I 
110TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7138 
To provide for the establishment and implementation of a National Security 
Career Development Program. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 26, 2008 
Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform 
A BILL 
To provide for the establishment and implementation of a 
National Security Career Development Program. 
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 ‘‘National Security Pro-
fessionals Act of 2008’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) In order to enhance the national security of 
the United States, including preventing, protecting 
against, responding to, and recovering from natural 
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and manmade disasters, such as acts of terrorism, 
as well as to achieve greater agency integration for 
the projection of American power, it is the policy of 
the United States to promote the education, train-
ing, and interagency experience of current and fu-
ture professionals in national security positions in 
Federal agencies. 
(2) Improvised interagency responses in the 
face of imminent threats or during a response to a 
national emergency result in mistakes, mismanage-
ment, and waste. 
(3) Effective national security interagency oper-
ations require a transformation of national security 
education, training, and interagency experience in 
order to produce an interagency cadre of able na-
tional security professionals with specific education, 
training, and interagency experience. 
(4) Professional requirements and staffing 
needs relating to national security differ for every 
level of government, as well as among Federal agen-
cies; therefore, the career development of national 
security professionals will vary between and within 
departments and agencies. 
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(5) Today, there is no formal coordinated sys-
tem for developing the skills and experience needed 
to fulfill this need. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
For purposes of this Act— 
(1) the term ‘‘employee’’ has the meaning given 
such term by section 2105 of title 5, United States 
Code; 
(2) the term ‘‘national security professional’’ 
means an employee holding a national security posi-
tion; 
(3) the term ‘‘national security position’’ means 
a position, the duties and responsibilities of which 
include planning, coordinating, and executing mis-
sions in support of national security objectives, such 
as positions across multiple departments and agen-
cies in— 
(A) the National Counterterrorism Center; 
or 
(B) a provincial reconstruction team; and 
(4) the term ‘‘National Security Career Devel-
opment Program’’ or ‘‘Program’’ refers to the pro-
gram developed and implemented under this Act. 
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SEC. 4. NATIONAL SECURITY CAREER DEVELOPMENT PRO-
GRAM. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The President shall establish 
a program for the development of national security 
professionals, which shall be known as the ‘‘National 
Security Career Development Program’’. The Pro-
gram shall set forth a framework that shall provide 
national security professionals access to integrated 
education, training, and professional experience 
interagency opportunities for the purpose of enhanc-
ing their mission-related knowledge, skills, and expe-
rience, and thereby improve their capability to safe-
guard the security of the Nation. Such interagency 
career development opportunities shall be provided 
across Federal agencies, levels of Government, and 
national security functions, as appropriate. 
(2) PARTICIPATING DEPARTMENTS AND AGEN-
CIES.—The departments and agencies participating 
in the Program shall include the Department of 
State, the Department of the Treasury, the Depart-
ment of Defense, the Department of Justice, the De-
partment of Agriculture, the Department of Labor, 
the Department of Health and Human Services, the 
Department of Housing and Urban Development, 
the Department of Transportation, the Department 
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of Energy, the Department of Education, the De-
partment of Homeland Security, the Office of Man-
agement and Budget, the Nuclear Regulatory Com-
mission, the United States Agency for International 
Development, and all intelligence agencies. 
(b) APPOINTMENT AND ADVANCEMENT.— 
(1) EXPERIENCED PERSONNEL.—Departments 
and agencies participating in the Program shall en-
courage the appointment of personnel with a variety 
of national security experiences from within and out-
side the Federal Government for national security 
positions. 
(2) QUALIFICATIONS.—Departments and agen-
cies participating in the Program shall identify na-
tional security qualifications for appointment and 
advancement opportunities. Agency job announce-
ments for national security positions shall solicit ap-
plications from the widest population authorized by 
law and regulation on the date of the solicitation. 
(c) CERTIFICATION.—The Program shall establish 
policies to identify a threshold of interagency experience, 
knowledge, skills, and abilities required to obtain a na-
tional security interagency certification as a national secu-
rity professional. The certification shall be a consideration 
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for promotion of national security professionals holding 
career appointments. 
(d) FUNDING.—Implementation of the Program shall 
be subject to the availability of appropriations. The Presi-
dent’s budget request shall include funding requirements 
to establish and maintain a National Security Career De-
velopment Program to include an end strength float ena-
bling agencies to continue day-to-day functions while ena-
bling selected agency national security professionals to 
participate in career development activities which require 
temporary absences from their duty positions. 
SEC. 5. PROGRAM COMPONENTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The National Security Career De-
velopment Program shall include— 
(1) a rigorous and effective set of educational 
opportunities for national security professionals; 
(2) training that refreshes or enhances a na-
tional security professional’s expertise in planning, 
coordinating, and executing national security mis-
sions through instruction, drills, and exercises that 
take into account the full spectrum of threats and 
hazards that comprise America’s 21st century risk 
environment; and 
(3) opportunities for professional interagency 
experience, as described in subsection (b). 
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(b) PROFESSIONAL INTERAGENCY EXPERIENCE.—In 
order to carry out subsection (a)(3), the Program shall 
include opportunities for inter-governmental, interagency, 
and inter-office assignments, fellowships, and exchanges 
(including with non-governmental organizations, to the ex-
tent appropriate), in order to achieve the following: 
(1) Enable national security professionals to 
understand the roles, responsibilities, and cultures of 
other organizations and disciplines involved in na-
tional security. 
(2) Promote the exchange of ideas and prac-
tices among national security professionals. 
(3) Build trust and familiarity among national 
security professionals with differing perspectives. 
(4) Minimize obstacles to coordination in the 
face of a national security threat or emergency. 
(c) INCENTIVES.—The Program shall link career ad-
vancement or other incentives for national security profes-
sionals to participation in rotational or temporary detail 
interagency assignments to include: 
(1) Linkage of interagency assignments in na-
tional security positions to accelerated promotion 
consideration for national security professionals to 
grades GS–14 and GS–15 of the General Schedule 
(or their equivalent). 
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(2) Eligibility of national security professionals 
holding a position in grade GS–13 or GS–14 of the 
General Schedule (or the equivalent) who complete 
an interagency assignment for immediate step in-
creases or other incentives. 
(d) WAIVERS; GRANDFATHERING; POLITICAL AP-
POINTEES.— 
(1) WAIVERS.—The Program may, with respect 
to any incentive under subsection (c) that requires 
prior Government service or experience, waive such 
requirement, in the case of individuals who are able 
to demonstrate that they possess similar or equiva-
lent service or experience from work in the private 
sector or other employment outside the Federal Gov-
ernment. 
(2) GRANDFATHERING.—For the purpose of 
promotion to Senior Executive Service (or equiva-
lent) positions, Federal agencies may grandfather 
personnel who, as of the date of the enactment of 
this Act, have a career appointment in grade GS–14 
or GS–15 of the General Schedule (or the equiva-
lent), and who, as determined by the head of the 
Federal agency involved, have acquired the necessary 
knowledge, skills, and aptitudes required for pro-
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motion to the Senior Executive Service (or equiva-
lent). 
(3) POLITICAL
APPOINTEES.—The Program 
shall establish appropriate career development pro-
grams for political appointees in national security 
positions. 
SEC. 6. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS. 
(a) INITIAL REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall 
submit to each House of the Congress a written report 
describing, and setting forth the details of an implementa-
tion plan for, the National Security Career Development 
Program. 
(b) ANNUAL REPORTS.—The President shall submit 
to Congress each year, at the time that the President’s 
budget is submitted to Congress that year under section 
1105(a) of title 31, United States Code, a report detailing 
the status of the implementation plan described in sub-
section (a). 
Æ 
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