,i #aaith ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #ebcc ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,september #i1 #bjbe,mr4 ,huizenga introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs ,a ,,bill ,to modernize the ,peace ,corps by enhancing efficiency and foreign policy alignment1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,peace ,corps ,modernization ,act4 #b4 ,limitation on overhead spending 7a7 ,in general ,the ,director of the ,peace ,corps shall take such steps as may be necessary ensure that-- 7#a7 not more than #ae percent of the total amount appropriated for any fiscal year for the programs1 projects1 and activities of the ,peace ,corps is allocated for administrative or other1 non-volunteer1 overhead expenses2 and 7#b7 the remaining #he percent of the budget is directed toward volunteers1 including for recruitment1 training1 and support4 7b7 ,savings ,to the extent that the annual allocation requirements under subsection 7a7 result in additional amounts being directed towards the purposes described in subsection 7a77#b71 the ,director shall ensure that such additional amounts are used to increase the number of ,peace ,corps volunteers deployed worldwide4 #c4 ,alignment with foreign policy priorities 7a7 ,prioritization by ,secretary of ,state ,pursuant to section #d7;c77#c7 of the ,peace ,corps ,act 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #bejc7;c77#c771 the ,secretary of ,state shall set country priorities for the deployment of ,peace ,corps volunteers in a manner that ensures alignment with ,united ,states strategic interests1 including countering authoritarian influence1 promoting stability1 and supporting allies4 7b7 ,notification ,in addition to any other notification requirements applicable with respect to such a determination1 the ,director of the ,peace ,corps shall submit to ,congress a notification before the entry into effect of any determination to undertake the first ,peace ,corps program in a new country or terminate all ,peace ,corps programs in any country4 7c7 ,strategic plan ,the ,director of the ,peace ,corps shall establish a ,peace ,corps ,strategic ,plan1 which shall be aligned1 in coordination with the ,under ,secretary of ,state for ,public ,diplomacy1 with the ,integrated ,country ,strategies of the ,department of ,state4 7d7 ,pacific ,island country expansion 7#a7 ,requirement for presence ,notwithstanding subsections 7a7 and 7b71 the ,director of the ,peace ,corps shall ensure that programs of the ,peace ,corps operate in at least five ,pacific ,island countries1 including ,palau1 the ,federated ,states of ,micronesia1 and the ,republic of the ,marshall ,islands4 7#b7 ,report on expansion ,not later than #ij days after the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,state and ,director of the ,peace ,corps shall brief the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs of the ,house of ,representatives and the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations of the ,senate on the expansion of ,peace ,corps operations in ,pacific ,island countries as required by paragraph 7#a71 detailing-- 7,a7 which such countries have expressed interest in ,peace ,corps presence2 7,b7 any barriers to such expansion2 7,c7 the resources needed to expand2 and 7,d7 opportunities to coordinate with the ,department of ,defense1 ,department of ,state1 or other agencies to overcome challenges to such expansion4 #d4 ,coordination with embassies 7a7 ,embassy oversight ,the ,director of the ,peace ,corps1 in coordination with relevant ,ambassadors and chiefs of mission1 shall take such steps as may be necessary to ensure that ,united ,states embassies 7or other equivalent diplomatic or consular posts1 as appropriate7 support and integrate country-level ,peace ,corps operations4 7b7 ,withdrawal of support ,upon receiving notice of a determination by the ,secretary of ,state that a regional bureau or an embassy has withdrawn support for the program of the ,peace ,corps in a country1 the ,director of the ,peace ,corps shall pause such program and submit to ,congress a notification of both such determination and such pause4 #e4 ,oversight and accountability ,the ,inspector ,general of the ,peace ,corps shall coordinate with the ,inspector ,general of the ,department of ,state on all oversight activities relating to volunteers4 #f4 ,foreign service pathway ,not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,state1 acting through the ,director ,general of the ,foreign ,service1 shall establish through regulation a mechanism to provide streamlined vetting and consideration of applications for appointment to the ,foreign ,service of returning and former ,peace ,corps volunteers4 ,such mechanism shall establish a pathway exclusively for such volunteers that-- 7#a7 creates mentorship opportunities through programs pairing such applicants with current ,foreign ,service officers2 7#b7 recognizes ,peace ,corps service as qualifying experience in the form of bonus evaluation points in the ,qualifications ,evaluation ,panel and ,oral ,assessment1 in a manner equivalent to the veterans appointment preference under section #cja7;c7 of the ,foreign ,service ,act of #aihj 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #cida7;c772 and 7#c7 in addition to the recognition under paragraph 7#b77;,b71 for any such volunteer appointed to a career appointment in the ,foreign ,service1 treating the term of service to the ,peace ,corps as service in the ,foreign ,service for purposes of all benefits 7including retirement benefits7 provided to members of the ,foreign ,service or term-of-service requirements relating to pay or benefits1 such as the #i-year service requirement before reaching eligibility for mid-level appointments4