10 U.S.C. § 1596a: Foreign language…

Summary

The Secretary of Defense can pay extra money to a DoD employee who is certified as fluent in a foreign language the Secretary says is needed for national security, who has job duties that require that language, and who is not already getting another special language pay. The Secretary decides the amount, but it cannot be more than 5 percent of the employee’s basic pay. This extra pay is added on top of any other pay or allowances, and the Secretary must write rules to run the program.

Title 10, §1596a

Armed Forces, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Authority.—

The Secretary of Defense may pay special pay under this section to an employee of the Department of Defense who—

(1)has been certified by the Secretary to be proficient in a foreign language identified by the Secretary as being a language in which proficiency by civilian personnel of the Department is necessary because of national security interests;

(2)is assigned duties requiring proficiency in that foreign language; and

(3)is not receiving special pay under section 1596 of this title.

(b)Rate.—

The rate of special pay for an employee under this section shall be prescribed by the Secretary, but may not exceed five percent of the employee’s rate of basic pay.

(c)Relationship to Other Pay and Allowances.—

Special pay under this section is in addition to any other pay or allowances to which the employee is entitled.

(d)Regulations.—

The Secretary of Defense shall prescribe regulations to carry out this section.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2004—Subsec. (a)(2). Pub. L. 108–375 struck out “during a contingency operation supported by the armed forces” after “foreign language”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 2004 Amendment Pub. L. 108–375, div. A, title XI, § 1102(b), Oct. 28, 2004, 118 Stat. 2072, provided that: “The amendment by this section [amending this section] shall take effect on the first day of the first month that begins after the date of the enactment of this Act [Oct. 28, 2004].”

§1596a Foreign Language Proficiency: Special Pay for Proficiency Beneficial for Other National Security Interests