[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5321 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 5321

  To amend the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for 
   Fiscal Year 2019 to improve the John S. McCain strategic defense 
                            fellows program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 1, 2023

  Mr. Bacon introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                      Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for 
   Fiscal Year 2019 to improve the John S. McCain strategic defense 
                            fellows program.

    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 ``Strategic Defense Fellows Act of 
2023''.

SEC. 2. IMPROVEMENTS TO THE JOHN S. MCCAIN STRATEGIC DEFENSE FELLOWS 
              PROGRAM.

    (a) Selection of Participants.--Subsection (d)(2) of section 932 of 
the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 
2019 (Public Law 115-232; 10 U.S.C. 1580 note prec.) is amended to read 
as follows:
            ``(2) Geographical representation.--Out of the total number 
        of individuals selected to participate in the fellows program 
        in any year, no more than 20 percent may be from any of the 
        following geographic regions:
                    ``(A) The Northeast United States.
                    ``(B) The Southeast United States.
                    ``(C) The Midwest United States.
                    ``(D) The Southwest United States.
                    ``(E) The Western United States.
                    ``(F) Alaska, Hawaii, United States territories, 
                and areas outside the United States.''.
    (b) Appointment, Placement, and Conversion.--Such section is 
further amended--
            (1) in subsection (d)(3)--
                    (A) by striking ``assigned'' and inserting 
                ``appointed''; and
                    (B) by striking ``assignment'' and inserting 
                ``appointment''; and
            (2) by amending subsections (e) and (f) to read as follows:
    ``(e) Appointment.--
            ``(1) In general.--An individual who participates in the 
        fellows program shall be appointed into an excepted service 
        position in the Department.
            ``(2) Position requirements.--Each year, the head of each 
        Department of Defense Component shall submit to the Secretary 
        of Defense placement opportunities for participants in the 
        fellows program. Such placement opportunities shall provide for 
        leadership development and potential commencement of a career 
        track toward a position of senior leadership in the Department. 
        The Secretary of Defense, in coordination with the heads of 
        Department of Defense Components, shall establish qualification 
        requirements for the appointment of participants under 
        paragraph (1) and subsection (f)(2).
            ``(3) Appointment to positions.--Each year, the Secretary 
        of Defense shall appoint participants in the fellows program to 
        positions in the Department of Defense Components. In making 
        such appointments, the Secretary shall seek to best match the 
        qualifications and skills of the participants with the 
        requirements for positions available for appointment.
            ``(4) Term.--The term of each appointment under the fellows 
        program shall be one year with the option to extend the 
        appointment up to one additional year.
            ``(5) Grade.--An individual appointed to a position under 
        the fellows program shall be appointed at a level between GS-10 
        and GS-12 of the General Schedule based on the directly-related 
        qualifications, skills, and professional experience of the 
        individual.
            ``(6) Education loan repayment.--To the extent that funds 
        are provided in advance in appropriations Acts, the Secretary 
        of Defense may repay a loan of a participant in the fellows 
        program if the loan is described by subparagraph (A), (B), or 
        (C) of section 16301(a)(1) of title 10, United States Code. Any 
        repayment of a loan under this paragraph may require a minimum 
        service agreement, as determined by the Secretary.
            ``(7) Department of defense component defined.--In this 
        subsection, the term `Department of Defense Component' means a 
        Department of Defense Component, as set forth in section 111 of 
        title 10, United States Code.
    ``(f) Career Development.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary of Defense shall ensure 
        that participants in the fellows program--
                    ``(A) receive career development opportunities and 
                support appropriate for the commencement of a career 
                track within the Department leading toward a future 
                position of senior leadership within the Department, 
                including ongoing mentorship support through 
                appropriate personnel from entities within the 
                Department; and
                    ``(B) are provided appropriate employment 
                opportunities for competitive and excepted service 
                positions in the Department upon successful completion 
                of the fellows program.
            ``(2) Noncompetitive appointment or conversion.--Upon a 
        participant's successful completion of the fellows program, the 
        Secretary may, without regard to the provisions of subchapter I 
        of chapter 33 of title 5, United States Code, noncompetitively 
        appoint or convert the participant into a vacant competitive or 
        excepted service position in the Department, if the Secretary 
        determines that such appointment or conversion will contribute 
        to the development of highly qualified future senior leaders 
        for the Department. The Secretary may appoint or convert the 
        participant into a position up to the GS-13 level of the 
        General Schedule or an equivalent position for which the 
        participant is qualified without regard to any minimum time in 
        grade requirements.
            ``(3) Appointment of former participants.--The Secretary 
        may utilize the authority in paragraph (2) for a participant--
                    ``(A) up to 2 years after the date of the 
                participant's successful completion of the fellows 
                program; or
                    ``(B) in the case of a participant who entered the 
                fellows program before the date of the enactment of 
                this subparagraph, up to 5 years after the date of the 
                participant's successful completion of the fellows 
                program.
            ``(4) Publication of selection.--The Secretary shall 
        publish, on an Internet website of the Department available to 
        the public, the names of the individuals selected to 
        participate in the fellows program.''.
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