[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 335 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

        H.R.335

                    One Hundred Seventeenth Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America


                          AT THE FIRST SESSION

           Begun and held at the City of Washington on Sunday,
          the third day of January, two thousand and twenty-one


                                 An Act


 
   To provide for an exception to a limitation against appointment of 
persons as Secretary of Defense within seven years of relief from active 
       duty as a regular commissioned officer of the Armed Forces.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. EXCEPTION TO LIMITATION AGAINST APPOINTMENT OF PERSONS AS 
SECRETARY OF DEFENSE WITHIN SEVEN YEARS OF RELIEF FROM ACTIVE DUTY AS 
REGULAR COMMISSIONED OFFICERS OF THE ARMED FORCES.
    (a) In General.--Notwithstanding the second sentence of section 
113(a) of title 10, United States Code, the first person appointed, by 
and with the advice and consent of the Senate, as Secretary of Defense 
in an appointment made on or after January 20, 2021, may be a person 
who is, on the date of appointment, within seven years after relief, 
but not within four years after relief, from active duty as a 
commissioned officer of a regular component of the Armed Forces.
    (b) Limited Exception.--This section applies only to the first 
person nominated after 12 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time) on January 20, 
2021, and appointed as Secretary of Defense as described in subsection 
(a), and to no other person.

                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

                            Vice President of the United States and    
                                               President of the Senate.