X 108 STAT. 414 PUBLIC LAW 103-236—APR. 30, 1994 to exceed the cost of travel to and from the school in the United States)". SEC. 177. GRIEVANCES. (a) GRIEVANCE BOARD PROCEDURES.— Section 1106 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 4136) is amended in the first sentence of paragraph (8) by striking "until the Board has ruled upon the grievance." and inserting "until the date which is one year after such determination or until the Board has ruled upon the grievance, whichever comes first. The Board shall extend the one-year limitation under the preceding sentence and the Department shall continue to suspend such action, if the Board determines that the agency or the Board is responsible for the delay in the resolution of the grievance. The Board may also extend the 1- year limit if it determines that the delay is due to the complexity of the case, the unavailability of witnesses or to circumstances beyond the control of the agency, the Board or the grievant.". (b) TIME LIMITATION ON REQUESTS FOR JUDICIAL REVIEW. — Section 1110 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 4140) is amended in the first sentence by inserting before the period ", if the request for judicial review is filed not later than 180 days after the final action of the Secretary or the Board (or in the case of an aggrieved party who is posted abroad at the time of the final action of the Secretary or the Board, if the request for judicial review is filed not later than 180 days after the aggrieved party's return to the United States)". 22 USC 3922a SEC 178. MID-LEVEL WOMEN AND MINORITY PLACEMENT PROGRAM. (a) PURPOSE. —It is the purpose of this section to promote the acquisition and retention of highly qualified, trained, and experienced women and minority personnel within the Foreign Service, to provide the maximum opportunity for the Foreign Service to meet staffing needs and to acquire the services of experienced and talented women and minority personnel, and to help alleviate the impact of downsizing, reduction-in-force, and budget restrictions occurring in the defense and national security-related agencies of the United States. (b) ESTABLISHMENT.—For each of the fiscal years 1994 and 1995, the Secretary of State shall to the maximum extent practicable appoint to the Foreign Service qualified women and minority applicants who are participants in the priority placement program of the Department of Defense, the Department of Defense outplacement referral program, the Office of Personnel Management Automated Applicant Referral System, or the Office of Personnel Management Interagency Placement Program. The Secretary shall make such appointments through the mid-level entry program of the Department of State under section 306 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980. (c) REPORT. —Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall prepare and submit a report concerning the implementation of subsection (a) to the Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Such report shall include recommendations on methods to improve implementation of the purpose of this section.
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