Skip to main content
CivicGate

HR 8642
Introduced Re-checks Congress.gov for new actions and updates the bill's status, and fills in any sponsors, committees, or related bills that are missing. It does not re-pull sponsors/cosponsors/committees/related — those rarely change — and it skips all work if nothing has changed upstream, so it's cheap to click.

PATH to the Foreign Service Act

To provide a Foreign Service officer career pathway for former United States Agency for International Development officers.

Introduced Apr 30, 2026

Latest action (Apr 30, 2026) Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Referred to
Foreign Affairs Committee
Policy area
International Affairs
Issues
Foreign Policy

Summary

This bill creates a career pathway for former United States Agency for International Development Foreign Service officers to transition into the State Department's Foreign Service. Former USAID Foreign Service members would be eligible for appointment to Foreign Service Officer positions at a grade and tenure status based on their prior rank, time-in-service, and performance. The bill waives the Foreign Service Entrance Exam requirement for former USAID Foreign Service members who previously met entry requirements and served in good standing, and requires the State Department to provide hiring preference points or equivalent credit to applicants with prior USAID service. Prior USAID service would be fully credited toward seniority, time-in-class, retirement eligibility, and other career milestones. The provisions sunset five years after enactment.

AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.

Sponsor (1)

Actions (2)
  1. Apr 30, 2026 Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. · house
  2. Apr 30, 2026 Introduced in House

Similar bills (6)

Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.

  • S 4466 — PATH to the Foreign Service Act · Introduced Apr 30, 2026 · Cong. 119 91%
  • HR 9086 — Foreign Service Modernization Act · Introduced Jun 2, 2026 · Cong. 119 72%
  • HR 8987 — Foreign Service Workforce Retention Act · Introduced May 21, 2026 · Cong. 119 71%
  • HR 9730 — Foreign Service Test-Free Reentry Act of 2026 · Introduced Jul 16, 2026 · Cong. 119 68%
  • S 4002 — Foreign Service Age Integration and Reform (FAIR) Act of 2026 · Introduced Mar 5, 2026 · Cong. 119 68%
  • S 4642 — Foreign Service Workforce Retention Act · Introduced May 21, 2026 · Cong. 119 68%

Full text

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

April 30, 2026

Ms. Titus introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

A BILL

To provide a Foreign Service officer career pathway for former United States Agency for International Development officers.

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 “Pathways for Advancement, Transition, and Hiring to the Foreign Service” or the “PATH to the Foreign Service Act”.

SEC. 2. FOREIGN SERVICE OFFICER CAREER PATHWAY FOR FORMER USAID OFFICERS.

(a) Defined Term.—In this section, the term “USAID” means the United States Agency for International Development.

(b) Foreign Service Officer Career Pathway.—Former USAID Foreign Service members who are appointed to positions within the Department of State shall be eligible for appointment into the Foreign Service Officer career track at a grade and tenure status commensurate with their prior Foreign Service rank, time-in-service, and performance, subject to applicable suitability and security requirements.

(c) Foreign Service Officer Test Waiver.—Former USAID Foreign Service members are not required to take the Foreign Service Entrance Exam, including any written or oral elements, as a condition of appointment or conversion or any hiring mechanism to the Foreign Service of the Department of State if such officers previously met Foreign Service entry requirements and served in good standing at USAID.

(d) Hiring Preference Points.—The Department of State shall award hiring preference points or equivalent hiring credit to applicants for Department of State positions who have prior USAID service, whether in the Foreign Service or the Civil Service. Such preference shall be formally incorporated into hiring and selection processes and applied in a transparent and consistent manner.

(e) Recognition of Prior Service.—Prior USAID service shall be fully credited toward a Foreign Service Officer’s seniority, time-in- class, retirement eligibility, and other applicable career milestones to the maximum extent permitted by law.

(f) Implementation.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in coordination with appropriate officials of USAID and the Office of Personnel Management, shall issue guidance for the timely implementation of this section to ensure uniform application.

(g) Sunset.—The provisions of this section shall cease to be effective beginning on the date that is 5 years after the date of the enactment of this Act. <all>

Comments

Comments

Loading comments…