H.R. 2647: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010, Sec. 1101 "Authority to employ individuals completing the National Security Education Program

During my recent dissertation research activities I discovered an interesting (and big) change to the service requirement for the National Security Education Program.  More on this as I learn about it.

H.R. 2647: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010, Sec. 1101 "Authority to employ individuals completing the National Security Education Program" states the following:

Subtitle A—Personnel

SEC. 1101. AUTHORITY TO EMPLOY INDIVIDUALS COMPLETING THE NATIONAL SECURITY EDUCATION PROGRAM.

Section 802 of the David L. Boren National Security Education Act of 1991 (50 U.S.C. 1902) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:

  ‘‘(k) EMPLOYMENT OF PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS.—The Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Secretary of State, or the head of a Federal agency or office identified by the

Secretary of Defense under subsection (g) as having national security

responsibilities—

     ‘‘(1) may, without regard to any provision of title 5 governing appointments in the competitive service, appoint to a position that is identified under subsection (b)(2)(A)(i) as having national security responsibilities, or to a position in such Federal agency or office, in the excepted service an individual who has successfully completed an academic program for which a scholarship or fellowship under this section was awarded and who, under the terms of the agreement for such scholarship or fellowship, at the time of such appointment owes a service commitment to such Department or such Federal agency or

office; and

     ‘‘(2) may, upon satisfactory completion of two years of substantially continuous service by an incumbent who was appointed to an excepted service position under the authority of paragraph (1), convert the appointment of such individual, without competition, to a career or career conditional appointment.’’