Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 82.djvu/855

 82 STAT. ]

PUBLIC LAW 90-494-AUG. 20, 1968

813

COMMISSION I N G A N D A S S I G N M E N T AS W P L O M A T I C AND CONSULAR OFFICERS

SEC. 11. (a) The Secretary of State may, upon request of the Director, recommend to the President that Foreign Service information officers be commissioned as diplomatic or consular officers, or both, in accordance with section 512 of the Foreign Service Act of 1946, as amended. (b) The Secretary of State may, upon request of the Director, assign Foreign Service information officers, commissioned as diplomatic or consular officers, to serve under such commissions in accordance with sections 512 and 514 of the Foreign Service Act of 1946, as amended.

^o st^^. ^1007. 909.

I N T E R P R E T A T I O N A N D CONSTRUCTION

SEC. 12. For the purposes of this Act the term "Foreign Service officer"' when used in the Foreign Service Act of 1946, as amended, or in any other provision of law shall be construed to mean "Foreign Service information officer" and the term "Secretary of State" when used with respect to authorities applicable to Foreign Service officers shall be construed to mean the Director of the United States Information Agency with respect to Foreign Service information officers. TRANSFER OF AGENCY FOREIGN SERVICE OFFICERS TO FOREIGN SERVICE INFORMATION OFFICER STATUS

SEC. 13. Agency Foreign Service officers on active service on the effective date of this Act shall, by virtue of this Act, be transferred from the classes in which they are serving on such date to the comparable salaries and classes of Foreign Service information officers established by this Act. Service in the former class shall be considered as constituting service in the new class for the purposes of determining (1) eligibility for promotion, in accordance with the provisions of section 622, (2) liability for separation, in accordance with the provisions of section 633, (3) continuation of probationary status pursuant to section 635, and (4) credit for time served toward in-class l^romotion in accordance with section 625.

^° ^sc 99^'^' 59 Stat. 25. 22 USC 1003. 74 Stat. 834^. 22 USC 9 9 5.

VETERANS' PREFERENCE

SEC. 14. Notwithstanding the provisions of section 3320 of title 5 of the United States Code, the fact that any applicant is a veteran ^° ^*^*- ''^zor disabled veteran, as defined in section 2108(1) or (2) of such title, g^s^a*^* 9^°' shall be taken into consideration as an affirmative factor in the selection of applicants for initial appointment as Foreign Service officers or Foreign Service information officers. TENURE OF FOREIGN SERVICE RESERVE OFFICERS

SEC. 15. (a) Any officer appointed as a Foreign Service Reserve officer after the date of enactment of this Act may serve as such for not more than five years. During such period (no sooner than the expiration of the third year but no later than the expiration of the fifth year) such Foreign Service Reserve officer shall be appointed as a Foreign Service officer, Foreign Service Information Officer, Foreign Service Reserve officer with unlimited tenure, Foreign Service Staff officer, or shall be terminated as a Foreign Service Reserve officer.

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