II 
Calendar No. 508 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 2259 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
JULY 11, 2018 
Received; read twice and placed on the calendar 
AN ACT 
To amend the Peace Corps Act to expand services and 
benefits for volunteers, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Sam Farr and Nick Castle Peace Corps Reform Act of 
2018’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
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. 
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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 over-
seas 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. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) APPROPRIATE
CONGRESSIONAL
COMMIT-
TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com-
mittees’’ means— 
(A) the Committee on Foreign Relations of 
the Senate; 
(B) the Committee on Appropriations of 
the Senate; 
(C) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of 
the House of Representatives; and 
(D) the Committee on Appropriations of 
the House of Representatives. 
(2) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means 
the Director of the Peace Corps. 
(3) PEACE
CORPS
VOLUNTEER.—The term 
‘‘Peace Corps volunteer’’ means an individual de-
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scribed in section 5(a) of the Peace Corps Act (22 
U.S.C. 2504(a)). 
TITLE I—PEACE CORPS 
VOLUNTEER SUPPORT 
SEC. 101. PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEER MEDICAL CARE RE-
FORM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Peace Corps Act is amend-
ed— 
(1) in section 5 (22 U.S.C. 2504)— 
(A) in subsection (e), in the first sentence, 
by striking ‘‘receive such immunization and 
dental care preparatory to their service’’ and in-
serting ‘‘receive, preparatory to their service, 
such immunization, dental care, and informa-
tion on prescription options and potential inter-
actions, as necessary and appropriate and in ac-
cordance with subsection (f)’’; 
(B) by re-designating subsections (f), (g), 
(h), (i), (j), (k), (l), (m), and (n) as subsections 
(g), (h), (i), (j), (k), (l), (m), (n), and (o); 
(C) by inserting after subsection (e) the 
following new subsection— 
‘‘(f) The Director of the Peace Corps shall consult 
with health experts outside the Peace Corps, including ex-
perts licensed in the field of mental health, and follow 
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guidance by the Centers for Disease Control and Preven-
tion regarding the prescription of medications to a volun-
teer.’’; and 
(D) in subsection (i), as so redesignated, 
by striking ‘‘section, and’’ and inserting ‘‘sec-
tion), and’’; and 
(2) by inserting after section 5 the following 
new section: 
‘‘SEC. 5A. HEALTH CARE FOR VOLUNTEERS AT PEACE 
CORPS POSTS. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The President shall ensure that 
each overseas post has the services of a medical office that 
is consistent in size and scope with the needs of the Peace 
Corps at such post, including, if necessary, by detailing 
to any such post the licensed medical staff of other United 
States departments, agencies, or establishments. 
‘‘(b) HIRING CRITERIA.—In selecting medical officers 
and support staff for overseas Peace Corps posts, the Di-
rector of the Peace Corps shall hire well-qualified and ca-
pable personnel to support the effectiveness of health care 
for Peace Corps volunteers by evaluating each can-
didate’s— 
‘‘(1) medical training, experience, and accredi-
tations or other qualifications; 
‘‘(2) record of performance; 
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‘‘(3) administrative capabilities; 
‘‘(4) understanding of the local language and 
culture; 
‘‘(5) ability to work in the English language; 
‘‘(6) interpersonal skills; and 
‘‘(7) such other factors that the Director deter-
mines appropriate. 
‘‘(c) CERTAIN TRAINING.—The Director of the Peace 
Corps shall ensure that each Peace Corps medical officer 
serving in a malaria-endemic country receives training in 
the recognition of the side effects of such medications. 
‘‘(d) REVIEW AND EVALUATION.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the Peace 
Corps, acting through the Associate Director of the 
Office of Health Services and the country directors, 
shall review and evaluate the performance and 
health care delivery of all Peace Corps medical staff, 
including medical officers, to— 
‘‘(A) ensure compliance with all relevant 
Peace Corps policies, practices, and guidelines; 
and 
‘‘(B) ensure that medical staff complete 
the necessary continuing medical education to 
maintain their skills and satisfy licensing and 
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credentialing standards, as designated by the 
Director. 
‘‘(2) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—The Director of 
the Peace Corps shall include, in the annual Peace 
Corps congressional budget justification, a confirma-
tion that the review and evaluation of all Peace 
Corps medical staff required under paragraph (1) 
has been completed. 
‘‘(e) ANTIMALARIAL DRUGS.—The Director of the 
Peace Corps shall consult with experts at the Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention regarding recommenda-
tions for prescribing malaria prophylaxis, in order to pro-
vide the best standard of care within the context of the 
Peace Corps environment.’’. 
(b) IMPLEMENTATION
OF RECOMMENDATIONS
BY 
THE INSPECTOR GENERAL OF THE PEACE CORPS.— 
(1) INSPECTOR GENERAL REPORT.—As prompt-
ly as practicable, the Director shall implement the 
actions outlined in the agency response for all open 
recommendations of the Inspector General of the 
Peace Corps set forth in the report entitled ‘‘Final 
Program Evaluation Report: OIG Follow-up Evalua-
tion of Issues Identified in the 2010 Peace Corps/ 
Morocco Assessment of Medical Care’’ (Report No. 
IG–16–01–E). 
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(2) SEMIANNUAL REPORTS.— 
(A) INITIAL REPORT.—Not later than 180 
days after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the Director shall submit a report to the 
appropriate congressional committees that de-
scribes the Director’s strategy for implementing 
the recommendations referred to in paragraph 
(1). 
(B) SUBSEQUENT
REPORTS.—Not later 
than 180 days after the submission of the re-
port required under subparagraph (A), and 
semiannually thereafter, the Director shall sub-
mit a report to the appropriate congressional 
committees that describes the progress in imple-
menting the recommendations referred to in 
paragraph (1) until all such recommendations 
have been implemented in accordance with the 
agency’s response to the report referred to in 
such paragraph. 
(3) NOTIFICATION.—After the submission of 
each report required under paragraph (2), the In-
spector General of the Peace Corps may notify the 
appropriate congressional committees of any rec-
ommendations from the report referred to in para-
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graph (1) that the Inspector General determines re-
main unresolved. 
SEC. 102. POST-SERVICE PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEER MED-
ICAL CARE REFORM. 
Section 8142 of title 5, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following new sub-
section: 
‘‘(d)(1) The Secretary shall authorize the Director of 
the Peace Corps to furnish medical benefits to a volunteer, 
who is injured during the volunteer’s period of service, for 
a period of 120 days following the termination of such 
service if the Director certifies that the volunteer’s injury 
probably meets the requirements under subsection (c)(3). 
The Secretary may then certify vouchers for these ex-
penses for such volunteer out of the Employees’ Com-
pensation Fund. 
‘‘(2) The Secretary shall prescribe the form and con-
tent of the certification required under paragraph (1). 
‘‘(3) A certification under paragraph (1) will cease 
to be effective if the volunteer sustains compensable dis-
ability in connection with volunteer service. 
‘‘(4) Nothing in this subsection may be construed to 
authorize the furnishing of any medical benefit that the 
Secretary of Labor is not otherwise authorized to reim-
burse for former Peace Corps volunteers who receive treat-
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‘‘(B) an explanation of why the Peace Corps 
has determined that no further inquiry into the 
cause or root cause of the death of the volunteer is 
necessary, including— 
‘‘(i) a description of the steps the Peace 
Corps took to determine further inquiry was not 
necessary; and 
‘‘(ii) the basis for such determination. 
‘‘(2) If the Peace Corps has performed or engaged 
another entity to perform a root cause analysis or similar 
report that describes the cause or root cause of a volunteer 
death, the President shall provide the Inspector General 
of the Peace Corps with— 
‘‘(A) a copy of all information provided to such 
entity at the time such information is provided to 
such entity or used by the Peace Corps to perform 
the analysis; 
‘‘(B) a copy of any report or study received 
from the entity or used by the Peace Corps to per-
form the analysis; and 
‘‘(C) any supporting documentation upon which 
the Peace Corps or such entity relied to make its de-
termination, including the volunteer’s complete med-
ical record, as soon as such information is available 
to the Peace Corps. 
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