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Title 22 — Foreign Relations and IntercourseRelease 119-73

§2734g Promoting transparency and accountability in the Department of State workforce

Title 22 › Chapter CHAPTER 38— - DEPARTMENT OF STATE › § 2734g

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary must set up a system so that assigning career Department employees to senior staff jobs — like positions for the Secretary, Deputy Secretary, Counselor, Policy Planning offices, Under Secretaries, and details to the National Security Council — is open, competitive, fair to all, and based on ability and qualifications. Within 90 days after December 23, 2022, the Secretary must send a report to the appropriate congressional committees about that system. The Secretary must use those fair processes for the listed jobs and make sure they are equally available to all Department Civil Service and Foreign Service employees.

Full Legal Text

Title 22, §2734g

Foreign Relations and Intercourse — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Secretary should establish a mechanism to ensure that appointments or details of Department career employees to staff positions in the Office of the Secretary, the Office of the Deputy Secretary of State, the Office of the Counselor of the Department, any office of the Secretary’s Policy Planning Staff, and any office of an Under Secretary of State, and details to the National Security Council, are transparent, competitive, inclusive, and merit-based.
(b)Not later than 90 days after December 23, 2022, the Secretary shall submit a report to the appropriate congressional committees regarding the mechanism established pursuant to subsection (a).
(c)The Secretary shall—
(1)use transparent, competitive, inclusive, and merit-based processes for appointments and details to the staff positions specified in subsection (a); and
(2)ensure that such positions are equally available to all employees of the Civil Service and the Foreign Service of the Department.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Rule of

Construction

Pub. L. 117–263, div. I, title XCIV, § 9405, Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 3897, provided that: “Nothing in this title [enacting this section] may be construed as altering existing law regarding merit system principles.” Definitions For definitions of “Secretary”, “Department”, and “appropriate congressional committees” as used in this section, see section 9002 of Pub. L. 117–263, set out as a note under section 2651 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

22 U.S.C. § 2734g

Title 22 — Foreign Relations and Intercourse

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73