[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2387 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2387

 To require the use of long-term strategies for United States national 
    security, diplomacy, and foreign assistance and the full use of 
performance-based budgeting for foreign assistance programs, projects, 
                and activities, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 13, 2009

 Ms. Ros-Lehtinen (for herself, Mr. Pence, Mr. Burton of Indiana, Mr. 
  Gallegly, Mr. Rohrabacher, Mr. Mack, and Mr. McCaul) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To require the use of long-term strategies for United States national 
    security, diplomacy, and foreign assistance and the full use of 
performance-based budgeting for foreign assistance programs, projects, 
                and activities, 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 ``Strategy and Effectiveness of 
Foreign Policy and Assistance Act of 2009''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Section 108 of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 
        U.S.C. 404a) requires that the President shall transmit to 
        Congress each year a comprehensive report on the national 
        security strategy of the United States at the same time that 
        the President submits the budget for the following fiscal year 
        under section 1105 of title 31, United States Code.
            (2) The national security strategy report sets forth the 
        national security strategy of the United States and includes a 
        comprehensive description and discussion of the worldwide 
        interests, goals, and objectives of the United States that are 
        vital to the national security of the United States and also 
        the proposed short-term and long-term uses of the political, 
        economic, military, and other elements of the national power of 
        the United States to protect or promote United States national 
        security interests.
            (3) The Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 
        (Public Law 103-62) requires United States Government 
        departments and agencies to set goals, measure performance, 
        report on their accomplishments, establish long-term strategic 
        goals as well as annual goals, define clear missions and 
        desired outcomes, measure performance as a means of gauging 
        progress, and utilize performance information as a basis for 
        decisionmaking.
            (4) Under the administration of President George W. Bush 
        and in accordance with the Government Performance and Results 
        Act of 1993, all United States Government departments and 
        agencies were required to conduct performance-based budgeting 
        and planning as guided by the Office of Management and Budget's 
        Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART), in order to ensure more 
        accurate assessment of program performance and to drive a 
        sustained focus on program results.
            (5) In January 2006, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice 
        stated that the United States foreign assistance structure 
        risks incoherent policies, ineffective programs, and wasted 
        resources when spending is not strategically tied to 
        overarching United States goals.
            (6) The Department of State and the United States Agency 
        for International Development (USAID) developed a Joint 
        Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2007-2012, which outlines 
        strategic goals shared by both agencies, and implemented a 
        joint Department of State-USAID foreign assistance budget 
        process starting with the fiscal year 2008 budget request.
            (7) In 2008, the Department of State approved plans for new 
        Department of State-USAID Country Assistance Strategies that 
        would take a comprehensive approach by including the efforts of 
        all United States agencies providing foreign assistance in a 
        country and by including an overall strategic approach for such 
        foreign assistance.
            (8) The Department of State and USAID have participated in 
        a pilot performance-reporting program launched by the Office of 
        Budget and Management aimed at streamlining Federal agency 
        reporting while retaining ongoing efforts to directly integrate 
        budget and performance planning and reporting.
            (9) USAID seeks to apply ``performance management'' by 
        implementing a five-step strategic management process that 
        includes mission performance plans, the Department of State and 
        USAID Joint Strategic Plan, annual reports, a performance and 
        accountability report, agency policy frameworks, and bureau 
        strategic frameworks.
            (10) In the report entitled ``Foreign Aid Reform: 
        Comprehensive Strategy, Interagency Coordination, and 
        Operational Improvements Would Bolster Current Efforts'', the 
        Government Accountability Office found that, until the 
        Department of State develops and implements a comprehensive, 
        integrated United States foreign assistance strategy, it will 
        lack assurance that programs are strategically tied to 
        overarching United States goals and that, by basing its annual 
        operational plans and Country Assistance Strategies on a 
        standardized program structure, the Department of State was, in 
        fact, attempting to tie its planning and budgeting to strategic 
        foreign policy objectives.

SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) under the direction of the President, the Secretary of 
        State and the Administrator of the United States Agency for 
        International Development (USAID) should, to the maximum extent 
        practicable, make funding decisions on the basis of a long-term 
        strategy that addresses national security, diplomatic, and 
        foreign assistance objectives and needs of the United States; 
        and
            (2) while steps already taken towards performance 
        management and budgeting by the Department of State and USAID 
        are commendable, there remains a need for budget requests for 
        the Department of State, USAID, and other foreign affairs 
        agencies to be more effectively integrated with national 
        security objectives and program evaluation and management.

SEC. 4. REPORT ON LONG-TERM STRATEGIES FOR UNITED STATES NATIONAL 
              SECURITY, DIPLOMACY, AND FOREIGN ASSISTANCE.

    (a) Report Required.--On the date on which the President transmits 
to Congress the comprehensive report on the national security strategy 
of the United States under section 108 of the National Security Act of 
1947 and the budget for the following fiscal year under section 1105 of 
title 31, United States Code, the President shall transmit to the 
Congress a comprehensive report on--
            (1) the organizational structures of the Department of 
        State, the United States Agency for International Development 
        (USAID), and other foreign affairs agencies; and
            (2) the extent to which the organizational structures of 
        such departments and agencies and United States foreign 
        assistance programs, budget plans, personnel decisions, and 
        public diplomacy are related to a long-term strategy that 
        advances national security objectives and needs of the United 
        States.
    (b) Matters To Be Included.--The report required by subsection (a) 
shall include the following:
            (1) An outline of the Department of State's and USAID's 
        staffing and operation of United States embassies, consulates, 
        and missions abroad and staffing and operation of the 
        Department of State's and USAID's headquarters and other 
        offices in the United States and an analysis of how decisions 
        relating to organization, staffing, and operations relate to 
        and advance specific objectives of the national security 
        strategy of the United States.
            (2) A review of the means through which cooperation is 
        ensured between the Department of State and USAID and the 
        Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Treasury, and 
        Commerce and the Office of the United States Trade 
        Representative, the Drug Enforcement Agency, and United States 
        intelligence agencies.
            (3) An explanation of the scenarios for possible United 
        States responses to crisis management and long-term policy 
        challenges and of the processes by which the Department of 
        State develops such scenarios.
            (4) Recommendations for improving the processes by which 
        the Department of State develops scenarios for possible United 
        States responses to crisis management and long-term policy 
        challenges in order to incorporate nontraditional threat 
        planning circumstances and input from other Federal departments 
        and agencies and nongovernmental organizations.
    (c) Additional Matters To Be Included.--With respect to each 
foreign assistance funding request of the Department of State, USAID, 
and other foreign affairs agencies contained in the budget for the 
following fiscal year under section 1105 of title 31, United States 
Code, the report required by subsection (a) shall include the 
following:
            (1) The short-term and long-term justification for the 
        funding request.
            (2) In the case of a funding request for a new program, 
        project, or activity or an increased funding request of an 
        existing program, project, or activity, a comprehensive 
        explanation of how and the extent to which the new or increased 
        funding will meet the requirements of this section.

SEC. 5. REORGANIZATION OF CERTAIN DEPARTMENT OF STATE AND USAID OFFICES 
              AND BUREAUS.

    (a) Reorganization.--In furtherance of the objectives and 
requirements of this Act, the President shall take such actions as are 
necessary to integrate the offices and bureaus described in subsection 
(b) into a single office in the Department of State to be known as the 
Office of Long-Term Planning and Resource Management.
    (b) Offices and Bureaus Described.--The offices and bureaus 
described in this subsection shall include the following:
            (1) The Office of Policy Planning, the Office of Resource 
        Management, and the Office of the Director of Foreign 
        Assistance of the Department of State.
            (2) The Bureau of Budget/Performance/Accountability of the 
        United States Agency for International Development.

SEC. 6. REPORT ON PERFORMANCE-BASED BUDGETING BY THE DEPARTMENT OF 
              STATE, USAID, AND OTHER FOREIGN AFFAIRS AGENCIES.

    (a) Report Required.--On the date on which the President transmits 
to Congress the comprehensive report on the national security strategy 
of the United States under section 108 of the National Security Act of 
1947, the budget for the following fiscal year under section 1105 of 
title 31, United States Code, and the report required by section 4 of 
this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to 
the specified congressional committees a report on--
            (1) uses by the Department of State, the United States 
        Agency for International Development, and other foreign affairs 
        agencies of performance-based or performance management 
        budgeting with respect to foreign assistance programs, 
        projects, and activities;
            (2) the relation of such performance-based or performance 
        management budgeting to the requirements under the Government 
        Performance and Results Act of 1993 and the requirements under 
        this Act; and
            (3) recommendations for improving such performance-based or 
        performance management budgeting.
    (b) Specified Congressional Committees.--The congressional 
committees specified in subsection (a) are--
            (1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on 
        Appropriations of the House of Representatives; and
            (2) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on 
        Appropriations of the Senate.
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