[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3099 Referred in Senate (RFS)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3099
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
June 14, 2023
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign
Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To establish in the Department of State the position of Special Envoy
for the Abraham Accords, 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 ``Special Envoy for the Abraham
Accords Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds that the policy of the United States, as enacted in
section 104 of the Israel Relations Normalization Act of 2022 (division
Z of Public Law 117-103), with respect to the Abraham Accords remains
unchanged.
SEC. 3. SPECIAL ENVOY FOR THE ABRAHAM ACCORDS.
Title I of the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 (22
U.S.C. 2651a et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following new
section:
``SEC. 64. SPECIAL ENVOY FOR THE ABRAHAM ACCORDS.
``(a) Special Envoy for the Abraham Accords.--There is established
within the Department of State a Special Envoy for the Abraham Accords
(in this section referred to as the `Special Envoy'), who shall serve
as the primary advisor to, and coordinate efforts across, the United
States Government relating to expanding and strengthening the Abraham
Accords. The Special Envoy shall report directly to the Secretary of
State and shall hold the office at the pleasure of the President.
``(b) Nomination.--Pursuant to subsection (j)(1) of section 1, the
Special Envoy shall be appointed by the President, by and with the
advice and consent of the Senate, and may be appointed from among the
officers and employees of the Department except that such officer or
employee may not retain the position (or the responsibilities
associated with the position) held by such officer or employee prior to
such appointment simultaneously with the position or responsibilities
of the Special Envoy.
``(c) Rank and Status of Ambassador.--The Special Envoy shall have
the rank and status of ambassador.
``(d) Duties.--The Special Envoy shall be responsible for--
``(1) encouraging countries without diplomatic relations
with Israel to establish formal diplomatic, economic, security,
and people-to-people ties;
``(2) seeking to expand and strengthen existing
relationships between Israel and Muslim-majority countries,
including those outside the geographic scope of the Near
Eastern Affairs Bureau of the Department of State, to ensure
that all parties reap tangible security and economic benefits
for their citizens;
``(3) building on existing efforts, including the Negev
Forum, to help foster enhanced cooperation between Israel and
Muslim-majority countries on shared priorities including as
relates to trade, agriculture, and water security;
``(4) providing diplomatic support for Israel's integration
into cooperative efforts related to regional security; and
``(5) coordinating lines of effort across the United States
Government, including the regional and functional bureaus
within the Department of State, and conducting appropriate
diplomatic engagement with foreign governments, nongovernmental
organizations, and other stakeholders determined appropriate by
the Special Envoy in order to expand and strengthen the Abraham
Accords.
``(e) Report.--
``(1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
the confirmation of the first Special Envoy appointed pursuant
to this section, and annually thereafter, the Special Envoy
shall submit to the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the
Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and
the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on
Appropriations of the Senate a report describing all United
States efforts to expand the Abraham Accords, including
specific diplomatic engagements and status of efforts with
respect to specific countries.
``(2) Form of report.--The report required by paragraph (1)
shall be submitted in unclassified form but may contain a
separate, classified annex.''.
Passed the House of Representatives June 13, 2023.
Attest:
CHERYL L. JOHNSON,
Clerk.