Sec. 103. Staff enhancement
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In this section, the term botanical scientist means an individual with post-secondary education in botanical sciences, including a plant ecologist and an individual with a bachelor degree in plant biology. For the purpose of improving the land management capabilities of the Department, the Secretary shall augment the expertise of the Department in the botanical sciences by— hiring additional personnel who are botanical scientists under subsection (c); and establishing a loan forgiveness program under subsection
(d)to facilitate the hiring of those personnel. By not later than September 30, 2021, the Secretary shall hire not fewer than 1 and not greater than 20 full-time botanical scientists to support the land management responsibilities of the Department. The Secretary shall determine the appropriate placement of the botanical scientists hired under subparagraph
(A)within the appropriate agencies of the Department with major land management responsibilities. To the extent practicable, the Secretary shall carry out this section through the Pathways Programs under Executive Order 13562 ( 5 U.S.C. 3301 note; relating to recruiting and hiring students and recent graduates). The Secretary may waive any limitation on the number of full-time equivalent personnel assigned to the Department in order to carry out the purposes of this section. A botanical scientist hired under paragraph
(1)shall be— in addition to— any position authorized in the Department on the day before the date of enactment of this Act; and any existing vacancy within the Department on that day; part of the competitive service (as defined in section 2102 of title 5, United States Code); and hired in compliance with all applicable provisions of title 5, United States Code. The Secretary shall establish a program to provide educational loan repayment to qualifying individuals who agree to a term of employment with the Department as a botanical scientist. To be eligible to participate in the loan repayment program under this subsection, an individual shall— either— have a degree in botanical sciences; be enrolled in an approved graduate training program in botanical sciences; or be enrolled as a full-time student in an accredited educational institution and in the final year of a course of a study or program, offered by that institution and approved by the Secretary, leading to a degree in botanical sciences; and submit to the Secretary an application for a contract described in paragraph (4). In distributing application forms and contract forms to individuals interested in the loan repayment program under this subsection, the Secretary shall include with those forms a summary of the rights and liabilities of an individual whose— application is approved; and whose contract is accepted. The summary described in subparagraph
(A)shall be written in a manner calculated to be understood by an average individual applying to participate in the loan repayment program, as determined by the Secretary. An individual shall become a participant in the loan repayment program under this subsection only on the Secretary and the individual entering into a written contract in which— the Secretary agrees to repay loans on behalf of the individual in accordance with paragraph (5); and the individual agrees— to accept loan payments on behalf of the individual; if applicable, to maintain enrollment and acceptable academic standing in a training program or course of study or program described in clause
(ii)or
(iii)of paragraph (2)(A), respectively; and to serve for a period equal to 2 years, or any longer period as the individual may agree, as a botanical scientist employed by the Department. A contract under this paragraph shall include any other appropriate terms and conditions to clarify the rights, obligations, and liabilities of the parties. A loan repayment under this subsection shall consist of repayment by the Secretary on behalf of the individual of government and commercial loans received by the individual regarding the education described in paragraph (2)(A) of the individual for— tuition; other reasonable educational expenses; or reasonable living expenses, as determined by the Secretary. For each year of obligated service that an individual contracts to serve in the Department, the Secretary may pay not more than $50,000 on behalf of the individual for loans described in subparagraph (A). For fiscal year 2021 and each subsequent fiscal year, the Secretary shall adjust the amount of the limitation described in clause
(i)to reflect inflation. In making a determination of the amount to pay under subparagraph
(A)for a year of service by an individual, the Secretary may enter into an agreement with the holder of any loan for which payments are made to establish a schedule for making those payments. A payment under this subsection may be used to repay— principal on a qualifying loan; interest on a qualifying loan; and related expenses on a qualifying loan. An individual who has entered into a written contract with the Secretary under this subsection while undergoing academic or other training shall not be counted against any employment ceiling affecting the Department. There are authorized to be appropriated— for fiscal year 2020— $3,000,000 to carry out subsection (b); and $1,000,000 to carry out subsection (c); and such sums as are necessary to carry out this section for each fiscal year thereafter.
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