[Pages S2271-S2272]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

UNITED STATES SENATE FELLOWSHIP REGULATIONS

Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to have printed
in the Congressional Record updated United States Senate Fellowship
Regulations.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:

U.S. Senate Stars of Valor Fellowships Program Regulations

adopted by the committee on rules and administration on march 5, 2024

1.0 Scope--Senate Resolution 442 (117th Congress)
established the SFC Sean Cooley and SPC Christopher Horton
Gold Star Family Fellowship and Senate Resolution 443 (117th
Congress) established the McCain-Mansfield Fellowship. These
programs create fellowship positions within the Senate that
provide qualified military veterans and their family members
with career transition and development opportunities. These
regulations describe the administration, eligibility
criteria, selection, and placement procedures of the
programs.
2.0 Definitions--For purposes of these regulations, the
following terms shall have the meaning specified.
2.1 Disabled means a Veteran with a service-connected
disability rating of 30% or greater.

[[Page S2272]]

2.2 Family Member means a widow or widower (remarried or
not); parent (mother, father, stepmother, stepfather, mother
through adoption, father through adoption, and foster parent
who stands in loco parentis); child, stepchild, or adopted
child; or brother, sister, half-brother, or half-sister.
2.3 Fellow means an individual serving in the Stars of
Valor Fellowships Program.
2.4 Participating Senate Office means the personal office
of a Senator that chooses to employ a Fellow and for which a
Fellow is available by operation of the priority system
described in section 5.0 of these regulations.
2.5 Program means the Stars of Valor Fellowships Program.
2.6 Rules Committee means the U.S. Senate Committee on
Rules and Administration.
2.7 SAA means the Senate Sergeant at Arms.
2.8 Stars of Valor Fellowships Program means the SFC Sean
Cooley and SPC Christopher Horton Gold Star Family Fellowship
established by Senate Resolution 442 (117th Congress) and the
McCain-Mansfield Fellowship established by Senate Resolution
443 (117th Congress).
2.9 U.S. Armed Forces shall have the same meaning as set
forth in 10 U.S.C. 101(a)(4).
2.10 Veteran shall have the same meaning as set forth in 38
U.S.C. 101(2).
2.11 Wounded shall have the same meaning as set forth in 10
U.S.C. 1129.
3.0 General Program Information--The SAA, in consultation
with the Rules Committee, is responsible for the Program's
administration.
3.1 Availability. The number of fellowships available is
contingent on appropriations.
3.2 Duty Station. Fellows are detailed to a Participating
Senate Office in the District of Columbia or a state. Fellows
may request specific location assignments, but such requests
are not guaranteed.
3.3 Duration. Fellowships are expected to last 24 months
and are contingent upon employee conduct and performance, as
well as the Senator's continued tenure.
3.3.1 If, for any reason, a Senator leaves office, a Fellow
placed with that Participating Senate Office may, upon the
determination of the SAA after consultation with the Rules
Committee, be reassigned for the remainder of the 24 months
to another Participating Senate Office or be terminated.
3.4 Appointment Selection. The SAA is responsible for
advertising Program vacancies, forwarding qualified
candidates to Participating Senate Offices for consideration
and selection, submitting selected candidates for a
background check by the U.S. Capitol Police, appointing
Fellows, coordinating Fellow onboarding, and setting
compensation of Fellows.
3.5 Senate Office Responsibility. Participating Senate
Offices are required to sign a Statement of Understanding
with the SAA. The Statement of Understanding shall
memorialize the terms and conditions governing the SAA's
placement of a Fellow to a Participating Senate Office.
Official travel for any Fellow shall be at the sole expense
of the Participating Senate Office pursuant to the United
States Senate Travel Regulations and as memorialized in the
Statement of Understanding.
3.6 Program Employment Policies. Program employment
policies for Fellows shall be set forth in a Program handbook
prepared by the SAA, in consultation with the Senate Chief
Counsel for Employment. To the maximum extent possible, the
Program handbook will establish that the policies set by the
Participating Senate Office govern in matters concerning a
Fellow's day-to-day employment. In matters where the Program
handbook and the Participating Senate Office's policies
conflict, the Program handbook will control.
3.7 Employment Exclusions. For purposes of the Program's
administration only, all Fellows shall be considered
employees of the SAA; however, no Fellow shall be included in
the SAA's full-time employee count, and no Fellow's
compensation shall be included in the determination of the
aggregate gross compensation limit for employees of the SAA.
The compensation paid to a Fellow serving in Participating
Senate Office shall not be included in the determination of
the aggregate gross compensation for employees employed by
the Senator under section 105(d)(1) of the Legislative Branch
Appropriation Act, 1968.
4.0 Program Eligibility Criteria--
4.1 SFC Sean Cooley and SPC Christopher Horton Gold Star
Family Fellowship candidates. The SFC Sean Cooley and SPC
Christopher Horton Gold Star Family Fellowship candidates
must be a Family Member of a U.S. Armed Forces Servicemember
who died in the line of duty or a Veteran of the U.S. Armed
Forces who died of service-connected injuries. To qualify for
the SFC Sean Cooley and SPC Christopher Horton Gold Star
Family Fellowship, a candidate must submit the following:
4.1.1 For eligibility through Servicemember's death in the
line of duty: DD Form 1300, ``Report of Casualty,'' or DD
Form 2064, ``Certificate of Death (Overseas),'' and
documentation of kinship with Servicemember, such as a
marriage license or birth certificate.
4.1.2 For eligibility through Veteran's death due to
service-connected injuries: Documentation from the Department
of Veterans Affairs and documentation of kinship with
Servicemember, such as a marriage license or birth
certificate.
4.2 McCain-Mansfield Fellowship candidates. McCain-
Mansfield Fellowship candidates must be a Wounded or Disabled
Veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces. To qualify for the McCain-
Mansfield Fellowship, a candidate must submit the following:
4.2.1 Submit DD Form 214 or other official documentation
confirming an honorable discharge or a general discharge
under honorable conditions;
4.2.2 Have been released from active duty within the last
five years;
4.2.3 Qualify as Wounded or Disabled, and provide official
documentation thereof, which may include a DD Form 214 or
other documentation from the Department of Veterans Affairs;
and
4.2.4 Confirm a terminal pay grade at or below E-5
(Enlisted), CW-2 (Chief Warrant Officers), or O-3 (Officers).
4.2.4.1 Veterans promoted to the pay grades of E-6, W-3, or
O-4 within six months of separation from active duty are
eligible.
5.0 Priority Order for Fellow Assignments--The SAA shall
assign fellowships to Senators in the following order and
subject to available appropriations:
5.1 The SAA shall use Senatorial seniority to offer one
Fellow to the senior Senator from each state.
5.2 The SAA shall then use Senatorial seniority to offer
one Fellow to the junior Senator from each state.
5.3 If the SAA has offered Fellows to all Senators as
detailed in sections 5.1 and 5.2, and still has fellowship
candidates to place, then the SAA shall repeat the assignment
process detailed in sections 5.1 and 5.2.
5.4 If a Senator declines to participate in the Program
they are not eligible to be assigned a Fellow until the SAA
has offered a Fellow to all other Senators through the
assignment process detailed in sections 5.1 and 5.2.

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