HouseH.R. 10064119th Congress
Foreign Service Language Readiness Act
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[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 10064 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 10064
To amend the Foreign Service Act of 1980 to require a list of critical
foreign languages for purposes of that Act.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
August 6, 2026
Mr. Olszewski (for himself and Mr. Baumgartner) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Foreign Service Act of 1980 to require a list of critical
foreign languages for purposes of that Act.
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 ``Foreign Service Language Readiness
Act''.
SEC. 2. LIST OF CRITICAL FOREIGN LANGUAGES.
(a) In General.--Section 701 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22
U.S.C. 4021) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(h) List of Critical Foreign Languages.--
``(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date
of the enactment of this subsection, and not less frequently
than once every three years thereafter, the Secretary should
designate, and make available to the Committee on Foreign
Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Committee on
Foreign Relations of the Senate, a list of critical foreign
languages for purposes of this Act.
``(2) Matters to be included.--For each critical foreign
language designated pursuant to paragraph (1), the Secretary
shall include information in the list describing--
``(A) minimum tested levels at which a member of
the Service shall be considered to be proficient in the
language; and
``(B) criteria for determining positions for which
such critical foreign language capability is mission
essential.
``(3) Coordination.--In carrying out this subsection, the
Secretary shall, to the maximum extent practicable, coordinate
with the heads of other Federal departments and agencies that
maintain foreign language capabilities, in order to promote
interoperability, avoid duplication, and achieve cost savings
to the taxpayer.
``(4) Workforce planning.--The Secretary should incorporate
critical foreign language capability planning into the career
development, training, and assignment processes under this
chapter, including through--
``(A) the use of training at the National Foreign
Affairs Training Center;
``(B) the use of limited noncareer appointments and
recall and reappointment authorities under sections 308
and 309 to address temporary or surge requirements; and
``(C) the development of a surge reserve of rehired
officers and other appropriately cleared individuals
with critical foreign language capabilities who may be
activated rapidly in response to crises.
``(5) Critical foreign language defined.--In this
subsection, the term `critical foreign language' means a
foreign language identified by the Secretary, in consultation
with the heads of other Federal departments and agencies, as
appropriate--
``(A) as essential to the protection of United
States national security interests, United States
economic prosperity, and the protection of United
States citizens abroad;
``(B) with respect to which required levels of
proficiency are limited in the United States workforce
relative to strategic needs and operational demand; and
``(C) as corresponding to category I, II, III, or
IV languages, as specified in section 3911.2 of volume
3 of the Foreign Affairs Manual (3 FAM 3911.2) or
successor guidance, encompassing difficult, hard, and
super hard languages that are less commonly taught or
studied in the United States.''.
(b) Critical Foreign Language Requirement.--Section 702 (22 U.S.C.
4022) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(c) Critical Foreign Language Requirement.--In carrying out this
section, the Secretary shall ensure that policies for the instruction,
testing, and use of foreign languages explicitly support the
preservation of capabilities with respect to critical foreign languages
identified pursuant to section 701(h).''.
(c) Report.--
(1) In general.--Not later than December 31, 2027, the
Secretary of State shall submit to the Committee on Foreign
Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Committee on
Foreign Relations of the Senate a report on the Department of
State's critical language capabilities.
(2) Matters to be included.--The report required by this
subsection should include the following:
(A) An assessment of the Department of State's
critical foreign language staffing requirements, by
regional and functional bureau.
(B) For each critical language, numbers of the
Foreign Service meeting the minimum critical language
proficiency standards, as well as the criteria for
determining if a critical language is mission essential
for a given position.
(C) The impact of workforce shortages on the
Department's ability to meet mission-essential critical
foreign language requirements.
(D) Any actions taken or planned to strengthen
critical foreign language capability in the Service.
(E) A list of each Service position abroad that is
language-designated in order to determine whether or
not a continuing requirement for foreign language
proficiency for such position is warranted.
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