Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Expanded Consular Fellows Act of 2026”.
Expanded Consular Fellows Act of 2026
A BILL
To authorize the Secretary of State to extend limited consular appointments to eight years, with an additional two-year extension for needs of the Foreign Service.
Sec. 2 Expansion of limited consular appointment authority
Section 309 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 3949) is amended—
in subsection (a), by inserting “, or 8 years in duration for personnel performing consular services,” after “may not exceed 5 years in duration”; and
in subsection (b)(6)—
in subparagraph (A), by striking “or”;
in subparagraph (B), by striking the period at the end and inserting “; or”; and
by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
“(C) a limited noncareer appointment for a period not to exceed 2 years, in the case of personnel performing consular services.”