; (B) the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate; (C) the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate; (D) the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives; (E) the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives; and (F) the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives. (2) Secretary The term Secretary means the Secretary of Homeland Security. I Capacity building A Hiring, training, and systems modernization 1 Hiring authorities 101. USCIS direct hire authority (a) In general The Secretary may appoint, without regard to the provisions of sections 3309 through 3319 of title 5, United States Code, candidates needed for positions within the Refugee, Asylum and International Operations Directorate, the Field Operations Directorate, and the Service Center Operations Directorate of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for which— (1) public notice has been given; (2) the Secretary has determined that a critical hiring need exists; and (3) the Secretary has consulted with the Director of the Office of Personnel Management regarding— (A) the positions for which the Secretary plans to recruit; (B) the quantity of candidates Secretary is seeking; and (C) the assessment and selection policies the Secretary plans to utilize. (b) Definition of critical hiring need In this section, the term critical hiring need means personnel necessary for the implementation of this division and associated work. (c) Reporting Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for the following 4 years, the Secretary, in consultation with the Director of the Office of Personnel Management, shall submit to Congress a report that includes— (1) demographic data, including veteran status, regarding individuals hired pursuant to the authority under subsection (a); (2) salary information of individuals hired pursuant to such authority