S.Amdt. 3835

SA 3835. Ms. MURKOWSKI submitted an amendment intended to be proposed
to amendment SA 3748 proposed by Mr. Wicker (for himself and Mr. Reed)
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 of subtitle E of title XII, add the following:

SEC. 1265. AMBASSADOR-AT-LARGE FOR ARCTIC AFFAIRS.

Title I of the State Department Basic Authorities Act of
1956 (22 U.S.C. 2651a et seq.) is amended by adding at the
end the following new section:

``SEC. 65. UNITED STATES AMBASSADOR-AT-LARGE FOR ARCTIC
AFFAIRS.

``(a) Establishment.--There is authorized within the
Department of State an Ambassador-at-Large for Arctic
Affairs, appointed under subsection (b).
``(b) Appointment.--The Ambassador shall be appointed by
the President, by, and with the advice and consent of the
Senate.
``(c) Duties.--The Ambassador is authorized to represent
the United States in matters and cases relevant to Arctic
affairs and shall be responsible to the Secretary of State
for all matters, programs, and related activities pertaining
to the Arctic region in the conduct of foreign policy by the
Department, including, as appropriate, leading the
coordination of programs carried out by United States
Government agencies abroad, and such other related duties as
the Secretary may from time to time designate.
``(d) Areas of Responsibility.--The Ambassador-at-Large for
Arctic Affairs is authorized to maintain continuous
observation and coordination of all matters indicated by the
Secretary of State, including those pertaining to energy,
environment, trade, and infrastructure development and
maintenance, and, in consultation with the heads of other
relevant departments and agencies, those pertaining to law
enforcement and political-military affairs in the conduct of
foreign policy in the Arctic, including programs carried out
by other United States Government agencies when such programs
pertain to the following matters, to the extent directed by
the Secretary of State:
``(1) National security.
``(2) Strengthening cooperation among Arctic countries.
``(3) The promotion of responsible natural resource
management and economic development.
``(4) Protecting the Arctic environment and conserving its
biological resources.
``(5) Arctic indigenous peoples, including by involving
them in decisions that affect them.
``(6) Scientific monitoring and research.
``(e) Additional Duties.--In addition to the duties and
responsibilities specified in subsections (c) and (d), the
Ambassador-at-Large for Arctic Affairs shall also carry out
such other relevant duties as the Secretary may assign.
``(f) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) Arctic region.--The term `Arctic region' means--
``(A) the geographic region north of the 66.56083 parallel
latitude north of the equator;
``(B) all the United States territory north and west of the
boundary formed by the Porcupine, Yukon, and Kuskokwim
Rivers;
``(C) all contiguous seas, including the Arctic Ocean and
the Beaufort, Bering, and Chukchi Seas; and
``(D) the Aleutian Chain.
``(2) Arctic countries.--The term `Arctic countries' means
the permanent members of the Arctic Council, namely the
United States, Canada, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Sweden,
Finland, and Russia.''.
______