Restoring Merit in the Military Service Academies Act
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HR 5046 — Restoring Merit in the Military Service Academies Act
Last action — Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services.
No card. One bill, free forever — alerts when it moves.
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✓Introduced
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2In Committee
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3Passed House
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4Passed Senate
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5To Executive
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6Enacted
This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced August 26, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the House.
Prognosis
Where this bill stands today.
Odds of enactment
LowHow often bills like it became law.
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In Committee
Current position in the legislative process.
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1 sponsor
1 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.
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Single-party support
Sponsorship is currently within one party (1 R).
Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.
Bill Text
- Introduced Introduced in House Current html August 26, 2025
Sections of law this bill changes
6 sections in 3 lawsFrom the bill's own amending language, matched to the official United States Code (current through Public Law 119-121).
United states military academy · 10 U.S.C. ch. 753 2 sections
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§ 7442 Cadets: appointment; numbers, territorial distribution Amends
10 U.S.C. § 7442
The law today
(a) The authorized strength of the Corps of Cadets of the Academy (determined for any year as of the day before the last day of the academic year) is 4,400 or such lower number as may be prescribed by the Secretary of the Army under subsection (j). Subject to that limitation, cadets are selected as follows: (1) 65 cadets selected in order of merit as established by competitive examinations from the children of members of the armed forces who were killed in action or died of, or have a service-connected disability rated at not less than 100 per centum resulting from, wounds or injuries received or diseases contracted in, or preexisting injury or disease aggravated by, active service, children of members who are in a “missing status” as defined in section 551(2) of title 37, and children of civilian employees who are in “missing status” as defined in section 5561(5) of title 5. The determination of the Department of Veterans Affairs as to service connection of the cause of death or disability, and the percentage at which the disability is rated, is binding upon the Secretary of the Army. (2) Five cadets nominated at large by the Vice President or, if there is no Vice President, by the President pro tempore of the Senate. (3) Ten cadets from each State, five of whom are nominated by each Senator from that State. (4) Five cadets from each congressional district, nominated by the Representative from the district. (5) Five cadets from the District of Columbia, nominated by the Delegate to the House of Representatives from the District of Columbia. (6) Four cadets from the Virgin Islands, nominated by the Delegate in Congress from the Virgin Islands. (7) Six cadets from Puerto Rico, five of whom are nominated by the Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico and one who is a native of Puerto Rico nominated by the Governor of Puerto Rico. (8) Five cadets from Guam, nominated by the Delegate in Congress from Guam. (9) Three cadets from American Samoa, nominated by the Delegate in Congress from American Samoa. (10) Three cadets from the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, nominated by the Delegate in Congress from the commonwealth. Each Senator, Representative, and Delegate in Congress, including the Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico, is entitled to nominate 15 persons for each vacancy that is available to him under this section. Nominees may be submitted without ranking or with a principal candidate and up to 14 ranked or unranked alternates. Qualified nominees not selected for appointment under this subsection shall be considered qualified alternates for the purposes of selection under other provisions of this chapter. When a nominee of a Senator, Representative, or Delegate is selected for appointment as a cadet, the Senator, Representative, or Delegate shall be notified at least 48 hours before the official notification or announcement of the appointment is made. (b) In addition, there may be appointed each year at the Academy cadets as follows: (1) one hundred selected by the President from the children of members of an armed force who— (A) are on active duty (other than for training) and who have served continuously on active duty for at least eight years; (B) are, or who died while they were, retired with pay or granted retired or retainer pay; (C) are serving as members of reserve components and are credited with at least eight years of service computed under section 12733 of this title; or (D) would be, or who died while they would have been, entitled to retired pay under chapter 1223 of this title except for not having attained 60 years of age; however, a person who is eligible for selection under paragraph (1) of subsection (a) may not be selected under this paragraph. (2) 85 nominated by the Secretary of the Army from enlisted members of the Regular Army. (3) 85 nominated by the Secretary of the Army from enlisted members of reserve components of the Army. (4) 20 nominated by the Secretary of the Army, under re...14 other bills also change this section · Follow it → Official text at uscode.house.gov ↗
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§ 7443 Cadets: appointment; to bring Corps to full strength Amends
10 U.S.C. § 7443
The law today
If it is determined that, upon the admission of a new class to the Academy, the number of cadets at the Academy will be below the authorized number, the Secretary of the Army may fill the vacancies by nominating additional cadets from qualified candidates designated as alternates and from other qualified candidates who competed for nomination and are recommended and found qualified by the Academic Board. At least three-fourths of those nominated under this section shall be selected from qualified alternates nominated by the persons named in paragraphs (2) through (8) of section 7442(a) of this title, and the remainder from qualified candidates holding competitive nominations under any other provision of law. An appointment under this section is an additional appointment and is not in place of an appointment otherwise authorized by law.2 other bills also change this section · Follow it → Official text at uscode.house.gov ↗
United states naval academy · 10 U.S.C. ch. 853 2 sections
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§ 8454 Midshipmen: appointment; numbers, territorial distribution Amends
10 U.S.C. § 8454
The law today
(a) The authorized strength of the Brigade of Midshipmen (determined for any year as of the day before the last day of the academic year) is 4,400 or such lower number as may be prescribed by the Secretary of the Navy under subsection (h). Subject to that limitation, midshipmen are selected as follows: (1) 65 selected in order of merit as established by competitive examination from the children of members of the armed forces who were killed in action or died of, or have a service-connected disability rated at not less than 100 per centum resulting from, wounds or injuries received or diseases contracted in, or preexisting injury or disease aggravated by, active service, children of members who are in a “missing status” as defined in section 551(2) of title 37, and children of civilian employees who are in “missing status” as defined in section 5561(5) of title 5. The determination of the Department of Veterans Affairs as to service connection of the cause of death or disability, and the percentage at which the disability is rated, is binding upon the Secretary of the Navy. (2) Five nominated at large by the Vice President or, if there is no Vice President, by the President pro tempore of the Senate. (3) Ten from each State, five of whom are nominated by each Senator from that State. (4) Five nominated by each Representative in Congress. (5) Five from the District of Columbia, nominated by the Delegate to the House of Representatives from the District of Columbia. (6) Four from the Virgin Islands, nominated by the Delegate in Congress from the Virgin Islands. (7) Six from Puerto Rico, five of whom are nominated by the Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico and one who is a native of Puerto Rico nominated by the Governor of Puerto Rico. (8) Five from Guam, nominated by the Delegate in Congress from Guam. (9) Three from American Samoa, nominated by the Delegate in Congress from American Samoa. (10) Three from the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, nominated by the Delegate in Congress from the commonwealth. Each Senator, Representative, and Delegate in Congress, including the Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico, is entitled to nominate 15 persons for each vacancy that is available to him under this section. Nominees may be submitted without ranking or with a principal candidate and up to 14 ranked or unranked alternates. Qualified nominees not selected for appointment under this subsection shall be considered qualified alternates for the purposes of selection under other provisions of this chapter. When a nominee of a Senator, Representative, or Delegate is selected for appointment as a midshipman, the Senator, Representative, or Delegate shall be notified at least 48 hours before the official notification or announcement of the appointment is made. (b) In addition there may be appointed each year at the Academy midshipmen as follows: (1) one hundred selected by the President from the children of members of an armed force who— (A) are on active duty (other than for training) and who have served continuously on active duty for at least eight years; (B) are, or who died while they were, retired with pay or granted retired or retainer pay; (C) are serving as members of reserve components and are credited with at least eight years of service computed under section 12733 of this title; or (D) would be, or who died while they would have been, entitled to retired pay under chapter 1223 of this title except for not having attained 60 years of age; however, a person who is eligible for selection under paragraph (1) of subsection (a) may not be selected under this paragraph. (2) 85 nominated by the Secretary of the Navy from enlisted members of the Regular Navy and the Regular Marine Corps. (3) 85 nominated by the Secretary of the Navy from enlisted members of the Navy Reserve and the Marine Corps Reserve. (4) 20 nominated by the Secretary of the Navy, under regulations prescribed by him, from the honor graduates of school...14 other bills also change this section · Follow it → Official text at uscode.house.gov ↗
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§ 8456 Midshipmen: nomination and selection to fill vacancies Amends
10 U.S.C. § 8456
The law today
(a) If the annual quota of midshipmen from— (1) enlisted members of the Regular Navy and the Regular Marine Corps; (2) enlisted members of the Navy Reserve and the Marine Corps Reserve; or (3) at large by the President; is not filled, the Secretary may fill the vacancies by nominating for appointment other candidates from any of these sources who were found best qualified on examination for admission and not otherwise nominated. (b) If it is determined that, upon the admission of a new class to the Academy, the number of midshipmen at the Academy will be below the authorized number, the Secretary may fill the vacancies by nominating additional midshipmen from qualified candidates designated as alternates and from other qualified candidates who competed for nomination and are recommended and found qualified by the Academic Board. At least three-fourths of those nominated under this subsection shall be from qualified alternates under paragraphs (2) through (8) of section 8454(a) of this title, and the remainder shall be from qualified candidates who competed for appointment under any other provision of law. An appointment of a nominee under this subsection is an additional appointment and is not in place of an appointment otherwise authorized by law. (c) The failure of a member of a graduating class to complete the course with his class does not delay the appointment of his successor.2 other bills also change this section · Follow it → Official text at uscode.house.gov ↗
United states air force academy · 10 U.S.C. ch. 953 2 sections
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§ 9442 Cadets: appointment; numbers, territorial distribution Amends
10 U.S.C. § 9442
The law today
(a) The authorized strength of cadets of the Academy (determined for any year as of the day before the last day of the academic year) is 4,400 or such lower number as may be prescribed by the Secretary of the Air Force under subsection (j). Subject to that limitation, cadets are selected as follows: (1) 65 cadets selected in order of merit as established by competitive examination from the children of members of the armed forces who were killed in action or died of, or have a service-connected disability rated at not less than 100 per centum resulting from wounds or injuries received or diseases contracted in, or preexisting injury or disease aggravated by, active service, children of members who are in a “missing status” as defined in section 551(2) of title 37, and children of civilian employees who are in “missing status” as defined in section 5561(5) of title 5. The determination of the Department of Veterans Affairs as to service connection of the cause of death or disability, and the percentage at which the disability is rated, is binding upon the Secretary of the Air Force. (2) Five cadets nominated at large by the Vice President or, if there is no Vice President, by the President pro tempore of the Senate. (3) Ten cadets from each State, five of whom are nominated by each Senator from that State. (4) Five cadets from each congressional district, nominated by the Representative from the district. (5) Five cadets from the District of Columbia, nominated by the Delegate to the House of Representatives from the District of Columbia. (6) Four cadets from the Virgin Islands, nominated by the Delegate in Congress from the Virgin Islands. (7) Six cadets from Puerto Rico, five of whom are nominated by the Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico and one who is a native of Puerto Rico nominated by the Governor of Puerto Rico. (8) Five cadets from Guam, nominated by the Delegate in Congress from Guam. (9) Three cadets from American Samoa, nominated by the Delegate in Congress from American Samoa. (10) Three cadets from the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, nominated by the Delegate in Congress from the commonwealth. Each Senator, Representative, and Delegate in Congress, including the Resident Commissioner from Puerto Rico, is entitled to nominate 15 persons for each vacancy that is available to him under this section. Nominees may be submitted without ranking or with a principal candidate and up to 14 ranked or unranked alternates. Qualified nominees not selected for appointment under this subsection shall be considered qualified alternates for the purposes of selection under other provisions of this chapter. When a nominee of a Senator, Representative, or Delegate is selected for appointment as a cadet, the Senator, Representative, or Delegate shall be notified at least 48 hours before the official notification or announcement of the appointment is made. (b) In addition, there may be appointed each year at the Academy cadets as follows: (1) one hundred selected by the President from the children of members of an armed force who— (A) are on active duty (other than for training) and who have served continuously on active duty for at least eight years; (B) are, or who died while they were, retired with pay or granted retired or retainer pay; (C) are serving as members of reserve components, or the Space Force, and are credited with at least eight years of service computed under section 12733 of this title; or (D) would be, or who died while they would have been, entitled to retired pay under chapter 1223 of this title except for not having attained 60 years of age; however, a person who is eligible for selection under paragraph (1) of subsection (a) may not be selected under this paragraph. (2) 85 nominated by the Secretary of the Air Force from enlisted members of the Regular Air Force or the Space Force. (3) 85 nominated by the Secretary of the Air Force from enlisted members of reserve components of the Air Force. ...15 other bills also change this section · Follow it → Official text at uscode.house.gov ↗
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§ 9443 Cadets: appointment; to bring to full strength Amends
10 U.S.C. § 9443
The law today
If it is determined that, upon the admission of a new class to the Academy, the number of cadets at the Academy will be below the authorized number, the Secretary of the Air Force may fill the vacancies by nominating additional cadets from qualified candidates designated as alternates and from other qualified candidates who competed for nomination and are recommended and found qualified by the Academy Board. At least three-fourths of those nominated under this section shall be selected from qualified alternates nominated by the persons named in paragraphs (2) through (8) of section 9442(a) of this title, and the remainder from qualified candidates holding competitive nominations under any other provision of law. An appointment under this section is an additional appointment and is not in place of an appointment otherwise authorized by law.2 other bills also change this section · Follow it → Official text at uscode.house.gov ↗
Compared against current U.S. Code AI-generated reading aid — verify against the official bill.
The bill establishes a new merit-based selection process for appointments to the military academies, prohibiting consideration of race, sex, color, ethnicity, national origin, or religion.
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10 U.S.C. § 7442
subsection (j)→ subsection (k)Changes the reference from subsection (j) to (k) for the Secretary of the Army's authority.
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10 U.S.C. § 7442
as established by competitive examinations→ as determined by candidate composite score rankShifts the basis for selecting cadets from competitive examinations to a candidate composite score ranking.
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10 U.S.C. § 7442
shall be considered qualified alternates for the purpose of selection under other provisions of this chapter→ shall be eligible and considered for selection under other provisions of this chapter, including as qualified alternates and additional appointeesClarifies that nominees not selected will be eligible for consideration under other provisions.
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10 U.S.C. § 7442
one hundred selected by the President→ up to one hundred qualified candidates selected by the President in order of merit as determined by candidate composite score rankLimits presidential selections to a maximum of one hundred and bases it on composite score ranking.
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10 U.S.C. § 7442
85→ up to 85 qualified candidatesLimits the nomination from enlisted members of the Regular Army to up to 85 qualified candidates based on composite score ranking.
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10 U.S.C. § 7443
who competed for nomination→ who were eligible and competed unsuccessfully for nomination under any other provision of lawClarifies that additional appointments can be made from those who were eligible yet not nominated.
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10 U.S.C. § 8454
subsection (h)→ subsection (i)Updates the reference from subsection (h) to (i) for Secretary of the Navy's authority.
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10 U.S.C. § 8454
as established by competitive examination→ as determined by candidate composite score rankChanges the selection basis for midshipmen from competitive examination to a candidate composite score rank.
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10 U.S.C. § 8454
shall be considered qualified alternates for the purpose of selection under other provisions of this chapter→ shall be eligible and considered for selection under other provisions of this chapter, including as qualified alternates and additional appointeesClarifies midshipmen nominees not selected will also be eligible for other provisions.
Action History
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Introduced in House
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Introduced in House
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Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services.
Sponsors
- Nancy Mace · Primary
Sponsorship breakdown
Export CSV (upgrade) →1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 546 not signed on
Sponsors (1)
- Mace, Nancy Republican
Co-sponsors (0)
None.
Not signed on (546)
546 members have not signed on to this bill.
Show all 546 →"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.
Subjects
Frequently asked questions
- Who sponsors HR 5046?
- HR 5046 is sponsored by Mace, Nancy (Republican).
- What is the current status of HR 5046?
- This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced August 26, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
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