2022 U.S. Code
Title 15 - Commerce and Trade
Chapter 121 - Flood Level Observation, Operations, and Decision Support
Sec. 9709 - National Weather Service hydrologic research fellowship program

The term "Assistant Administrator" means the Assistant Administrator for Weather Services of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The term "decision support services" means information, including data and refined products, that supports water resources-related decision-making processes.

The term "institution of higher education" has the meaning given that term in section 1001 of title 20.

The term "NOAA line offices" means the following offices of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration:

The Administrator shall establish a hydrologic research fellowship program (in this section referred to as the "program") for qualified individuals.

For purposes of this section, a qualified individual is an individual who is—

Fellowships under the program shall be awarded pursuant to guidelines established by the Assistant Administrator.

In selecting qualified individuals for participation in the program, the Assistant Administrator shall give preference to applicants from historically Black colleges and universities and minority-serving institutions.

The program shall support the placement of qualified individuals in positions within the executive branch of the Federal Government where such individuals can address and advance the research priorities developed by the Assistant Administrator under paragraph (7).

A fellowship under the program shall be for a period of up to 2 years.

The Assistant Administrator, in consultation with representatives from the NOAA line offices, the United States Geological Survey, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Army Corps of Engineers, as appropriate, shall develop and publish priorities for the conduct of research by fellows, which may include the following:

During fiscal year 2022 and any fiscal year thereafter, the head of any Federal agency may appoint, without regard to the provisions of subchapter I of chapter 33 of title 5, other than sections 3303 and 3328 of that title, to a position with the Federal agency a recipient of a fellowship under the program who—

The direct hire authority provided by this subsection shall be exercised with respect to an individual described in paragraph (1) not later than 2 years after the date on which the individual completed the fellowship under the program.