S.Amdt. 3779

SA 3779. Mr. RISCH (for himself and Mrs. Shaheen) submitted an
amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 2296, to
authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2026 for military activities
of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for
defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military
personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which
was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

At the end add the following:

DIVISION E--DEPARTMENT OF STATE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2026

SEC. 5001. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

(a) Short Title.--This division may be cited as the
``Department of State Authorization Act for Fiscal Year
2026''.
(b) Table of Contents.--The table of content for this
division is as follows:

DIVISION E--DEPARTMENT OF STATE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2026

Sec. 5001. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 5002. Definitions.

TITLE LXI--WORKFORCE MATTERS

Sec. 5101. Report on vetting of Foreign Service Institute instructors.
Sec. 5102. Training limitations.
Sec. 5103. Language incentive pay for civil service employees.
Sec. 5104. Options for comprehensive evaluations.
Sec. 5105. Job share and part-time employment opportunities.
Sec. 5106. Promoting reutilization of language skills in the Foreign
Service.
Sec. 5107. Requirement for Uyghur language training.

TITLE LXII--ORGANIZATION AND OPERATIONS

Sec. 5201. Periodic briefings from Bureau of Intelligence and Research.
Sec. 5202. Support for congressional delegations.
Sec. 5203. Eliminating 1-year tours.
Sec. 5204. Notification requirements for authorized and ordered
departures.
Sec. 5205. Diplomats-in-Residence.
Sec. 5206. Strengthening enterprise governance.
Sec. 5207. Report to Congress on diplomatic reserve corps within the
Department of State.
Sec. 5208. Establishing and expanding the Regional China Officer
program.
Sec. 5209. Foreign affairs manual changes.
Sec. 5210. Report required before closure of diplomatic posts.
Sec. 5211. Notification of intent to reduce personnel at covered
diplomatic posts.

TITLE LXIII--INFORMATION SECURITY AND CYBER DIPLOMACY

Sec. 5301. Supporting Department of State data analytics.
Sec. 5302. Post Data Pilot Program.
Sec. 5303. Authorization to use commercial cloud enclaves overseas.
Sec. 5304. Reports on technology transformation projects at the
Department of State.
Sec. 5305. Foreign commercial spyware.
Sec. 5306. Security review of science and technology agreement with the
People's Republic of China.

TITLE LXIV--PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Sec. 5401. Foreign information manipulation and interference strategy.
Sec. 5402. Lifting the prohibition on use of Federal funds for World's
Fair pavilions and exhibits.

TITLE LXV--DIPLOMATIC SECURITY AND CONSULAR AFFAIRS

Sec. 5501. Report concerning Department of State consular officers
joining Coast Guard and Navy missions to Pacific island
countries.
Sec. 5502. Report on security conditions in Damascus, Syria, required
for the reopening of the United States diplomatic
mission.
Sec. 5503. Embassies, consulates, and other diplomatic installations
return to standards report.
Sec. 5504. Passport and visa operations report.

TITLE LXVI--MISCELLANEOUS

Sec. 5551. Submission of federally funded research and development
center reports to Congress.
Sec. 5552. Quarterly report on diplomatic pouch access.
Sec. 5553. Report on utility of instituting a processing fee for ITAR
license applications.
Sec. 5554. HAVANA Act payment fix.
Sec. 5555. Establishing an inner Mongolia section within the United
States embassy in Beijing.
Sec. 5556. Report on United States Mission Australia staffing.
Sec. 5557. Facilitating regulatory exchanges with allies and partners.
Sec. 5558. Pilot program to audit barriers to commerce in developing
partner countries.
Sec. 5559. Strategy for promoting supply chain diversification.
Sec. 5560. Extensions.

SEC. 5002. DEFINITIONS.

In this division:
(1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means the Committee
on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on
Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives.
(2) Department.--The term ``Department'' means the
Department of State.
(3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of State.

TITLE LXI--WORKFORCE MATTERS

SEC. 5101. REPORT ON VETTING OF FOREIGN SERVICE INSTITUTE
INSTRUCTORS.

(a) Report.--Not later than 120 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit to
the appropriate congressional committees a report on the
execution of requirements under section 6116 of the
Department of State Authorization Act of Fiscal Year 2023 (22
U.S.C. 4030) that includes--
(1) a description of all steps taken to date to carry out
that section;
(2) a detailed explanation of the suitability or fitness
reviews, background investigations, and periodic background
checks or re-investigations, as applicable, of relevant
Foreign Service Institute instructors who provide language
instructions; and
(3) a description of planned additional steps required to
execute such section.

SEC. 5102. TRAINING LIMITATIONS.

The Department shall require the explicit approval of the
Secretary for each instance in which a long-term training
assignment is curtailed or a long-term training position is
eliminated.

SEC. 5103. LANGUAGE INCENTIVE PAY FOR CIVIL SERVICE
EMPLOYEES.

The Secretary may provide special monetary incentives to
acquire or retain proficiency in foreign languages to civil
service employees who serve in domestic positions that
require critical language skills. The amounts of such
incentives should be similar to the language incentive pay
provided to members of the Foreign Service under the Foreign
Service pursuant to section 704(b)(3) of the Foreign Service
Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 4024(b)(3)).

SEC. 5104. OPTIONS FOR COMPREHENSIVE EVALUATIONS.

(a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the
appropriate congressional committees a report on options for
integrating 360-degree reviews in personnel files for
promotion panel consideration.
(b) Evaluation Systems.--The report required by subsection
(a) shall include--
(1) one or more options to integrate confidential 360-
degree reviews, references, or evaluations by superiors,
peers, and subordinates, including consideration of automated
reference requests; and
(2) other modifications or systems the Secretary considers
relevant.
(c) Elements.--The report required by subsection (a) shall
describe, with respect to each evaluation system included in
the report--
(1) any legal constraints or considerations;
(2) the timeline required for implementation;
(3) any starting and recurring costs in comparison to
current processes;
(4) the likely or potential implications for promotion
decisions and trends; and
(5) the impact on meeting the personnel needs of the
Foreign Service.

SEC. 5105. JOB SHARE AND PART-TIME EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES.

(a) In General.--The Secretary shall establish and publish
a Department policy on job share and part-time employment
opportunities. The policy shall include a template for job-
sharing arrangements, a database of job share and part-time
employment opportunities, and a point of contact in the
Bureau of Global Talent Management.
(b) Designation of Eligible Positions.--The Secretary shall
designate at least 2 percent of domestic Department of State
positions as eligible for job share or part-time employment
arrangements.
(c) Workplace Flexibility Training.--The Secretary shall
incorporate training on workplace flexibility, including the
availability of job share and part-time employment
opportunities, into employee onboarding and every level of
supervisory training.
(d) Annual Report.--The Secretary shall submit to the
appropriate congressional committees a report on workplace
flexibility at the Department, including data on the number
of employees utilizing job share or part-time employment
arrangements.
(e) Exception for the Bureau of Intelligence and
Research.--The policy described in subsection (a) shall not
apply to officers and employees of the Bureau of Intelligence
and Research.

SEC. 5106. PROMOTING REUTILIZATION OF LANGUAGE SKILLS IN THE
FOREIGN SERVICE.

(a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) foreign language skills are essential to effective
diplomacy, particularly in high-priority positions, such as
Chinese- and Russian-language designated positions focused on
Communist China and Russia;
(2) reutilization of acquired language skills creates
efficiencies through the reduction of language training
overall and increases regional expertise;
(3) often, investments in language skills are not
sufficiently utilized and maintained

[[Page S6368]]

throughout the careers of members of the Foreign Service
following an initial assignment after language training;
(4) providing incentives such as an ``out-year bid'' on
priority language-designated assignments would decrease
training costs overall and encourage more expertise in
relevant priority areas; and
(5) incentives for members of the Foreign Service to not
only acquire and retain, but reuse, foreign language skills
in priority assignments would reduce training costs in terms
of both time and money and increase regional expertise to
improve abilities in those areas deemed high priority by the
Secretary.
(b) Incentives to Reutilize Language Skills.--Section
704(b)(3) of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C.
4024(b)(3)) is amended by inserting ``and reutilize'' after
``to acquire or retain proficiency in''.

SEC. 5107. REQUIREMENT FOR UYGHUR LANGUAGE TRAINING.

(a) Uyghur Language Training and Staffing.--The Secretary
shall take such steps as may be necessary to ensure that--
(1) Uyghur language training is available to Foreign
Service officers, as appropriate; and
(2) efforts are made to ensure that at least 1 Uyghur-
speaking member of the Service (as defined in section 103 of
the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 3903)) is assigned
to United States diplomatic posts in the People's Republic of
China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkey.
(b) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for the
following 2 years, the Foreign Service Institute shall submit
a report to the appropriate congressional committees that
outlines all of the steps that have been taken to implement
subsection (a).

TITLE LXII--ORGANIZATION AND OPERATIONS

SEC. 5201. PERIODIC BRIEFINGS FROM BUREAU OF INTELLIGENCE AND
RESEARCH.

(a) In General.--Not later than 30 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, and at least every 90 days
thereafter for at least the next 3 years, the Secretary shall
offer to the appropriate committees of Congress a joint
briefing facilitated by the Bureau of Intelligence and
Research and including other bureaus, as appropriate, on--
(1) any topic requested by one or more of the appropriate
congressional committees;
(2) any topic of current importance to the national
security of the United States; and
(3) any other topic the Secretary considers necessary.
(b) Location.--The briefings required under subsection (a)
shall be held at a secure facility that is suitable for
review of information that is classified at the level of
``Top Secret/SCI''.
(c) Appropriate Committees of Congress Defined.--In this
section, the term ``appropriate committees of Congress''
means--
(1) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Select
Committee on Intelligence of the Senate;
(2) and the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Permanent
Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of
Representatives.

SEC. 5202. SUPPORT FOR CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATIONS.

(a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) congressional travel is essential to fostering
international relations, understanding global issues first-
hand, and jointly advancing United States interests abroad;
and
(2) only in close coordination and thanks to the dedication
of personnel at United States embassies, consulates, and
other missions abroad can the success of these vital trips be
possible.
(b) In General.--The Secretary shall reaffirm to all
diplomatic posts the importance of congressional travel and
shall require all such posts to support congressional travel
by members and staff of the appropriate congressional
committees fully, by making such support available on any day
of the week, including Federal and local holidays and, to the
extent practical, requiring the direct involvement of mid-
level or senior officers.
(c) Exception for Simultaneous High-level Visits.--The
requirement under subsection (b) does not apply in the case
of a simultaneous visit from the President, the First Lady or
First Gentleman, the Vice President, the Secretary of State,
or the Secretary of Defense.
(d) Training.--The Secretary shall require all designated
control officers to have been trained on supporting
congressional travel at posts abroad prior to the assigned
congressional visit.

SEC. 5203. ELIMINATING 1-YEAR TOURS.

(a) In General.--The Secretary shall ensure that tours of
duty for service abroad shall be at least 2 years in length,
except for personnel on temporary duty and Department
fellows. Any tour lasting less than 2 years shall be
considered temporary duty.
(b) Waiver.--The Secretary may issue a nondelegable waiver
on a case-by-case basis exempting personnel from the
restrictions established in subsection (a) if the Secretary
determines that doing so serves United States national
security interests, provided the Secretary submits a
justification to the appropriate congressional committees not
later than 15 days prior to issuing the waiver that contains
the following:
(1) A description of the factors considered by the
Secretary when evaluating whether to issue the waiver.
(2) A compelling justification as to why issuing the waiver
is in the national security interests of the United States.

SEC. 5204. NOTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS FOR AUTHORIZED AND
ORDERED DEPARTURES.

(a) Departures Report.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit a
report to the appropriate congressional committees listing
every instance of an authorized or ordered departure during
the 5-year period preceding the date of the enactment of this
Act.
(2) Contents.--The Secretary shall include in the report
required under paragraph (1)--
(A) the name of the post and the date of the announcement
of the authorized or ordered departure;
(B) the reason for the authorized or ordered departure; and
(C) the number of chief of mission personnel that departed,
categorized by agency, as well as family members, if
available.
(b) Congressional Notification Requirement.--Any instance
of an authorized or ordered departure shall be notified to
appropriate committees not later than 3 days after the
Secretary authorized an authorized or ordered departure. The
details in the notification shall include--
(1) the information described in subsection (a)(2);
(2) the mode of travel for chief of mission personnel who
departed;
(3) the estimated cost of the authorized or ordered
departure, including travel and per diem costs; and
(4) the destination of all departed personnel and changes
to their work activities due to the departure.
(c) Termination.--This requirements under this section
shall terminate on the date that is 5 years after the date of
the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 5205. DIPLOMATS-IN-RESIDENCE.

(a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that
Diplomats-in-Residence play a critical role within the
Foreign Service by facilitating engagement between the
American people and the diplomats who represent their
interests around the world. United States students of all
geographic areas who are interested in diplomacy and serving
their Nation should have reasonable access to the Department
of State and its Diplomats-in-Residence Program.
(b) In General.--Not later than 2 years after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall--
(1) increase the number of diplomats in the Diplomats-in-
Residence Program from 17 to 40; and
(2) in doing so, assign Diplomats-in-Residence in a manner
that guarantees no population within the United States is
located more than 300 miles from a Diplomat-in-Residence.

SEC. 5206. STRENGTHENING ENTERPRISE GOVERNANCE.

(1) Organization.--The Chief Information Officer and the
Chief Data and Artificial Intelligence Officer of the
Department of State shall report directly to the Deputy
Secretary of State for Management and Resources or, in the
event such position is vacant, to the Deputy Secretary of
State for Policy.
(2) Adjudication of unresolved budget and management
decisions.--Adjudication of unresolved budget and management
decisions shall be made by the Deputy for Management and
Resources in consultation, as appropriate, with the Deputy
Secretary of State for Policy.

SEC. 5207. REPORT TO CONGRESS ON DIPLOMATIC RESERVE CORPS
WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE.

(a) Report to Congress.--Not later than 180 days after the
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit
to the appropriate congressional committees a report setting
forth a comprehensive proposal for the establishment and
maintenance within the Department of a diplomatic reserve
corps.
(b) Elements.--The report required by subsection (a) shall
include the following elements:
(1) A description of the role of the proposed diplomatic
reserve corps in assisting the Department in the discharge of
the diplomatic functions and activities of the United States
Government.
(2) An assessment of the strength of the proposed
diplomatic reserve corps.
(3) The personnel authorities required for the maintenance
of the proposed diplomatic reserve corps, including
authorities relating to recruitment, appointment, and
retention, training, and mobilization and demobilization.
(4) A description of the compensation and other benefits to
be afforded personnel for service in the proposed diplomatic
reservice corps.
(5) Such other matters as the Secretary considers
appropriate to fully inform the appropriate congressional
committees of the role, structure, and functions of the
proposed diplomatic reserve corps and the authorities to
apply to the corps.

SEC. 5208. ESTABLISHING AND EXPANDING THE REGIONAL CHINA
OFFICER PROGRAM.

(1) In general.--There is authorized to be established at
the Department a Regional China Officer (RCO) program to
support regional posts and officers with reporting,
information, and policy tools, and to enhance expertise
related to strategic competition

[[Page S6369]]

with the Peoples Republic of China. RCOs shall, to the
greatest extent possible, have fluency in Mandarin Chinese
and experience serving in China or Taiwan.
(2) Authorization.--There is authorized to be appropriated
to the Secretary $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026
through 2029 to the Department of State to expand the RCO
program, including for--
(A) the placement of Regional China Officers at United
States missions to the United Nations and United Nations
affiliated organizations;
(B) the placement of additional Regional China Officers in
Africa and Latin America;
(C) the hiring of locally employed staff to support
Regional China Officers serving abroad; and
(D) the establishment of full-time equivalent positions to
assist in managing and facilitating the RCO program.
(3) Program funds.--There is authorized to be appropriated
$50,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2029 for each
Regional China Officer to support programs and public
diplomacy activities of the Regional China Officer.

SEC. 5209. FOREIGN AFFAIRS MANUAL CHANGES.

Section 5318 of the Department of State Authorization Act
of 2021 (22 U.S.C. 2658a) is amended--
(1) in subsection (c)(1), by striking ``5 years'' and
inserting ``8 years''; and
(2) adding at the end the following:
``(d) Notice; Consultation; Briefing.--Before effectuating
any significant change in the Foreign Affairs Manual, the
Secretary of State shall--
``(1) provide notice to, and consult with, the appropriate
congressional committees in writing, not later than 30 days
before such changes are scheduled to take effect; and
``(2) provide a briefing to the appropriate congressional
committees regarding the proposed changes.
``(e) Definitions.--`Significant change' means any
reduction in staff of more than 10 personnel per bureau or
more than 25 personnel Department-wide, or changes that
affect the employment, benefits, management, review,
promotion, or rights of personnel.''.

SEC. 5210. REPORT REQUIRED BEFORE CLOSURE OF DIPLOMATIC
POSTS.

Section 48 of the State Department Basic Authorities Act of
1965 (22 U.S.C. 2720) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a), by striking ``subsection (d) or in
accordance with subsections (b) and (c)'' and inserting
``subsection (e) or in accordance with subsections (b) and
(d)'';
(2) by redesignating subsections (c), (d), and (e) as
subsections (d), (e), and (f), respectively;
(3) by inserting after the subsection (b) the following new
subsection:
``(c) Report.--Before carrying out a proposed closure of a
United States diplomatic post, the Secretary of State shall
submit to appropriate committees of Congress a report on--
``(1) the diplomatic presence of the People's Republic of
China in the country where the post would be closed,
including--
``(A) the number of diplomatic posts currently maintained
by People's Republic of China in the country; and
``(B) the number of personnel at each post in the country;
and
``(2) the impact such closure will have on United States
national security interests and the ability of the United
States to compete with the People's Republic of China.''; and
(4) in amending subsection (f), as redesignated by
paragraph (2), to read as follows:
``(f) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) Appropriate committees of congress.--The term
`appropriate committees of Congress' means--
``(A) the Committee on Foreign Relations, the Committee on
Armed Services, and the Select Committee on Intelligence of
the Senate; and
``(B) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on
Armed Services, and the Permanent Select Committee on
Intelligence of the House of Representatives.
``(2) Consular or diplomatic post.--The term `consular or
diplomatic post' does not include a post to which only
personnel of agencies other than the Department of State are
assigned.''.

SEC. 5211. NOTIFICATION OF INTENT TO REDUCE PERSONNEL AT
COVERED DIPLOMATIC POSTS.

(a) In General.--Except as provided in subsection (b), not
later than 90 days before the date on which the Secretary of
State carries out a reduction in United States personnel of
at least 10 percent or 8 personnel at a covered diplomatic
post, the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate
Congressional committees a notification of the intent to
carry out such a reduction, which shall include a
certification by the Secretary that such reduction will not
negatively impact the ability of the United States to compete
with the People's Republic of China or the Russian
Federation.
(b) Exception.--Subsection (a) shall not apply in the case
of a security risk to personnel at a covered diplomatic post.
(c) Covered Diplomatic Post Defined.--In this section, the
term ``covered diplomatic post'' means a United States
diplomatic post in a country in which the People's Republic
of China or the Russian Federation also have a diplomatic
post.

TITLE LXIII--INFORMATION SECURITY AND CYBER DIPLOMACY

SEC. 5301. SUPPORTING DEPARTMENT OF STATE DATA ANALYTICS.

There is authorized to be appropriated $3,000,000 to the
Secretary for fiscal year 2026 to carry out the ``Bureau
Chief Data Officer Program''.

SEC. 5302. POST DATA PILOT PROGRAM.

(a) Post Data Pilot Program.--
(1) Establishment.--The Secretary is authorized to
establish a program, which shall be known as the ``Post Data
Program'' (referred to in this section as the ``Program''),
overseen by the Department's Chief Data and Artificial
Intelligence Officer. The data officers hired under this
Program shall report to their respective Chiefs of Mission.
(2) Goals.--The goals of the Program shall include the
following:
(A) Cultivating a data culture at diplomatic posts
globally, including data fluency and data collaboration.
(B) Promoting data integration with Department of State
headquarters.
(b) Implementation Plan.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the
appropriate congressional committees an implementation plan
that outlines strategies for--
(A) advancing the goals described in subsection (a)(2);
(B) hiring data officers at United States diplomatic posts;
and
(C) allocation of necessary resources to sustain the
Program.
(2) Annual reporting requirement.--Not later than 180 days
after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually
thereafter for the following 3 years, the Secretary shall
submit a report to the appropriate congressional committees
regarding the status of the implementation plan required
under paragraph (1).

SEC. 5303. AUTHORIZATION TO USE COMMERCIAL CLOUD ENCLAVES
OVERSEAS.

(a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Department of State shall
issue internal guidelines that authorize and track the use of
enclaves deployed in overseas commercial cloud regions for
OCONUS systems categorized at the Federal Information
Security Management Act (FISMA) high baseline.
(b) Consistency With Federal Cybersecurity Regulations.--
The enclave deployments shall be consistent with existing
Federal cybersecurity regulations as well as best practices
established across National Institute of Standards and
Technology standards and ISO 27000 security controls.
(c) Briefing.-- Not later than 90 days after the enactment
of the Act, and before issuing the new internal guidelines
required under subsection (a), the Secretary shall brief the
appropriate committees of Congress on the proposed new
guidelines, including--
(1) relevant risk assessments; and
(2) any security challenges regarding implementation.
(d) Appropriate Committees of Congress Defined.--In this
section, the term ``appropriate committees of Congress''
means--
(1) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Select
Committee on Intelligence of the Senate;
(2) and the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Permanent
Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of
Representatives.

SEC. 5304. REPORTS ON TECHNOLOGY TRANSFORMATION PROJECTS AT
THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE.

(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Appropriate committees of congress.--The term
``appropriate committees of Congress'' means--
(A) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate;
(B) the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate;
(C) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of
Representatives; and
(D) the Committee on Appropriations of the House of
Representatives.
(2) Technology.--The term ``technology'' includes--
(A) artificial intelligence and machine learning systems;
(B) cybersecurity modernization tools or platforms;
(C) cloud computing services and infrastructure;
(D) enterprise data platforms and analytics tools;
(E) customer experience platforms for public-facing
services; and
(F) internal workflow automation or modernization systems.
(3) Technology transformation project.--
(A) In general.--The term ``technology transformation
project'' means any new or significantly modified technology
deployed by the Department with the purpose of improving
diplomatic, consular, administrative, or security operations.
(B) Exclusions.--The term ``technology transformation
project'' does not include a routine software update or
version upgrade, a security patch or maintenance of an
existing system, a minor configuration change, a business-as-
usual information technology operation, or a support
activity.
(b) Semiannual Report.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, and every 180 days thereafter for
5 years, the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate
committees of Congress a report on all technology
transformation projects completed during the two fiscal years
preceding the fiscal year in which the report is submitted.

[[Page S6370]]

(2) Elements.--Each report required by paragraph (1) shall
include the following elements:
(A) For each project, the following:
(i) A summary of the objective, scope, and operational
context of the project.
(ii) An identification of the primary technologies and
vendors used, including artificial intelligence models, cloud
providers, cybersecurity platforms, and major software
components.
(iii) A report on baseline and post-implementation
performance and adoption metrics for the project, including
with respect to--

(I) operational efficiency, such as reductions in
processing time, staff hours, or error rates;
(II) user impact, such as improvements in end-user
satisfaction scores and reliability;
(III) security posture, such as enhancements in threat
detection, incident response time;
(IV) cost performance, including budgeted costs versus
actual costs and projected cost savings or cost avoidance;
(V) interoperability and integration, including level of
integration achieved with existing systems of the Department
of State;
(VI) artificial intelligence (if applicable); and
(VII) adoption, including, if applicable--

(aa) an estimate of the percentage of eligible end-users
actively using the system within the first 3, 6, and 12
months of deployment;
(bb) the proportion of staff trained to use the system;
(cc) the frequency and duration of use, disaggregated by
bureau or geographic region if relevant;
(dd) summarized user feedback, including pain points and
satisfaction ratings; and
(ee) a description of the status of deprecation or
reduction in use of legacy systems, if applicable.
(iv) A description of key challenges encountered during
implementation and any mitigation strategies employed.
(v) A summary of contracting or acquisition strategies
used, including information on how the vendor or development
team supported change management and adoption, including user
testing, stakeholder engagement, and phased rollout.
(B) For any project where adoption metrics fell below 50
percent within 6 months of launch:
(i) A remediation plan with specific steps to improve
adoption, including retraining, user experience improvements,
or outreach.
(ii) An assessment of whether rollout should be paused or
modified.
(iii) Any plans for iterative development based on feedback
from employees.
(3) Public summary.--Not later than 60 days after
submitting a report required by paragraph (1) to the
appropriate committees of Congress, the Secretary of State
shall publish an unclassified summary of the report on the
publicly accessible website of the Department of State,
consistent with national security interests.
(c) Government Accountability Office Evaluation.--Not later
than 18 months after the date of the enactment of this Act,
and biennially thereafter, the Comptroller General of the
United States shall submit to the appropriate committees of
Congress a report--
(1) evaluating--
(A) the extent to which the Department has implemented and
reported on technology transformation projects in accordance
with the requirements under this section;
(B) the effectiveness and reliability of the Department's
performance and adoption metrics for such projects;
(C) whether such projects have met intended goals related
to operational efficiency, security, cost-effectiveness, user
adoption, and modernization of legacy systems; and
(D) the adequacy of oversight mechanisms in place to ensure
the responsible deployment of artificial intelligence and
other emerging technologies; and
(2) including any recommendations to improve the
Department's management, implementation, or evaluation of
technology transformation efforts.

SEC. 5305. FOREIGN COMMERCIAL SPYWARE.

(a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) there is a national security need for the legitimate
and responsible procurement and application of cyber
intrusion capabilities, including efforts related to
counterterrorism, counternarcotics, and countertrafficking;
(2) the growing commercial market for sophisticated cyber
intrusion capabilities has enhanced state and non-state
actors' ability to target and track journalists, human rights
defenders, and civil society groups for nefarious purposes;
(3) the proliferation of commercial spyware presents
significant and growing risks to United States national
security, including to the safety and security of United
States Government personnel; and
(4) ease of access into and lack of transparency in the
commercial spyware market raises the probability of spreading
potentially destructive or disruptive cyber capabilities to a
wider range of malicious actors.
(b) Statement of Policy.--It is the policy of the United
States--
(1) to oppose the misuse of foreign commercial spyware to
target journalists, human rights defenders, journalists, and
civil society groups;
(2) to coordinate with allies and partners to prevent the
export of commercial spyware tools to end-users likely to use
them for malicious activities;
(3) to maintain robust information-sharing with trusted
allies and partners on commercial spyware proliferation and
misuse, including to better identify and track these tools;
and
(4) to work with private industry to identify and counter
the abuse and misuse of commercial spyware technology; and
(5) to work with allies and partners to establish robust
guardrails to ensure that the use of commercial spyware tools
are consistent with respect for internationally recognized
human rights, and the rule of law.

SEC. 5306. SECURITY REVIEW OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
AGREEMENT WITH THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA.

(a) Security Review.--Not later than 90 days after the date
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in coordination
with relevant Federal agencies, shall conduct a security
review of the United States-China Science and Technology
Cooperation Agreement (STA). The review shall include the
following elements:
(1) An assessment of the potential risks of maintaining the
STA agreement, including the transfer under such agreement of
technology or intellectual property capable of harming the
national security interests of the United States.
(2) An assessment of the Secretary of State's ability to
monitor compliance of the People's Republic of China's
commitments established under the STA agreement.
(3) An evaluation of the benefits of the STA agreement to
the economy, military, and industrial base of the People's
Republic of China and the United States.
(4) An evaluation of the value of the information and data
the United States Government receives under the STA related
to the People's Republic of China that the United States
otherwise would not have access to should it withdraw its
participation in the STA.
(b) Report.--Not later than 30 days after completion of the
security review of the STA agreement required in subsection
(a), the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate committees
of Congress a report detailing the findings of the security
review. The report shall be submitted in unclassified form,
but may include a classified annex.
(c) Certification.--Not later than 180 days after the date
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall
certify to the appropriate committees of Congress whether it
is in the national security interest of the United States to
maintain its participation in the STA agreement through its
current duration.
(d) Guidance.--If Secretary certifies that it is no longer
in the national security interest of the United States to
maintain its participation in the STA agreement, the
Secretary shall, not later than 90 days after submitting the
certification, and in coordination with the heads of relevant
Federal agencies, promulgate guidance on United States
Federal agency interactions with counterpart agencies in the
People's Republic of China.
(e) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Appropriate committees of congress.--The term
``appropriate committees of Congress'' means--
(A) the Committee on Foreign Relations, the Committee on
Commerce, Science of Technology, and the Committee on
Judiciary of the Senate; and
(B) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on
Energy and Commerce, and the Committee on Judiciary of the
House of Representatives.
(2) STA agreement.--The term ``STA Agreement'' means
Agreement between the Government of the United States of
America and the Government of the People's Republic of China
on Cooperation in Science and Technology, signed in
Washington January 31, 1979, its protocols, and any
subagreements entered into pursuant to such Agreement on or
before the date of the enactment of this Act.

TITLE LXIV--PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

SEC. 5401. FOREIGN INFORMATION MANIPULATION AND INTERFERENCE
STRATEGY.

(a) In General.--Not later than 90 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in consultation
with other relevant agencies, shall submit to the appropriate
congressional committees a comprehensive strategy to combat
foreign manipulation and interference, which shall be carried
out by the Department.
(b) Elements.--The strategy required under subsection (a)
shall include the following elements:
(1) Conducting analysis of foreign state and non-state
actors' foreign malign influence narratives, tactics, and
techniques, including those originating from United States
nation-state adversaries, including the Russian Federation,
the People's Republic of China, and Iran.
(2) Working together with allies and partners to expose and
counter foreign malign influence narratives, tactics, and
techniques, including those originating in the Russian
Federation, the People's Republic of China and Iran.
(3) Supporting non-state actors abroad, including
independent media and civil society groups, which are working
to expose and counter foreign malign influence narratives,
tactics, and techniques, including those originating in the
Russian Federation, the People's Republic of China, or Iran.

[[Page S6371]]

(4) Coordinating efforts to expose and counter foreign
information manipulation and interference across Federal
departments and agencies.
(5) Protecting the First Amendment rights of United States
citizens.
(6) Creating guardrails to ensure the Department of State
does not provide grants to organizations engaging in partisan
political activity in the United States.
(c) Coordination.--The strategy required under subsection
(a) shall be led and implemented by the Under Secretary for
Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs in coordination with
relevant bureaus and offices at the Department of State.
(d) Report.--Not later than 30 days after the enactment of
this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate
congressional committees a report that includes--
(1) actions the Department has taken to preserve the
institutional capability to counter foreign nation-state
influence operations from the People's Republic of China,
Iran, and the Russian Federation since the termination of the
Counter Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (R/
FIMI) hub;
(2) a list of active and cancelled Countering PRC Influence
Fund (CPIF) and Countering Russian Influence Fund (CRIF)
projects since January 21, 2025;
(3) actions the Department has taken to improve Department
grantmaking processes related to countering foreign influence
operations from nation-state adversaries; and
(4) an assessment of recent foreign adversarial information
operations and narratives related to United States foreign
policy since January 21, 2025, from the People's Republic of
China, Iran, and the Russian Federation.

SEC. 5402. LIFTING THE PROHIBITION ON USE OF FEDERAL FUNDS
FOR WORLD'S FAIR PAVILIONS AND EXHIBITS.

Section 204 of the Admiral James W. Nance and Meg Donovan
Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 2000 and
2001 (22 U.S.C. 2452b) is hereby repealed.

TITLE LXV--DIPLOMATIC SECURITY AND CONSULAR AFFAIRS

SEC. 5501. REPORT CONCERNING DEPARTMENT OF STATE CONSULAR
OFFICERS JOINING COAST GUARD AND NAVY MISSIONS
TO PACIFIC ISLAND COUNTRIES.

(a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) Pacific island countries, especially, but not limited
to, the Freely Associated States, include close United States
partners located across highly strategic waters critical for
United States national security;
(2) it is in the national security interests of the United
States to maintain and strengthen relations with the
governments and the citizens of Pacific island countries; and
(3) many citizens of these countries face difficulties in
accessing United States consular services because of the
remote location of the Pacific islands, only some of which
host United States embassies, and a paucity of flights,
making applying for United States visas and other consular
procedures difficult, expensive, and time-consuming.
(b) Report.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 120 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in coordination
with the Commandant of the United States Coast Guard, the
Commander of United States Indo-Pacific Command, and the
Chief of Naval Operations, shall submit to the appropriate
committees of Congress a report analyzing the feasibility of
attaching Department of State consular officers to Coast
Guard and Navy missions in the Pacific Island countries.
(2) Elements.--The report required under paragraph (1)
shall include--
(A) an assessment of the current demand for consular
services from citizens of Pacific Island countries and
challenges that these citizens face in obtaining services;
(B) an assessment of the approximate value, including in
time and resources saved, such an initiative could save
citizens of Pacific Island countries that do not host United
States embassies to have their United States visas
adjudicated or to receive other services;
(C) an assessment of the cost for the Department of State,
United States Coast Guard, United States Indo-Pacific
Command, and United States Navy, including potential
alternative cost-effective options and recommendations for
providing consular services to Pacific Island countries;
(D) an assessment of the frequency and duration of United
States Coast Guard and United States Navy deployments to
Pacific Island countries, including--
(i) deployment frequency measured against desired number of
visits;
(ii) amount of time typically spent in port for such
visits; and
(iii) disruption to planned United States Coast Guard and
United States Navy missions in order to visit locations
needing consular assistance; and
(E) an evaluation of the logistical issues to be addressed
including, including--
(i) analysis of spacing requirements to host Department of
State personnel and equipment aboard United States Coast
Guard and United States Navy vessels;
(ii) analysis of the information technology and
connectivity requirements to conduct consular affairs
activities;
(iii) the feasibility of printing visas aboard United
States Coast Guard and United States Navy vessels;
(iv) maintaining physical security of consular officers and
relevant adjudication equipment, including computer systems
and visa foils, during such missions;
(v) impacts to United States Coast Guard and United States
Navy vessels' operations and security; and
(vi) the estimated amount of time that Consular Officers
would spend on board United States Coast Guard and United
States Navy vessels between visits to Pacific Island
countries.
(3) Appropriate committees of congress defined.--In this
subsection, the term ``appropriate committees of Congress''
means--
(A) the Committee on Foreign Relations, the Committee on
Appropriations, the Committee on Armed Services, the
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and the
Committee on Judiciary of the Senate; and
(B) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on
Appropriations, the Committee on Armed Services, the
Committee on Energy and Commerce, and the Committee on
Judiciary of the House of Representatives.

SEC. 5502. REPORT ON SECURITY CONDITIONS IN DAMASCUS, SYRIA,
REQUIRED FOR THE REOPENING OF THE UNITED STATES
DIPLOMATIC MISSION.

(a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
(1) The United States has a national security interest in a
stable Syria free from the malign influence of Russia and
Iran, and which cannot be used by terrorist organizations to
launch attacks against the United States or United States
allies or partners in the region.
(2) Permissive security conditions are necessary for the
reopening of any diplomatic mission.
(b) Report to Congress.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in consultation
with the relevant Federal agencies, shall submit to the
appropriate committees of Congress a report describing the
Syrian interim government's progress towards meeting the
security and governance related benchmarks described in
paragraph (2).
(2) Elements.--The report required under paragraph (1)
shall include the following elements:
(A) An assessment of the Syrian interim government's
progress to ensure that Syria never serves as a platform for
terrorist attacks against the United States or our partners.
(B) An assessment of the security environment of the
location of the building of the United States embassy in
Damascus and the conditions necessary for the reopening of
the mission.
(C) An analysis of the Syrian interim's government's
progress in identifying and rendering harmless the Assad
regime's chemical weapons stockpiles, research facilities, or
related sites.
(D) An assessment of the Syrian interim government's
destruction of the Assad regime's captagon and other illicit
drug stockpiles, to include infrastructure.
(E) An assessment of the Syrian interim government's
relationship with the Russian Federation and the Islamic
Republic of Iran, to include access, basing, overflight,
economic relationships, and impacts on United States national
security objectives.
(F) A description of the Syrian interim government's
cooperation with the United States to locate and repatriate
United States citizens.
(G) An assessment of the status of foreign terror groups
and militias and interim government efforts to eject these
groups.
(H) A description of accountability efforts under the
interim Syrian government to include accountability for Assad
regime crimes against the Syrian people, the Alawite massacre
in northwest Syria, records preservation, and mass grave
documentation.
(c) Appropriate Committees of Congress Defined.--In this
section, the term ``appropriate committees of Congress''
means--
(1) the Committee on Foreign Relations, the Committee on
Armed Services, and the Select Committee on Intelligence of
the Senate;
(2) and the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on
Armed Services, and the Permanent Select Committee on
Intelligence of the House of Representatives.

SEC. 5503. EMBASSIES, CONSULATES, AND OTHER DIPLOMATIC
INSTALLATIONS RETURN TO STANDARDS REPORT.

(a) In General.--Not later than 90 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit a
report to the appropriate committees of Congress that
includes the impacts of the Bureau of Diplomatic Security's
initiative known as ``Return to Standards'' on the security
needs of United States embassies, consulates, and other
diplomatic installations outside the United States.
(b) Elements.--The report required under subsection (a)
shall describe the impacts of the Return to Standards
initiative and other reductions in staffing and resources
from the beginning of the initiative to the date of enactment
of this Act for all embassies, consulates, and other overseas
diplomatic installations, including detailed descriptions and
explanations of all reductions of personnel or other
resources, including their effects on--
(1) securing facilities and perimeters;
(2) transporting United States personnel into the foreign
country;
(3) gathering actionable intelligence; and

[[Page S6372]]

(4) executing any other relevant operations for which they
are responsible.
(c) Appropriate Committees of Congress Defined.--In this
section, the term ``appropriate committees of Congress''
means--
(1) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Select
Committee on Intelligence of the Senate;
(2) and the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Permanent
Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of
Representatives.

SEC. 5504. PASSPORT AND VISA OPERATIONS REPORT.

(a) In General.--Not later than 90 days after the date of
the enactment of the Act, the Secretary shall submit to the
appropriate committees of Congress a report on visa backlogs
and the feasibility of providing priority visas to nationals
of countries that are of strategic importance to the tourism
industry of the United States.
(b) Elements.--The report required under subsection (a)
shall address--
(1) the status of visa backlogs and wait times, including
internal and external recommendations to streamline and
improve consular processes, as required by the joint
exploratory statement for the Department of State, Foreign
Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2024
(division F of Public Law 118-47), including the rationale
and justification for the implementation of each such
recommendation;
(2) the impact of reductions in force on improvement of the
overall efficiency of consular operations, processing time,
and customer experience for applicants;
(3) the extent to which non-consular Department personnel
have been used to improve the overall efficiency of consular
operations, processing time, and customer experience for
applicants during periods of high demand;
(4) the viability of temporarily assigning non-consular
Department personnel during periods of high demand; and
(5) the extent to which technology, including artificial
intelligence, can alleviate visa backlogs.
(c) Appropriate Committees of Congress Defined.--In this
subsection, the term ``appropriate committees of Congress''
means--
(1) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on
Judiciary of the Senate; and
(2) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on
Judiciary of the House of Representatives.

TITLE LXVI--MISCELLANEOUS

SEC. 5551. SUBMISSION OF FEDERALLY FUNDED RESEARCH AND
DEVELOPMENT CENTER REPORTS TO CONGRESS.

Not later than 30 days after receiving a report or other
written product provided to the Department by federally
funded research and development centers (FFRDCs) and
consultant groups that were supported by funds
congressionally appropriated to the Department, the Secretary
shall provide the appropriate committees the report or
written product, including the original proposal for the
report, the amount provided by the Department to the FFRDC,
and a detailed description of the value the Department
derived from the report.

SEC. 5552. QUARTERLY REPORT ON DIPLOMATIC POUCH ACCESS.

Not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of
this Act, and every 90 days thereafter for the next 3 years,
the Secretary shall submit a report to the appropriate
congressional committees that describes--
(1) a list of every overseas United States diplomatic post
where diplomatic pouch access is restricted or limited by the
host government;
(2) an explanation as to why, in each instance where an
overseas United States diplomatic post has not been granted
diplomatic pouch access by the host government, the host
government has failed to do so; and
(3) a detailed explanation outlining the steps the
Department is taking to gain diplomatic pouch access in each
instance where such access has been denied by the host
government.

SEC. 5553. REPORT ON UTILITY OF INSTITUTING A PROCESSING FEE
FOR ITAR LICENSE APPLICATIONS.

No later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of
this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate
congressional committees a report on the feasibility and
effect of establishing an export licensing fee system for the
commercial export of defense items and services to partially
or fully finance the licensing costs of the Department, if
permitted by statute. The report should consider whether and
to what degree such an export license application fee system
would be preferable to relying solely on the existing
registration fee system and the feasibility of a tiered
system of fees, considering such options as volume per
applicant over time and discounted fees for small businesses.

SEC. 5554. HAVANA ACT PAYMENT FIX.

Section 901 of title IX of division J of the Further
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 (22 U.S.C. 2680b) is
amended--
(1) by striking ``January 1, 2016'' each place it appears
and inserting ``September 11, 2001''; and
(2) in subsection (e)(1), in the matter preceding
subparagraph (A), by striking ``of a'' and inserting ``of
an''.
(3) in subsection (h), by adding at the end the following
new paragraph:
``(4) Limitations.--
``(A) Appropriations required.--Payments under subsections
(a) and (b) in a fiscal year may only be made using amounts
appropriated in advance specifically for payments under such
paragraph in such fiscal year.
``(B) Matter of payments.--Payments under subsections (a)
and (b) using amounts appropriated for such purpose shall be
made on a first come, first serve, or pro rata basis.
``(C) Amounts of payments.--The total amount of funding
obligated for payments under subsections (a) and (b) may not
exceed the amount specifically appropriated for providing
payments under such paragraph during its period of
availability.''.

SEC. 5555. ESTABLISHING AN INNER MONGOLIA SECTION WITHIN THE
UNITED STATES EMBASSY IN BEIJING.

(a) Inner Mongolia Section in United States Embassy in
Beijing, China.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary should consider establishing
an Inner Mongolian team within the United States Embassy in
Beijing, China, to follow political, economic, and social
developments in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and
other areas designated by the People's Republic of China as
autonomous for Mongolians, with due consideration given to
hiring Southern Mongolians as Locally Employed Staff.
(2) Responsibilities.--Responsibilities of a team devoted
to Inner Mongolia should include reporting on internationally
recognized human rights issues, monitoring developments in
critical minerals mining, environmental degradation, and PRC
space capabilities, and access to areas designated as
autonomous for Mongolians by United States Government
officials, journalists, nongovernmental organizations, and
the Southern Mongolian diaspora.
(3) Language requirements.--The Secretary should ensure
that the Department of State has sufficient proficiency in
Mongolian language in order to carry out paragraph (1), and
that the United States Embassy in Beijing, China, has
sufficient resources to hire Local Employed Staff proficient
in the Mongolian language, as appropriate.
(b) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the
appropriate congressional committees a report on the staffing
described in subsection (a).

SEC. 5556. REPORT ON UNITED STATES MISSION AUSTRALIA
STAFFING.

(a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) Australia is one of the closest allies of the United
States and integral to United States national security
interests in the Indo-Pacific;
(2) the United States-Australia alliance has seen
tremendous growth, including through AUKUS, as part of which,
the United States plans to rotate up to four Virginia-class
attack submarines out of the Australian port of Perth by
2027; and
(3) current United States staffing and facilities across
United States Mission Australia do not appear adequately
resourced to support an expanding mission set and are no
longer commensurate with strategic developments, as the
United States will need to station many more United States
civilian and military personnel in western Australia to
support the maintenance and supply of these vessels.
(b) Report.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the enactment
of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate
committees of Congress a report regarding staffing and
facility requirements at United States Mission Australia.
(2) Contents.--The report required under paragraph (1)
shall include--
(A) an assessment of how many Americans, which includes
United States Government personnel (including members of the
United States Armed Forces) and their family members and
dependents, the Department of State expects in the Perth area
and across Australia in the next 2 years;
(B) an assessment of what requirements those Americans will
have, including housing, schooling, and office space;
(C) a description of how many staff are currently in the
United States Consulate in Perth and their roles;
(D) information regarding any discussions or decisions at
the Department of State about transferring staff from
elsewhere within Mission Australia to increase staffing in
Perth and the tradeoffs of such personnel moves;
(E) a status update on the interagency process begun in
2024 to assess the needs of Mission Australia;
(F) an assessment of the impact the Department of State re-
organization and workforce reduction is having on the
staffing contemplated by that process; and
(G) an estimated total cost of expanding Perth staffing to
sufficiently serve the increased presence of United States
citizens in the area and to achieve any other United States
foreign policy objectives.
(c) Appropriate Committees of Congress Defined.--In this
section, the term ``appropriate committees of Congress''
means--
(1) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate;
(2) the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate;
(3) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of
Representatives; and
(4) the Committee on Appropriations of the House of
Representatives.

[[Page S6373]]

SEC. 5557. FACILITATING REGULATORY EXCHANGES WITH ALLIES AND
PARTNERS.

(a) In General.--The Secretary, in coordination with the
heads of other relevant Federal departments and agencies,
should establish and develop a voluntary program to
facilitate and encourage regular dialogues between interested
United States Government regulatory and technical agencies
and their counterpart organizations in allied and partner
countries, both bilaterally and in relevant multilateral
institutions and organizations--
(1) to promote best practices in regulatory formation and
implementation;
(2) to collaborate to achieve optimal regulatory outcomes
based on scientific, technical, and other relevant
principles;
(3) to seek better harmonization and alignment of
regulations and regulatory practices; and
(4) to build consensus around industry and technical
standards in emerging sectors that will drive future global
economic growth and commerce.
(b) Prioritization of Activities.--In facilitating expert
exchanges under subsection (a), the Secretary shall
prioritize--
(1) bilateral coordination and collaboration with countries
where greater regulatory coherence, harmonization of
standards, or communication and dialogue between technical
agencies is achievable and best advances the economic and
national security interests of the United States;
(2) multilateral coordination and collaboration where
greater regulatory coherence, harmonization of standards, or
dialogue on other relevant regulatory matters is achievable
and best advances the economic and national security
interests of the United States, including with the members
of--
(A) the European Union;
(B) the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation;
(C) the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN);
(D) the Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD);
(E) the Pacific Alliance; and
(F) multilateral development banks; and
(3) regulatory practices and standards-setting bodies
focused on key economic sectors and emerging technologies.
(c) Participation by Nongovernmental Entities.--With regard
to the program described in subsection (a), the Secretary may
facilitate the participation of relevant organizations and
individuals with relevant expertise, as appropriate and to
the extent that such participation advances the goals of such
program.
(d) Rule of Construction.--The authorities provided by this
section are intended solely to provide United States embassy
and related Department support for dialogues which may occur
outside the United States, on a strictly voluntary basis and
as agreed to by the relevant United States Federal department
or agency with their foreign counterparts, and are not
intended to obligate in any way the participation of any
other Federal department or agency in such dialogues.

SEC. 5558. PILOT PROGRAM TO AUDIT BARRIERS TO COMMERCE IN
DEVELOPING PARTNER COUNTRIES.

(a) Establishment.--The Secretary, in coordination with
relevant Federal departments and agencies as determined by
the Secretary, is authorized to establish a pilot program--
(1) to identify and evaluate barriers to commerce in
developing countries that are allies and partners of the
United States; and
(2) to provide assistance to promote economic development
and commerce to those countries.
(b) Purposes.--Under the pilot program established under
subsection (a), the Secretary shall, in partnership with the
countries selected under subsection (c)(1)--
(1) seek to identify possible barriers in those countries
that limit international commerce with the goal of setting
priorities for the efficient use of United States economic
assistance;
(2) focus relevant United States economic assistance on
building self-sustaining institutional capacity for expanding
commerce with those countries, consistent with their
international obligations and commitments; and
(3) further the national interests of the United States
by--
(A) expanding prosperity through the elimination of foreign
barriers to commercial exchange;
(B) assisting such countries to identify and reduce
commercial restrictions, including through the deployment of
targeted foreign assistance, as appropriate, to increase
international commerce and investment;
(C) assisting each selected country in undertaking reforms
that will promote economic growth, and promote conditions
favorable for business and commercial development and job
growth in the country; and
(D) assisting private sector entities in those countries to
engage in reform efforts and enhance productive global supply
chain partnerships with the United States and allies and
partners of the United States.
(c) Selection of Countries.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall select countries for
participation in the pilot program established under
subsection (a) from among developing countries--
(A) that are allies and partners of the United States;
(B) the governments of which have clearly demonstrated a
willingness to make appropriate legal, policy, and regulatory
reforms that are proven to stimulate economic growth and job
creation, consistent with international trade rules and
practices; and
(C) that meet such additional criteria as may be
established by the Secretary, in consultation with, as
appropriate, the heads of other Federal departments and
agencies as determined by the Secretary.
(2) Considerations for additional criteria.--In
establishing additional criteria under paragraph (1)(C), the
Secretary shall--
(A) identify and address structural weaknesses, systemic
flaws, or other impediments within countries that may be
considered for participation in the pilot program under
subsection (a) that impact the effectiveness of United States
assistance to and make recommendations for addressing those
weaknesses, flaws, and impediments;
(B) set priorities for commercial development assistance
that focus resources on countries where the provision of such
assistance can deliver the best value in identifying and
eliminating commercial barriers; and
(C) developing appropriate performance measures and
establishing annual targets to monitor and assess progress
toward achieving those targets, including measures to be used
to terminate the provision of assistance determined to be
ineffective.
(3) Number and deadline for selections.--
(A) In general.--Not later than 270 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for 3
years, the Secretary should select countries for
participation in the pilot program.
(B) Number.--The Secretary should select for participation
in the pilot program under subsection (a) not fewer than 3
countries during the 1-year period beginning on the date of
the enactment of this Act.
(4) Prioritization based on recommendations from chiefs of
mission.--In selecting countries under paragraph (1) for
participation in the pilot program under subsection (a), the
Secretary shall prioritize--
(A) countries recommended by chiefs of mission--
(i) that will be able to substantially benefit from
expanded commercial development assistance; and
(ii) the governments of which have demonstrated the
political will to effectively and sustainably implement such
assistance; or
(B) groups of countries, including groups of geographically
contiguous countries, including as recommended by chiefs of
mission, that meet the criteria under subparagraph (A) and as
a result of expanded United States commercial development
assistance, will contribute to greater intra-regional
commerce or regional economic integration.
(d) Plans of Action.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall lead in engaging
relevant officials of each country selected under subsection
(c)(1) to participate in the pilot program under subsection
(a) with respect to the development of a plan of action to
identify and evaluate barriers to economic and commercial
development that then informs United States assistance.
(2) Analysis required.--The development of a plan of action
under paragraph (1) shall include a comprehensive analysis of
relevant legal, policy, and regulatory constraints to
economic and job growth in that country.
(3) Elements.--A plan of action developed under paragraph
(1) for a country shall include the following:
(A) Priorities for reform agreed to by the government of
that country and the United States.
(B) Clearly defined policy responses, including regulatory
and legal reforms, as necessary, to achieve improvement in
the business and commercial environment in the country.
(C) Identification of the anticipated costs to establish
and implement the plan.
(D) Identification of appropriate sequencing and phasing of
implementation of the plan to create cumulative benefits, as
appropriate.
(E) Identification of best practices and standards.
(F) Considerations with respect to how to make the policy
reform investments under the plan long-lasting.
(G) Appropriate consultation with affected stakeholders in
that country and in the United States.
(e) Termination.--The pilot program established under
subsection (a) shall terminate on the date that is 8 years
after the date of the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 5559. STRATEGY FOR PROMOTING SUPPLY CHAIN
DIVERSIFICATION.

(a) Strategy.--The Secretary, in consultation with the
Secretary of Commerce and the heads of other relevant Federal
departments and agencies, as determined by the Secretary,
shall develop, implement, and submit to the appropriate
congressional committees a diplomatic strategy to support
efforts to increase supply chain resiliency and security by
promoting and strengthening efforts to incentivize the
relocation of supply chains from the People's Republic of
China.
(b) Elements.--The strategy required under subsection (a)
shall--
(1) be informed by consultations with the governments of
allies and partners of the United States;
(2) provide a description of how supply chain
diversification can be pursued in a complementary fashion to
strengthen the national interests of the United States;
(3) include an assessment of--

[[Page S6374]]

(A) the status and effectiveness of current efforts by
governments, multilateral development banks, and the private
sector to attract investment by private entities who are
seeking to diversify from reliance on the People's Republic
of China;
(B) major challenges hindering those efforts; and
(C) how the United States can strengthen the effectiveness
of those efforts;
(4) identify United States allies and partners with
comparative advantages for sourcing and manufacturing
critical goods and countries with the greatest opportunities
and alignment with United States values;
(5) identify how activities by the International Trade
Administration and other relevant Federal agencies, as
determined by the Secretary, can effectively be leveraged to
strengthen and promote supply chain diversification,
including nearshoring to Latin America and the Caribbean as
appropriate;
(6) advance diplomatic initiatives to secure specific
national commitments by governments in Latin America and the
Caribbean to undertake efforts to create favorable conditions
for nearshoring in the region, including commitments--
(A) to develop formalized national strategies to attract
investment from the United States ;
(B) to address corruption and rule of law concerns;
(C) to modernize digital and physical infrastructure of
these nations;
(D) to improve ease of doing business; and
(E) to finance and incentivize nearshoring initiatives that
transfer supply chains from the People's Republic of China to
the nations of the Americas;
(7) advance, in coordination with the National Institute of
Standards [and] Technology, diplomatic initiatives towards
mutually beneficial dialogues on standards and regulations;
and
(8) in coordination with the International Trade
Administration, develop and implement assistance programs to
finance, incentivize, or otherwise promote supply chain
diversification in accordance with the assessments and
identifications made pursuant to paragraphs (3), (4), and
(5), including, at minimum, programs--
(A) to help develop physical and digital infrastructure;
(B) to promote transparency in procurement processes;
(C) to provide technical assistance in implementing
national nearshoring strategies;
(D) to help mobilize private investment; and
(E) to pursue commitments by private sector entities to
relocate supply chains from the People's Republic of China.
(c) Coordination With Multilateral Development Banks.--In
implementing the strategy required under subsection (a), the
Secretary of State and the heads of other relevant Federal
departments and agencies, as determined by the Secretary,
should, as appropriate, cooperate with the World Bank Group
and the regional development banks through the Secretary of
the Treasury.
(d) Appropriate Committees of Congress Defined.--In this
subsection, the term ``appropriate committees of Congress''
means--
(1) the Committee on Foreign Relations, the Committee on
Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and the Select
Committee on Intelligence of the Senate; and
(2) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on
Energy and Commerce, and the Permanent Select Committee on
Intelligence of the of the House of Representatives.

SEC. 5560. EXTENSIONS.

(a) Support to Enhance the Capacity of International
Monetary Fund Members to Evaluate the Legal and Financial
Terms of Sovereign Debt Contracts.--Title XVI of the
International Financial Institutions Act (22 U.S.C. 262p et
seq.) is amended in section 1630(c) by striking ``5-year
period'' and inserting ``10-year period''.
(b) Inspector General Annuitant Waiver.--The authorities
provided under section 1015(b) of the Supplemental
Appropriations Act, 2010 (Public Law 111-212; 124 Stat. 2332)
shall remain in effect through September 30, 2031.
(c) Extension of Authorizations to Support United States
Participation in International Fairs and Expos.--Section
9601(b) of the Department of State Authorizations Act of 2022
(division I of Public Law 117-263; 136 6 Stat. 3909) is
amended by striking ``fiscal years 2023 and 2024'' and
inserting ``fiscal years 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026, 2027, and
2028''.
______