[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5233 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 5233
To modernize the Peace Corps by enhancing efficiency and foreign policy
alignment, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 9, 2025
Mr. Huizenga introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To modernize the Peace Corps by enhancing efficiency and foreign policy
alignment, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Peace Corps Modernization Act''.
SEC. 2. LIMITATION ON OVERHEAD SPENDING.
(a) In General.--The Director of the Peace Corps shall take such
steps as may be necessary ensure that--
(1) not more than 15 percent of the total amount
appropriated for any fiscal year for the programs, projects,
and activities of the Peace Corps is allocated for
administrative or other, non-volunteer, overhead expenses; and
(2) the remaining 85 percent of the budget is directed
toward volunteers, including for recruitment, training, and
support.
(b) Savings.--To the extent that the annual allocation requirements
under subsection (a) result in additional amounts being directed
towards the purposes described in subsection (a)(2), the Director shall
ensure that such additional amounts are used to increase the number of
Peace Corps volunteers deployed worldwide.
SEC. 3. ALIGNMENT WITH FOREIGN POLICY PRIORITIES.
(a) Prioritization by Secretary of State.--Pursuant to section
4(c)(3) of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2503(c)(3)), the Secretary of
State shall set country priorities for the deployment of Peace Corps
volunteers in a manner that ensures alignment with United States
strategic interests, including countering authoritarian influence,
promoting stability, and supporting allies.
(b) Notification.--In addition to any other notification
requirements applicable with respect to such a determination, the
Director of the Peace Corps shall submit to Congress a notification
before the entry into effect of any determination to undertake the
first Peace Corps program in a new country or terminate all Peace Corps
programs in any country.
(c) Strategic Plan.--The Director of the Peace Corps shall
establish a Peace Corps Strategic Plan, which shall be aligned, in
coordination with the Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy,
with the Integrated Country Strategies of the Department of State.
(d) Pacific Island Country Expansion.--
(1) Requirement for presence.--Notwithstanding subsections
(a) and (b), the Director of the Peace Corps shall ensure that
programs of the Peace Corps operate in at least five Pacific
Island countries, including Palau, the Federated States of
Micronesia, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands.
(2) Report on expansion.--Not later than 90 days after the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State and Director of
the Peace Corps shall brief the Committee on Foreign Affairs of
the House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign
Relations of the Senate on the expansion of Peace Corps
operations in Pacific Island countries as required by paragraph
(1), detailing--
(A) which such countries have expressed interest in
Peace Corps presence;
(B) any barriers to such expansion;
(C) the resources needed to expand; and
(D) opportunities to coordinate with the Department
of Defense, Department of State, or other agencies to
overcome challenges to such expansion.
SEC. 4. COORDINATION WITH EMBASSIES.
(a) Embassy Oversight.--The Director of the Peace Corps, in
coordination with relevant Ambassadors and chiefs of mission, shall
take such steps as may be necessary to ensure that United States
embassies (or other equivalent diplomatic or consular posts, as
appropriate) support and integrate country-level Peace Corps
operations.
(b) Withdrawal of Support.--Upon receiving notice of a
determination by the Secretary of State that a regional bureau or an
embassy has withdrawn support for the program of the Peace Corps in a
country, the Director of the Peace Corps shall pause such program and
submit to Congress a notification of both such determination and such
pause.
SEC. 5. OVERSIGHT AND ACCOUNTABILITY.
The Inspector General of the Peace Corps shall coordinate with the
Inspector General of the Department of State on all oversight
activities relating to volunteers.
SEC. 6. FOREIGN SERVICE PATHWAY.
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this
Act, the Secretary of State, acting through the Director General of the
Foreign Service, shall establish through regulation a mechanism to
provide streamlined vetting and consideration of applications for
appointment to the Foreign Service of returning and former Peace Corps
volunteers. Such mechanism shall establish a pathway exclusively for
such volunteers that--
(1) creates mentorship opportunities through programs
pairing such applicants with current Foreign Service officers;
(2) recognizes Peace Corps service as qualifying experience
in the form of bonus evaluation points in the Qualifications
Evaluation Panel and Oral Assessment, in a manner equivalent to
the veterans appointment preference under section 301(c) of the
Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 3941(c)); and
(3) in addition to the recognition under paragraph (2)(B),
for any such volunteer appointed to a career appointment in the
Foreign Service, treating the term of service to the Peace
Corps as service in the Foreign Service for purposes of all
benefits (including retirement benefits) provided to members of
the Foreign Service or term-of-service requirements relating to
pay or benefits, such as the 9-year service requirement before
reaching eligibility for mid-level appointments.
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