Strategic Defense Fellows Program Act of 2023

[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6738 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 6738

    To provide for the appointment of fellows in the John S. McCain 
 Strategic Defense Fellows Program to term excepted service positions, 
                        and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           December 13, 2023

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To provide for the appointment of fellows in the John S. McCain 
 Strategic Defense Fellows Program to term excepted service positions, 
                        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.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Strategic Defense Fellows Program 
Act of 2023''.

SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS 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 
(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, 
        which shall not exceed 60 individuals 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 and Career Development.--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).
            ``(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) 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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