[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 115 (Thursday, July 11, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4544-S4545]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       U.S. SENATE STARS OF VALOR FELLOWSHIPS PROGRAM REGULATIONS

  Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to have printed 
in the Congressional Record updated U.S. Senate fellowship regulations.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

       U.S. Senate Stars of Valor Fellowships Program Regulations


 ADOPTED BY THE COMMITTEE ON RULES AND ADMINISTRATION ON JULY 10, 2024

       1.0 Scope--Senate Resolution 442 (117th Congress) 
     established the SFC Sean Cooley and SPC Christopher Horton 
     Gold Star Family Fellowship, Senate Resolution 443 (117th 
     Congress) established the McCain-Mansfield Fellowship, and 
     Senate Resolution 737 (118th Congress) established the 
     Active-Duty Military Spouses Fellowship and consolidated all

[[Page S4545]]

     fellowships into the Stars of Valor Fellowships Program. 
     These programs create fellowship positions within the Senate 
     that provide qualified military veterans and their family 
     members with career transition and development opportunities. 
     These regulations describe the administration, eligibility 
     criteria, selection, and placement procedures of the 
     programs.
       2.0 Definitions--For purposes of these regulations, the 
     following terms shall have the meaning specified.
       2.1 Active-Duty shall have the same meaning as set forth in 
     10 U.S.C. Sec. 101(d)(1).
       2.2 Disabled means a Veteran with a service-connected 
     disability rating of 30% or greater.
       2.3 Family Member means a widow or widower (remarried or 
     not); parent (mother, father, stepmother, stepfather, mother 
     through adoption, father through adoption, or foster parent 
     who stands in loco parentis); child, stepchild, or adopted 
     child; or brother, sister, half-brother, or half-sister.
       2.4 Fellow means an individual serving in the Stars of 
     Valor Fellowships Program.
       2.5 Participating Senate Office means the personal office 
     of a Senator that chooses to employ a Fellow and for which a 
     Fellow is available by operation of the priority system 
     described in section 5.0 of these regulations.
       2.6 Program means the Stars of Valor Fellowships Program.
       2.7 Rules Committee means the U.S. Senate Committee on 
     Rules and Administration.
       2.8 SAA means the Senate Sergeant at Arms.
       2.9 Spouse shall have the same meaning as set forth in 10 
     U.S.C. Sec. 101(g)(5).
       2.10 Stars of Valor Fellowships Program means the SFC Sean 
     Cooley and SPC Christopher Horton Gold Star Family Fellowship 
     established by Senate Resolution 442 (117th Congress) and the 
     McCain-Mansfield Fellowship established by Senate Resolution 
     443 (117th Congress).
       2.11 U.S. Armed Forces shall have the same meaning as set 
     forth in 10 U.S.C. Sec. 101(a)(4).
       2.12 Veteran shall have the same meaning as set forth in 38 
     U.S.C. Sec. 101(2).
       2.13 Wounded shall have the same meaning as set forth in 10 
     U.S.C. Sec. 1129.
       3.0 General Program Information--The SAA, in consultation 
     with the Rules Committee, is responsible for the Program's 
     administration.
       3.1 Availability. The number of fellowships available is 
     contingent on appropriations.
       3.2 Duty Station. Fellows are detailed to a Participating 
     Senate Office in the District of Columbia or a state. Fellows 
     may request specific location assignments, but such requests 
     are not guaranteed.
       3.3 Duration. Fellowships are expected to last 24 months 
     and are contingent upon employee conduct and performance, as 
     well as the Senator's continued tenure.
       3.3.1 If, for any reason, a Senator leaves office, a Fellow 
     placed with that Participating Senate Office may, upon the 
     determination of the SAA after consultation with the Rules 
     Committee, be reassigned for the remainder of the 24 months 
     to another Participating Senate Office or be terminated.
       3.4 Appointment Selection. The SAA is responsible for 
     advertising Program vacancies, forwarding qualified 
     candidates to Participating Senate Offices for consideration 
     and selection, submitting selected candidates for a 
     background check by the U.S. Capitol Police, appointing 
     Fellows, coordinating Fellow onboarding, and setting 
     compensation of Fellows.
       3.5 Senate Office Responsibility. Participating Senate 
     Offices are required to sign a Statement of Understanding 
     with the SAA. The Statement of Understanding shall 
     memorialize the terms and conditions governing the SAA's 
     placement of a Fellow to a Participating Senate Office. 
     Official travel for any Fellow shall be at the sole expense 
     of the Participating Senate Office pursuant to the United 
     States Senate Travel Regulations and as memorialized in the 
     Statement of Understanding.
       3.6 Program Employment Policies. Program employment 
     policies for Fellows shall be set forth in a Program handbook 
     prepared by the SAA, in consultation with the Senate Chief 
     Counsel for Employment. To the maximum extent possible, the 
     Program handbook will establish that the policies set by the 
     Participating Senate Office govern in matters concerning a 
     Fellow's day-to-day employment. In matters where the Program 
     handbook and the Participating Senate Office's policies 
     conflict, the Program handbook will control.
       3.7 Employment Exclusions. For purposes of the Program's 
     administration only, all Fellows shall be considered 
     employees of the SAA; however, no Fellow shall be included in 
     the SAA's full-time employee count, and no Fellow's 
     compensation shall be included in the determination of the 
     aggregate gross compensation limit for employees of the SAA. 
     The compensation paid to a Fellow serving in Participating 
     Senate Office shall not be included in the determination of 
     the aggregate gross compensation for employees employed by 
     the Senator under section 105(d)(1) of the Legislative Branch 
     Appropriation Act, 1968.
       4.0 Program Eligibility Criteria--
       4.1 SFC Sean Cooley and SPC Christopher Horton Gold Star 
     Family Fellowship candidates. The SFC Sean Cooley and SPC 
     Christopher Horton Gold Star Family Fellowship candidates 
     must be a Family Member of a U.S. Armed Forces Servicemember 
     who died in the line of duty or a Veteran of the U.S. Armed 
     Forces who died of service-connected injuries. To qualify for 
     the SFC Sean Cooley and SPC Christopher Horton Gold Star 
     Family Fellowship, a candidate must submit the following:
       4.1.1 For eligibility through Servicemember's death in the 
     line of duty: DD Form 1300, ``Report of Casualty,'' or DD 
     Form 2064, ``Certificate of Death (Overseas),'' and 
     documentation of kinship with Servicemember, such as a 
     marriage license or birth certificate.
       4.1.2 For eligibility through Veteran's death due to 
     service-connected injuries: Documentation from the Department 
     of Veterans Affairs and documentation of kinship with 
     Servicemember, such as a marriage license or birth 
     certificate.
       4.2 McCain-Mansfield Fellowship candidates. McCain-
     Mansfield Fellowship candidates must be a Wounded or Disabled 
     Veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces. To qualify for the McCain-
     Mansfield Fellowship, a candidate must submit the following:
       4.2.1 Submit DD Form 214 or other official documentation 
     confirming an honorable discharge or a general discharge 
     under honorable conditions;
       4.2.2 Have been released from active duty within the last 
     five years;
       4.2.3 Qualify as Wounded or Disabled, and provide official 
     documentation thereof, which may include a DD Form 214 or 
     other documentation from the Department of Veterans Affairs; 
     and
       4.2.4 Confirm a terminal pay grade at or below E-5 
     (Enlisted), CW-2 (Chief Warrant Officers), or O-3 (Officers).
       4.2.4.1 Veterans promoted to the pay grades of E-6, W-3, or 
     O-4 within six months of separation from active duty are 
     eligible.
       4.3 Active-Duty Military Spouse candidates. Active-Duty 
     Military Spouse candidates must, at the time of application, 
     be the spouse of an Active-Duty U.S. Armed Forces 
     servicemember. Active-Duty servicemembers work for the U.S. 
     Armed Forces full-time and are subject to permanent change of 
     station, or permanent change of assignment orders, upon 
     completion of each tour of duty. Those servicemembers subject 
     to Title X mobilization are not eligible. To qualify for the 
     Active-Duty Military Spouse Fellowship, a candidate must 
     submit the following:
       4.3.1 Proof of spouse's Active-Duty service, such as a 
     Department of Defense issued Common Access Card.
       4.3.2 Documentation of marriage to the Active-Duty 
     servicemember, such as a marriage certificate or a Department 
     of Defense Uniformed Services identification card.
       5.0 Priority Order for Fellow Assignments--The SAA shall 
     assign fellowships to Senators in the following order and 
     subject to available appropriations:
       5.1 The SAA shall use Senatorial seniority to offer one 
     Fellow to the senior Senator from each state.
       5.2 The SAA shall then use Senatorial seniority to offer 
     one Fellow to the junior Senator from each state.
       5.3 If the SAA has offered Fellows to all Senators as 
     detailed in sections 5.1 and 5.2, and still has fellowship 
     candidates to place, then the SAA shall repeat the assignment 
     process detailed in sections 5.1 and 5.2.
       5.4 If a Senator declines to participate in the Program 
     they are not eligible to be assigned a Fellow until the SAA 
     has offered a Fellow to all other Senators through the 
     assignment process detailed in sections 5.1 and 5.2.

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