[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6037 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6037

 To amend titles 10 and 37, United States Code, to create the position 
   of Assistant Secretary of Defense for Irregular Warfare, Cultural 
 Training, and Social Science Initiatives and to authorize a new skill 
 incentive pay and proficiency bonus to encourage members of the Armed 
  Forces to train in critical foreign languages and foreign cultural 
                                studies.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 13, 2008

Ms. Giffords (for herself, Ms. Shea-Porter, and Mr. Johnson of Georgia) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                             Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend titles 10 and 37, United States Code, to create the position 
   of Assistant Secretary of Defense for Irregular Warfare, Cultural 
 Training, and Social Science Initiatives and to authorize a new skill 
 incentive pay and proficiency bonus to encourage members of the Armed 
  Forces to train in critical foreign languages and foreign cultural 
                                studies.

    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 ``National Security Culture and 
Language Training Act''.

SEC. 2. OFFICE OF IRREGULAR WARFARE, CULTURAL TRAINING, AND SOCIAL 
              SCIENCE INITIATIVES.

    (a) Establishing the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Irregular 
Warfare, Cultural Training, and Social Science Initiatives.--Section 
138 of title 10, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a), by striking ``ten'' and inserting 
        ``eleven''; and
            (2) in subsection (b), by adding at the end the following 
        new paragraph:
            ``(6) One of the Assistant Secretaries shall be the 
        Assistant Secretary of Defense for Irregular Warfare, Cultural 
        Training, and Social Science Initiatives. He shall have as his 
        principal duty the overall supervision of the Office of 
        Irregular Warfare, Cultural Training, and Social Science 
        Initiatives.''.
    (b) Establishment of the Office of Irregular Warfare, Cultural 
Training, and Social Science Initiatives.--Chapter 101 of title 10, 
United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new 
section:
``Sec. 2016. Office of Irregular Warfare, Cultural Training, and Social 
              Science Initiatives
    ``(a) Establishment.--There is in the Office of the Secretary of 
Defense an Office of Irregular Warfare, Cultural Training, and Social 
Science Initiatives (hereinafter in this section referred to as the 
`Office'). The Office shall be under the Assistant Secretary of Defense 
for Irregular Warfare, Cultural Training, and Social Science 
Initiatives.
    ``(b) Duties.--The Office shall--
            ``(1) devise and implement a training doctrine that 
        includes the development of cultural, sociological, and 
        psychological knowledge and skills for members of the armed 
        forces;
            ``(2) use existing cultural training programs and 
        structures in the armed forces to expand training efforts for 
        all military personnel;
            ``(3) devise measurable, empirical criteria for determining 
        the value and efficacy of each initiative and program of the 
        Office;
            ``(4) develop and maintain partnerships between the 
        Department of Defense and academic institutions, social science 
        professionals, and human science professionals to further the 
        mission of the Office;
            ``(5) serve as the clearinghouse within the Department of 
        Defense for knowledge in the human and social sciences;
            ``(6) develop products and studies on cultural awareness 
        training and education, educational training and science, 
        language science, and opinion shaping; and
            ``(7) disseminate human and social science knowledge to 
        members of the armed forces in the field in a useable, 
        standardized form.
    ``(c) Report.--Not later than one year after the date of the 
enactment of this section, and every year thereafter, the Assistant 
Secretary of Defense for Irregular Warfare, Cultural Training, and 
Social Science Initiatives shall submit a report to Congress on the 
implementation of this section.''.

SEC. 3. USE OF NEW SKILL INCENTIVE PAY AND PROFICIENCY BONUS 
              AUTHORITIES TO ENCOURAGE TRAINING IN CRITICAL FOREIGN 
              LANGUAGES AND FOREIGN CULTURAL STUDIES.

    (a) Eligibility for Skill Proficiency Bonus.--Subsection (b) of 
section 353 of title 37, United States Code, is amended to read as 
follows:
    ``(b) Skill Proficiency Bonus.--
            ``(1) Availability; eligible persons.--The Secretary 
        concerned may pay a proficiency bonus to a member of a regular 
        or reserve component of the uniformed services who--
                    ``(A) is entitled to basic pay under section 204 of 
                this title or compensation under section 206 of this 
                title or is enrolled in an officer training program; 
                and
                    ``(B) is determined to have, and maintains, 
                certified proficiency under subsection (d) in a skill 
                designated as critical by the Secretary concerned or is 
                in training to acquire proficiency in a critical 
                foreign language or expertise in foreign cultural 
                studies or a related skill designated as critical by 
                the Secretary concerned.
            ``(2) Inclusion of certain senior rotc members.--A 
        proficiency bonus may be paid under this subsection to a 
        student who is enrolled in the Senior Reserve Officers' 
        Training Corps program even though the student is in the first 
        year of the four-year course under the program. During the 
        period covered by the proficiency bonus, the student shall also 
        be entitled to a monthly subsistence allowance under section 
        209(c) of this title even though the student has not entered 
        into an agreement under section 2103a of title 10. However, if 
        the student receives incentive pay under subsection (g)(2) for 
        the same period, the student may receive only a single monthly 
        subsistence allowance under section 209(c) of this title.''.
    (b) Availability of Incentive Pay for Participation in Foreign 
Language Education or Training Programs.--Such section is further 
amended--
            (1) by redesignating subsections (g), (h), and (i) as 
        subsections (h), (i), and (j), respectively; and
            (2) by inserting after subsection (f) the following new 
        subsection (g):
    ``(g) Foreign Language Studies in Officer Training Programs.--
            ``(1) Availability of incentive pay.--The Secretary 
        concerned may pay incentive pay to a person enrolled in an 
        officer training program to also participate in an education or 
        training program to acquire proficiency in a critical foreign 
        language or expertise in foreign cultural studies or a related 
        skill designated as critical by the Secretary concerned.
            ``(2) Inclusion of certain senior rotc members.--Incentive 
        pay may be paid under this subsection to a student who is 
        enrolled in the Senior Reserve Officers' Training Corps program 
        even though the student is in the first year of the four-year 
        course under the program. While the student receives the 
        incentive pay, the student shall also be entitled to a monthly 
        subsistence allowance under section 209(c) of this title even 
        though the student has not entered into an agreement under 
        section 2103a of title 10. However, if the student receives a 
        proficiency bonus under subsection (b)(2) covering the same 
        month, the student may receive only a single monthly 
        subsistence allowance under section 209(c) of this title.
            ``(3) Critical foreign language defined.--In this section, 
        the term `critical foreign language' includes Arabic, Korean, 
        Japanese, Chinese, Pashto, Persian-Farsi, Serbian-Croatian, 
        Russian, Portuguese, or other language designated as critical 
        by the Secretary concerned.''.
    (c) Pilot Program for Foreign Language Proficiency Training for 
Reserve Members.--
            (1) Pilot program required.--The Secretary of Defense shall 
        conduct a pilot program to provide a skill proficiency bonus 
        under section 353(b) of title 37, United States Code, to a 
        member of a reserve component of the Armed Forces who is 
        entitled to compensation under section 206 of such title while 
        the member participates in an education or training program to 
        acquire proficiency in a critical foreign language or expertise 
        in foreign cultural studies or a related skill designated as 
        critical under such section 353.
            (2) Duration of pilot program.--The Secretary shall conduct 
        the pilot program during the period beginning on October 1, 
        2008, and ending on December 31, 2013. Incentive pay may not be 
        provided under the pilot program after December 31, 2013.
            (3) Reporting requirement.--Not later than March 31, 2012, 
        the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report containing the 
        results of the pilot program and the recommendations of the 
        Secretary regarding whether to continue or expand the pilot 
        program.
    (d) Expedited Implementation.--Notwithstanding section 662 of the 
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 (Public Law 
110-181; 122 Stat. 180; 37 U.S.C. 301 note), the Secretary of a 
military department may immediately implement the amendments made by 
subsections (a) and (b) in order to ensure the prompt availability of 
proficiency bonuses and incentive pay under section 553 of title 37, 
United States Code, as amended by such subsections, for persons 
enrolled in officer training programs.
                                 <all>