Inspector General of the 

17 Peace Corps, the President shall provide all vol18 unteers with information regarding the mandate 

19 of the Inspector General and the availability 

20 (including contact information) of the Inspector 

21 General and the Office of Victim Advocacy as 

22 a resource for volunteers. The President shall 

23 ensure that volunteers receive such information 

24 at least once during training that occurs prior 

25 to enrollment and at least once during each sig-
13 

•HR 2259 EH

1 nificant instance of training after enrollment.’’; 

2 and 

3 (2) by adding at the end the following new sub4 section: 

5 ‘‘(c) The President shall implement procedures to 

6 maintain a record verifying each individual completing 

7 training provided to meet each requirement in this section 

8 and sections 8A, 8B, 8F, and 8G(b).’’. 

9 SEC. 202. PUBLICATION REQUIREMENT FOR VOLUNTEER 

10 SURVEYS. 

11 Section 8E of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2507e) 

12 is amended— 

13 (1) in subsection (b), in the first sentence— 

14 (A) by inserting ‘‘, ensure that each such 

15 plan includes a consideration of the results, 

16 with respect to each such representative and the 

17 country of service of each such representative, 

18 of each survey conducted under subsection (c),’’ 

19 after ‘‘standards for Peace Corps representa20 tives’’; and 

21 (B) by striking ‘‘and shall review’’ and in22 serting ‘‘, and review’’; and 

23 (2) in subsection (c)— 

24 (A) in the first sentence, by striking 

25 ‘‘2018’’ and inserting ‘‘2023’’; and 
14 

•HR 2259 EH

1 (B) in the third sentence, by striking ‘‘sub2 section (a)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (b)’’; and 

3 (C) by adding at the end the following new 

4 sentences: ‘‘The President shall publish, on a 

5 publicly available website of the Peace Corps, a 

6 report summarizing the results of each survey 

7 related to volunteer satisfaction in each country 

8 in which volunteers serve, and the early termi9 nation rate of volunteers serving in each such 

10 country. The information published shall be 

11 posted in an easily accessible place near the de12 scription of the appropriate country and shall 

13 be written in an easily understood manner.’’. 

14 SEC. 203. CONSULTATION WITH CONGRESS REQUIRED BE15 FORE OPENING OR CLOSING OVERSEAS OF16 FICES AND COUNTRY PROGRAMS. 

17 Section 10 of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2509) 

18 is amended by adding at the end the following new sub19 section: 

20 ‘‘(k)(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), the Di21 rector of the Peace Corps may not open, close, signifi22 cantly reduce, or suspend a domestic or overseas office or 

23 country program unless the Director has notified and con24 sulted with the appropriate congressional committees at 

25 least 15 days in advance. 
15 

•HR 2259 EH

1 ‘‘(2) The Director of the Peace Corps may waive the 

2 application of paragraph (1) for a period of not more than 

3 5 days after an action described in such paragraph if the 

4 Director determines such action is necessary to ameliorate 

5 a substantial security risk to Peace Corps volunteers or 

6 other Peace Corps personnel. 

7 ‘‘(3) For the purposes of this subsection, the term 

8 ‘appropriate congressional committees’ means— 

9 ‘‘(A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the 

10 Committee on Appropriations of the House of Rep11 resentatives; and 

12 ‘‘(B) the Committee on Foreign Relations and 

13 the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate.’’. 

14 TITLE III—CRIME RISK 

15 REDUCTION ENHANCEMENTS 

16 SEC. 301. INDEPENDENT REVIEW OF VOLUNTEER DEATH. 

17 Section 5 of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2504), 

18 as amended by section 101 of this Act, is further amended 

19 by adding at the end the following new subsection: 

20 ‘‘(p)(1) Not later than 10 days after receiving notifi21 cation of the death of a volunteer, the President shall pro22 vide a briefing to the Inspector General of the Peace Corps 

23 that includes— 

24 ‘‘(A)(i) the available facts and circumstances 

25 surrounding the death of the volunteer, including a 
16 

•HR 2259 EH

1 preliminary timeline of the events immediately pre2 ceding the death of the volunteer, subsequent actions 

3 taken by the Peace Corps, and any information 

4 available to the Peace Corps reflecting on the cause 

5 or root cause of the death of the volunteer; and 

6 ‘‘(ii) a description of any steps the Peace Corps 

7 plans to take to inquire further into the cause or 

8 root cause of the death of the volunteer, including 

9 the anticipated date of the completion of such in10 quiry; or 

11 ‘‘(B) an explanation of why the Peace Corps 

12 has determined that no further inquiry into the 

13 cause or root cause of the death of the volunteer is 

14 necessary, including— 

15 ‘‘(i) a description of the steps the Peace 

16 Corps took to determine further inquiry was not 

17 necessary; and 

18 ‘‘(ii) the basis for such determination. 

19 ‘‘(2) If the Peace Corps has performed or engaged 

20 another entity to perform a root cause analysis or similar 

21 report that describes the cause or root cause of a volunteer 

22 death, the President shall provide the Inspector General 

23 of the Peace Corps with— 

24 ‘‘(A) a copy of all information provided to such 

25 entity at the time such information is provided to 
17 

•HR 2259 EH

1 such entity or used by the Peace Corps to perform 

2 the analysis; 

3 ‘‘(B) a copy of any report or study received 

4 from the entity or used by the Peace Corps to per5 form the analysis; and 

6 ‘‘(C) any supporting documentation upon which 

7 the Peace Corps or such entity relied to make its de8 termination, including the volunteer’s complete med9 ical record, as soon as such information is available 

10 to the Peace Corps. 

11 ‘‘(3) If a volunteer dies, the Peace Corps shall take 

12 reasonable measures, in accordance with local laws, to pre13 serve any information or material, in any medium or for14 mat, that may be relevant to determining the cause or root 

15 cause of the death of the volunteer, including personal ef16 fects, medication, and other tangible items belonging to 

17 the volunteer, as long as such measures do not interfere 

18 with the legal procedures of the host country if the govern19 ment of the host country is exercising jurisdiction over the 

20 investigation of such death. The Inspector General of the 

21 Peace Corps shall be provided an opportunity to inspect 

22 such items before their final disposition. 

23 ‘‘(4) Consistent with the Inspector General Act of 

24 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.), the Inspector General of the Peace 

25 Corps may independently review the facts and cir-
18 

•HR 2259 EH

1 cumstances surrounding the death of a volunteer and the 

2 actions taken by the Peace Corps in responding to such 

3 incident. 

4 ‘‘(5) For the purposes of undertaking a review under 

5 this section, an officer or employee of the United States 

6 or a member of the Armed Forces may be detailed to the 

7 Inspector General of the Peace Corps from another de8 partment of the United States Government on a nonreim9 bursable basis, as jointly agreed to by the Inspector Gen10 eral and the detailing department, for a period not to ex11 ceed 1 year. This paragraph may not be construed to limit 

12 or modify any other source of authority for reimbursable 

13 or nonreimbursable details. A nonreimbursable detail 

14 made under this section may not be considered an aug15 mentation of the appropriations of the Peace Corps. 

16 ‘‘(6) Upon request, the Peace Corps may make avail17 able necessary funds to the Inspector General of the Peace 

18 Corps for reviews conducted by the Inspector General 

19 under this section. The request shall be limited to costs 

20 relating to hiring, procuring, or otherwise obtaining med21 ical-related experts or expert services, and associated trav22 el. 

23 ‘‘(7) The undertaking of a review under this section 

24 may not be considered a transfer of program operating 
19 

•HR 2259 EH

1 responsibilities to the Inspector General of the Peace 

2 Corps.’’. 

3 SEC. 302. ADDITIONAL DISCLOSURES TO APPLICANTS FOR 

4 ENROLLMENT AS VOLUNTEERS. 

5 Section 8A of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 

6 2507a(d)) is amended— 

7 (1) by amending subsection (d) to read as fol8 lows: 

9 ‘‘(d) INFORMATION REGARDING CRIMES AND

10 RISKS.— 

11 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each applicant for enroll12 ment as a volunteer shall be provided, with respect 

13 to each country in which the applicant may be in14 vited to serve, with specific, aggregated, and easily 

15 accessible information regarding crimes against and 

16 risks to volunteers, including— 

17 ‘‘(A) an overview of past crimes against 

18 volunteers in such country, including statistics 

19 regarding unreported crime collected through 

20 anonymous surveys; 

21 ‘‘(B) the current early termination rate of 

22 volunteers serving in such country; 

23 ‘‘(C) health risks prevalent in such coun24 try; 
20 

•HR 2259 EH

1 ‘‘(D) the nature and frequency of sexual 

2 harassment reported by volunteers serving in 

3 such country; 

4 ‘‘(E) the extent and types of services pro5 vided by the Peace Corps to volunteers serving 

6 in such country, including access to medical 

7 care, counseling services, and assistance from 

8 the Office of Victim Advocacy; and 

9 ‘‘(F) the level of satisfaction reported by 

10 volunteers serving in such country. 

11 ‘‘(2) OPTION TO TIMELY DECLINE.—Upon re12 ceiving information described in paragraph (1), the 

13 applicant shall have the option to change the coun14 try of consideration and identify a substitute coun15 try.’’; and 

16 (2) in subsection (f)(2)(B)(iii), by striking ‘‘vic17 tim advocates’’ and inserting ‘‘Victim’s Advocates,’’. 

18 SEC. 303. ADDITIONAL PROTECTIONS AGAINST SEXUAL 

19 MISCONDUCT. 

20 Section 8B(a) of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 

21 2507b(a)) is amended— 

22 (1) in paragraph (3)— 

23 (A) by striking ‘‘SARLs’’ and inserting 

24 ‘‘any employee of the Peace Corps’’; 
21 

•HR 2259 EH

1 (B) by striking ‘‘Victim Advocate’’ and in2 serting ‘‘Victim’s Advocate’’; and 

3 (C) by inserting ‘‘and require the Peace 

4 Corps to designate the staff at each post who 

5 shall be responsible for providing the services 

6 described in subsection (c)’’ before the semi7 colon at the end; 

8 (2) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 

9 end; 

10 (3) in paragraph (6), by striking the period at 

11 the end and inserting a semicolon; and 

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

13 paragraphs: 

14 ‘‘(7) maintains a record documenting the resignation 

15 of any employee or volunteer of the Peace Corps who re16 signs before a determination has been made regarding an 

17 alleged violation of the sexual misconduct policy or other 

18 serious policy violations; 

19 ‘‘(8) takes into account the record maintained under 

20 paragraph (7) before such employee or volunteer is hired, 

21 enrolled, or otherwise invited to work with the Peace 

22 Corps; 

23 ‘‘(9) provides orientation or information regarding 

24 the awareness and prevention of sexual assault and sexual 

25 harassment to— 
22 

•HR 2259 EH

1 ‘‘(A) Peace Corps-selected host families; and 

2 ‘‘(B) a designated person of authority at the 

3 volunteer’s initial workplace; and 

4 ‘‘(10) ensures, to the extent practicable and appro5 priate, that any assault on, or any harm or injury to, a 

6 volunteer that is committed by any member of a host fam7 ily or any national of a host country that was assigned 

8 by the Peace Corps to facilitate volunteer work is— 

9 ‘‘(A) documented in an appropriate site history 

10 file and in the global tracking and recording system 

11 established pursuant to section 8H(c); and 

12 ‘‘(B) taken into account with respect to deter13 minations regarding placements of future volunteers 

14 at such post and the provision of any funds or other 

15 benefit by the Peace Corps.’’. 

16 SEC. 304. EXTENSION OF THE OFFICE OF VICTIM ADVO17 CACY. 

18 Section 8C of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2507c) 

19 is amended— 

20 (1) by striking ‘‘victim advocate’’ each place it 

21 appears and inserting ‘‘Victim’s Advocate’’; 

22 (2) by striking ‘‘victim advocates’’ each place it 

23 occurs and inserting ‘‘Victim’s Advocates’’; and 

24 (3) by amending subsection (e) to read as fol25 lows: 
23 

•HR 2259 EH

1 ‘‘(e) The Director of the Peace Corps shall include 

2 the head of the Office of Victim Advocacy in agency-wide 

3 policymaking processes in the same manner and to the 

4 same extent as the directors or associate directors of other 

5 offices within the Peace Corps.’’. 

6 SEC. 305. REFORM AND EXTENSION OF THE SEXUAL AS7 SAULT ADVISORY COUNCIL. 

8 Section 8D of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 

9 2507d) is amended— 

10 (1) in subsection (b)— 

11 (A) by striking ‘‘not less than 8 individuals 

12 selected by the President, not later than 180 

13 days after the date of the enactment of this sec14 tion,’’ and inserting ‘‘not fewer than 8 and not 

15 more than 14 individuals selected by the Presi16 dent’’; and 

17 (B) by inserting after the first sentence 

18 the following new sentence: ‘‘At least one mem19 ber should be licensed in the field of mental 

20 health and have prior experience working as a 

21 counselor or therapist providing mental health 

22 care to survivors of sexual assault in a victim 

23 services agency or organization.’’; and 

24 (2) in subsection (c)— 
24 

•HR 2259 EH

1 (A) by inserting ‘‘and implemented’’ after 

2 ‘‘sexual assault policy developed’’; and 

3 (B) by adding at the end the following new 

4 sentence: ‘‘To carry out this subsection, the 

5 Council may conduct case reviews and is au6 thorized to have access, including through inter7 views, to current and former volunteers (to the 

8 extent that such volunteers provide the Peace 

9 Corps express consent to be interviewed by the 

10 Council), to volunteer surveys under section 8E, 

11 to all data collected from restricted reporting, 

12 and to any other information necessary to con13 duct case reviews, except that the Council may 

14 not have access to any personally identifying in15 formation associated with such surveys, data, or 

16 information.’’; and 

17 (3) in subsection (g), by striking ‘‘2018’’ and 

18 inserting ‘‘2023’’. 

19 SEC. 306. DEFINITIONS. 

20 Section 26 of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2522) 

21 is amended— 

22 (1) by redesignating subsections (a), (b), (c), 

23 (d), (e), (f), and (g) as paragraphs (1), (6), (2), (3), 

24 (8), (7), and (5), respectively, by arranging such re-
25 

•HR 2259 EH

1 designated paragraphs in numerical order, and by 

2 moving such paragraphs 2 ems to the right; 

3 (2) in paragraph (1), as redesignated, by strik4 ing ‘‘(1)’’ and inserting the following: 

5 ‘‘In this Act: 

6 ‘‘(1)’’; and 

7 (3) by inserting after paragraph (3), as redesig8 nated, the following: 

9 ‘‘(4) The term ‘medical officer’ means a physi10 cian, nurse practitioner, physician’s assistant, or 

11 registered nurse with the professional qualifications, 

12 expertise, and abilities consistent with the needs of 

13 the Peace Corps and the post to which he or she is 

14 assigned, as determined by the Director of the Peace 

15 Corps.’’. 

Passed the House of Representatives July 10, 2018. 

Attest: 

Clerk. 
115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 2259 

AN ACT 

To amend the Peace Corps Act to expand services 

and benefits for volunteers, and for other purposes.