[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4426 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
116th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 4426
To establish an Office of Subnational Diplomacy within the Department
of State, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
August 4, 2020
Mr. Murphy (for himself and Mr. Perdue) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish an Office of Subnational Diplomacy within 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 ``City and State Diplomacy Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) The supremacy clause of the United States Constitution
(article VI, clause 2) establishes that the Federal Government
has the primary role in conducting diplomacy on behalf of the
United States; in turn, the Department of State, which was
created pursuant to statute by Congress in 1789, has the lead
role in formulating and implementing United States foreign
policy.
(2) The growth of subnational cooperation has enabled
States, counties, and municipalities to play an increasingly
significant role in foreign policy and complement the efforts
of the Department of State by--
(A) supporting exchanges and cooperation agreements
between elected leaders and officials of State, county,
and municipal governments and those of international
cities, regions, and countries;
(B) promoting United States exports to foreign
markets and foreign direct investment into the United
States; and
(C) sharing best practices and striking agreements
with foreign counterparts on a wide range of topics,
including facilitating trade and investment, protecting
the health and safety of their respective citizens,
cooperating on energy and the environment, and
promoting people-to-people exchanges.
(3) Global networks made up exclusively of local government
officials are at the forefront of harnessing the power of
cities to advance international cooperation.
(4) In 2010, the Department of State appointed the first-
ever Special Representative for Global Intergovernmental
Affairs, who led efforts to build strategic peer-to-peer
relationships between the Department of State, State and local
officials, and their foreign counterparts.
SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that it is in the interest of the
United States to promote subnational engagements, align such
engagements with national foreign policy objectives, and leverage
Federal resources to enhance the impact of such engagements.
SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE OFFICE OF SUBNATIONAL DIPLOMACY.
Section 1 of the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 (22
U.S.C. 2651a) is amended by adding at the end the following new
subsection:
``(h) Office of Subnational Diplomacy.--
``(1) In general.--There shall be established within the
Department of State an Office of Subnational Diplomacy (in this
subsection referred to as the `Office').
``(2) Head of office.--The head of the Office shall be the
Ambassador-at-Large for Subnational Diplomacy (in this
subsection referred to as the `Ambassador'). The Ambassador
shall--
``(A) be appointed by the President, by and with
the advice and consent of the Senate; and
``(B) report directly to the Under Secretary for
Political Affairs.
``(3) Duties.--
``(A) Principal duty.--The principal duty of the
Ambassador shall be the overall supervision (including
policy oversight of resources) of Federal support for
subnational engagements by State, county, and municipal
governments with foreign governments. The Ambassador
shall be the principal adviser to the Secretary of
State on subnational engagements and the principal
official on such matters within the senior management
of the Department of State.
``(B) Additional duties.--The additional duties of
the Ambassador shall include the following:
``(i) Coordinating overall United States
policy and programs in support of subnational
engagements by State and municipal governments
with foreign governments, including with
respect to the following activities:
``(I) Coordinating resources across
the Department of State and throughout
the Federal Government in support of
such engagements.
``(II) Identifying policy, program,
and funding disputes among relevant
Federal agencies regarding such
coordination.
``(III) Identifying gaps in Federal
support for such engagements and
developing corresponding policy or
programmatic changes to address such
gaps.
``(ii) Promoting United States foreign
policy goals through support for subnational
engagements and aligning subnational priorities
with national foreign policy goals, as
appropriate.
``(iii) Maintaining a public database of
subnational engagements.
``(iv) Providing advisory support to
subnational engagements, including by assisting
State, county, and municipal governments to--
``(I) develop, implement, and, as
necessary, adjust global engagement and
public diplomacy strategies,
particularly for States and cities with
limited international outreach staff;
``(II) implement programs to
cooperate with foreign governments on
policy priorities or managing shared
resources; and
``(III) understand the implications
of foreign policy developments or
policy changes through regular and
extraordinary briefings.
``(v) Facilitating linkages and networks
between State and municipal governments and
their foreign counterparts, including
leveraging of State and municipal government
expertise in United States foreign assistance
programming.
``(vi) Overseeing the work of Department of
State detailees assigned to State and municipal
governments pursuant to this subsection.
``(vii) Negotiating agreements and
memoranda of understanding with foreign
governments to support subnational engagements
and priorities.
``(viii) Promoting United States trade and
foreign exports on behalf of United States
businesses through exchanges between the United
States and foreign state, municipal, and
provincial governments, developing resource
lists for subnational actors' international
outreach, creating a platform for subnational
actors and small and medium businesses to
request support or submit feedback, and by
establishing a more enduring relationship
overall between subnational governments.
``(ix) Promoting public health and public
safety areas like road safety, through
exchanges between the United States and foreign
state, municipal, and provincial governments,
conferences to capture best practices and
assure future planning, and by establishing
enduring relationship between subnational
governments.
``(x) Coordinating subnational engagements
with the associations of subnational elected
leaders, including the United States Conference
of Mayors, National Governors Association,
National League of Cities, National Association
of Counties, Council of State Governments,
National Conference of State Legislators, and
State International Development Offices.
``(4) State, county, and municipal fellows program.--
``(A) In general.--Under the Fellowship Program,
the Secretary of State, acting through the Ambassador,
is authorized to detail no fewer than 30 total Foreign
Service officers and members of the civil service each
year to State, county, and municipal governments on a
reimbursable or nonreimbursable basis. Such details
shall be for a period not to exceed two years, and
shall be without interruption or loss of Foreign
Service or civil service status or privilege.
``(B) Responsibilities.--Detailees under
subparagraph (A) shall carry out the following duties:
``(i) Supporting the mission and objectives
of the Office.
``(ii) Coordinating activities relating to
State and municipal government subnational
engagements with the Department of State,
including the Office, Department leadership,
and regional and functional bureaus of the
Department, as appropriate.
``(iii) Engaging the Department of State
and other Federal agencies regarding security,
public health, trade promotion, and other
programs executed at the State or municipal
government level.
``(iv) Advising State and municipal
government officials regarding questions of
global affairs, foreign policy, cooperative
agreements, and public diplomacy.
``(v) Any other duties requested by State
and municipal governments and approved by the
Office.
``(5) Report and briefing.--
``(A) Report.--Not later than one year after the
date of the enactment of this subsection, the
Ambassador shall submit to the Committee on Foreign
Relations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign
Affairs of the House of Representatives a report that
includes information relating to the following matters:
``(i) The staffing plan (including
permanent and temporary staff) for the Office.
``(ii) The funding level provided to the
Office for the Office, together with a
justification relating to such level.
``(iii) The status of filling the position
of Ambassador-at-Large for Subnational
Diplomacy.
``(iv) A strategic plan for the Office,
including--
``(I) how to better integrate
United States cities, counties, and
States into United States foreign
policy, such as through the provision
of trainers;
``(II) how partnerships with
subnational entities can enhance
citizen involvement in the foreign
policy making process; and
``(III) how partnerships can be
used to increase public understanding
and awareness of United States
diplomatic efforts.
``(v) A plan for better targeting foreign
subnational governments through State and
United States Agency for International
Development foreign assistance and diplomatic
engagement, including an assessment of existing
efforts and best practices, recommendations for
expansion and new initiatives to better
leverage subnational governments to improve
United States foreign policy effectiveness
including public diplomacy, and emphasizing
governance and public health.
``(vi) Any other matters as determined
relevant by the Ambassador.
``(B) Briefings.--Not later than 30 days after the
submission of the report required under subparagraph
(A), and annually thereafter, the Ambassador shall
brief the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate
and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of
Representatives on the work of the Office and any
changes made to the organizational structure or funding
of the Office.
``(6) Definitions.--In this subsection:
``(A) Municipal.--The term `municipal' means, with
respect to the government of a municipality, a
municipality with a population of not fewer than
100,000 people.
``(B) State.--The term `State' means the 50 States,
the District of Columbia, and any territory or
possession of the United States.
``(C) Subnational engagement.--The term
`subnational engagement' means formal meetings or
events between elected officials of State or municipal
governments and their foreign counterparts.''.
<all>
City and State Diplomacy Act
#4426 | S Congress #116
Policy Area: International Affairs
Subjects: Competitiveness, trade promotion, trade deficitsCongressional oversightDepartment of StateDiplomacy, foreign officials, Americans abroadExecutive agency funding and structureFederal officialsForeign aid and international reliefGovernment information and archivesIntergovernmental relationsInternational law and treatiesPublic participation and lobbyingSmall businessState and local government operations
Last Action: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. (8/4/2020)
Bill Text Source: Congress.gov
Summary and Impacts
Original Text