(A) means a State of the United States in, 
or bordering on, the Atlantic, Pacific, or Arctic 
Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, the Long Island 
Sound, or one or more of the Great Lakes; and 
(B) includes Puerto Rico, the United 
States Virgin Islands, Guam, the Common-
wealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and 
American Samoa. 
(2) FELLOW.—The term ‘‘fellow’’ means an in-
dividual awarded a fellowship under section 5. 
(3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Commerce. 
SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF COASTAL MANAGEMENT FEL-
LOWSHIP. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—There is established a fellowship 
program, to be known as the ‘‘Coastal Management Fel-
lowship’’. 
(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of the Coastal Man-
agement Fellowship are— 
(1) to provide on-the-job training, professional 
mentoring, and educational opportunities in coastal 
management and policy to qualified individuals as 
described in section 5; 
(2) to direct essential workforce assistance to 
coastal States to support coastal management ef-
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forts, including building local-level capacity to adapt 
to coastal vulnerabilities; and 
(3) to encourage the next generation of coastal 
professionals to engage in public service work to help 
the United States better manage coastal resources 
and protect coastal communities. 
SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT OF DIGITAL COAST FELLOWSHIP. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—There is established a fellowship 
program, to be known as the ‘‘Digital Coast Fellowship’’. 
(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of the Digital Coast 
Fellowship are— 
(1) to provide on-the-job training, professional 
mentoring, and educational opportunities in coastal 
management and policy to qualified individuals as 
described in section 5; 
(2) to provide assistance to coastal States and 
partner organizations to help advance the goals of 
the Digital Coast program established under section 
4 of the Digital Coast Act (16 U.S.C. 1467); and 
(3) to encourage the next generation of coastal 
professionals to engage in public service work to help 
the United States better manage coastal resources 
and protect coastal communities. 
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SEC. 5. FELLOWSHIPS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall award fellow-
ships under the Coastal Management Fellowship and the 
Digital Coast Fellowship in accordance with this section. 
(b) QUALIFICATIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall award 
fellowships under this section to individuals selected 
from among individuals who— 
(A) have successfully completed a covered 
degree or will complete a covered degree before 
the start of the fellowship; and 
(B) have demonstrated— 
(i) an interest in pursuing a career in 
coastal or marine— 
(I) science; 
(II) policy; 
(III) management; or 
(IV) law; 
(ii) outstanding potential for such a 
career; 
(iii) leadership potential or experience; 
(iv) a commitment to or significant in-
terest in public service; 
(v) proficient skills in writing and oral 
communication; and 
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(vi) such other attributes as the Sec-
retary determines appropriate. 
(2) DEFINITION OF COVERED DEGREE.—In this 
subsection, the term ‘‘covered degree’’ means a grad-
uate degree from an accredited United States insti-
tution, the curriculum for which covers topics rel-
evant to coastal management, as determined by the 
Secretary. 
(c) REQUIREMENT OF GEOGRAPHIC BALANCE.—The 
Secretary shall award fellowships under this section in a 
manner that is geographically balanced. 
(d) TERM OF FELLOWSHIP.—A fellowship awarded 
under this section shall be for a term of not more than 
2 years. 
(e) STIPEND.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Each fellow shall receive an 
annual stipend of not less than $47,000, which the 
Secretary shall regularly review and periodically ad-
just, as determined appropriate by the Secretary— 
(A) to be commensurate with other similar 
fellowships; and 
(B) to account for changes in cost of living 
and inflation. 
(2) LOCALITY
PAY.—The Secretary shall in-
clude a pay adjustment as part of the stipends de-
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scribed in paragraph (1) that is comparable to the 
locality pay adjustment for the locality pay area in 
which the host office of the fellow is located, as de-
termined under section 531.603 of title 5, Code of 
Federal Regulations (or any successor regulation). 
(f) STATUS OF FELLOWS.—Except as provided in 
subsection (h)(3), fellows shall not be considered to be 
Federal employees. 
(g) DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—During fiscal year 2023 and 
any fiscal year thereafter, the head of any Federal 
agency may appoint, without regard to the provi-
sions of subchapter I of chapter 33 of title 5, United 
States Code, other than sections 3303 and 3328 of 
that title, a candidate who meets the qualifications 
described in paragraph (2) directly to a position with 
the Federal agency for which the candidate meets 
Office of Personnel Management qualification stand-
ards. 
(2) QUALIFICATIONS.—Paragraph (1) applies 
with respect to a former fellow who has successfully 
fulfilled the requirements of the fellowship. 
(3) LIMITATION.—The direct hire authority 
under paragraph (1) shall be exercised with respect 
to a specific qualified candidate not later than 2 
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years after the date on which the candidate com-
pleted a fellowship awarded under this section. 
(h) USE OF FUNDS.—Amounts authorized to be ap-
propriated under section 6 shall be used for— 
(1) the award of fellowships under this section, 
including stipends paid to fellows and other relevant 
benefits offered to fellows, including health insur-
ance, as identified by the Secretary; 
(2) administrative costs associated with the 
Coastal Management Fellowship and the Digital 
Coast Fellowship; 
(3) relocation and travel expenses paid to fel-
lows, who shall be considered to be Federal employ-
ees for purposes of section 3375 of title 5, United 
States Code; 
(4) professional development opportunities for 
fellows, including costs associated with trainings, 
certifications, classes, or other opportunities to ad-
vance— 
(A) the professional skills of each fellow; or 
(B) the ability of each fellow to support 
the needs of the host office; and 
(5) such other costs of the Coastal Management 
Fellowship and the Digital Coast Fellowship as the 
Secretary may identify. 
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SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
There is authorized to be appropriated to the Sec-
retary for the uses described in section 5(h) $1,910,000 
for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2028. 
Æ 
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