,i  #aagth ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #hgje  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,august #ab1         
#bjbb,ms4 ,herrell 7for herself1 ,mr4   
,mc,kinley1 and ,mrs4 ,flores7          
introduced the following bill2 which was
 referred to the ,committee on ,foreign 
,affairs1 and in addition to the        
,committees on ,armed ,services1 and    
,oversight and ,reform1 for a period to 
be subsequently determined by the       
,speaker1 in each case for consideration
 of such provisions as fall within the  
jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
,a ,,bill  ,to strengthen ,united       
,states leadership through the          
recruitment and hiring of veterans of   
the ,united ,states ,armed ,forces to   
civil service positions1 and for other  
purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act  
may be cited as the ,veteran            
,recruitment ,act4  #b4 ,enhancement of 
,department of ,state recruitment and   
hiring of veterans  7a7 ,report ,not    
later than #ij days after the date of   

the enactment of this ,act1 the         
,secretary of ,state shall1 after       
consultation with the ,secretaries of   
,defense and ,veterans ,affairs1 submit 
a report to the ,president providing a  
detailed and comprehensive plan for     
prioritizing the recruitment and hiring 
of veterans into covered positions4     
,such plan shall1 subject to            
presidential modification and to be     
fully implemented not later than one    
year after the date the plan is         
submitted to the ,president1 accomplish 
the following3  7#a7 ,ensure that       
veterans receive priority recruitment   
and retention for covered positions1    
including through implementation of     
military rank equivalency for at least  
mid-level ranks within the ,foreign     
,service4  7#b7 ,identify and eliminate 
explicit and implicit barriers in the   
,department's recruitment and hiring    
practices that1 intentionally or        
otherwise1 prevent veterans from the    
obtaining covered positions1 including  

barriers in existing digital and        
non-digital recruitment materials4  7#c7
 ,identify and adjust ,foreign ,service 
training and management standards to    
align with those of other ,federal      
defense1 intelligence1 and security     
agencies1 including implementation of   
rigorous and selective training courses 
for newly hired recruits4  7#d7         
,identify and initiate specific steps   
that the ,department will take to ensure
 that physically disabled veterans have 
equal access to covered positions4  7b7 
,hiring ,not later than #ij days after  
the date of the enactment of this ,act1 
the ,secretary of ,state shall initiate 
and complete the following steps to     
prioritize the hiring of veterans to    
covered positions3 7#a7 ,expand         
nationwide access to the ,foreign       
,service oral assessment job interview1 
including through proctored             
video-conferencing from military        
facilities4  7#b7 ,direct the ,director 
,general of the ,foreign ,service to    

expand outreach and recruitment         
jurisdiction and efforts to ,united     
,states ,armed ,forces bases and other  
facilities in the vicinities of their   
respective colleges and universities of 
residence1 including through the use of 
,diplomats in ,residence4  7#c7 ,direct 
the ,department of ,state's ,under      
,secretaries and ,assistant ,secretaries
 to coordinate with relevant ,department
 of ,defense leadership and personnel to
 develop outreach and recruitment       
programs1 which would be tailored to    
duty stations1 that would communicate   
with active-duty ,united ,states ,armed 
,forces personnel who are in the process
 of honorably separating from military  
service about covered positions4  7#d7  
,expand eligibility of the existing     
,veterans ,innovation ,partnership      
,fellowship in order to boost access of 
veterans to such ,fellowship1 including 
by1 at a minimum1 eliminating the       
master's degree threshold requirement   
for access to the fellowship4  7#e7     

,establish at least one new academic    
fellowship for veterans1 to be modeled  
on the ,department of ,state's ,rangel  
and ,pickering ,fellowships1 not later  
than ,october #a1 #bjbb4  #c4           
,enhancement of ,u4,s4 ,agency for      
,global ,media's recruitment and hiring 
of veterans ,not later than #ij days    
after the date of the enactment of this 
,act1 the ,chief ,executive ,officer of 
the ,u4,s4 ,agency for ,global ,media   
shall1 after consultation with the      
,secretaries of ,defense and ,veterans  
,affairs1 submit a report to the        
,president providing a detailed and     
comprehensive plan for prioritizing the 
,agency's recruitment and hiring efforts
 of veterans into positions at the      
,agency1 including leadership1          
management1 policy1 and broadcasting    
positions4 ,such plan shall1 subject to 
presidential modification and to be     
fully implemented not later than one    
year after the date the plan is         
submitted to the ,president1 accomplish 

the following3 7#a7 ,ensure that        
veterans receive priority recruitment   
for ,agency positions1 including        
leadership1 management1 policy1 and     
broadcasting positions4  7#b7 ,evaluate 
explicit and implicit barriers in       
,agency recruitment and hiring practices
 that1 intentionally or otherwise1      
prevent veterans from obtaining         
positions with in the ,agency1 including
 barriers in existing digital and       
non-digital recruitment materials4  7#c7
 ,identify specific steps that the      
,agency will take to ensure that        
physically disable veterans have equal  
access to ,agency positions4  7#d7      
,recommend redeployment or realignment  
of discretionary ,agency monetary and   
personal resources to support all of the
 above efforts4  #d4 ,department of     
,defense establishment and              
implementation of separation memoranda  
of understanding with ,federal agencies 
,not later than #ij days after the date 
of the enactment of this ,act1 the      

,secretary of ,defense shall--  7#a7 in 
any circumstance where the ,department  
of ,defense has an memorandum of        
understanding to assist active-duty     
,united ,states ,armed ,forces personnel
 who are in the process of honorably    
separating from military service 7in    
this section defined as a separation    
,,mou7 with a ,federal agency1 reassess 
and1 where necessary1 recommend         
modifications to the separation ,,mou to
 enhance recruitment efforts of such    
personnel by that agency2 and  7#b7 in  
any circumstance where the ,department  
does not have an existing separation    
,,mou with a ,federal agency1 at a      
minimum initiate a separation ,,mou to  
enhance recruitment efforts of such     
personnel by that agency4  #e4 ,office  
of ,personnel ,management elimination of
 veterans preference waivers  7a7 ,in   
general ,notwithstanding any other      
provision of law1 beginning on the date 
of enactment of this ,act and until the 
date guidance is issued under subsection

 7b71 the ,director of the ,office of   
,personnel ,management may not grant any
 veteran preference waiver under section
 #ccab of title #e1 ,united ,states     
,code4  7b7 ,guidance ,not later than   
#cj days after the date of the enactment
 of this ,act1 the ,director shall issue
 new guidance providing updated criteria
 for the ,office's granting of ,federal 
agency1 board1 or commission veteran    
preference waiver requests4  #f4        
,definitions ,in this ,act-- 7#a7 the   
term civil service has the meaning given
 that term in section #baja of title #e1
 ,united ,states ,code2  7#b7 the term  
covered positions means civil service   
positions within the ,department of     
,state1 including ,foreign ,service     
positions and leadership1 management1   
and policy positions2 and  7#c7 the term
 veteran has the meaning given that term
 in section #aja of title #ch1 ,united  
,states ,code4