An amendment numbered 5 printed in part B of House Report 109-175 to amend the Foreign Service Act to strengthen the statutory basis of the Department's requirement for worldwide availability for new entrants to the Foreign Service, and also to make clear that the Department's Office of Medical Services sets medical standards for admission to the Service's medical program. The amendment also allows each agency to continue to exercise its own hiring authority, and to utilize its discretion in situations where a Foreign Service applicant who is not worldwide available but nonetheless has skills that are so needed it is in the agency's best interests to waive the requirement.

1. Adds SEC. 319. WORLDWIDE AVAILABILITY at the end of title III

   Adds a section

   Inserted: SEC. 319. WORLDWIDE AVAILABILITY.

   Inserted: Section 301(b) of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 3491(b)) is amended by adding at the end the following new sentence: "At the time of entry into the Service, each member of the Service must be worldwide available, as determined by the Secretary of State through appropriate medical examinations, unless the Secretary determines that a waiver of the worldwide availability requirement is required to fulfill a compelling Service need. The Secretary shall establish an internal administrative review process for medical ineligibility determinations.".

   Original wording

   At the end of title III (relating to the organization and personnel of the Department of State), add the following new section (and conform the table of contents accordingly):

Read automatically from the Congressional Record. Check the original before relying on it.

As printed