BIS STRENGTH Act

This bill gives the Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security new authority to hire up to 25 highly qualified experts from outside the civil service for up to 5 years, at pay up to the senior-level maximum plus locality adjustments, but total annual compensation cannot exceed the Vice President's pay. The authority expires after 5 years, but current employees can finish their terms without pay cuts.

Sec. 2, Appointment of highly qualified experts to Bureau of Industry and Security: The Under Secretary may conduct an annual study to identify hard-to-fill expertise gaps, appoint outside experts to fill those gaps, and set their pay up to the senior-level maximum plus locality adjustments, overriding normal civil service hiring and pay rules. Appointments are limited to 5 years per employee, total annual compensation cannot exceed the Vice President's pay, and no more than 25 such employees may be appointed at any time. The Under Secretary must report to Congress every year on the expertise gaps, steps taken to fill them from within the civil service, number and qualifications of outside hires, their impact, and long-term staffing needs for export controls. The authority does not waive background checks, qualifications, or federal ethics rules. The hiring authority ends 5 years after enactment, but employees already serving can stay for the remainder of their appointment term without a pay reduction.