; and (2) establishing a loan forgiveness program to facilitate the hiring of such personnel. (b) Authorization (1) Subject to the availability of appropriations for such purpose, by not later than September 30, 2019, the Secretary shall hire not more than 20 full-time Botanical Science Personnel to support the Department’s land management responsibilities. The Secretary shall determine the appropriate placement of such personnel within the appropriate agencies of the Department with major land management responsibilities. The Secretary may waive any limitation on the number of full-time equivalent personnel assigned to the Department and its constituent agencies in order to carry out the purposes of this section. (2) Personnel hired pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be— (A) in addition to any positions authorized before the date of the enactment of this Act and any existing vacancies within the Department on such date; (B) part of the Competitive Service; and (C) hired in compliance with all applicable provisions of title 5, United States Code. (c) Loan repayment program (1) In general The Secretary shall establish a program to provide educational loan repayment to qualifying individuals who agree to a term of employment with the Department as Botanical Science Personnel. (2) Eligibility To be eligible to participate in the loan repayment program under this subsection, an individual shall— (A) either— (i) have a degree in botanical sciences; (ii) be enrolled in an approved graduate training program in botanical sciences; or (iii) be enrolled as a full-time student in an accredited educational institution, and in the final year of a course of a study or program, offered by such institution and approved by the Secretary, leading to a degree in botanical sciences