[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1976 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1976

 To authorize congressional fellowships under the Skillbridge program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              June 5, 2025

  Mr. Cruz (for himself and Ms. Rosen) introduced the following bill; 
  which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To authorize congressional fellowships under the Skillbridge program.

    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 ``Skillbridge Congressional Fellowship 
Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL FELLOWSHIPS UNDER THE SKILLBRIDGE PROGRAM.

    Section 1143(e) of title 10, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraphs (3) through (6) as 
        paragraphs (4) through (7), respectively; and
            (2) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following new 
        paragraph:
    ``(3)(A) The Secretary concerned may authorize an eligible member 
of the armed forces to participate in a fellowship under this 
subsection with--
            ``(i) the personal office of a Member of Congress;
            ``(ii) a leadership office of the Senate or the House of 
        Representatives; or
            ``(iii) a committee or subcommittee of Congress.
    ``(B) In carrying out this paragraph, the Secretary concerned 
shall--
            ``(i) only authorize a member to participate in a 
        fellowship when approved by the office, committee, or 
        subcommittee in which the member will serve;
            ``(ii) ensure that not more than one member of the armed 
        forces participates in a fellowship in any single office, 
        committee, or subcommittee at one time, except that the 
        Secretary concerned may provide for a member of the armed 
        forces to begin a fellowship in an office, committee, or 
        subcommittee not more than 14 days before another member of the 
        armed forces is scheduled to complete a fellowship in that 
        office, committee, or subcommittee;
            ``(iii) consult with the commanding officer of an eligible 
        member to ensure the member is appropriately qualified for the 
        fellowship; and
            ``(iv) in consultation with the Assistant Secretary of 
        Defense for Legislative Affairs, provide an orientation program 
        for members that will participate in fellowships to provide 
        foundational knowledge of the legislative process, ethical 
        guidelines, and congressional protocols.
    ``(C) The Secretary concerned shall notify the Assistant Secretary 
of Defense for Legislative Affairs of each member participating in a 
fellowship under this paragraph.
    ``(D) A fellowship under this paragraph may be no longer than 180 
days.''.
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