H. R. 5515—365 
Sec. 1103. Extension of overtime rate authority for Department of the Navy em-
ployees performing work aboard or dockside in support of the nuclear- 
powered aircraft carrier forward deployed in Japan. 
Sec. 1104. One-year extension and expansion of authority to waive annual limita-
tion on premium pay and aggregate limitation on pay for Federal civil-
ian employees working overseas. 
Sec. 1105. Extension of authority to conduct telework travel expenses test pro-
grams. 
Sec. 1106. Personnel demonstration projects. 
Sec. 1107. Expanded flexibility in selecting candidates from referral lists. 
Sec. 1108. Expedited hiring authority for college graduates and post secondary stu-
dents. 
Sec. 1109. Inapplicability of certification of executive qualifications by qualification 
review boards of Office of Personnel Management for initial appoint-
ments to Senior Executive Service positions in Department of Defense. 
Sec. 1110. Engagement with Historically Black Colleges and Universities and mi-
nority-serving institutions for the purposes of technical workforce en-
hancement. 
Sec. 1111. Inclusion of Strategic Capabilities Office and Defense Innovation Unit 
Experimental of the Department of Defense in personnel management 
authority to attract experts in science and engineering. 
Sec. 1112. Enhancement of flexible management authorities for science and tech-
nology reinvention laboratories of the Department of Defense. 
Sec. 1113. Inclusion of Office of Secretary of Defense among components of the De-
partment of Defense covered by direct hire authority for financial man-
agement experts. 
Sec. 1114. Alcohol testing of civil service mariners of the Military Sealift Command 
assigned to vessels. 
Sec. 1115. One-year extension of temporary authority to grant allowances, benefits, 
and gratuities to civilian personnel on official duty in a combat zone. 
SEC. 1101. DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF 
DEFENSE FOR CERTAIN COMPETITIVE SERVICE POSI-
TIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 99 of title 5, United States Code, 
is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘§ 9905. Direct hire authority for certain personnel of the 
Department of Defense 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense may appoint, with-
out regard to the provisions of subchapter I of chapter 33 (other 
than sections 3303 and 3328 of such chapter), qualified candidates 
to any of the following positions in the competitive service in the 
Department of Defense: 
‘‘(1) Any position involved with Department maintenance 
activities, including depot-level maintenance and repair. 
‘‘(2) Any position involved with cybersecurity. 
‘‘(3) Any individual in the acquisition workforce that man-
ages any services contracts necessary to the operation and 
maintenance of programs of the Department. 
‘‘(4) Any science, technology, or engineering position, 
including any such position at the Major Range and Test Facili-
ties Base, in order to allow development of new systems and 
provide for the maintenance of legacy systems. 
‘‘(b) SUNSET.—Effective on September 30, 2025, the authority 
provided under subsection (a) shall expire.’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections at the begin-
ning of chapter 99 of such title is amended by inserting after 
the item relating to section 9904 the following new item: 
‘‘9905. Direct hire authority for certain personnel of the Department of Defense.’’.
H. R. 5515—366 
SEC. 1102. MODIFICATION OF DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY FOR THE 
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE FOR POST-SECONDARY STU-
DENTS AND RECENT GRADUATES. 
Section 1106 of the National Defense Authorization Act for 
Fiscal Year 2017 (Public Law 114–328) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘15 percent’’ and inserting 
‘‘25 percent’’; and 
(2) in subsection (d), by striking ‘‘September 30, 2021’’ 
and inserting ‘‘September 30, 2025’’. 
SEC. 1103. EXTENSION OF OVERTIME RATE AUTHORITY FOR DEPART-
MENT OF THE NAVY EMPLOYEES PERFORMING WORK 
ABOARD OR DOCKSIDE IN SUPPORT OF THE NUCLEAR- 
POWERED AIRCRAFT CARRIER FORWARD DEPLOYED IN 
JAPAN. 
Section 5542(a)(6)(B) of title 5, United States Code, is amended 
by striking ‘‘September 30, 2019’’ and inserting ‘‘September 30, 
2021’’. 
SEC. 1104. ONE-YEAR EXTENSION AND EXPANSION OF AUTHORITY TO 
WAIVE ANNUAL LIMITATION ON PREMIUM PAY AND 
AGGREGATE LIMITATION ON PAY FOR FEDERAL CIVILIAN 
EMPLOYEES WORKING OVERSEAS. 
(a) IN
GENERAL.—Section 1101(a) of the Duncan Hunter 
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009 (Public 
Law 110–417; 122 Stat. 4615), as most recently amended by section 
1105 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 
2018 (Public Law 115–91), is amended by striking ‘‘through 2018’’ 
and inserting ‘‘through 2019’’. 
(b) APPLICABILITY OF AGGREGATE LIMITATION ON PAY.—Section 
1101(b) of the Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act 
for Fiscal Year 2009 (Public Law 110–417; 122 Stat. 4615) is 
amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(b) APPLICABILITY
OF AGGREGATE LIMITATION
ON PAY.—In 
applying section 5307 of title 5, United States Code, any payment 
in addition to basic pay for a period of time during which a waiver 
under subsection (a) is in effect shall not be counted as part of 
an employee’s aggregate compensation for the given calendar year.’’. 
(c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by this section 
shall take effect on the date of the enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 1105. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY TO CONDUCT TELEWORK 
TRAVEL EXPENSES TEST PROGRAMS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 5711(g) of title 5, United States Code, 
is amended by striking ‘‘7 years after the date of the enactment 
of the Telework Enhancement Act of 2010’’ and inserting ‘‘on 
December 31, 2020’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by subsection (a) 
shall take effect as though enacted on December 1, 2017. 
SEC. 1106. PERSONNEL DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS. 
Section 4703 of title 5, United States Code, is amended— 
(1) in subsection (d), by striking paragraph (2) and inserting 
the following: 
‘‘(2)(A) Except as provided in subparagraph (B), not more 
than 10 active demonstration projects may be in effect at any 
time.
H. R. 5515—367 
‘‘(B) Any demonstration project authorized under this 
section that is active for a period greater than 10 years 
shall not count for purposes of applying the limitation 
in subparagraph (A).’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(j) Each agency at which a demonstration project authorized 
by this section is ongoing shall submit an annual report to the 
Office of Personnel Management, the Office and Management and 
Budget, the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental 
Affairs of the United States Senate, and the Committee on Over-
sight and Government Reform of the United States House of Rep-
resentatives that includes— 
‘‘(1) the aggregate performance appraisal ratings and com-
pensation costs for employees under a demonstration project; 
‘‘(2) an assessment of the results of the demonstration 
project, including its impact on mission goals, employee recruit-
ment, retention, and satisfaction, and which may include the 
results of the survey authorized under section 1128 of the 
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004 (Public 
Law 108–136; 5 U.S.C. 7101 note), commonly referred to as 
the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey, and performance 
management for employees; and 
‘‘(3) a comparison of the items listed in (1) and (2) with 
employees not covered by the demonstration project.’’. 
SEC. 1107. EXPANDED FLEXIBILITY IN SELECTING CANDIDATES FROM 
REFERRAL LISTS. 
(a) EXPANDED FLEXIBILITY.—Subchapter I of chapter 33 of title 
5, United States Code, is amended by striking sections 3317 and 
3318 and inserting the following: 
‘‘§ 3317. Competitive service; certification using numerical 
ratings 
‘‘(a) CERTIFICATION.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the Office of Personnel 
Management, or the head of an agency to which the Director 
has delegated examining authority under section 1104(a)(2), 
shall certify a sufficient number of names from the top of 
the appropriate register or list of eligibles, as determined pursu-
ant to regulations prescribed under subsection (c), and provide 
a certificate with such names to an appointing authority that 
has requested a certificate of eligibles to consider when filling 
a job in the competitive service. 
‘‘(2) MINIMUM NUMBER OF NAMES CERTIFIED.—Unless other-
wise provided for in regulations prescribed under subsection 
(c), the number of names certified under paragraph (1) shall 
be not less than three. 
‘‘(b) DISCONTINUANCE OF CERTIFICATION.—When an appointing 
authority, for reasons considered sufficient by the Director or head 
of an agency, has three times considered and passed over a pref-
erence eligible who was certified from a register, the Director or 
head of any agency may discontinue certifying the preference 
eligible for appointment. The Director or the head of an agency 
shall provide to such preference eligible notice of the intent to 
discontinue certifying such preference eligible prior to the dis-
continuance of certification.
H. R. 5515—368 
‘‘(c) REGULATIONS.—The Director shall prescribe regulations for 
the administration of this section. Such regulations shall include 
the establishment of mechanisms for identifying the eligibles who 
will be considered for each vacancy. Such mechanisms may include 
cut-off scores. 
‘‘(d) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘Director’ means 
the Director of the Office of Personnel Management. 
‘‘§ 3318. Competitive service; selections using numerical 
ratings 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—An appointing authority shall select for 
appointment from the eligibles certified for appointment on a certifi-
cate furnished under section 3317(a), unless objection to one or 
more of the individuals certified is made to, and sustained by, 
the Director of the Office of Personnel Management or the head 
of an agency to which the Director has delegated examining 
authority under section 1104(a)(2), for proper and adequate reason 
under regulations prescribed by the Director. 
‘‘(b) OTHER APPOINTING AUTHORITIES.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—During the 240-day period beginning 
on the date of issuance of a certificate of eligibles under section 
3317(a), an appointing authority other than the appointing 
authority requesting the certificate (in this subsection referred 
to as the ‘other appointing authority’) may select an individual 
from that certificate in accordance with this subsection for 
an appointment to a position that is— 
‘‘(A) in the same occupational series as the position 
for which the certification of eligibles was issued (in this 
subsection referred to as the ‘original position’); and 
‘‘(B) at a similar grade level as the original position. 
‘‘(2) APPLICABILITY.—An appointing authority requesting 
a certificate of eligibles may share the certificate with another 
appointing authority only if the announcement of the original 
position provided notice that the resulting list of eligible can-
didates may be used by another appointing authority. 
‘‘(3) REQUIREMENTS.—The selection of an individual under 
paragraph (1)— 
‘‘(A) shall be made in accordance with subsection (a); 
and 
‘‘(B) subject to paragraph (4), may be made without 
any additional posting under section 3327. 
‘‘(4) INTERNAL
NOTICE.—Before selecting an individual 
under paragraph (1), the other appointing authority shall— 
‘‘(A) provide notice of the available position to 
employees of the other appointing authority; 
‘‘(B) provide up to 10 business days for employees 
of the other appointing authority to apply for the position; 
and 
‘‘(C) review the qualifications of employees submitting 
an application. 
‘‘(c) PASS OVER.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—Subject to subparagraph (2), if an 
appointing authority proposes to pass over a preference eligible 
certified for appointment under subsection (a) and select an 
individual who is not a preference eligible, the appointing 
authority shall file written reasons with the Director or the 
head of the agency for passing over the preference eligible.