[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 128 (Tuesday, July 21, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4356-S4359]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           TEXT OF AMENDMENTS

  SA 2481. Mr. DAINES submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to 
amendment SA 2301 proposed by Mr. Inhofe to the bill S. 4049, to 
authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2021 for military activities 
of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for 
defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military 
personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which 
was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

        At the appropriate place, insert the following:

     SEC. ___. PENALTIES FOR REPRESENTING VETERANS AS AGENTS AND 
                   ATTORNEYS WITHOUT RECOGNITION BY SECRETARY OF 
                   VETERANS AFFAIRS.

       (a) Penalties.--
       (1) In general.--Section 5905 of title 38, United States 
     Code, is amended to read as follows:

     ``Sec. 5905. Penalty for certain acts

       ``(a) In General.--Subject to subsections (b) and (c), 
     whoever commits any of the following acts shall be fined as 
     provided in title 18, or imprisoned for not more than one 
     year, or both:
       ``(1) Undertakes or attempts to undertake any work in 
     furtherance of the preparation, presentation, or prosecution 
     of a claim under a law administered by the Secretary--
       ``(A) without recognition by the Secretary under sections 
     5902 through 5904 of this title; or
       ``(B) while suspended or excluded under section 5904(b) of 
     this title.
       ``(2) Unlawfully withholds from any claimant or beneficiary 
     any part of a benefit or claim under the laws administered by 
     the Secretary that is allowed and due to the claimant or 
     beneficiary.
       ``(b) Seeking Recognition.--Subsection (a)(1)(A) shall not 
     be construed to include the seeking of recognition from the 
     Secretary to prepare, present, or prosecute a claim under a 
     law administered by the Secretary.
       ``(c) Recognition Pending.--Subsection (a)(1)(A) shall not 
     be construed to include activities undertaken by an 
     individual not suspended or excluded under section 5904(b) of 
     this title in furtherance of the preparation of a claim under 
     a law administered by the Secretary while waiting for 
     recognition by the Secretary under sections 5902 through 5904 
     of this title.''.
       (2) Effective date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) 
     shall apply with respect to acts committed after the date 
     that is 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.
       (b) Biennial Reviews by General Counsel of the Department 
     of Veterans Affairs.--Section 5904 of such title is amended 
     by adding at the end the following new subsection:
       ``(e) Biennial Reviews by General Counsel.--(1) Not less 
     frequently than once every two years, the General Counsel of 
     the Department shall submit to Congress a report on 
     activities under this section.
       ``(2) Each report submitted under subparagraph (A) shall 
     include, for the period covered by the report, the following:
       ``(A) A discussion of the rates generally charged for 
     services covered by this section.
       ``(B) A discussion of the requests made by claimants under 
     subsection (c)(3)(A).
       ``(C) A discussion of the fees reduced under such 
     subsection.
       ``(D) The number of claims for benefits under laws 
     administered by the Secretary that were prepared, presented, 
     or prosecuted by an individual acting as an agent or attorney 
     who did so while not recognized under this section.''.
                                 ______
                                 
  SA 2482. Mr. ENZI submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to 
amendment SA 2301 proposed by Mr. Inhofe to the bill S. 4049, to 
authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2021 for military activities 
of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for 
defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military 
personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which 
was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

        At the end of subtitle F of title XXXI, add the following:

     SEC. 3168. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON SUPPORT FOR UNITED STATES 
                   URANIUM PRODUCERS.

       It is the sense of Congress that the Secretary of Energy 
     should provide support to producers of uranium in the United 
     States in light of the threat to national security posed by 
     uranium producers owned or controlled by foreign governments.

[[Page S4357]]

  

                                 ______
                                 
  SA 2483. Mr. UDALL (for himself and Mrs. Feinstein) submitted an 
amendment intended to be proposed to amendment SA 2301 proposed by Mr. 
Inhofe to the bill S. 4049, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 
2021 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military 
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, 
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for 
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

        At the end of subtitle E of title X, insert the following:

     SEC. 1052. LIMITATION ON USE FOR SEARCH, SEIZURE, ARREST, OR 
                   OTHER SIMILAR ACTIVITIES OF NATIONAL GUARD 
                   SUPPORTING FEDERAL OPERATIONS OR MISSIONS.

       (a) Limitation.--Amounts authorized to be appropriated by 
     this Act may not be obligated or expended for the performance 
     of search, seizure, arrest, or other similar activities by 
     members or units of the National Guard performing training or 
     duty under section 502 of title 32, United States Code.
       (b) Exception.--Subsection (a) shall not apply with respect 
     to members or units of the National Guard performing training 
     or duty in connection with disaster relief efforts pursuant 
     to a major disaster declared by the President under section 
     401 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
     Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170).
                                 ______
                                 
  SA 2484. Mr. TILLIS submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to 
amendment SA 2301 proposed by Mr. Inhofe to the bill S. 4049, to 
authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2021 for military activities 
of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for 
defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military 
personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which 
was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

        At the end of subtitle C of title VII, add the following:

     SEC. 752. SENSE OF SENATE ON THE ARMED FORCES INSTITUTE FOR 
                   REGENERATIVE MEDICINE.

       It is the sense of the Senate that--
       (1) the Armed Forces Institute for Regenerative Medicine 
     (in this section referred to as ``AFIRM'') delivers critical 
     regenerative-based technologies lead to functional and 
     aesthetic recovery from injuries incurred during service in 
     the Armed Forces;
       (2) AFIRM is a highly rated, nationally respected public-
     private consortium leading the development of restorative 
     therapies for battlefield trauma as part of several research 
     and development programs directed to meet defined medical 
     technology gaps for warfighter groups;
       (3) the efforts by AFIRM span from research and development 
     to clinical translation, implementation, and 
     commercialization, with therapies developed for extremity and 
     craniofacial trauma, skin and genitourinary injuries, and 
     transplantation;
       (4) each AFIRM project specifically addresses a key need of 
     the wounded warfighter, which has helped guide research 
     projects toward partnerships with industry that can be 
     reviewed for approval and entered into clinical trials for 
     eventual placement in the marketplace;
       (5) technologies developed by AFIRM include, in part, those 
     that will result in the ability to generate and integrate 
     functional composite tissue, neural pathways, 
     vascularization, aesthetic skin, bone, and muscle;
       (6) despite the technology challenges, the public-private 
     teaming approach to medical research and development used by 
     AFIRM has resulted in more than 24 products reaching clinical 
     trials;
       (7) it is essential that Congress continue to support the 
     technology exploration, maturation, and transition in 
     regenerative medicine set forth by AFIRM; and
       (8) the Senate encourages allocation of funds to AFIRM from 
     the undistributed medical research funds provided in this Act 
     to facilitate the continued implementation of the innovative 
     consortium model used by AFIRM that has a proven track record 
     of success.
                                 ______
                                 
  SA 2485. Mr. SCOTT of Florida (for himself, Mr. Murphy, Mrs. 
Blackburn, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Cotton, Mr. Rubio, Mr. Hawley, and Ms. 
McSally) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to amendment SA 
2301 proposed by Mr. Inhofe to the bill S. 4049, to authorize 
appropriations for fiscal year 2021 for military activities of the 
Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense 
activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel 
strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which was 
ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the end of title VIII, add the following:

  Subtitle H--Limitation on Procurement of Drones and Other Unmanned 
                            Aircraft Systems

     SEC. 896. SHORT TITLE.

       This subtitle may be cited as the ``American Security Drone 
     Act of 2020''.

     SEC. 897. DEFINITIONS.

       In this subtitle:
       (1) Covered foreign entity.--The term ``covered foreign 
     entity'' means an entity included on a list developed and 
     maintained by the Federal Acquisition Security Council. This 
     list will include entities in the following categories:
       (A) An entity included on the Consolidated Screening List.
       (B) Any entity that is subject to extrajudicial direction 
     from a foreign government, as determined by the Secretary of 
     Homeland Security.
       (C) Any entity the Secretary of Homeland Security, in 
     coordination with the Director of National Intelligence and 
     the Secretary of Defense, determines poses a national 
     security risk.
       (D) Any entity domiciled in the People's Republic of China 
     or subject to influence or control by the Government of the 
     People Republic of China or the Communist Party of the 
     People's Republic of China, as determined by the Secretary of 
     Homeland Security.
       (E) Any subsidiary or affiliate of an entity described in 
     subparagraphs (A) through (D).
       (2) Covered unmanned aircraft system.--The term ``covered 
     unmanned aircraft system'' has the meaning given the term 
     ``unmanned aircraft system'' in section 44801 of title 49, 
     United States Code.

     SEC. 898. PROHIBITION ON PROCUREMENT OF COVERED UNMANNED 
                   AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS FROM COVERED FOREIGN ENTITIES.

       (a) In General.--Except as provided under subsections (b) 
     though (f), the head of an executive agency may not procure 
     any covered unmanned aircraft system that are manufactured or 
     assembled by a covered foreign entity, which includes 
     associated elements (consisting of communication links and 
     the components that control the unmanned aircraft) that are 
     required for the operator to operate safely and efficiently 
     in the national airspace system. The Federal Acquisition 
     Security Council, in coordination with the Secretary of 
     Transportation, shall develop and update a list of associated 
     elements.
       (b) Exemption.--The Secretary of Homeland Security, the 
     Secretary of Defense, and the Attorney General are exempt 
     from the restriction under subsection (a) if the operation or 
     procurement--
       (1) is for the sole purposes of research, evaluation, 
     training, testing, or analysis for--
       (A) electronic warfare;
       (B) information warfare operations;
       (C) development of UAS or counter-UAS technology;
       (D) counterterrorism or counterintelligence activities; or
       (E) Federal criminal or national security investigations, 
     including forensic examinations; and
       (2) is required in the national interest of the United 
     States.
       (c) Federal Aviation Administration Center of Excellence 
     for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Exemption.--The Secretary of 
     Transportation, in consultation with the Secretary of 
     Homeland Security, is exempt from the restriction under 
     subsection (a) if the operation or procurement is for the 
     sole purposes of research, evaluation, training, testing, or 
     analysis for the Federal Aviation Administration's Alliance 
     for System Safety of UAS through Research Excellence (ASSURE) 
     Center of Excellence (COE) for Unmanned Aircraft Systems.
       (d) National Transportation Safety Board Exemption.--The 
     National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), in consultation 
     with the Secretary of Homeland Security, is exempt from the 
     restriction under subsection (a) if the operation or 
     procurement is necessary for the sole purpose of conducting 
     safety investigations.
       (e) National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration 
     Exemption.--The Administrator of the National Oceanic 
     Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), in consultation with the 
     Secretary of Homeland Security, is exempt from the 
     restriction under subsection (a) if the operation or 
     procurement is necessary for the sole purpose of marine or 
     atmospheric science or management.
       (f) Waiver.--The head of an executive agency may waive the 
     prohibition under subsection (a) on a case-by-case basis--
       (1) with the approval of the Secretary of Homeland Security 
     or the Secretary of Defense; and
       (2) upon notification to Congress.

     SEC. 899. PROHIBITION ON OPERATION OF COVERED UNMANNED 
                   AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS FROM COVERED FOREIGN ENTITIES.

       (a) Prohibition.--
       (1) In general.--Beginning on the date that is 2 years 
     after the date of the enactment of this Act, no Federal 
     department or agency may operate a covered unmanned aircraft 
     system manufactured or assembled by a covered foreign entity.
       (2) Applicability to contracted services.--The prohibition 
     under paragraph (1) applies to any covered unmanned aircraft 
     systems that are being used by any executive agency through 
     the method of contracting for the services of covered 
     unmanned aircraft systems.
       (b) Exemption.--The Secretary of Homeland Security, the 
     Secretary of Defense, and the Attorney General are exempt 
     from the restriction under subsection (a) if the operation or 
     procurement--

[[Page S4358]]

       (1) is for the sole purposes of research, evaluation, 
     training, testing, or analysis for--
       (A) electronic warfare;
       (B) information warfare operations;
       (C) development of UAS or counter-UAS technology;
       (D) counterterrorism or counterintelligence activities; or
       (E) Federal criminal or national security investigations, 
     including forensic examinations; and
       (2) is required in the national interest of the United 
     States.
       (c) Federal Aviation Administration Center of Excellence 
     for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Exemption.--The Secretary of 
     Transportation, in consultation with the Secretary of 
     Homeland Security, is exempt from the restriction under 
     subsection (a) if the operation or procurement is for the 
     sole purposes of research, evaluation, training, testing, or 
     analysis for the Federal Aviation Administration's Alliance 
     for System Safety of UAE through Research Excellence (ASSURE) 
     Center of Excellence (COE) for Unmanned Aircraft Systems.
       (d) National Transportation Safety Board Exemption.--The 
     National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), in consultation 
     with the Secretary of Homeland Security, is exempt from the 
     restriction under subsection (a) if the operation or 
     procurement is necessary for the sole purpose of conducting 
     safety investigations.
       (e) National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration 
     Exemption.--The Administrator of the National Oceanic 
     Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), in consultation with the 
     Secretary of Homeland Security, is exempt from the 
     restriction under subsection (a) if the operation or 
     procurement is necessary for the sole purpose of marine or 
     atmospheric science or management.
       (f) Waiver.--The head of an executive agency may waive the 
     prohibition under subsection (a) on a case-by-case basis--
       (1) with the approval of the Secretary of Homeland Security 
     or the Secretary of Defense; and
       (2) upon notification to Congress.
       (e) Regulations and Guidance.--Not later than 180 days 
     after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
     Homeland Security shall prescribe regulations or guidance to 
     implement this section.

     SEC. 899A. PROHIBITION ON USE OF FEDERAL FUNDS FOR PURCHASES 
                   AND OPERATION OF COVERED UNMANNED AIRCRAFT 
                   SYSTEMS FROM COVERED FOREIGN ENTITIES.

       (a) In General.--Beginning on the date that is 2 years 
     after the date of the enactment of this Act, except as 
     provided in subsection (b), no Federal funds awarded through 
     a contract, grant, or cooperative agreement, or otherwise 
     made available may be used--
       (1) to purchase a covered unmanned aircraft system, or a 
     system to counter unmanned aircraft systems, that is 
     manufactured or assembled by a covered foreign entity; or
       (2) in connection with the operation of such a drone or 
     unmanned aircraft system.
       (b) Exemption.--A Federal department or agency is exempt 
     from the restriction under subsection (a) if--
       (1) the contract, grant or cooperative agreement was 
     awarded prior to the date of the enactment of this Act; or
       (2) the operation or procurement is for the sole purposes 
     of research, evaluation, training, testing, or analysis, as 
     determined by the Secretary of Homeland Security, the 
     Secretary of Defense, or the Attorney General, for--
       (A) electronic warfare;
       (B) information warfare operations;
       (C) development of UAS or counter-UAS technology;
       (D) counterterrorism or counterintelligence activities; or
       (E) Federal criminal or national security investigations, 
     including forensic examinations; or
       (F) the safe integration of UAS in the national airspace 
     (as determined in consultation with the Secretary of 
     Transportation); and
       (3) is required in the national interest of the United 
     States.
       (c) Waiver.--The head of an executive agency may waive the 
     prohibition under subsection (a) on a case-by-case basis--
       (1) with the approval of the Secretary of Homeland Security 
     or the Secretary of Defense; and
       (2) upon notification to Congress.
       (d) Regulations.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Federal Acquisition Regulatory 
     Council shall prescribe regulations or guidance, as 
     necessary, to implement the requirements of this section 
     pertaining to Federal contracts.

     SEC. 899B. PROHIBITION ON USE OF GOVERNMENT-ISSUED PURCHASE 
                   CARDS TO PURCHASE COVERED UNMANNED AIRCRAFT 
                   SYSTEMS FROM COVERED FOREIGN ENTITIES.

       Effective immediately, Government-issued Purchase Cards may 
     not be used to procure any covered unmanned aircraft system 
     from a covered foreign entity.

     SEC. 899C. MANAGEMENT OF EXISTING INVENTORIES OF COVERED 
                   UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS FROM COVERED FOREIGN 
                   ENTITIES.

       (a) In General.-- Effective immediately, all executive 
     agencies must account for existing inventories of covered 
     unmanned aircraft systems manufactured or assembled by a 
     covered foreign entity in their personal property accounting 
     systems, regardless of the original procurement cost, or the 
     purpose of procurement due to the special monitoring and 
     accounting measures necessary to track the items' 
     capabilities.
       (b) Classified Tracking.--Due to the sensitive nature of 
     missions and operations conducted by the United States 
     Government, inventory data related to covered unmanned 
     aircraft systems manufactured or assembled by a covered 
     foreign entity may be tracked at a classified level.
       (c) Exceptions.--The Department of Defense and Department 
     of Homeland Security may exclude from the full inventory 
     process, covered unmanned aircraft systems that are deemed 
     expendable due to mission risk such as recovery issues or 
     that are one-time-use covered unmanned aircraft due to 
     requirements and low cost.

     SEC. 899D. COMPTROLLER GENERAL REPORT.

       Not later than 275 days after the date of the enactment of 
     this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall 
     submit to Congress a report on the amount of commercial off-
     the-shelf drones and covered unmanned aircraft systems 
     procured by Federal departments and agencies from covered 
     foreign entities.

     SEC. 899E. GOVERNMENT-WIDE POLICY FOR PROCUREMENT OF UNMANNED 
                   AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Director of the Office of 
     Management and Budget, in coordination with the Department of 
     Homeland Security, Department of Transportation, the 
     Department of Justice, and other Departments as determined by 
     the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, and in 
     consultation with the National Institute of Standards and 
     Technology, shall establish a government-wide policy for the 
     procurement of UAS--
       (1) for non-Department of Defense and non-intelligence 
     community operations; and
       (2) through grants and cooperative agreements entered into 
     with non-Federal entities.
       (b) Information Security.--The policy developed under 
     subsection (a) shall include the following specifications, 
     which to the extent practicable, shall be based on industry 
     standards and technical guidance from the National Institute 
     of Standards and Technology, to address the risks associated 
     with processing, storing and transmitting Federal information 
     in a UAS:
       (1) Protections to ensure controlled access of UAS.
       (2) Protecting software, firmware, and hardware by ensuring 
     changes to UAS are properly managed, including by ensuring 
     UAS can be updated using a secure, controlled, and 
     configurable mechanism.
       (3) Cryptographically securing sensitive collected, stored, 
     and transmitted data, including proper handling of privacy 
     data and other controlled unclassified information.
       (4) Appropriate safeguards necessary to protect sensitive 
     information, including during and after use of UAS.
       (5) Appropriate data security to ensure that data is not 
     transmitted to or stored in non-approved locations.
       (6) The ability to opt out of the uploading, downloading, 
     or transmitting of data that is not required by law or 
     regulation and an ability to choose with whom and where 
     information is shared when it is required.
       (c) Requirement.--The policy developed under subsection (a) 
     shall reflect an appropriate risk-based approach to 
     information security related to use of UAS.
       (d) Revision of Acquisition Regulations.--Not later than 
     180 days after the date on which the policy required under 
     subsection (a) is issued--
       (1) the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council shall revise 
     the Federal Acquisition Regulation, as necessary, to 
     implement the policy; and
       (2) any Federal department or agency or other Federal 
     entity not subject to, or not subject solely to, the Federal 
     Acquisition Regulation shall revise applicable policy, 
     guidance, or regulations, as necessary, to implement the 
     policy.
       (e) Exemption.--In developing the policy required under 
     subsection (a), the Director of the Office of Management and 
     Budget shall incorporate an exemption to the policy for the 
     following reasons:
       (1) In the case of procurement for the purposes of 
     training, testing or analysis for--
       (A) electronic warfare; or
       (B) information warfare operations.
       (2) In the case of researching UAS technology, including 
     testing, evaluation, research, or development of technology 
     to counter UAS.
       (3) In the case of a head of the procuring department or 
     agency determining, in writing, that no product that complies 
     with the information security requirements described in 
     subsection (b) is capable of fulfilling mission critical 
     performance requirements, and such determination--
       (A) may not be delegated below the level of the Deputy 
     Secretary of the procuring department or agency;
       (B) shall specify--
       (i) the quantity of end items to which the waiver applies, 
     the procurement value of which may not exceed $50,000 per 
     waiver; and
       (ii) the time period over which the waiver applies, which 
     shall not exceed 3 years;
       (C) shall be reported to the Office of Management and 
     Budget following issuance of such a determination; and
       (D) not later than 30 days after the date on which the 
     determination is made, shall be

[[Page S4359]]

     provided to the Committee on Homeland Security and Government 
     Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Oversight and 
     Reform of the House of Representatives.

     SEC. 899F. STUDY.

       (a) Independent Study.--Not later than 3 years after the 
     date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of the Office 
     of Management and Budget shall seek to enter into a contract 
     with a federally funded research and development center under 
     which the center will conduct a study of--
       (1) the current and future unmanned aircraft system global 
     and domestic market;
       (2) the ability of the unmanned aircraft system domestic 
     market to keep pace with technological advancements across 
     the industry;
       (3) the ability of domestically made unmanned aircraft 
     systems to meet the network security and data protection 
     requirements of the national security enterprise;
       (4) the extent to which unmanned aircraft system component 
     parts, such as the parts described in section 898(a), are 
     made domestically; and
       (5) an assessment of the economic impact, including cost, 
     of excluding the use of foreign-made UAS for use across the 
     Federal Government.
       (b) Submission to OMB.--Upon completion of the study in 
     subsection (a), the federally funded research and development 
     center shall submit the study to the Director of the Office 
     of Management and Budget.
       (c) Submission to Congress.--Not later than 30 days after 
     the date on which the Director of the Office of Management 
     and Budget receives the study under subsection (b), the 
     Director shall submit the study to--
       (1) the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental 
     Affairs of the Senate; and
       (2) the Committee on Homeland Security and the Committee on 
     Oversight and Government Reform of the House of 
     Representatives.

     SEC. 899G. SUNSET.

       Sections 898, 899, and 899A shall cease to have effect on 
     the date that is 5 years after the date of the enactment of 
     this Act.
                                 ______
                                 
  SA 2486. Mr. PORTMAN (for himself and Mr. Murphy) submitted an 
amendment intended to be proposed to amendment SA 2301 proposed by Mr. 
Inhofe to the bill S. 4049, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 
2021 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military 
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, 
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for 
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

        At the end of subtitle A of title XII, insert the 
     following:

     SEC. 1210. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY OF AND HIRING AUTHORITY FOR 
                   THE GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT CENTER.

       (a) Extension.--Section 1287(j) of the National Defense 
     Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 (22 U.S.C. 2656 note) 
     is amended by striking ``the date that is 8 years after the 
     date of the enactment of this Act'' and inserting ``December 
     31, 2027''.
       (b) Hiring Authority for Global Engagement Center.--
     Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of 
     State, during the five-year period beginning on the date of 
     the enactment of this Act and solely to carry out functions 
     of the Global Engagement Center established by such section, 
     may--
       (1) appoint employees without regard to the provisions of 
     title 5, United States Code, regarding appointments in the 
     competitive service; and
       (2) fix the basic compensation of such employees without 
     regard to chapter 51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 of such 
     title regarding classification and General Schedule pay 
     rates.

                          ____________________