,i  #aafth ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #ggih  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,july #bg1 #bjbj,mr4 
,castro of ,texas 7for himself and ,ms4 
,titus7 introduced the following bill2  
which was referred to the ,committee on 
,foreign ,affairs  ,a ,,bill  ,to amend 
the ,foreign ,service ,act of #aihj     
relating to selection boards regarding  
performance evaluations of ,foreign     
,service officers1 and for other        
purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act  
may be cited as the ,promotion          
,accessibility ,act4  #b4               
,implementation of gap memorandum in    
selection board process  7a7 ,in general
 ,section #fjc of the ,foreign ,service 
,act of #aihj 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #djjc7 is  
amended by adding at the end the        
following new subsection3  7c7 7#a7 ,a  
member of the ,service or member of the 
,senior ,foreign ,service whose         
performance will be evaluated by a      
selection board may submit to such      
selection board a gap memo in advance of

 such evaluation4  7#b7 ,members of a   
selection board may not consider as     
negative the submission of a gap memo by
 a member described in paragraph 7#a7   
when evaluating the performance of such 
member4  7#c7 ,in this subsection1 the  
term gap memo means a written record1   
submitted to a selection board in a     
standard format established by the      
,director ,general of the ,foreign      
,service1 which indicates and explains a
 gap in the record of a member of the   
,service or member of the ,senior       
,foreign ,service whose performance will
 be evaluated by such selection board1  
which gap is due to personal            
circumstances1 including for health1    
family1 or other reason as determined by
 the ,director ,general in consultation 
with the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs
 of the ,house of ,representatives and  
the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations of
 the ,senate4  4  7b7 ,consultation and 
guidance  7#a7 ,consultation ,not later 
than #cj days after the date of the     

enactment of this ,act1 the ,director   
,general of the ,foreign ,service shall 
consult with the ,committee on ,foreign 
,affairs of the ,house of               
,representatives and the ,committee on  
,foreign ,relations of the ,senate      
regarding the development of the gap    
memo under subsection 7c7 of section    
#fjc of the ,foreign ,service ,act of   
#aihj1 as added by subsection 7a74  7#b7
 ,definition ,in this subsection1 the   
term gap memo has the meaning given such
 term in subsection 7c7 of section #fjc 
of the ,foreign ,service ,act of #aihj4