# 119-hr-9086: Foreign Service Modernization Act 119-hr-9086, Foreign Service Modernization Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Lawler, Michael [R-NY-17] (R-NY); status passed_house; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-10-31). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9086 - As of: 2026-10-31 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: 119-hr-9086 - Congress: 119 - Title: Foreign Service Modernization Act - Status: passed_house - Introduced: 2026-06-02 - Sponsor: Rep. Lawler, Michael [R-NY-17] (R-NY) - Cosponsors: 3 - Policy area: International Affairs - Touches household money: yes - Last recorded action: 2026-10-31 ## Summary **Modernize the Foreign Service** by reorganizing leadership, expanding recruitment and training, and strengthening cybersecurity and surge staffing. - Foreign Service officers: Raises training and promotion standards for career officers. It would require a joint duty assignment to reach the Senior Foreign Service beginning five years after enactment and tie promotions above FS-03 to mandatory certification under a new national training framework. - Veterans, students, and fellows: Expands outreach to community colleges and other nontraditional schools and allows interns enrolled at least half-time. It would create a Veterans and Foreign Service Pathway with targeted recruitment, mentorship, fellowship placement support, and a streamlined veterans pilot that sunsets after five years. - Missions and security staff: Establishes cross-bureau cybersecurity and technology governance with standard incident response, hardware inventory controls, and chiefs-of-mission accountability. It also creates a Diplomatic Reserve Corps pilot starting with at least 250 members to provide surge staffing for crises, evacuations, and consular surges. ## Cosponsors (3) - Rep. Mast, Brian J. [R-FL-21] (R-FL), 2026-06-02T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Mackenzie, Ryan [R-PA-7] (R-PA), 2026-06-08T00:00:00.000Z - Rep. Goldman, Craig A. [R-TX-12] (R-TX), 2026-06-30T00:00:00.000Z ## Provisions PRIA read - Fairer, faster hiring and promotions: benefit, medium. If enacted, the Department would tighten rules to prevent nepotism when picking public members of selection boards. Staff would need to disclose and recuse from cases involving family or close friends, and all word‑of‑mouth referrals would be written and kept for at least three years; these documen… - Faster hiring paths for veterans: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would create a program to recruit and quickly hire veterans and service members within one year of separation into critical jobs. Covered roles would include Diplomatic Security agents, security engineering and technical jobs, and cybersecurity and tech roles; diplomatic courie… - More internships and fellowships at State: benefit, medium. If enacted, more people could enter State through internships and fellowships. Students enrolled at least half‑time would be eligible, with outreach to community colleges and technical schools. A Diplomatic Security Fellowship would recruit and prepare people for security careers. A new program wou… - Stronger cyber rules and yearly training: benefit, medium. If enacted, the Department would set a cybersecurity and technology governance framework for embassies and posts. It would define who does what, how to escalate incidents, and reporting timelines. It would require device inventory checks, supply‑chain risk controls, and rules for handling compromis… - Train staff who oversee aid: benefit, medium. If enacted, the Department would recruit and train more Contracting Officer’s Representatives and Agreement Officer’s Representatives. Training would cover procurement, grants oversight, logistics, finance, monitoring and evaluation, and emergency response. The goal is a stable, skilled workforce t… - Create a Diplomatic Reserve Corps: benefit, low. If enacted, the Department would stand up a Diplomatic Reserve Corps within nine months. It would start with at least 250 members in year one and could add up to 250 per year for the next three years. No more than 30% could be in the top two salary classes. Members would complete readiness training… - Boost expeditionary diplomacy with safeguards: benefit, low. If enacted, the Secretary would create a cross‑bureau Tiger Team within 90 days to improve expeditionary diplomacy. The team would deliver a plan and timeline, and the Department would begin implementation within 12 months. The team would report to Congress within two years and then wind down withi… - Clarify leadership roles and staffing focus: benefit, low. If enacted, the Director General of the Foreign Service would also serve as Assistant Secretary for Human Resources. Regional Security Officers would be the chief security and law‑enforcement advisers to chiefs of mission. The Department would be directed to execute foreign policy through diplomacy… - Faster congressional access to briefings: benefit, low. If enacted, congressional oversight committees would get access to the State Department’s Information Center and materials. When asked, the Director would offer scheduling options within two days. The bill would also define “appropriate congressional committees” as the House Foreign Affairs Committ… - Plan for critical foreign languages: benefit, low. If enacted, the Secretary would publish a list of critical foreign languages within 180 days and update it at least every three years. For each language, the Department would set minimum tested levels and define which jobs are mission‑essential. The plan would coordinate with other agencies and use… - Long language training tied to tours: cost, high. If enacted, any member who starts full‑time, Department‑funded language training lasting more than six months on or after 180 days after enactment would owe three back‑to‑back tours in jobs that require that language. The duty would start with the first assignment after training. The Secretary coul… - Consular and security training standards: mixed, medium. If enacted, the Department would set uniform diplomatic security training standards and update them at least every three years. Officers assigned to consular work would need at least four weeks of post‑specific training before deciding visas on their own, unless given a written waiver. Training wou… - Required training to advance and lead: mixed, medium. If enacted, the Department would set required training at career milestones. You would need to finish required courses to be certified for promotion above FS‑03 or into the Senior Foreign Service. Leadership jobs would require tiered training completed within the past three years. Short emergency w… ## Related bills - 119-hr-9237: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act - 119-hr-6644: 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act - 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025 - 119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act - 119-hr-4317: PBM Reform Act of 2025 - 119-hr-9250: Great American Outdoors Act 250 ## Sources - [119-hr-9086 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/9086) ## Related - [119-hr-9237: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9237) - [119-hr-6644: 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6644) - [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151) - [119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage A…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-842) - [119-hr-4317: PBM Reform Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4317) - [119-hr-9250: Great American Outdoors Act 250](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9250) - [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9086 (as of 2026-10-31).