[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2159 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
116th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2159
To modernize and streamline the public diplomacy capabilities of the
Department of State, increase evaluation of public diplomacy
programming, enhance strategic planning for the Department's public
diplomacy physical presence abroad, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 9, 2019
Mr. Watkins introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To modernize and streamline the public diplomacy capabilities of the
Department of State, increase evaluation of public diplomacy
programming, enhance strategic planning for the Department's public
diplomacy physical presence abroad, 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 ``Public Diplomacy Modernization Act
of 2019''.
SEC. 2. AVOIDING DUPLICATION OF PROGRAMS AND EFFORTS.
The Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs of the
Department of State shall--
(1) identify opportunities for greater efficiency of
operations, including through improved coordination of efforts
across public diplomacy bureaus and offices of the Department
of State; and
(2) maximize shared use of resources between, and within,
such public diplomacy bureaus and offices in cases in which
programs, facilities, or administrative functions are
duplicative or substantially overlapping.
SEC. 3. IMPROVING RESEARCH AND EVALUATION OF PUBLIC DIPLOMACY.
(a) Research and Evaluation Activities.--The Secretary of State,
acting through the Director of Research and Evaluation established
under subsection (b), shall--
(1) conduct regular research and evaluation of public
diplomacy programs and activities of the Department of State,
including through the routine use of audience research, digital
analytics, and impact evaluations, to plan and execute such
programs and activities; and
(2) make available to Congress the findings of the research
and evaluations conducted under paragraph (1).
(b) Director of Research and Evaluation.--
(1) Appointment.--Not later than 90 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall appoint
a Director of Research and Evaluation (referred to in this
subsection as the ``Director'') in the Office of Policy,
Planning, and Resources for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs
of the Department of State.
(2) Limitation on appointment.--The appointment of the
Director pursuant to paragraph (1) shall not result in an
increase in the overall full-time equivalent positions within
the Department of State.
(3) Responsibilities.--The Director shall--
(A) coordinate and oversee the research and
evaluation of public diplomacy programs and activities
of the Department of State to--
(i) improve public diplomacy strategies and
tactics; and
(ii) ensure that such programs and
activities are increasing the knowledge,
understanding, and trust of the United States
by relevant target audiences;
(B) report to the Director of Policy Planning of
the Office of Policy, Planning, and Resources for
Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs;
(C) routinely organize and oversee audience
research, digital analytics, and impact evaluations
across all public diplomacy bureaus and offices of the
Department;
(D) support embassy public affairs sections;
(E) share appropriate public diplomacy research and
evaluation information within the Department and with
other appropriate Federal departments and agencies;
(F) regularly design and coordinate standardized
research questions, methodologies, and procedures to
ensure that public diplomacy programs and activities
across all public diplomacy bureaus and offices are
designed to meet appropriate foreign policy objectives;
and
(G) report biannually to the United States Advisory
Commission on Public Diplomacy, through the
Subcommittee on Research and Evaluation established
pursuant to subsection (f), regarding the research and
evaluation of all public diplomacy bureaus and offices.
(4) Guidance and training.--Not later than one year after
the appointment of the Director pursuant to paragraph (1), the
Director shall develop guidance and training, including
curriculum for use by the Foreign Service Institute, for all
public diplomacy officers regarding the reading and
interpretation of public diplomacy program and activity
evaluation findings to ensure that such findings and related
lessons learned are implemented in the planning and evaluation
of all public diplomacy programs and activities of the
Department of State.
(c) Prioritizing Research and Evaluation.--
(1) In general.--The Director of Policy Planning of the
Office of Policy, Planning, and Resources for Public Diplomacy
and Public Affairs shall ensure that research and evaluation of
public diplomacy and activities of the Department of State, as
coordinated and overseen by the Director of Research and
Evaluation pursuant to subsection (b), supports strategic
planning and resource allocation across all public diplomacy
bureaus and offices of the Department.
(2) Allocation of resources.--Amounts allocated for the
purposes of research and evaluation of public diplomacy
programs and activities pursuant to subsection (b) shall be
made available to be disbursed at the direction of the Director
of Research and Evaluation among the research and evaluation
staff across all public diplomacy bureaus and offices of the
Department of State.
(3) Sense of congress.--It is the sense of Congress that
the Department of State should gradually increase its
allocation of funds made available under the headings
``EDUCATIONAL AND CULTURAL EXCHANGE PROGRAMS'' and ``DIPLOMATIC
AND CONSULAR PROGRAMS'' for research and evaluation of public
diplomacy programs and activities pursuant to subsection (b) to
a percentage of program funds that is commensurate with Federal
Government best practices.
(d) Limited Exemption Relating to the Paperwork Reduction Act.--
Chapter 35 of title 44, United States Code (commonly known as the
``Paperwork Reduction Act''), shall not apply to the collection of
information directed at any individuals conducted by, or on behalf of,
the Department of State for the purpose of audience research,
monitoring, and evaluations, and in connection with the Department's
activities conducted pursuant to--
(1) the United States Information and Educational Exchange
Act of 1948 (22 U.S.C. 1431 et seq.);
(2) the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of
1961 (22 U.S.C. 2451 et seq.);
(3) section 1287 of the National Defense Authorization Act
for Fiscal Year 2017 (Public Law 114-328; 22 U.S.C. 2656 note);
or
(4) the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et
seq.).
(e) Limited Exemption Relating to the Privacy Act.--
(1) In general.--The Department of State shall maintain,
collect, use, and disseminate records (as such term is defined
in section 552a(a)(4) of title 5, United States Code) for
audience research, digital analytics, and impact evaluation of
communications related to public diplomacy efforts intended for
foreign audiences.
(2) Conditions.--Audience research, digital analytics, and
impact evaluations under paragraph (1) shall be--
(A) reasonably tailored to meet the purposes of
this subsection; and
(B) carried out with due regard for privacy and
civil liberties guidance and oversight.
(f) United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy.--
(1) Subcommittee for research and evaluation.--The United
States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy shall establish
a Subcommittee for Research and Evaluation to monitor and
advise regarding audience research, digital analytics, and
impact evaluations carried out by the Department of State and
the United States Agency for Global Media.
(2) Report.--The Subcommittee for Research and Evaluation
established pursuant to paragraph (1) shall submit to Congress
an annual report, in conjunction with the United States
Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy's Comprehensive Annual
Report on the performance of the Department and the United
States Agency for Global Media, describing all actions taken by
the Subcommittee pursuant to subparagraph (1) and any findings
made as a result of such actions.
SEC. 4. PERMANENT REAUTHORIZATION OF THE UNITED STATES ADVISORY
COMMISSION ON PUBLIC DIPLOMACY.
Section 1334 of the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of
1998 (22 U.S.C. 6553) is amended--
(1) in the section heading, by striking ``sunset'' and
inserting ``continuation''; and
(2) by striking ``until October 1, 2020''.
SEC. 5. STREAMLINING OF SUPPORT FUNCTIONS.
Section 1(b)(3) of the State Department Basic Authorities Act of
1956 (22 U.S.C. 2651a(b)(3)) is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (D), by striking ``and'' after the
semicolon;
(2) in subparagraph (E), by striking the period at the end
and inserting ``; and''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
``(F) consolidate all human resources, personnel,
travel, purchasing, budgetary planning for public
diplomacy funds, and other executive support functions
for all bureaus that report to the Under Secretary.''.
SEC. 6. GUIDANCE FOR CLOSURE OF PUBLIC DIPLOMACY FACILITIES.
(a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall adopt, and include
in the Foreign Affairs Manual, guidelines to collect and utilize
information from each foreign post at which the construction of a new
embassy compound or new consulate compound would result in the closure
or co-location of an American Space, American Center, American Corner,
or any other public diplomacy facility under the Secure Embassy
Construction and Counterterrorism Act of 1999 (22 U.S.C. 4865 et seq.).
(b) Requirements.--The guidelines required by subsection (a) shall
include--
(1) standardized notification to each chief of mission
describing the requirements of the Secure Embassy Construction
and Counterterrorism Act of 1999 and the impact on the mission
footprint of such requirements;
(2) an assessment and recommendations from each chief of
mission of potential impacts to public diplomacy programming at
such foreign post if any public diplomacy facility referred to
in subsection (a) is closed or staff is co-located in
accordance with such Act;
(3) a process by which assessments and recommendations
under paragraph (2) are considered by the Secretary of State
and the appropriate under secretaries and assistant secretaries
at the Department of State; and
(4) notification to Congress, prior to the initiation of
new compound design, of the intent to close any such public
diplomacy facility or co-locate public diplomacy staff in
accordance with such Act.
(c) Report.--Not later than one year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit to the
appropriate congressional committees a report containing the guidelines
required under subsection (a) and any recommendations for any
modifications to such guidelines.
SEC. 7. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Audience research.--The term ``audience research''
means research conducted at the outset of a public diplomacy
program or the outset of campaign planning and design regarding
specific audience segments to understand the attitudes,
interests, knowledge, and behaviors of such audience segments.
(2) Digital analytics.--The term ``digital analytics''
means the analysis of qualitative and quantitative data,
accumulated in digital format, to indicate the outputs and
outcomes of a public diplomacy program or campaign.
(3) Impact evaluation.--The term ``impact evaluation''
means an assessment of the changes in the audience targeted by
a public diplomacy program or campaign that can be attributed
to such program or campaign.
(4) Public diplomacy bureaus and offices.--The term
``public diplomacy bureaus and offices'' means, with respect to
the Department of State--
(A) the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs;
(B) the Bureau of Public Affairs;
(C) the Bureau of International Information
Programs;
(D) the Office of Policy, Planning, and Resources
for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs;
(E) the Global Engagement Center; and
(F) the public diplomacy functions within the
regional and functional bureaus.
(5) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House
of Representatives;
(B) the Committee on Appropriations of the House of
Representatives;
(C) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the
Senate; and
(D) the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate.
<all>