This bill lets the Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security hire up to 25 outside experts for the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) to fill specific gaps in technical or other expertise. The Under Secretary may study the Bureau each year to find those gaps. The hires may be made outside the civil service and may be paid up to the maximum for senior-level federal positions plus locality pay. Each appointment generally may last up to 5 years, with a possible one-year extension for national security or foreign policy reasons. Total yearly pay for any appointee may not exceed the Vice President's annual pay. The Under Secretary must report on identified gaps, hiring steps, appointees, their qualifications, and their impact. The authority ends 5 years after the law takes effect. Background checks and applicant qualifications still apply.
The bill allows pay up to the senior-level maximum plus locality pay and limits total annual compensation to no more than the Vice President's pay. It also limits the number of appointees to 25. No publicly available information on the bill's total cost to the federal budget or estimated spending is included in the bill text.
The bill's stated purpose is to attract highly qualified experts and to fill specific expertise gaps that have been hard to fill through the civil service. Supporters say the authority will help BIS carry out its mission by bringing in needed skills on a temporary basis.
No publicly available information.