The State Department Integrity and Transparency Act requires the State Department to implement stricter vetting and disclosure requirements for nominees to serve as ambassadors and assistant secretaries. The bill mandates that at least 75 percent of assistant secretaries have prior experience in the Senior Foreign Service or Senior Executive Service, and requires detailed reports on nominees' qualifications, including their language skills and knowledge of the countries where they would serve. Nominees and their immediate family members must also disclose all political contributions they have bundled, and the President must certify that contributions played no role in the nomination decision. Additionally, the bill limits special appointment positions at U.S. embassies abroad to 90-day assignments starting January 1, 2029, and prohibits individuals from holding more than one such position per calendar year. These changes aim to ensure that State Department leadership consists of experienced, qualified professionals rather than political appointees without relevant expertise.
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