To treat certain officers in the commissioned officer corps of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as employees of the Administration for purposes of vacant positions of employment open only to current employees of the Administration.

SA 2740. Mr. REID (for Mr. Begich) proposed an amendment to the bill
S. 1068, to reauthorize and amend the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration Commissioned Officer Corps Act of 2002, and for other
purposes; as follows:

       At the end of title IV, add the following:

     SEC. 412. TREATMENT OF COMMISSION IN COMMISSIONED OFFICER
                   CORPS AS EMPLOYMENT IN NATIONAL OCEANIC AND
                   ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION FOR PURPOSES OF
                   CERTAIN HIRING DECISIONS.

       (a) In General.--Subtitle E (33 U.S.C. 3071 et seq.), as
     amended by this title, is further amended by adding at the
     end the following:

     ``SEC. 269A. TREATMENT OF COMMISSION IN COMMISSIONED OFFICER
                   CORPS AS EMPLOYMENT IN ADMINISTRATION FOR
                   PURPOSES OF CERTAIN HIRING DECISIONS.

       ``(a) In General.--In any case in which the Secretary
     accepts an application for a position of employment with the
     Administration and limits consideration of applications for
     such position to applications submitted by individuals
     serving in a career or career-conditional position in the
     competitive service within the Administration, the Secretary
     shall deem an officer who has served as an officer in the
     commissioned officer corps for at least 3 years to be serving
     in a career or career-conditional position in the competitive
     service within the Administration for purposes of such
     limitation.
       ``(b) Career Appointments.--If the Secretary selects an
     application submitted by an officer described in subsection
     (a) for a position described in such subsection, the
     Secretary shall give such officer a career or career-
     conditional appointment in the competitive service, as
     appropriate.
       ``(c) Competitive Service Defined.--In this section, the
     term `competitive service' has the meaning given the term in
     section 2102 of title 5, United States Code.''.
       (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections in section 1
     of the Act entitled ``An Act to authorize the Hydrographic
     Service Improvement Act of 1998, and for other purposes''
     (Public Law 107-372) is amended by inserting after the item
     relating to section 269, as added by this title, the
     following new item:

``Sec. 269A. Treatment of commission in commissioned officer corps as
              employment in Administration for purposes of certain
              hiring decisions.''.

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