PRIA Logo™
119-hr-8167119th CongressWALLET

Diplomatic Reserve Corps Act of 2026

Sponsored By: Representative Titus, Dina [D-NV-1]

Introduced

Summary

establish a Diplomatic Reserve Corps inside the State Department as a new civilian reserve corps to recruit, train, and mobilize experienced civilians for diplomatic and emergency missions.

Show full summary
  • Members and workers: The bill would create a separate personnel system with defined pay classes, a performance-pay framework, and no overtime. Members must complete at least 24 days of training each year and emergency recalls are limited so no more than 25% of the Corps can be mobilized under certain authorities in a year.
  • Families and survivors: Members and eligible dependents would get Federal Employees Health Benefits treatment and access to the Foreign Service Health Program with family limits abroad. Survivors would receive a death gratuity equal to one years Executive Schedule Level II salary and additional life-insurance and education assistance for terrorism-related deaths.
  • Department operations and funding: The Corps would scale up from an initial 250 members toward a 1,000-member target over several years and the bill creates a dedicated Diplomatic Reserve Corps Account to pay salaries, training, travel, and contingency costs.

Personalized for You

How does this bill affect your finances?

Personalize government policy and PRIA will tell you what this bill means for your household, plus every other piece of legislation we track. PRIA reads each provision against your financial profile to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.

Free to download

Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

5 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 2 mixed.

Pension, retirement, and survivor rules

If enacted, the bill would make participating Corps members subject to the Foreign Service pension system and chapter 84 rules. A member's annuity would be 2% times average pay times years creditable toward retirement, capped at 35 years, and years are earned by a points system (15 points for membership plus one point per day of covered active service); one year counts when at least 50 points are earned. The bill would require mandatory retirement at the end of the month a member turns 65 (with limited one-year retention in the public interest) and set retirement eligibility thresholds (for example, generally age 60 with 20 years of creditable service). The bill also authorizes lump-sum performance pay with caps (generally up to 20% of annual salary, prorated by days served, and no more than 25% of members receiving awards in a year) and provides a death gratuity equal to one year of Executive Schedule level II pay for members who die of injuries on active service abroad, plus a terrorism-related special payment as specified.

Rules for calling members to service

If enacted, the bill would allow the Secretary, the President, or other authorized officials to call Corps members to active service without their consent under several specific authorities. Limits include up to 15 days per year for routine calls; up to 12 consecutive months during a Presidential national emergency with no more than 75% of authorized strength on active service at once; Congressional emergency calls for the emergency plus six months; and preplanned or Presidential augmentation calls up to 365 days with a 25% aggregate cap and required Congressional notice. Members could sign active service agreements up to four years; if released without consent they would generally get pay for the unexpired months equal to monthly basic pay plus special pay and allowances. The bill would require most members to do annual training (24 days split into twelve 2-day periods plus a single 14-day continuous orientation) but allow exemptions after a continuous non-training active service period. It also allows suspension of promotion, retirement, or separation rules for members the President finds essential during active service, and requires the Secretary to extend a required retirement or separation date by up to 90 days after such a suspension ends.

Health and job protections for members

If enacted, the bill would let Corps members who are not otherwise eligible be treated like uniformed service members for Federal Employees Health Benefits enrollment. Members and family members who accompany them abroad would be eligible for care under the Foreign Service Health Program. Certain Corps service would count as employment for Social Security and FICA. The bill would add Corps members on covered active service to the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act and extend USERRA reemployment protections to them.

New Diplomatic Reserve Corps hiring and pay

If enacted, the bill would create a new Diplomatic Reserve Corps at the State Department. It would set Corps size as 250 members for FY2026, 500 for FY2027, 750 for FY2028, and 1,000 in FY2029 and later, and cap the Senior element at 10% of the Corps as of each September 30. The bill would require selection boards, personnel records, broad recruitment, and skill identifiers for members. It would set a pay plan with nine classes and 14 steps, pay hourly for active service, and allow within-class step advancement after 156 continuous weeks; the Secretary may make retroactive promotions in special circumstances.

Funding and oversight for the Corps

If enacted, the bill would create a Diplomatic Reserve Corps Account in the Treasury to receive appropriations and transfers for Corps salaries, training, recruitment, operations, and other Corps costs. Money designated for a "diplomatic contingency" would remain available until spent, subject to reprogramming rules. The bill would make the Corps an operating unit for State Department Inspector General oversight. It would also require the Department to run a Corps readiness exercise at least once every two years with realistic participation from relevant offices.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Titus, Dina [D-NV-1]

NV • D

Cosponsors

  • Rep. Baumgartner, Michael [R-WA-5]

    WA • R

    Sponsored 3/30/2026

  • Rep. Wilson, Joe [R-SC-2]

    SC • R

    Sponsored 4/22/2026

  • Rep. Wasserman Schultz, Debbie [D-FL-25]

    FL • D

    Sponsored 8/10/2026

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

View on Congress.gov
Back to Legislation