Sec. 404. LATERAL ENTRY INTO THE FOREIGN SERVICE

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## SEC. 404 LATERAL ENTRY INTO THE FOREIGN SERVICE ###

(a)Sense of Congress It is the sense of Congress that the Foreign Service should permit mid-career entry into the Foreign Service for qualified individuals who are willing to bring their talents and experiences to the work of the Foreign Service. ###

(b)Pilot Program Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish a 5-year pilot program for lateral entry into the Foreign Service that— ####

(1)targets mid-career individuals from the civil service and private sector who have skills and experience that would be extremely valuable to the Foreign Service; ####

(2)is in full comportment with current Foreign Service intake procedures, including the requirement to pass the Foreign Service exam; ####

(3)offers participants in such pilot program placement in the Foreign Service at a grade level higher than FS-4 if such placement is warranted by the education and qualifying experience of such individuals; ####

(4)requires only one directed assignment in a position appropriate to such pilot program participant’s grade level; ####

(5)includes, as part of the required initial training, a class or module that specifically prepares participants in such pilot program for life in the Foreign Service, including conveying to such participants essential elements of the practical knowledge that is normally acquired during a Foreign Service officer’s initial assignments ####

(6)includes an annual assessment of the progress of such pilot program by a review board consisting of Department officials with appropriate expertise, including employees of the Foreign Service, in order to evaluate such pilot program’s success; ####

(7)does not include the use of Foreign Service-Limited or other noncareer Foreign Service hiring authorities; and ####

(8)includes not fewer than 30 participants for each year of the pilot program. ###

(c)Annual Reporting Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act and annually thereafter for the duration of the pilot program described in subsection (b), the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report that describes the following: ####

(1)The cumulative number of accepted and unaccepted applicants to such pilot program. ####

(2)The cumulative number of pilot program participants placed into each Foreign Service cone. ####

(3)The grade level at which each pilot program participant entered the Foreign Service. ####

(4)Information about the first assignment to which each pilot program participant was directed. ####

(5)The structure and operation of such pilot program, including— #####

(A)the operation of such pilot program to date; and #####

(B)any observations and lessons learned about such pilot program that the Secretary considers relevant. ###

(d)Longitudinal Data The Secretary shall— ####

(1)collect and maintain data on the career progression of each pilot program participant for the length of each participant’s Foreign Service career; and ####

(2)make the data described in paragraph

(1)available to the appropriate congressional committees upon request. ###

(e)Certification If the Secretary does not commence the lateral entry program within 180 days after the date of the enactment of this subsection, the Secretary shall submit a report to the appropriate congressional committees— ####

(1)certifying that progress is being made on implementation of the pilot program and describing such progress, including the date on which applicants will be able to apply; ####

(2)estimating the date by which the pilot program will be fully implemented; ####

(3)outlining how the Department will use the Lateral Entry Program to fill needed skill sets in key areas such as cyberspace, emerging technologies, economic statecraft, multilateral diplomacy, and data and other sciences.