[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1864 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1864

   To require a demonstration program on the accession as Air Force 
           officers of candidates with auditory impairments.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           December 19, 2013

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To require a demonstration program on the accession as Air Force 
           officers of candidates with auditory impairments.

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

SECTION 1. DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM ON ACCESSION OF CANDIDATES WITH 
              AUDITORY IMPAIRMENTS AS AIR FORCE OFFICERS.

    (a) Demonstration Program Required.--Beginning not later than 90 
days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the 
Air Force shall carry out a demonstration program to assess the 
feasibility and advisability of permitting individuals with auditory 
impairments (including deafness) to access as officers of the Air 
Force.
    (b) Candidates.--
            (1) Number of candidates.--The total number of individuals 
        with auditory impairments who may participate in the 
        demonstration program shall be not fewer than 15 individuals or 
        more than 20 individuals.
            (2) Mix and range of auditory impairments.--The individuals 
        who participate in the demonstration program shall include 
        individuals who are deaf and individuals who have a range of 
        other auditory impairments.
            (3) Qualification for accession.--Any individual who is 
        chosen to participate in the demonstration program shall meet 
        all essential qualifications for accession as an officer in the 
        Air Force, other than those related to having an auditory 
        impairment.
    (c) Selection of Participants.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary of the Air Force shall--
                    (A) publicize the demonstration program nationally, 
                including to individuals who have auditory impairments 
                and would be otherwise qualified for officer training;
                    (B) create a process whereby interested individuals 
                can apply for the demonstration program; and
                    (C) select the participants for the demonstration 
                program, from among the pool of applicants, based on 
                the criteria in subsection (b).
            (2) No prior service as air force officers.--Participants 
        selected for the demonstration program shall be individuals who 
        have not previously served as officers in the Air Force.
    (d) Basic Officer Training.--
            (1) In general.--The participants in the demonstration 
        program shall undergo, at the election of the Secretary of the 
        Air Force, the Basic Officer Training course or the 
        Commissioned Officer Training course at Maxwell Air Force Base, 
        Alabama.
            (2) Number of participants.--Once individuals begin 
        participating in the demonstration program, each Basic Officer 
        Training course or Commissioned Officer Training course at 
        Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, shall include not fewer than 
        4, or more than 6, participants in the demonstration program 
        until all participants have completed such training.
            (3) Auxiliary aids and services.--The Secretary of Defense 
        shall ensure that participants in the demonstration program 
        have the necessary auxiliary aids and services (as that term is 
        defined in section 4 of the Americans With Disabilities Act of 
        1990 (42 U.S.C. 12103)) in order to fully participate in the 
        demonstration program.
    (e) Coordination.--
            (1) Special advisor.--The Secretary of the Air Force shall 
        designate a special advisor to the demonstration program to act 
        as a resource for participants in the demonstration program, as 
        well as a liaison between participants in the demonstration 
        program and those providing the officer training.
            (2) Qualifications.--The special advisor shall be a member 
        of the Armed Forces on active duty--
                    (A) who--
                            (i) if a commissioned officer, shall be in 
                        grade O-3 or higher; or
                            (ii) if an enlisted member, shall be in 
                        grade E-5 or higher; and
                    (B) who is knowledgeable about issues involving, 
                and accommodations for, individuals with auditory 
                impairments (including deafness).
            (3) Responsibilities.--The special advisor shall be 
        responsible for facilitating the officer training for 
        participants in the demonstration program, intervening and 
        resolving issues and accommodations during the training, and 
        such other duties as the Secretary of the Air Force may assign 
        to facilitate the success of the demonstration program and 
        participants.
    (f) Report.--Not later than two years after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Air Force shall submit to 
the appropriate committees of Congress a report on the demonstration 
program. The report shall include the following:
            (1) A description of the demonstration program and the 
        participants in the demonstration program.
            (2) The outcome of the demonstration program, including--
                    (A) the number of participants in the demonstration 
                program that successfully completed the Basic Officer 
                Training course or the Commissioned Officer Training 
                course;
                    (B) the number of participants in the demonstration 
                program that were recommended for continued military 
                service;
                    (C) the issues that were encountered during the 
                program; and
                    (D) such recommendation for modifications to the 
                demonstration program as the Secretary considers 
                appropriate to increase further inclusion of 
                individuals with auditory disabilities serving as 
                officers in the Air Force or other Armed Forces.
            (3) Such recommendations for legislative or administrative 
        action as the Secretary considers appropriate in light of the 
        demonstration program.
    (g) Appropriate Committees of Congress Defined.--In this section, 
the term ``appropriate committees of Congress'' means--
            (1) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on 
        Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, and the Committee on 
        Appropriations of the Senate; and
            (2) the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on 
        Appropriations of the House of Representatives.
                                 <all>