119-hr5233

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5233 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 5233

To modernize the Peace Corps by enhancing efficiency and foreign policy 
 alignment, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 September 9, 2025

 Mr. Huizenga introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
 Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

To modernize the Peace Corps by enhancing efficiency and foreign policy 
 alignment, and for other purposes.

 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

 This Act may be cited as the ``Peace Corps Modernization Act''.

SEC. 2. LIMITATION ON OVERHEAD SPENDING.

    (a) In General.--The Director of the Peace Corps shall take such 
steps as may be necessary ensure that--

    (1) not more than 15 percent of the total amount 
 appropriated for any fiscal year for the programs, projects, 
 and activities of the Peace Corps is allocated for 
 administrative or other, non-volunteer, overhead expenses; and

    (2) the remaining 85 percent of the budget is directed 
 toward volunteers, including for recruitment, training, and 
 support.

    (b) Savings.--To the extent that the annual allocation requirements 
under subsection

    (a) result in additional amounts being directed 
towards the purposes described in subsection

    (a)

    (2) , the Director shall 
ensure that such additional amounts are used to increase the number of 
Peace Corps volunteers deployed worldwide.

SEC. 3. ALIGNMENT WITH FOREIGN POLICY PRIORITIES.

    (a) Prioritization by Secretary of State.--Pursuant to 

section 4
            (c) (3) of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2503
            (c) (3) ), 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 interests, including countering authoritarian influence, 
promoting stability, and supporting allies.

    (b) Notification.--In addition to any other notification 
requirements applicable with respect to such a determination, 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 country.
            (c) Strategic Plan.--The Director of the Peace Corps shall 
establish a Peace Corps Strategic Plan, which shall be aligned, in 
coordination with the Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy, 
with the Integrated Country Strategies of the Department of State.
            (d) Pacific Island Country Expansion.--

    (1) Requirement for presence.--Notwithstanding subsections

    (a) and

    (b) , the Director of the Peace Corps shall ensure that 
 programs of the Peace Corps operate in at least five Pacific 
 Island countries, including Palau, the Federated States of 
 Micronesia, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands.

    (2) Report on expansion.--Not later than 90 days after the 
 enactment of this Act, 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

    (1) , detailing--
        (A) which such countries have expressed interest in 
 Peace Corps presence;
        (B) any barriers to such expansion;
            (C) the resources needed to expand; and
            (D) opportunities to coordinate with the Department 
 of Defense, Department of State, or other agencies to 
 overcome challenges to such expansion.

SEC. 4. COORDINATION WITH EMBASSIES.

    (a) Embassy Oversight.--The Director of the Peace Corps, in 
coordination with relevant Ambassadors and chiefs of mission, shall 
take such steps as may be necessary to ensure that United States 
embassies (or other equivalent diplomatic or consular posts, as 
appropriate) support and integrate country-level Peace Corps 
operations.

    (b) 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 
country, the Director of the Peace Corps shall pause such program and 
submit to Congress a notification of both such determination and such 
pause.

SEC. 5. 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 volunteers.

SEC. 6. FOREIGN SERVICE PATHWAY.

 Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the Secretary of State, acting through the Director General of the 
Foreign Service, 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 
volunteers. Such mechanism shall establish a pathway exclusively for 
such volunteers that--

    (1) creates mentorship opportunities through programs 
 pairing such applicants with current Foreign Service officers;

    (2) recognizes Peace Corps service as qualifying experience 
 in the form of bonus evaluation points in the Qualifications 
 Evaluation Panel and Oral Assessment, in a manner equivalent to 
 the veterans appointment preference under 

section 301
            (c) of the 
 Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 3941
            (c) ); and

    (3) in addition to the recognition under paragraph

    (2)
        (B) , 
 for any such volunteer appointed to a career appointment in the 
 Foreign Service, treating the term of service to the Peace 
 Corps as service in the Foreign Service for purposes of all 
 benefits (including retirement benefits) provided to members of 
 the Foreign Service or term-of-service requirements relating to 
 pay or benefits, such as the 9-year service requirement before 
 reaching eligibility for mid-level appointments.
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