PATH to the Foreign Service Act
Sponsored By: Representative Titus, Dina [D-NV-1]
Introduced
Summary
Creates a direct career pathway for former United States Agency for International Development (USAID) foreign service officers to join the Department of State Foreign Service. This bill would let eligible former USAID officers be appointed or converted into the Foreign Service at a grade and tenure that match their prior rank, time in service, and performance, subject to suitability and security checks. It would also waive the Foreign Service Officer Test for those who already met entry requirements and served in good standing.
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- Former USAID officers: Would become eligible for appointment into the Foreign Service track with prior rank and time-in-service recognized, and without repeating the Foreign Service Officer Test if they previously qualified and served well.
- Department of State applicants: The Department must give hiring preference points or equivalent credit to candidates with prior USAID service, whether that service was in the Foreign Service or Civil Service, and apply that preference transparently.
- Career milestones and benefits: Prior USAID service would count toward seniority, time-in-class, retirement eligibility, and other career milestones to the maximum extent allowed by law.
- Implementation and duration: The Secretary of State must issue guidance within 180 days in coordination with USAID and the Office of Personnel Management, and the section sunsets five years after enactment.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
1 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
State hiring credit for USAID staff
This bill would require the State Department to count prior USAID service toward a Foreign Service Officer's seniority, time-in-class, retirement eligibility, and other career milestones to the maximum extent allowed by law. Former USAID Foreign Service members appointed to State would be eligible for appointment at a grade and tenure matching their prior rank, time-in-service, and performance, subject to suitability and security checks. The bill would waive the Foreign Service Officer Test for qualifying former USAID Foreign Service members who previously met entry requirements and served in good standing. It would require State to give hiring preference points or equivalent credit to applicants with prior USAID service and to apply that preference clearly and consistently. The Secretary would have 180 days after enactment to issue coordinated guidance, and these rules would cease to be effective five years after enactment.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Titus, Dina [D-NV-1]
NV • D
Cosponsors
There are no cosponsors for this bill.
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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