Commercial Diplomatic Service assignments

Chapter 5 of title I of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 is amended— (1) in section 501 (22 U.S.C. 3981), by striking the last sentence and inserting the following: In classifying positions at Foreign Service posts abroad and domestically, the Secretary shall ensure that positions are properly classified to attract and retain candidates with the appropriate skills and levels of experience for each position and to support effective career development patterns to meet the needs of the Foreign Service. The Secretary shall designate an appropriate number of Foreign Service positions both domestically and abroad as ‘commercial diplomacy’ positions to be filled by members of the Commercial Diplomacy Service. The Secretary shall give appropriate weight to job factors relating to the compensation practices applicable to United States citizens employed abroad by United States corporations.; and (2) in section 502(a) (22 U.S.C. 3982(a)), by adding at the end the following: (3) In making assignments under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall— (A) assign members of the Commercial Diplomatic Service only to positions designated as commercial diplomacy positions under section 501. (B) consider the deployment of the Foreign Commercial Service within the Department of Commerce and make every effort to deconflict, minimize duplication, and coordinate between the two services. (4) Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this paragraph, the Under Secretary for Management, in consultation with the Director General of the Foreign and Commercial Diplomatic Service, shall develop an application and selection process to allow qualified members of the Foreign Service on the day before the date of enactment of this paragraph the opportunity to transfer to the Commercial Diplomatic Service..