To amend title 10, United States Code, to include the Chief of the National Guard Bureau as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and to reestablish the position of Vice Chief of the National Guard Bureau.

Adds the Chief of the National Guard Bureau (Bureau) to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Reestablishes the position of Vice Chief of the Bureau. Terminates the position of Director of the Joint Staff of the Bureau and transfers existing duties of the Director to the Vice Chief.

[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3455 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3455

  To amend title 10, United States Code, to include the Chief of the 
 National Guard Bureau as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and to 
  reestablish the position of Vice Chief of the National Guard Bureau.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 17, 2011

  Mr. Palazzo (for himself, Mr. Holden, Mr. Bartlett, Mr. Thompson of 
Mississippi, Mr. Westmoreland, Mr. Latham, Mr. LoBiondo, Mr. Nunnelee, 
 and Mr. Harper) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
                    the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend title 10, United States Code, to include the Chief of the 
 National Guard Bureau as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and to 
  reestablish the position of Vice Chief of the National Guard Bureau.

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

SECTION 1. MEMBERSHIP OF THE CHIEF OF THE NATIONAL GUARD BUREAU ON THE 
              JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF.

    (a) Membership on Joint Chiefs of Staff.--Section 151(a) of title 
10, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following 
new paragraph:
            ``(7) The Chief of the National Guard Bureau.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendments.--Section 10502 of such title, as amended 
by section 2(b)(1) of this Act, is further amended--
            (1) by redesignating subsection (d) as subsection (e); and
            (2) by inserting after subsection (c) the following new 
        subsection (d):
    ``(d) Member of Joint Chiefs of Staff.--The Chief of the National 
Guard Bureau shall perform the duties prescribed for him or her as a 
member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under section 151 of this title.''.

SEC. 2. REESTABLISHMENT OF POSITION OF VICE CHIEF OF THE NATIONAL GUARD 
              BUREAU AND TERMINATION OF POSITION OF DIRECTOR OF THE 
              JOINT STAFF OF THE NATIONAL GUARD BUREAU.

    (a) Reestablishment and Termination of Positions.--Section 10505 of 
title 10, United States Code, is amended to read as follows:
``Sec. 10505. Vice Chief of the National Guard Bureau
    ``(a) Appointment.--(1) There is a Vice Chief of the National Guard 
Bureau, selected by the Secretary of Defense from officers of the Army 
National Guard of the United States or the Air National Guard of the 
United States who--
            ``(A) are recommended for such appointment by their 
        respective Governors or, in the case of the District of 
        Columbia, the commanding general of the District of Columbia 
        National Guard;
            ``(B) have had at least 10 years of federally recognized 
        service in an active status in the National Guard; and
            ``(C) are in a grade above the grade of brigadier general.
    ``(2) The Chief and Vice Chief of the National Guard Bureau may not 
both be members of the Army or of the Air Force.
    ``(3)(A) Except as provided in subparagraph (B), an officer 
appointed as Vice Chief of the National Guard Bureau serves for a term 
of four years, but may be removed from office at any time for cause.
    ``(B) The term of the Vice Chief of the National Guard Bureau shall 
end within a reasonable time (as determined by the Secretary of 
Defense) following the appointment of a Chief of the National Guard 
Bureau who is a member of the same armed force as the Vice Chief.
    ``(b) Duties.--The Vice Chief of the National Guard Bureau performs 
such duties as may be prescribed by the Chief of the National Guard 
Bureau.
    ``(c) Grade.--The Vice Chief of the National Guard Bureau shall be 
appointed to serve in the grade of lieutenant general.
    ``(d) Functions as Acting Chief.--When there is a vacancy in the 
office of the Chief of the National Guard Bureau or in the absence or 
disability of the Chief, the Vice Chief of the National Guard Bureau 
acts as Chief and performs the duties of the Chief until a successor is 
appointed or the absence of disability ceases.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendments.--
            (1) Section 10502 of such title is amended by striking 
        subsection (e).
            (2) Section 10506(a)(1) of such title is amended by 
        striking ``and the Director of the Joint Staff of the National 
        Guard Bureau'' and inserting ``and the Vice Chief of the 
        National Guard Bureau''.
    (c) Clerical Amendments.--
            (1) Heading amendment.--The heading of section 10502 of 
        such title is amended to read as follows:
``Sec. 10502. Chief of the National Guard Bureau: appointment; advisor 
              on National Guard matters; grade''.
            (2) Table of sections.--The table of sections at the 
        beginning of chapter 1011 of such title is amended--
                    (A) by striking the item relating to section 10502 
                and inserting the following new item:

``10502. Chief of the National Guard Bureau: appointment; advisor on 
                            National Guard matters; grade.'';
                and
                    (B) by striking the item relating to section 10505 
                and inserting the following new item:

``10505. Vice Chief of the National Guard Bureau.''.
                                 <all>