H.R. 10064: Foreign Service Language Readiness Act

This bill would require the Secretary of State to create and maintain a formal list of “critical foreign languages” for the Foreign Service. The list would have to be issued within 180 days of enactment and updated at least every three years.

What counts as a critical foreign language

The bill defines a critical foreign language as one that the Secretary of State identifies, with input from other federal agencies as appropriate, as:

• important to U.S. national security, economic interests, or the protection of Americans abroad;
• a language where the government does not have enough people with the needed proficiency compared with demand; and
• one of the harder-to-learn language categories used by the State Department, generally languages that are less commonly taught or studied in the United States.

What the list must include

For each language on the list, the Secretary would need to describe:

• the minimum tested skill level a Foreign Service member must have to be considered proficient; and
• the criteria for deciding which jobs require that language as essential to the mission.

How the State Department would use the list

The bill would require State Department language policies to explicitly support maintaining capabilities in these critical languages. It also directs the Secretary to, as much as practical, coordinate with other federal departments and agencies that use foreign language skills so the government can work more consistently, avoid doing the same work twice, and reduce costs.

Workforce planning changes

The bill says the Secretary should incorporate critical-language planning into hiring, training, career development, and assignments. It specifically points to several tools the department could use, including:

• training at the National Foreign Affairs Training Center;
• limited noncareer appointments and recall/reappointment authorities to handle short-term or surge needs; and
• creating a reserve of rehired officers and other cleared individuals with needed language skills who could be activated quickly during crises.

Reporting requirement

By December 31, 2027, the Secretary of State would have to send Congress a report on the State Department’s critical language capabilities. That report would need to cover:

• staffing needs for critical languages across regional and functional bureaus;
• how many Foreign Service members meet the proficiency standards for each critical language;
• how staffing shortages affect the department’s ability to meet mission needs;
• actions already taken or planned to improve language capability; and
• a list of overseas positions that are language-designated, to assess whether the language requirement for each position is still needed.

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