I 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 9719 
To amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to modify requirements regard-
ing management of the United States Agency for International Develop-
ment, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 20, 2024 
Mr. MEEKS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and 
Accountability, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speak-
er, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the ju-
risdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to modify 
requirements regarding management of the United 
States Agency for International Development, 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. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Strengthening USAID 
Management Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. STAFFING TO PREVENT OR RESPOND TO CRISIS. 
Section 625 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 
(22 U.S.C. 2384) is amended by adding after subsection 
(f) the following: 
‘‘(g) The Administrator of the United States Agency 
for International Development is authorized to appoint 
and employ personnel in the excepted service using funds 
appropriated or otherwise made available to carry out the 
provisions of part I of this Act, chapter 4 of part II of 
this Act, and section 509(b) of the Global Fragility Act 
of 2019 (22 U.S.C. 9808(b)) to prevent or respond to for-
eign crises and contexts with increasing instability. Such 
funds are authorized to be made available for the oper-
ating expenses and administrative costs of such personnel. 
The Administrator shall coordinate with the Director of 
the Office of Personnel Management to implement this 
provision.’’. 
SEC. 3. UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DE-
VELOPMENT PAY RATE ADJUSTMENT. 
Chapter 53 of title 5, United States Code, is amend-
ed— 
(1) in section 5314, by inserting ‘‘and 1 other 
official of the Agency for International Development 
to be appointed by the President’’ after ‘‘Deputy Ad-
ministrator, Agency for International Development’’; 
and 
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(2) in section 5315, by striking ‘‘Development 
(6)’’ and inserting ‘‘Development (5)’’. 
SEC. 4. PAYMENT FOR SERVICES PERFORMED ABROAD 
PURSUANT TO CONTRACT. 
Section 636(a) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 
(22 U.S.C. 2396(a)) is amended by adding at the end the 
following: 
‘‘(17) employing individuals or organizations, 
by contract, for services performed abroad pursuant 
to this Act or title II of the Food for Peace Act (7 
U.S.C. 1721 et seq.), and individuals employed by 
contract to perform such services, provided that— 
‘‘(A) such individuals shall not by virtue of 
such payment be considered to be employees of 
the United States Government for purposes of 
any law administered by the Office of Personnel 
Management (except that the Administrator of 
the United States Agency for International De-
velopment may determine the applicability to 
such individuals of section 5 of the State De-
partment Basic Authorities Act of 1956 (22 
U.S.C. 2672) regarding tort claims when such 
claims arise in a foreign country in connection 
with United States operations abroad and of 
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any other law administered by the Adminis-
trator concerning such individuals); and 
‘‘(B) such contracts are authorized to be 
negotiated, the terms of such contracts to be 
prescribed, and the work to be performed, 
where necessary, without regard to such statu-
tory provisions as relate to the negotiation, 
making, and performance of contracts and per-
formance of work in the United States.’’. 
SEC. 5. FOREIGN SERVICE REPORT. 
Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Administrator of the United States Agency 
for International Development shall submit to the Com-
mittee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives 
and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate 
a report that includes— 
(1) a description of any effort by the Adminis-
trator in the 3 years prior to the submission of the 
report to empower and integrate cooperating country 
nationals throughout the agency, including an in-
crease in the number of— 
(A) warranted contracting officers and 
agreement officers who are cooperating country 
nationals; and 
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(B) cooperating country national advisor 
positions; and 
(2) a breakdown of Foreign Service National 
fellowships in the 5 years prior to the submission of 
the report that includes anonymized information re-
garding— 
(A) participant demographics; 
(B) the assigned mission associated with 
each fellowship; 
(C) operating unit in which each fellowship 
occurred; and 
(D) duration of each fellowship. 
SEC. 6. ANTI-TERRORISM CERTIFICATION. 
Not later than 270 days after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the Administrator of the United States 
Agency for International Development shall initiate rule-
making procedures to require bidders for programs in 
high-risk areas to certify that they do not provide material 
support or resources to individuals or entities involved in 
terrorism. 
SEC. 7. OVERSEAS PAY COMPARABILITY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to such regulations as the 
Secretary of State may prescribe, including with respect 
to phase-in schedule and treatment as basic pay, and not-
withstanding any other provision of law, any eligible mem-
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ber may be paid a locality-based comparability payment 
(stated as a percentage) that is not more than two-thirds 
of the amount of the locality-based comparability payment 
(stated as a percentage) that would be payable to such 
member under section 5304 of title 5, United States Code, 
if the official duty station of such member were in the 
District of Columbia. 
(b) LIMITATION.—The amount of any locality-based 
comparability payment that is paid to an eligible member 
under this section shall be subject to any limitation on 
pay applicable to locality-based comparability payments 
under section 5304 of title 5, United States Code. 
(c) ELIGIBLE MEMBER DEFINED.—In this section, 
the term ‘‘eligible member’’ means a member of the For-
eign Service if— 
(1) such member is designated class 1 or below 
for purposes of section 403 of the Foreign Service 
Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 3963); and 
(2) the official duty station of such member is 
not in the continental United States or a nonforeign 
area, as defined in section 591.205 of title 5, Code 
of Federal Regulations. 
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