(a) Creation; number of members

(1) There shall be in the Public Health Service a Silvio O. Conte Senior Biomedical Research and Biomedical Product Assessment Service (in this section referred to as the “Service”), not to exceed 2,000 members, the purpose of which is to recruit and retain outstanding and qualified scientific and technical experts in the fields of biomedical research, clinical research evaluation, and biomedical product assessment.

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(2) The authority established in paragraph (1) may not be construed to require the Secretary to reduce the number of employees serving under any other employment system in order to offset the number of members serving in the Service.

(3) The Secretary shall assign experts under this section to agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services taking into account the need for the expertise of such expert.

(b) Appointments; qualifications; provisions inapplicable to members

The Service shall be appointed by the Secretary without regard to the provisions of title 5 regarding appointment, and shall consist of individuals outstanding in the field of biomedical research, clinical research evaluation, or biomedical product assessment. No individual may be appointed to the Service unless such individual (1) has earned a doctoral level degree in biomedicine or a related field, or a doctoral or master’s level degree in engineering, bioinformatics, or a related or emerging field, and (2) meets the qualification standards prescribed by the Office of Personnel Management for appointment to a position at GS-15 of the General Schedule. Notwithstanding any previous applicability to an individual who is a member of the Service, the provisions of subchapter I of chapter 35 (relating to retention preference), chapter 43 (relating to performance appraisal and performance actions), chapter 51 (relating to classification), subchapter III of chapter 53 (relating to General Schedule pay rates), and chapter 75 (relating to adverse actions) of title 5 shall not apply to any member of the Service.

(c) Performance appraisal system

The Secretary shall develop a performance appraisal system designed to—

(1) provide for the systematic appraisal of the performance of members, and

(2) encourage excellence in performance by members.

(d) Pay of members

(1) The Secretary shall determine, subject to the provisions of this subsection, the pay of members of the Service.

(2) The pay of a member of the Service shall not be less than the minimum rate payable for GS-15 of the General Schedule and shall not exceed the amount of annual compensation (excluding expenses) specified in section 102 of title 3.

(e) Career and noncareer appointment of certain individuals

Subject to the following sentence, the Secretary may, notwithstanding the provisions of title 5 regarding appointment, appoint an individual who is separated from the Service involuntarily and without cause to a position in the competitive civil service at GS-15 of the General Schedule, and such appointment shall be a career appointment. In the case of such an individual who immediately prior to his appointment to the Service was not a career appointee in the civil service or the Senior Executive Service, such appointment shall be in the excepted civil service and may not exceed a period of 2 years.

(f) Rules and regulations

The Secretary shall promulgate such rules and regulations, not inconsistent with this section, as may be necessary for the efficient administration of the Service.