---
kind: "section"
citation: "22 U.S.C. § 2734g"
title: "22"
title_heading: "Foreign Relations and Intercourse"
number: "2734g"
heading: "Promoting transparency and accountability in the Department of State workforce"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/22/2734g"
units:
  - "Chapter 38 — Department of State"
---

# §2734g. Promoting transparency and accountability in the Department of State workforce

- (a) **In general—** The [Secretary](/usc/22/277d–43.md?p=5) should establish a mechanism to ensure that appointments or details of Department career employees to staff positions in the Office of the [Secretary](/usc/22/277d–43.md?p=5), the Office of the Deputy Secretary of State, the Office of the Counselor of the Department, any office of the [Secretary](/usc/22/277d–43.md?p=5)’s Policy Planning Staff, and any office of an Under Secretary of State, and details to the National Security Council, are transparent, competitive, inclusive, and merit-based.
- (b) **Report—** Not later than 90 days after December 23, 2022, the [Secretary](/usc/22/277d–43.md?p=5) shall submit a report to the [appropriate congressional committees](/usc/22/2152j–4.md?p=1) regarding the mechanism established pursuant to [subsection (a)](#a).
- (c) **Availability—** The [Secretary](/usc/22/277d–43.md?p=5) shall—
  - (1) use transparent, competitive, inclusive, and merit-based processes for appointments and details to the staff positions specified in [subsection (a)](#a); and
  - (2) ensure that such positions are equally available to all employees of the Civil Service and the Foreign Service of the Department.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 117–263, div. I, title XCIV, § 9404, Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 3896.)

## Notes

### Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Rule of Construction

Pub. L. 117–263, div. I, title XCIV, § 9405, Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat. 3897, provided that: “Nothing in this title [enacting this section] may be construed as altering existing law regarding merit system principles.”

### Definitions

For definitions of “Secretary”, “Department”, and “appropriate congressional committees” as used in this section, see section 9002 of Pub. L. 117–263, set out as a note under section 2651 of this title.