[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2259 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

        H.R.2259

                     One Hundred Fifteenth Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America


                          AT THE SECOND SESSION

         Begun and held at the City of Washington on Wednesday,
           the third day of January, two thousand and eighteen


                                 An Act


 
    To amend the Peace Corps Act to expand services and benefits for 
                   volunteers, 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; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Sam Farr and Nick 
Castle Peace Corps Reform Act of 2018''.
    (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is as 
follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Definitions.

                 TITLE I--PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEER SUPPORT

Sec. 101. Peace Corps volunteer medical care reform.
Sec. 102. Post-service Peace Corps volunteer medical care reform.
Sec. 103. Peace Corps impact survey.
Sec. 104. Extension of positions for Peace Corps employees.

           TITLE II--PEACE CORPS OVERSIGHT AND ACCOUNTABILITY

Sec. 201. Peace Corps volunteer access to Inspector General.
Sec. 202. Publication requirement for volunteer surveys.
Sec. 203. Consultation with Congress required before opening or closing 
          overseas offices and country programs.

              TITLE III--CRIME RISK REDUCTION ENHANCEMENTS

Sec. 301. Independent review of volunteer death.
Sec. 302. Additional disclosures to applicants for enrollment as 
          volunteers.
Sec. 303. Additional protections against sexual misconduct.
Sec. 304. Extension of the office of victim advocacy.
Sec. 305. Reform and extension of the Sexual Assault Advisory Council.
Sec. 306. Definitions.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
    In this Act:
        (1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
    ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
            (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate;
            (B) the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate;
            (C) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 
        Representatives; and
            (D) the Committee on Appropriations of the House of 
        Representatives.
        (2) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of the 
    Peace Corps.
        (3) Peace corps volunteer.--The term ``Peace Corps volunteer'' 
    means an individual described in section 5(a) of the Peace Corps 
    Act (22 U.S.C. 2504(a)).

                 TITLE I--PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEER SUPPORT

    SEC. 101. PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEER MEDICAL CARE REFORM.
    (a) In General.--The Peace Corps Act is amended--
        (1) in section 5 (22 U.S.C. 2504)--
            (A) in subsection (e), in the first sentence, by striking 
        ``receive such immunization and dental care preparatory to 
        their service'' and inserting ``receive, preparatory to their 
        service, such immunization, dental care, and information on 
        prescription options and potential interactions, as necessary 
        and appropriate and in accordance with subsection (f)'';
            (B) by re-designating subsections (f), (g), (h), (i), (j), 
        (k), (l), (m), and (n) as subsections (g), (h), (i), (j), (k), 
        (l), (m), (n), and (o);
            (C) by inserting after subsection (e) the following new 
        subsection--
    ``(f) The Director of the Peace Corps shall consult with health 
experts outside the Peace Corps, including experts licensed in the 
field of mental health, and follow guidance by the Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention regarding the prescription of medications to a 
volunteer.''; and
            (D) in subsection (i), as so redesignated, by striking 
        ``section, and'' and inserting ``section), and''; and
        (2) by inserting after section 5 the following new section:
  ``SEC. 5A. HEALTH CARE FOR VOLUNTEERS AT PEACE CORPS POSTS.
    ``(a) In General.--The President shall ensure that each overseas 
post has the services of a medical office that is consistent in size 
and scope with the needs of the Peace Corps at such post, including, if 
necessary, by detailing to any such post the licensed medical staff of 
other United States departments, agencies, or establishments.
    ``(b) Hiring Criteria.--In selecting medical officers and support 
staff for overseas Peace Corps posts, the Director of the Peace Corps 
shall hire well-qualified and capable personnel to support the 
effectiveness of health care for Peace Corps volunteers by evaluating 
each candidate's--
        ``(1) medical training, experience, and accreditations or other 
    qualifications;
        ``(2) record of performance;
        ``(3) administrative capabilities;
        ``(4) understanding of the local language and culture;
        ``(5) ability to work in the English language;
        ``(6) interpersonal skills; and
        ``(7) such other factors that the Director determines 
    appropriate.
    ``(c) Certain Training.--The Director of the Peace Corps shall 
ensure that each Peace Corps medical officer serving in a malaria-
endemic country receives training in the recognition of the side 
effects of such medications.
    ``(d) Review and Evaluation.--
        ``(1) In general.--The Director of the Peace Corps, acting 
    through the Associate Director of the Office of Health Services and 
    the country directors, shall review and evaluate the performance 
    and health care delivery of all Peace Corps medical staff, 
    including medical officers, to--
            ``(A) ensure compliance with all relevant Peace Corps 
        policies, practices, and guidelines; and
            ``(B) ensure that medical staff complete the necessary 
        continuing medical education to maintain their skills and 
        satisfy licensing and credentialing standards, as designated by 
        the Director.
        ``(2) Report to congress.--The Director of the Peace Corps 
    shall include, in the annual Peace Corps congressional budget 
    justification, a confirmation that the review and evaluation of all 
    Peace Corps medical staff required under paragraph (1) has been 
    completed.
    ``(e) Antimalarial Drugs.--The Director of the Peace Corps shall 
consult with experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
regarding recommendations for prescribing malaria prophylaxis, in order 
to provide the best standard of care within the context of the Peace 
Corps environment.''.
    (b) Implementation of Recommendations by the Inspector General of 
the Peace Corps.--
        (1) Inspector general report.--As promptly as practicable, the 
    Director shall implement the actions outlined in the agency 
    response for all open recommendations of the Inspector General of 
    the Peace Corps set forth in the report entitled ``Final Program 
    Evaluation Report: OIG Follow-up Evaluation of Issues Identified in 
    the 2010 Peace Corps/Morocco Assessment of Medical Care'' (Report 
    No. IG-16-01-E).
        (2) Semiannual reports.--
            (A) Initial report.--Not later than 180 days after the date 
        of the enactment of this Act, the Director shall submit a 
        report to the appropriate congressional committees that 
        describes the Director's strategy for implementing the 
        recommendations referred to in paragraph (1).
            (B) Subsequent reports.--Not later than 180 days after the 
        submission of the report required under subparagraph (A), and 
        semiannually thereafter, the Director shall submit a report to 
        the appropriate congressional committees that describes the 
        progress in implementing the recommendations referred to in 
        paragraph (1) until all such recommendations have been 
        implemented in accordance with the agency's response to the 
        report referred to in such paragraph.
        (3) Notification.--After the submission of each report required 
    under paragraph (2), the Inspector General of the Peace Corps may 
    notify the appropriate congressional committees of any 
    recommendations from the report referred to in paragraph (1) that 
    the Inspector General determines remain unresolved.
    SEC. 102. POST-SERVICE PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEER MEDICAL CARE REFORM.
    Section 8142 of title 5, United States Code, is amended by adding 
at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(d)(1) The Secretary shall authorize the Director of the Peace 
Corps to furnish medical benefits to a volunteer, who is injured during 
the volunteer's period of service, for a period of 120 days following 
the termination of such service if the Director certifies that the 
volunteer's injury probably meets the requirements under subsection 
(c)(3). The Secretary may then certify vouchers for these expenses for 
such volunteer out of the Employees' Compensation Fund.
    ``(2) The Secretary shall prescribe the form and content of the 
certification required under paragraph (1).
    ``(3) A certification under paragraph (1) will cease to be 
effective if the volunteer sustains compensable disability in 
connection with volunteer service.
    ``(4) Nothing in this subsection may be construed to authorize the 
furnishing of any medical benefit that the Secretary of Labor is not 
otherwise authorized to reimburse for former Peace Corps volunteers who 
receive treatment for injury or disease proximately caused by their 
service in the Peace Corps in accordance with this chapter.''.
    SEC. 103. PEACE CORPS IMPACT SURVEY.
    (a) In General.--Beginning not later than 1 year after the date of 
the enactment of this Act and once every 2 years thereafter for the 
following 6 years, the Director shall conduct a survey of former Peace 
Corps volunteers.
    (b) Scope of Survey.--The survey required under subsection (a) 
shall assess, with respect to each former Peace Corps volunteer 
completing the survey, the impact of the Peace Corps on the former 
volunteer, including the volunteer's--
        (1) well-being;
        (2) career;
        (3) civic engagement; and
        (4) commitment to public service.
    (c) Report.--The Director shall submit a report containing the 
results of the survey conducted under subsection (a) to--
        (1) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate;
        (2) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 
    Representatives;
        (3) the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate; and
        (4) the Committee on Appropriations of the House of 
    Representatives.
    SEC. 104. EXTENSION OF POSITIONS FOR PEACE CORPS EMPLOYEES.
    Section 7(a) of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2506(a)) is amended 
by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
        ``(8)(A) The Director of the Peace Corps may designate Peace 
    Corps positions as critical management or management support 
    positions that require specialized technical or professional skills 
    and knowledge of Peace Corps operations. Such positions may include 
    positions in the following fields:
            ``(i) Volunteer health services.
            ``(ii) Financial management.
            ``(iii) Information technology.
            ``(iv) Procurement.
            ``(v) Personnel.
            ``(vi) Legal services.
            ``(vii) Safety and security.
        ``(B) Subject to subparagraphs (C) and (D), with respect to 
    positions designated pursuant to subparagraph (A), the Director may 
    make or extend renewable appointments or assignments under 
    paragraph (2) notwithstanding limitations under subparagraphs (A) 
    and (B) of paragraph (2) and paragraph (5).
        ``(C) In exercising authority under subparagraph (B), the 
    Director shall ensure that all decisions regarding the appointment, 
    assignment, or extension of employees to any position designated 
    pursuant to subparagraph (A)--
            ``(i) are consistent with Federal law and Peace Corps 
        policy; and
            ``(ii) are based upon operational and programmatic factors.
        ``(D) The term of any appointment or assignment to any position 
    designated pursuant to subparagraph (A) may not exceed 5 years.''.

           TITLE II--PEACE CORPS OVERSIGHT AND ACCOUNTABILITY

    SEC. 201. PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEER ACCESS TO INSPECTOR GENERAL.
    Section 8 of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2507) is amended--
        (1) in subsection (a)--
            (A) by striking ``he'' and inserting ``the President''; and
            (B) by adding at the end the following new sentences: ``As 
        part of the training provided to all volunteers under 
        subsection (a), and in coordination with the Inspector General 
        of the Peace Corps, the President shall provide all volunteers 
        with information regarding the mandate of the Inspector General 
        and the availability (including contact information) of the 
        Inspector General and the Office of Victim Advocacy as a 
        resource for volunteers. The President shall ensure that 
        volunteers receive such information at least once during 
        training that occurs prior to enrollment and at least once 
        during each significant instance of training after 
        enrollment.''; and
        (2) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(c) The President shall implement procedures to maintain a record 
verifying each individual completing training provided to meet each 
requirement in this section and sections 8A, 8B, 8F, and 8G(b).''.
    SEC. 202. PUBLICATION REQUIREMENT FOR VOLUNTEER SURVEYS.
    Section 8E of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2507e) is amended--
        (1) in subsection (b), in the first sentence--
            (A) by inserting ``, ensure that each such plan includes a 
        consideration of the results, with respect to each such 
        representative and the country of service of each such 
        representative, of each survey conducted under subsection 
        (c),'' after ``standards for Peace Corps representatives''; and
            (B) by striking ``and shall review'' and inserting ``, and 
        review''; and
        (2) in subsection (c)--
            (A) in the first sentence, by striking ``2018'' and 
        inserting ``2023''; and
            (B) in the third sentence, by striking ``subsection (a)'' 
        and inserting ``subsection (b)''; and
            (C) by adding at the end the following new sentences: ``The 
        President shall publish, on a publicly available website of the 
        Peace Corps, a report summarizing the results of each survey 
        related to volunteer satisfaction in each country in which 
        volunteers serve, and the early termination rate of volunteers 
        serving in each such country. The information published shall 
        be posted in an easily accessible place near the description of 
        the appropriate country and shall be written in an easily 
        understood manner.''.
    SEC. 203. CONSULTATION WITH CONGRESS REQUIRED BEFORE OPENING OR 
      CLOSING OVERSEAS OFFICES AND COUNTRY PROGRAMS.
    Section 10 of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2509) is amended by 
adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(k)(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), the Director of the 
Peace Corps may not open, close, significantly reduce, or suspend a 
domestic or overseas office or country program unless the Director has 
notified and consulted with the appropriate congressional committees at 
least 15 days in advance.
    ``(2) The Director of the Peace Corps may waive the application of 
paragraph (1) for a period of not more than 5 days after an action 
described in such paragraph if the Director determines such action is 
necessary to ameliorate a substantial security risk to Peace Corps 
volunteers or other Peace Corps personnel.
    ``(3) For the purposes of this subsection, the term `appropriate 
congressional committees' means--
        ``(A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on 
    Appropriations of the House of Representatives; and
        ``(B) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on 
    Appropriations of the Senate.''.

              TITLE III--CRIME RISK REDUCTION ENHANCEMENTS

    SEC. 301. INDEPENDENT REVIEW OF VOLUNTEER DEATH.
    Section 5 of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2504), as amended by 
section 101 of this Act, is further amended by adding at the end the 
following new subsection:
    ``(p)(1) Not later than 10 days after receiving notification of the 
death of a volunteer, the President shall provide a briefing to the 
Inspector General of the Peace Corps that includes--
        ``(A)(i) the available facts and circumstances surrounding the 
    death of the volunteer, including a preliminary timeline of the 
    events immediately preceding the death of the volunteer, subsequent 
    actions taken by the Peace Corps, and any information available to 
    the Peace Corps reflecting on the cause or root cause of the death 
    of the volunteer; and
        ``(ii) a description of any steps the Peace Corps plans to take 
    to inquire further into the cause or root cause of the death of the 
    volunteer, including the anticipated date of the completion of such 
    inquiry; or
        ``(B) an explanation of why the Peace Corps has determined that 
    no further inquiry into the cause or root cause of the death of the 
    volunteer is necessary, including--
            ``(i) a description of the steps the Peace Corps took to 
        determine further inquiry was not necessary; and
            ``(ii) the basis for such determination.
    ``(2) If the Peace Corps has performed or engaged another entity to 
perform a root cause analysis or similar report that describes the 
cause or root cause of a volunteer death, the President shall provide 
the Inspector General of the Peace Corps with--
        ``(A) a copy of all information provided to such entity at the 
    time such information is provided to such entity or used by the 
    Peace Corps to perform the analysis;
        ``(B) a copy of any report or study received from the entity or 
    used by the Peace Corps to perform the analysis; and
        ``(C) any supporting documentation upon which the Peace Corps 
    or such entity relied to make its determination, including the 
    volunteer's complete medical record, as soon as such information is 
    available to the Peace Corps.
    ``(3) If a volunteer dies, the Peace Corps shall take reasonable 
measures, in accordance with local laws, to preserve any information or 
material, in any medium or format, that may be relevant to determining 
the cause or root cause of the death of the volunteer, including 
personal effects, medication, and other tangible items belonging to the 
volunteer, as long as such measures do not interfere with the legal 
procedures of the host country if the government of the host country is 
exercising jurisdiction over the investigation of such death. The 
Inspector General of the Peace Corps shall be provided an opportunity 
to inspect such items before their final disposition.
    ``(4) Consistent with the Inspector General Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. 
App.), the Inspector General of the Peace Corps may independently 
review the facts and circumstances surrounding the death of a volunteer 
and the actions taken by the Peace Corps in responding to such 
incident.
    ``(5) For the purposes of undertaking a review under this section, 
an officer or employee of the United States or a member of the Armed 
Forces may be detailed to the Inspector General of the Peace Corps from 
another department of the United States Government on a nonreimbursable 
basis, as jointly agreed to by the Inspector General and the detailing 
department, for a period not to exceed 1 year. This paragraph may not 
be construed to limit or modify any other source of authority for 
reimbursable or nonreimbursable details. A nonreimbursable detail made 
under this section may not be considered an augmentation of the 
appropriations of the Peace Corps.
    ``(6) Upon request, the Peace Corps may make available necessary 
funds to the Inspector General of the Peace Corps for reviews conducted 
by the Inspector General under this section. The request shall be 
limited to costs relating to hiring, procuring, or otherwise obtaining 
medical-related experts or expert services, and associated travel.
    ``(7) The undertaking of a review under this section may not be 
considered a transfer of program operating responsibilities to the 
Inspector General of the Peace Corps.''.
    SEC. 302. ADDITIONAL DISCLOSURES TO APPLICANTS FOR ENROLLMENT AS 
      VOLUNTEERS.
    Section 8A of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2507a(d)) is amended--
        (1) by amending subsection (d) to read as follows:
    ``(d) Information Regarding Crimes and Risks.--
        ``(1) In general.--Each applicant for enrollment as a volunteer 
    shall be provided, with respect to each country in which the 
    applicant may be invited to serve, with specific, aggregated, and 
    easily accessible information regarding crimes against and risks to 
    volunteers, including--
            ``(A) an overview of past crimes against volunteers in such 
        country, including statistics regarding unreported crime 
        collected through anonymous surveys;
            ``(B) the current early termination rate of volunteers 
        serving in such country;
            ``(C) health risks prevalent in such country;
            ``(D) the nature and frequency of sexual harassment 
        reported by volunteers serving in such country;
            ``(E) the extent and types of services provided by the 
        Peace Corps to volunteers serving in such country, including 
        access to medical care, counseling services, and assistance 
        from the Office of Victim Advocacy; and
            ``(F) the level of satisfaction reported by volunteers 
        serving in such country.
        ``(2) Option to timely decline.--Upon receiving information 
    described in paragraph (1), the applicant shall have the option to 
    change the country of consideration and identify a substitute 
    country.''; and
        (2) in subsection (f)(2)(B)(iii), by striking ``victim 
    advocates'' and inserting ``Victim's Advocates,''.
    SEC. 303. ADDITIONAL PROTECTIONS AGAINST SEXUAL MISCONDUCT.
    Section 8B(a) of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2507b(a)) is 
amended--
        (1) in paragraph (3)--
            (A) by striking ``SARLs'' and inserting ``any employee of 
        the Peace Corps'';
            (B) by striking ``Victim Advocate'' and inserting 
        ``Victim's Advocate''; and
            (C) by inserting ``and require the Peace Corps to designate 
        the staff at each post who shall be responsible for providing 
        the services described in subsection (c)'' before the semicolon 
        at the end;
        (2) in paragraph (5), by striking ``and'' at the end;
        (3) in paragraph (6), by striking the period at the end and 
    inserting a semicolon; and
        (4) by adding at the end the following new paragraphs:
    ``(7) maintains a record documenting the resignation of any 
employee or volunteer of the Peace Corps who resigns before a 
determination has been made regarding an alleged violation of the 
sexual misconduct policy or other serious policy violations;
    ``(8) takes into account the record maintained under paragraph (7) 
before such employee or volunteer is hired, enrolled, or otherwise 
invited to work with the Peace Corps;
    ``(9) provides orientation or information regarding the awareness 
and prevention of sexual assault and sexual harassment to--
        ``(A) Peace Corps-selected host families; and
        ``(B) a designated person of authority at the volunteer's 
    initial workplace; and
    ``(10) ensures, to the extent practicable and appropriate, that any 
assault on, or any harm or injury to, a volunteer that is committed by 
any member of a host family or any national of a host country that was 
assigned by the Peace Corps to facilitate volunteer work is--
        ``(A) documented in an appropriate site history file and in the 
    global tracking and recording system established pursuant to 
    section 8H(c); and
        ``(B) taken into account with respect to determinations 
    regarding placements of future volunteers at such post and the 
    provision of any funds or other benefit by the Peace Corps.''.
    SEC. 304. EXTENSION OF THE OFFICE OF VICTIM ADVOCACY.
    Section 8C of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2507c) is amended--
        (1) by striking ``victim advocate'' each place it appears and 
    inserting ``Victim's Advocate'';
        (2) by striking ``victim advocates'' each place it occurs and 
    inserting ``Victim's Advocates''; and
        (3) by amending subsection (e) to read as follows:
    ``(e) The Director of the Peace Corps shall include the head of the 
Office of Victim Advocacy in agency-wide policymaking processes in the 
same manner and to the same extent as the directors or associate 
directors of other offices within the Peace Corps.''.
    SEC. 305. REFORM AND EXTENSION OF THE SEXUAL ASSAULT ADVISORY 
      COUNCIL.
    Section 8D of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2507d) is amended--
        (1) in subsection (b)--
            (A) by striking ``not less than 8 individuals selected by 
        the President, not later than 180 days after the date of the 
        enactment of this section,'' and inserting ``not fewer than 8 
        and not more than 14 individuals selected by the President''; 
        and
            (B) by inserting after the first sentence the following new 
        sentence: ``At least one member should be licensed in the field 
        of mental health and have prior experience working as a 
        counselor or therapist providing mental health care to 
        survivors of sexual assault in a victim services agency or 
        organization.''; and
        (2) in subsection (c)--
            (A) by inserting ``and implemented'' after ``sexual assault 
        policy developed''; and
            (B) by adding at the end the following new sentence: ``To 
        carry out this subsection, the Council may conduct case reviews 
        and is authorized to have access, including through interviews, 
        to current and former volunteers (to the extent that such 
        volunteers provide the Peace Corps express consent to be 
        interviewed by the Council), to volunteer surveys under section 
        8E, to all data collected from restricted reporting, and to any 
        other information necessary to conduct case reviews, except 
        that the Council may not have access to any personally 
        identifying information associated with such surveys, data, or 
        information.''; and
        (3) in subsection (g), by striking ``2018'' and inserting 
    ``2023''.
    SEC. 306. DEFINITIONS.
    Section 26 of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2522) is amended--
        (1) by redesignating subsections (a), (b), (c), (d), (e), (f), 
    and (g) as paragraphs (1), (6), (2), (3), (8), (7), and (5), 
    respectively, by arranging such redesignated paragraphs in 
    numerical order, and by moving such paragraphs 2 ems to the right;
        (2) in paragraph (1), as redesignated, by striking ``(1)'' and 
    inserting the following:
    ``In this Act:
        ``(1)''; and
        (3) by inserting after paragraph (3), as redesignated, the 
    following:
        ``(4) The term `medical officer' means a physician, nurse 
    practitioner, physician's assistant, or registered nurse with the 
    professional qualifications, expertise, and abilities consistent 
    with the needs of the Peace Corps and the post to which he or she 
    is assigned, as determined by the Director of the Peace Corps.''.

                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

                            Vice President of the United States and    
                                               President of the Senate.