I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 5046 
To require that appointments and selections to United States Military Acad-
emy, United States Naval Academy, and United States Air Force Acad-
emy be made solely in order of merit as determined by a standardized 
candidate composite score, to prohibit the consideration of race, sex, 
color, ethnicity, national origin, or religion in service academy admissions, 
and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
AUGUST 26, 2025 
Ms. MACE introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Armed Services 
A BILL 
To require that appointments and selections to United States 
Military Academy, United States Naval Academy, and 
United States Air Force Academy be made solely in 
order of merit as determined by a standardized candidate 
composite score, to prohibit the consideration of race, 
sex, color, ethnicity, national origin, or religion in service 
academy admissions, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:19 Aug 26, 2025
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5046.IH
H5046
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Restoring Merit in the 
Military Service Academies Act’’. 
SEC. 2. SERVICE ACADEMIES; APPOINTMENTS AND ADDI-
TIONAL APPOINTEES; PROHIBITION ON CON-
SIDERATION OF RACE, SEX, COLOR, ETH-
NICITY, NATIONAL ORIGIN, AND RELIGION. 
(a) UNITED STATES MILITARY ACADEMY.— 
(1) APPOINTMENTS.—Section 7442 of title 10, 
United States Code, is amended— 
(A) in subsection (a)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘subsection (j)’’ and in-
serting ‘‘subsection (k)’’; 
(ii) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘as 
established by competitive examinations’’ 
and inserting ‘‘as determined by candidate 
composite score rank’’; and 
(iii) in the matter following paragraph 
(10)— 
(I) in the second sentence— 
(aa) by inserting ‘‘(in which 
event selection shall be in order 
of merit as determined by can-
didate composite score rank)’’ 
after ‘‘may be submitted without 
ranking’’; and 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:19 Aug 26, 2025
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5046.IH
H5046
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
(bb) by striking ‘‘9 ranked’’ 
and inserting ‘‘14 ranked’’; 
(II) by inserting after the second 
sentence the following: ‘‘If alternates 
are submitted unranked, any selection 
from among such unranked alternates 
shall be in order of merit as deter-
mined by candidate composite score 
rank.’’; and 
(III) by striking ‘‘shall be consid-
ered qualified alternates for the pur-
pose of selection under other provi-
sions of this chapter’’ and inserting 
‘‘shall be eligible and considered for 
selection under other provisions of 
this chapter, including as qualified al-
ternates and additional appointees’’; 
(B) 
by 
redesignating 
subsections 
(b) 
through (j) as subsections (c) through (k), re-
spectively; 
(C) by inserting after subsection (a) the 
following new subsection: 
‘‘(b) There shall be appointed each year at the Acad-
emy 300 qualified alternates selected in order of merit as 
determined by candidate composite score rank by the Sec-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
23:21 Aug 26, 2025
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5046.IH
H5046
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
retary of the Army from qualified candidates nominated 
pursuant to paragraphs (3) through (10) of subsection (a) 
and all other qualified, non-selected candidates holding 
nominations from any other source pursuant to this chap-
ter.’’; 
(D) in subsection (c), as redesignated by 
subparagraph (B)— 
(i) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘one 
hundred selected by the President’’ and in-
serting ‘‘up to one hundred qualified can-
didates selected by the President in order 
of merit as determined by candidate com-
posite score rank’’; 
(ii) in paragraph (2)— 
(I) by striking ‘‘85’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘up to 85 qualified candidates’’; 
and 
(II) by inserting ‘‘, selected in 
order of merit as determined by can-
didate composite score rank’’ before 
the period at the end; 
(iii) in paragraph (3)— 
(I) by striking ‘‘85’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘up to 85 qualified candidates’’; 
and 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:19 Aug 26, 2025
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5046.IH
H5046
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
(II) by inserting ‘‘, selected in 
order of merit as determined by can-
didate composite score rank’’ before 
the period at the end; 
(iv) in paragraph (4)— 
(I) by striking ‘‘20’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘up to 20 qualified candidates’’; 
and 
(II) by inserting ‘‘, selected in 
order of merit as determined by can-
didate composite score rank’’ before 
the period at the end; and 
(v) by striking paragraph (5); 
(E) in subsection (f), as redesignated by 
subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘subsection (b)’’ 
and inserting ‘‘subsection (c)’’; 
(F) in subsection (h), as so redesignated— 
(i) by striking ‘‘subsection (b)’’ each 
place it appears and inserting ‘‘subsection 
(c)’’; and 
(ii) in paragraph (4), by striking 
‘‘subsection (e)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection 
(f)’’; and 
(G) by adding at the end the following new 
subsections: 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:19 Aug 26, 2025
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5046.IH
H5046
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
‘‘(l) Qualifications of candidates for admission shall 
be determined by use of, among other metrics, a candidate 
composite score uniformly calculated for each applicant. 
The academic component of such composite score shall be 
weighted at not less than 60 percent of the overall com-
posite score and shall include the candidate’s standardized 
test scores, which shall be weighted at not less than 45 
percent of the overall composite score. The total of all sub-
jective components, if any, of the composite score shall be 
weighted at not more than 10 percent of the overall com-
posite score. Any subjectively based adjustment of the can-
didate composite score shall be limited to not more than 
10 percent of the score before such adjustment. Can-
didates’ composite scores, only, shall be used to determine 
order of merit. 
‘‘(m) Not later than October 1 of each year, the Sec-
retary of the Army shall submit to the Committees on 
Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Represent-
atives a report, including— 
‘‘(1) with respect to the preceding admissions 
cycle— 
‘‘(A) the established minimum candidate 
composite score and college entrance examina-
tion rank (CEER) score used in such cycle; and 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:19 Aug 26, 2025
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5046.IH
H5046
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
‘‘(B) the total number of waivers of such 
minimum candidate composite score or CEER 
score, including the candidate composite score 
and CEER score of each cadet to whom a waiv-
er relates, a brief explanation of the reasons for 
such waiver, and the category of appointment 
under which each such cadet was appointed 
(and if congressional, the type of slate that 
nominated the waived appointee); and 
‘‘(2) for each cadet who, during the four-year 
period preceding the date of the report, received a 
waiver for the established minimum candidate com-
posite score or CEER score, the status of each such 
cadet, including whether the cadet is still at the 
Academy, the circumstances of such cadet’s depar-
ture (if applicable), the cumulative academic GPA, 
cumulative military GPA, any major conduct or 
honor violations, any remedial measures undertaken, 
and any other noteworthy information concerning 
such cadet. 
‘‘(n) The race, sex, color, ethnicity, national origin, 
or religion of an applicant may not be considered in a de-
termination whether to admit such applicant to the Acad-
emy.’’. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:19 Aug 26, 2025
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00007
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5046.IH
H5046
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
‘‘(b) Not later than October 1 of each year, the Sec-
retary of the Army shall submit to the congressional de-
fense committees a report that includes, with respect to 
the preceding admissions cycle— 
‘‘(1) the candidate composite scores and college 
entrance examination rank (CEER) scores of the ten 
candidates appointed under this section and under 
section 7442(e) of this title who had the lowest can-
didate composite scores; 
‘‘(2) the total number of qualified and nomi-
nated (by any source), but not selected, candidates; 
and 
‘‘(3) the candidate composite scores and CEER 
scores of the ten qualified and nominated candidates 
having the highest candidate composite scores and 
who were not selected for appointment.’’. 
(b) UNITED STATES NAVAL ACADEMY.— 
(1) APPOINTMENTS.—Section 8454 of title 10, 
United States Code, is amended— 
(A) in subsection (a)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘subsection (h)’’ and 
inserting ‘‘subsection (i)’’; 
(ii) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘as 
established by competitive examination’’ 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:19 Aug 26, 2025
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00009
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5046.IH
H5046
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
and inserting ‘‘as determined by candidate 
composite score rank’’; and 
(iii) in the matter following paragraph 
(10)— 
(I) in the second sentence— 
(aa) by inserting ‘‘(in which 
event selection shall be in order 
of merit as determined by can-
didate composite score rank)’’ 
after ‘‘may be submitted without 
ranking’’; and 
(bb) by striking ‘‘9 ranked’’ 
and inserting ‘‘14 ranked’’; 
(II) by inserting after the second 
sentence the following: ‘‘If alternates 
are submitted unranked, any selection 
from among such unranked alternates 
shall be in order of merit as deter-
mined by candidate composite score 
rank.’’; and 
(III) by striking ‘‘shall be consid-
ered qualified alternates for the pur-
pose of selection under other provi-
sions of this chapter’’ and inserting 
‘‘shall be eligible and considered for 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
23:21 Aug 26, 2025
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00010
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5046.IH
H5046
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
selection under other provisions of 
this chapter, including as qualified al-
ternates and additional appointees’’; 
(B) 
by 
redesignating 
subsections 
(b) 
through (h) as subsections (c) through (i), re-
spectively; 
(C) by inserting after subsection (a) the 
following new subsection: 
‘‘(b) There shall be appointed each year at the Acad-
emy 300 qualified alternates selected in order of merit as 
determined by candidate composite score rank by the Sec-
retary of the Navy from qualified candidates nominated 
pursuant to paragraphs (3) through (10) of subsection (a) 
and all other qualified, non-selected candidates holding 
nominations from any other source pursuant to this chap-
ter.’’; 
(D) in subsection (c), as redesignated by 
subparagraph (B)— 
(i) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘one 
hundred selected by the President’’ and in-
serting ‘‘up to one hundred qualified can-
didates selected by the President in order 
of merit as determined by candidate com-
posite score rank’’; 
(ii) in paragraph (2)— 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:19 Aug 26, 2025
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00011
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5046.IH
H5046
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
(I) by striking ‘‘85’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘up to 85 qualified candidates’’; 
and 
(II) by inserting ‘‘, selected in 
order of merit as determined by can-
didate composite score rank’’ before 
the period at the end; 
(iii) in paragraph (3)— 
(I) by striking ‘‘85’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘up to 85 qualified candidates’’; 
and 
(II) by inserting ‘‘, selected in 
order of merit as determined by can-
didate composite score rank’’ before 
the period at the end; 
(iv) in paragraph (4)— 
(I) by striking ‘‘20’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘up to 20 qualified candidates’’; 
and 
(II) by inserting ‘‘, selected in 
order of merit as determined by can-
didate composite score rank’’ before 
the period at the end; and 
(v) by striking paragraph (5); 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:19 Aug 26, 2025
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00012
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5046.IH
H5046
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS
(E) in subsection (f), as redesignated by 
subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘subsection (b)’’ 
both places it appears and inserting ‘‘subsection 
(c)’’; and 
(F) by adding at the end the following new 
subsections: 
‘‘(j) Qualifications of candidates for admission shall 
be determined by use of, among other metrics, a candidate 
composite score uniformly calculated for each applicant. 
The academic component of such composite score shall be 
weighted at not less than 60 percent of the overall com-
posite score and shall include the candidate’s standardized 
test scores, which shall be weighted at not less than 45 
percent of the overall composite score. The total of all sub-
jective components, if any, of the composite score shall be 
weighted at not more than 10 percent of the overall com-
posite score. Any subjectively based adjustment of the can-
didate composite score shall be limited to not more than 
10 percent of the score before such adjustment. Can-
didates’ composite scores, only, shall be used to determine 
order of merit. 
‘‘(k) Not later than October 1 of each year, the Sec-
retary of the Navy shall submit to the Committees on 
Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Represent-
atives a report, including— 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:19 Aug 26, 2025
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00013
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5046.IH
H5046
ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS