16 U.S.C. § 3198: Local hire

any provision of the civil service laws or regulations thereunder which require minimum periods of formal training or experience, any such provision which provides an employment preference to any other class of applicant is such selection, and any numerical limitation on personnel otherwise applicable. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a), any individual who is eligible to be selected for a position under the provisions of subsection (a) and is a preference eligible as defined in section 2108(3) of title 5 shall be given an employment preference, consistent with the preference in the excepted service as defined in section 2103 of such title. In this subsection, the term “immediate family member” means a person related to a deceased employee that was a member of the household of the deceased employee at the time of death. pay or reimburse reasonable expenses, regardless of when those expenses are incurred, for the preparation and transportation of the remains of the deceased employee to a location in the State of Alaska which is selected by the surviving head of household of the deceased employee; pay or reimburse reasonable expenses, regardless of when those expenses are incurred, for transporting immediate family members and the baggage and household goods of the deceased employee and immediate family members to a community in the State of Alaska which is selected by the surviving head of household of the deceased employee. The Secretary shall from time to time prepare and submit to the Congress reports indicating the actions taken in carrying out the provisions of subsection (a) of this section together with any recommendations for legislation in furtherance of the purposes of this section. Nothing in subsection (a) provides that any person hired pursuant to the program established under that subsection is not eligible for competitive status in the same manner as any other employee hired as part of the competitive service. Employees who satisfactorily complete two years of continuous service in a permanent appointment made under subsection (a) and who meet satisfactory performance and competitive service qualification requirements shall have their appointment converted to competitive service career-conditional or career employment as appropriate. This paragraph applies to individuals appointed on or after March 30, 2009 . An employee who does not meet competitive service qualification requirements after two years of continuous service in an appointment made under subsection (a) shall be converted upon meeting such qualification requirements. Temporary and time-limited appointments will be made in the excepted service. There is no provision for conversion to competitive service when appointments are time-limited. Not later than 60 days after March 30, 2009 , with respect to any person hired into a permanent position pursuant to the program established under subsection (a) who is serving in that position as of March 30, 2009 , the Secretary shall redesignate that position and the person serving in that position as having been part of the competitive service as of the date that the person was hired into that position. the person may provide to the Secretary a request for redesignation of the service as part of the competitive service that includes evidence of the employment; and not later than 90 days of the submission of a request under clause (i), the Secretary shall redesignate the service of the person as being part of the competitive service. Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, Cape Krusenstern National Monument, Kobuk Valley National Park, and Noatak National Preserve; and report on the results of the programs within one year to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the United States [Senate] and the Committee on Resources [now Committee on Natural Resources] of the House of Representatives. In implementing the programs, the Secretary shall consult with the Native Corporations, nonprofit organizations, and Tribal entities in the immediate vicinity of such units and shall also, to the extent practicable, involve such groups in the development of interpretive materials and the pilot programs relating to such units.”