; and (II) notwithstanding any statutes, rules, and regulations governing appointments in the competitive service. (ii) Rule of construction The appointment of a candidate to a position under authority of this subsection shall not be considered to cause such position to be converted from the competitive service to the excepted service. . (b) Conforming amendment Section 15(a) of such Act ( 7 U.S.C. 19(a) ) is amended— (1) in paragraph (1), by inserting , after coordinating with the Office of the Chief Economist, before shall ; (2) in paragraph (2)(B), by striking futures markets and inserting markets under the jurisdiction of the Commission ; (3) in subparagraph (D) by striking and ; (4) by redesignating subparagraphs (D) and (E) as (E) and (F); (5) by inserting, after subparagraph (C)— (D) considerations of market liquidity; ; and (6) in subparagraph (E), as so redesignated, by inserting ; and at the end. 107. Equal consideration for holding companies Section 2(h)(7)(C)(ii) of the Commodity Exchange Act ( 7 U.S.C. 2(h)(7)(C)(ii) ) is amended— (1) in the matter before subclause (I), by striking unions, including— and inserting unions, bank holding companies, and savings and loan holding companies, including— ; (2) in subclause (II), by striking or at the end; (3) in subclause (III), by striking the period at the end and inserting a semicolon; and (4) by adding at the end the following: (IV) bank holding companies (as defined in section 2 of the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956) that have aggregated assets, including the assets of their subsidiaries, of $10,000,000,000 or less