United States Senate Fellowship Regulations

Floor Speech

Senate Stars of Valor Fellowships Program Regulations adopted by the committee on rules and administration on march 5, 2024

1.0 Scope--Senate Resolution 442 (117th Congress) established the SFC Sean Cooley and SPC Christopher Horton Gold Star Family Fellowship and Senate Resolution 443 (117th Congress) established the McCain-Mansfield Fellowship. These programs create fellowship positions within the Senate that provide qualified military veterans and their family members with career transition and development opportunities. These regulations describe the administration, eligibility criteria, selection, and placement procedures of the programs.

2.0 Definitions--For purposes of these regulations, the following terms shall have the meaning specified.

2.1 Disabled means a Veteran with a service-connected disability rating of 30% or greater.

2.2 Family Member means a widow or widower (remarried or not); parent (mother, father, stepmother, stepfather, mother through adoption, father through adoption, and foster parent who stands in loco parentis); child, stepchild, or adopted child; or brother, sister, half-brother, or half-sister.

2.3 Fellow means an individual serving in the Stars of Valor Fellowships Program.

2.4 Participating Senate Office means the personal office of a Senator that chooses to employ a Fellow and for which a Fellow is available by operation of the priority system described in section 5.0 of these regulations.

2.5 Program means the Stars of Valor Fellowships Program.

2.6 Rules Committee means the U.S. Senate Committee on Rules and Administration.

2.7 SAA means the Senate Sergeant at Arms.

2.8 Stars of Valor Fellowships Program means the SFC Sean Cooley and SPC Christopher Horton Gold Star Family Fellowship established by Senate Resolution 442 (117th Congress) and the McCain-Mansfield Fellowship established by Senate Resolution 443 (117th Congress).

2.9 U.S. Armed Forces shall have the same meaning as set forth in 10 U.S.C. 101(a)(4).

2.10 Veteran shall have the same meaning as set forth in 38 U.S.C. 101(2).

2.11 Wounded shall have the same meaning as set forth in 10 U.S.C. 1129.

3.0 General Program Information--The SAA, in consultation with the Rules Committee, is responsible for the Program's administration.

3.1 Availability. The number of fellowships available is contingent on appropriations.

3.2 Duty Station. Fellows are detailed to a Participating Senate Office in the District of Columbia or a state. Fellows may request specific location assignments, but such requests are not guaranteed.

3.3 Duration. Fellowships are expected to last 24 months and are contingent upon employee conduct and performance, as well as the Senator's continued tenure.

3.3.1 If, for any reason, a Senator leaves office, a Fellow placed with that Participating Senate Office may, upon the determination of the SAA after consultation with the Rules Committee, be reassigned for the remainder of the 24 months to another Participating Senate Office or be terminated.

3.4 Appointment Selection. The SAA is responsible for advertising Program vacancies, forwarding qualified candidates to Participating Senate Offices for consideration and selection, submitting selected candidates for a background check by the U.S. Capitol Police, appointing Fellows, coordinating Fellow onboarding, and setting compensation of Fellows.

3.5 Senate Office Responsibility. Participating Senate Offices are required to sign a Statement of Understanding with the SAA. The Statement of Understanding shall memorialize the terms and conditions governing the SAA's placement of a Fellow to a Participating Senate Office. Official travel for any Fellow shall be at the sole expense of the Participating Senate Office pursuant to the United States Senate Travel Regulations and as memorialized in the Statement of Understanding.

3.6 Program Employment Policies. Program employment policies for Fellows shall be set forth in a Program handbook prepared by the SAA, in consultation with the Senate Chief Counsel for Employment. To the maximum extent possible, the Program handbook will establish that the policies set by the Participating Senate Office govern in matters concerning a Fellow's day-to-day employment. In matters where the Program handbook and the Participating Senate Office's policies conflict, the Program handbook will control.

3.7 Employment Exclusions. For purposes of the Program's administration only, all Fellows shall be considered employees of the SAA; however, no Fellow shall be included in the SAA's full-time employee count, and no Fellow's compensation shall be included in the determination of the aggregate gross compensation limit for employees of the SAA. The compensation paid to a Fellow serving in Participating Senate Office shall not be included in the determination of the aggregate gross compensation for employees employed by the Senator under section 105(d)(1) of the Legislative Branch Appropriation Act, 1968.

4.0 Program Eligibility Criteria--

4.1 SFC Sean Cooley and SPC Christopher Horton Gold Star Family Fellowship candidates. The SFC Sean Cooley and SPC Christopher Horton Gold Star Family Fellowship candidates must be a Family Member of a U.S. Armed Forces Servicemember who died in the line of duty or a Veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces who died of service-connected injuries. To qualify for the SFC Sean Cooley and SPC Christopher Horton Gold Star Family Fellowship, a candidate must submit the following:

4.1.1 For eligibility through Servicemember's death in the line of duty: DD Form 1300, ``Report of Casualty,'' or DD Form 2064, ``Certificate of Death (Overseas),'' and documentation of kinship with Servicemember, such as a marriage license or birth certificate.

4.1.2 For eligibility through Veteran's death due to service-connected injuries: Documentation from the Department of Veterans Affairs and documentation of kinship with Servicemember, such as a marriage license or birth certificate.

4.2 McCain-Mansfield Fellowship candidates. McCain- Mansfield Fellowship candidates must be a Wounded or Disabled Veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces. To qualify for the McCain- Mansfield Fellowship, a candidate must submit the following:

4.2.1 Submit DD Form 214 or other official documentation confirming an honorable discharge or a general discharge under honorable conditions;

4.2.2 Have been released from active duty within the last five years;

4.2.3 Qualify as Wounded or Disabled, and provide official documentation thereof, which may include a DD Form 214 or other documentation from the Department of Veterans Affairs; and

4.2.4 Confirm a terminal pay grade at or below E-5 (Enlisted), CW-2 (Chief Warrant Officers), or O-3 (Officers).

4.2.4.1 Veterans promoted to the pay grades of E-6, W-3, or O-4 within six months of separation from active duty are eligible.

5.0 Priority Order for Fellow Assignments--The SAA shall assign fellowships to Senators in the following order and subject to available appropriations:

5.1 The SAA shall use Senatorial seniority to offer one Fellow to the senior Senator from each state.

5.2 The SAA shall then use Senatorial seniority to offer one Fellow to the junior Senator from each state.

5.3 If the SAA has offered Fellows to all Senators as detailed in sections 5.1 and 5.2, and still has fellowship candidates to place, then the SAA shall repeat the assignment process detailed in sections 5.1 and 5.2.

5.4 If a Senator declines to participate in the Program they are not eligible to be assigned a Fellow until the SAA has offered a Fellow to all other Senators through the assignment process detailed in sections 5.1 and 5.2.

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