Title: ELITE Act of 2020
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Equality in Leadership and Inclusion in Top Elements Act of 2020 or the ELITE Act of 2020
This bill directs the Department of the Defense to seek to enter into an agreement with a federally funded research and development center with relevant expertise to conduct an evaluation of the barriers to minority participation in specified units of the Armed Forces.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3903 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3903

 To direct the Secretary of Defense to enter into an agreement with a 
  federally funded research and development center for a study on the 
  barriers to minority participation in the elite units of the Armed 
                    Forces, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              June 4, 2020

 Ms. Duckworth introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
              referred to the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To direct the Secretary of Defense to enter into an agreement with a 
  federally funded research and development center for a study on the 
  barriers to minority participation in the elite units of the Armed 
                    Forces, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Equality in Leadership and Inclusion 
in Top Elements Act of 2020'' or the ``ELITE Act of 2020''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) In 1999, the RAND Corporation issued a report entitled 
        ``Barriers to Minority Participation in Special Operations 
        Forces'' that was sponsored by United States Special Operations 
        Command.
            (2) In 2018, the RAND Corporation issued a report entitled 
        ``Understanding Demographic Differences in Undergraduate Pilot 
        Training Attrition'' that was sponsored by the Air Force.
            (3) No significant independent study has been performed by 
        a federally funded research and development center into 
        increasing minority participation in the special forces since 
        1999.

SEC. 3. EVALUATION OF BARRIERS TO MINORITY PARTICIPATION IN CERTAIN 
              UNITS OF THE ARMED FORCES.

    (a) Study Required.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 30 days after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall seek 
        to enter into an agreement with a federally funded research and 
        development center with relevant expertise to conduct an 
        evaluation of the barriers to minority participation in covered 
        units of the Armed Forces.
            (2) Elements.--The evaluation required under paragraph (1) 
        shall include the following elements:
                    (A) A description of the racial, ethnic, and gender 
                composition of covered units.
                    (B) A comparison of the participation rates of 
                minority populations in covered units to participation 
                rates of the general population as members and as 
                officers of the Armed Forces.
                    (C) A comparison of the percentage of minority 
                officers in the grade of O-7 or higher who have served 
                in each covered unit to such percentage for all such 
                officers in the Armed Force of that covered unit.
                    (D) An identification of barriers to minority 
                participation in the accession, assessment, and 
                training processes.
                    (E) The status and effectiveness of the response to 
                the recommendations contained in the report referred to 
                in section 2(1) and any follow-up recommendations.
                    (F) Recommendations to increase the number of 
                minority officers in the Armed Forces.
                    (G) Recommendations to increase minority 
                participation in covered units.
                    (H) Any other matters the Secretary determines 
                appropriate.
            (3) Report to congress.--The Secretary shall--
                    (A) submit to the congressional defense committees 
                a report on the results of the study by not later than 
                January 1, 2022; and
                    (B) provide interim briefings to such committees 
                upon request.
    (b) Designation.--The study conducted under subsection (a) shall be 
known as the ``Study on Reducing Barriers to Minority Participation in 
Elite Units in the Armed Services''.
    (c) Implementation Required.--
            (1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), not 
        later than March 1, 2023, the Secretary of Defense shall 
        commence the implementation of each recommendation included in 
        the final report submitted under subsection (a)(3).
            (2) Exceptions.--
                    (A) Delayed implementation.--The Secretary of 
                Defense may commence implementation of a recommendation 
                described in paragraph (1) not later than March 1, 
                2023, if--
                            (i) the Secretary submits to the 
                        congressional defense committees, not later 
                        than January 1, 2023, written notice of the 
                        intent of the Secretary to delay implementation 
                        of the recommendation; and
                            (ii) includes, as part of such notice, a 
                        specific justification for the delay in 
                        implementing the recommendation.
                    (B) Nonimplementation.--The Secretary of Defense 
                may elect not to implement a recommendation described 
                in paragraph (1), if--
                            (i) the Secretary submits to the 
                        congressional defense committees, not later 
                        than January 1, 2023, written notice of the 
                        intent of the Secretary not to implement the 
                        recommendation; and
                            (ii) includes, as part of such notice--
                                    (I) the reasons for the Secretary's 
                                decision not to implement the 
                                recommendation; and
                                    (II) a summary of alternative 
                                actions the Secretary will carry out to 
                                address the purposes underlying the 
                                recommendation.
            (3) Implementation plan.--For each recommendation that the 
        Secretary implements under this subsection, the Secretary shall 
        submit to the congressional defense committees an 
        implementation plan that includes--
                    (A) a summary of actions the Secretary has carried 
                out, or intends to carry out, to implement the 
                recommendation; and
                    (B) a schedule, with specific milestones, for 
                completing the implementation of the recommendation.
    (d) Covered Units Defined.--In this section, the term ``covered 
units'' means the following:
            (1) Army Special Forces.
            (2) Army Rangers.
            (3) Navy SEALs.
            (4) Air Force Combat Control Teams.
            (5) Air Force Pararescue.
            (6) Air Force Special Reconnaissance.
            (7) Marine Raider Regiments.
            (8) Marine Corps Force Reconnaissance.
            (9) Coast Guard Deployable Operations Group.
            (10) Any other forces designated by the Secretary of 
        Defense as special operations forces.
            (11) Pilot and navigator military occupational specialties.
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