Bill Summary
This bill, also known as the "Strengthening Traditional American Diplomacy Act" or "STAND Act", aims to amend the Foreign Service Act of 1980. It requires that at least 70% of appointments and assignments for chiefs of mission be from the Foreign Service or Civil Service of the Department of State. The President can waive this requirement if it is deemed necessary for national security interests, but must provide a written certification to the relevant Congressional committees. This bill aims to promote a stronger focus on traditional American diplomacy and the use of experienced, career officials in diplomatic positions.
Possible Impacts
1. This legislation may affect people who currently hold or are seeking appointments as a chief of mission, as it now requires that at least 70% of these appointments be from the Foreign Service or Civil Service of the Department of State. This could have an impact on their eligibility and chances for these positions.
2. The legislation could also affect the Foreign Service and Civil Service of the Department of State, as it may restrict their ability to fill these positions with non-career members. This could potentially limit the diversity and expertise within these roles.
3. Furthermore, the requirement for the President to provide a written certification to waive the 70% appointment requirement could lead to delays and potential challenges in filling these positions, which could have an impact on the efficiency and effectiveness of the United States' diplomatic efforts.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4921 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
116th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 4921
To amend the Foreign Service Act of 1980 to require a certain
appointments of chiefs of mission to be from Foreign Service or Civil
Service of the Department of State, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
October 30, 2019
Mr. Bera introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Foreign Service Act of 1980 to require a certain
appointments of chiefs of mission to be from Foreign Service or Civil
Service of the Department of State, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Strengthening Traditional American
Diplomacy Act'' or the ``STAND Act''.
SEC. 2. REQUIREMENT RELATING TO APPOINTMENT AS A CHIEF OF MISSION.
Paragraph (2) of section 304(a) of the Foreign Service Act of 1980
(22 U.S.C. 3944(a)) is amended--
(1) by inserting ``or Civil Service of the Department of
State'' after ``be accorded to career members of the Service'';
and
(2) by adding at the end the following new sentence: ``Not
less than 70 percent of appointments and assignments under this
section shall be of career members of Service or Civil Service
of the Department, except that this requirement may be waived
if the President certifies in writing, on a case by case basis,
to the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the
Senate, that a reduction in such percentage is vital to the
national security interests of the United States.''.
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