[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3836 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3836

 To require a report on diversity recruitment, employment, retention, 
   and promotion at the Department of State, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 27, 2015

Mr. Castro of Texas (for himself, Ms. Bass, and Mr. Rangel) introduced 
  the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To require a report on diversity recruitment, employment, retention, 
   and promotion at 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 ``Foreign Affairs Inclusion Reporting 
Act'' or the ``FAIR Act''.

SEC. 2. REPORT ON DIVERSITY RECRUITMENT, EMPLOYMENT, RETENTION, AND 
              PROMOTION AT THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act and quadrennially thereafter, the Secretary of 
State shall submit to Congress a report that--
            (1) describes the efforts, consistent with existing law, 
        including procedures, effects, and results since the period 
        covered by the prior such report, to promote in the Department 
        of State equal opportunity and inclusion for all United States 
        employees in direct hire and personal service contractors 
        status, particularly employees of the Foreign Service, 
        including equal opportunity for all races, ethnicities, ages, 
        genders, and service-disabled veterans, with a focus on 
        traditionally underrepresented minority groups;
            (2) includes a section on--
                    (A) the diversity of selection boards;
                    (B) the employment of minority and service-disabled 
                veterans during the most recent 10-year period, 
                including--
                            (i) the number hired through direct hires, 
                        internships, and fellowship programs;
                            (ii) the number promoted to senior 
                        positions, including FS-01, GS-15, Senior 
                        Executive Service, and Senior Foreign Service; 
                        and
                            (iii) attrition rates by grade, civil and 
                        foreign services, and the senior level ranks 
                        specified in clause (ii);
                    (C) mentorship and retention programs; and
            (3) is organized in terms of real numbers and percentages 
        at all levels.
    (b) Contents.--Each report submitted under subsection (a) shall 
describe the efforts of the Department of State to--
            (1) propagate fairness, impartiality, and inclusion in the 
        work environment domestically and abroad;
            (2) eradicate harassment, intolerance, and discrimination;
            (3) refrain from engaging in unlawful discrimination in any 
        phase of the employment process, including recruitment, hiring, 
        evaluation, assignments, promotion, retention, and training;
            (4) eliminate illegal retaliation against employees for 
        participating in a protected equal employment opportunity 
        activity;
            (5) provide reasonable accommodation for qualified 
        employees and applicants with disabilities;
            (6) resolve workplace conflicts, confrontations, and 
        complaints in a prompt, impartial, constructive, and timely 
        manner;
            (7) improve demographic data availability and analysis 
        regarding recruitment, hiring, promotion, training, length in 
        service, assignment restrictions, and pass-through programs;
            (8) recruit a diverse staff by--
                    (A) recruiting women, minorities, veterans, and 
                undergraduate and graduate students;
                    (B) recruiting at historically Black colleges and 
                universities, Hispanic serving institutions, women's 
                colleges, and colleges that typically serve majority 
                minority populations;
                    (C) sponsoring and recruiting at job fairs in urban 
                communities;
                    (D) placing job advertisements in newspapers, 
                magazines, and job sites oriented toward women and 
                people of color;
                    (E) providing opportunities through the Foreign 
                Service Internship Program and other hiring 
                initiatives; and
                    (F) recruiting mid- and senior-level professionals 
                through programs such as--
                            (i) the International Career Advancement 
                        Program;
                            (ii) the Public Policy and International 
                        Affairs Fellowship Program;
                            (iii) the Institute for International 
                        Public Policy Fellowship Program;
                            (iv) Seminar XXI at the Massachusetts 
                        Institute of Technology's Center for 
                        International Studies; and
                            (v) other similar, highly respected, 
                        international leadership programs; and
            (9) provide opportunities through--
                    (A) the Charles B. Rangel International Affairs 
                Fellowship Program; and
                    (B) the Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs 
                Fellowship Program.
    (c) Scope of Initial Report.--The first report submitted to 
Congress under subsection (a) shall include the information described 
in subsection (b) for the three fiscal years immediately preceding the 
fiscal year in which such first report is submitted.

SEC. 3. EXPANSION OF THE CHARLES B. RANGEL INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS 
              PROGRAM AND THE THOMAS R. PICKERING FOREIGN AFFAIRS 
              FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM.

    Beginning in fiscal year 2016, the Secretary of State shall--
            (1) increase by ten the number of fellows selected for the 
        Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Program; and
            (2) increase by ten the number of fellows selected for the 
        Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship Program.

SEC. 4. RETENTION OF MID- AND SENIOR-LEVEL PROFESSIONALS FROM 
              UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS AT THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of State should provide attention 
and oversight to the employment, retention, and promotion of 
underrepresented groups to promote a diverse ethnic representation 
among mid- and senior-level career professionals through programs, such 
as--
            (1) the International Career Advancement Program;
            (2) Seminar XXI at the Massachusetts Institute of 
        Technology's Center for International Studies; and
            (3) other highly respected international leadership 
        programs.
    (b) Review of Past Programs.--The Secretary of State should review 
past programs designed to increase minority representation in 
international affairs positions, including--
            (1) the Public Policy and International Affairs Fellowship 
        Program; and
            (2) the Institute for International Public Policy 
        Fellowship Program.
                                 <all>