Judy Heumann Foreign and Civil Service Disability Fellowship program

(a) Sense of Congress It is the sense of Congress that— (1) disability rights are foundational to human rights, national security, and positive economic growth and development; and (2) the Department of State shall seek to expand professional development opportunities for civil service and Foreign Service personnel to become better equipped to advance disability rights abroad and to ensure an accessible and inclusive workplace at the Department and United States missions abroad. (b) Definitions In this section: (1) Department The term Department means the Department of State. (2) Organization of persons with disabilities The term organization of persons with disabilities means a nongovernmental civil society organization, including a think tank, nonprofit, nongovernmental organization, academic institution, or other organization, that— (A) includes staff leadership and a board of directors the majority of which consists of people with disabilities; and (B) serves people with disabilities. (c) Establishment The Secretary of State shall establish and administer the Judy Heumann Foreign Service Disability Fellowship (referred in this section as the Fellowship) to expand Department expertise on disability rights policy formulation, execution, negotiation, and advocacy. The Secretary shall be responsible for designing, implementing, and operating the Fellowship program, including setting standards for successful completion of each fellowship. (d) Selection of fellows (1) In general The Secretary of State shall establish criteria for selecting the fellows and shall play a central role in selecting at least 2 fellows for the Fellowship each year. (2) Selection and placement The Secretary of State shall— (A) make efforts to recruit fellowship candidates who reflect the diversity of the United States; (B) select fellows from among entry-, mid-, and senior-level Foreign Service and civil service personnel; (C) approve fellowship placements between 6 months to one year in duration; (D) facilitate fellowship placement with an organization of persons with disabilities; (E) for each fellow, establish performance goals and performance indicators as part of fellows’ annual review process; and (F) reimburse one international trip and one domestic trip per fellow. (e) Fellowship activities Fellows participating in the Fellowship program shall— (1) study the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, done at New York December 12, 2006; (2) attend the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (COSP) along with one member of the hosting organization of persons with disabilities; and (3) carry out such other activities as the Ambassador-at-Large for International Disability Rights determines appropriate. (f) Annual report Not later than one year after the date of the completion of the Fellowship by the initial cohort of fellows selected under subsection (d), and annually thereafter, the Secretary of State shall submit to the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives a report on the implementation of the Fellowship, including— (1) a summary of the cohort of fellows who completed a fellowship during the preceding one-year period; (2) a description of the fellowships and placements, including feedback on implementation and lessons learned; and (3) an analysis of trends relating to the diversity of each cohort of fellows since the establishment of the Fellowship program. (g) Authorization of appropriations There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for fiscal year 2026 and each subsequent fiscal year to carry out this Act.