[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6054 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 6054

  To ensure that the United States diplomatic workforce at all levels 
 reflects the diverse composition of the United States, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            October 25, 2023

 Ms. Kamlager-Dove (for herself, Mr. Lieu, Mr. Torres of New York, Mr. 
 Castro of Texas, Mr. Kim of New Jersey, Mr. Connolly, Ms. Titus, Ms. 
    Omar, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Mr. Cohen, Mr. Khanna, Ms. Lee of 
California, Mr. Vargas, Mr. Veasey, Ms. Kelly of Illinois, Mr. Takano, 
    Ms. Norton, Ms. Adams, Mr. Pocan, Mr. Schiff, Ms. Brownley, Mr. 
Blumenauer, Mr. Trone, and Ms. Jayapal) introduced the following bill; 
         which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To ensure that the United States diplomatic workforce at all levels 
 reflects the diverse composition of the United States, 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 ``Represent America Abroad Act of 
2023''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The Department of State and the United States Agency 
        for International Development (USAID) must continue to invest 
        in policies to recruit, retain, and develop the best and 
        brightest from the full spectrum of American society in order 
        to be better positioned to advance United States interests 
        abroad.
            (2) Foreign Service officers are America's face to the 
        world and in order to effectively advance American values on 
        the world stage should represent the United States commitment 
        to inclusion and diversity.
            (3) The Department of State and USAID must embrace policies 
        that recruit professionals from the broadest possible pool of 
        talent and retain them in order to have a Foreign Service that 
        is the most effective and truly reflects the diversity of the 
        United States.
            (4) February and June 2020 reports by the Government 
        Accountability Office found barriers to a diverse and inclusive 
        workforce within the ranks of the Foreign Service, especially 
        at the mid-career and senior levels. Individuals who are racial 
        or ethnic minorities comprise only 24 percent at the Department 
        of State and 27 percent at USAID. At the executive level, 
        individuals who are racial or ethnic minorities comprise only 
        13 percent at the Department of State and 17 percent at USAID. 
        This means that the leadership is the least diverse level 
        within the Foreign Service.
            (5) In the past, Secretaries of State have acknowledged the 
        lack of workforce diversity and pledged to take concrete steps 
        to address the problem. In 2017, then-Secretary of State Rex 
        Tillerson recognized a great diversity gap in the Department of 
        State and former Secretary of State John Kerry noted that in 
        order to represent the United States, the Department of State 
        must have a workforce that reflects the rich composition of its 
        citizenry. Yet there has been no concrete plan to address the 
        lack of diversity at the mid-career and senior levels.
            (6) USAID has previously identified under-representation of 
        specific groups in its workforce, but staffing gaps, partly due 
        to a lack of senior leadership attention, prevent the agency 
        from adequately addressing the issue.

SEC. 3. DECLARATION OF NATIONAL INTEREST; STATEMENT OF POLICY.

    (a) Declaration of National Interest.--Congress declares that it is 
in the national interest of the United States to ensure that the 
members of the United States Foreign Service workforce be 
representative of the American people.
    (b) Statement of Policy.--It shall be the policy of the Department 
of State and of the United States Agency for International 
Development--
            (1) to strengthen the Foreign Service workforce by 
        bolstering the diversity of those who represent Americans 
        abroad;
            (2) to treat the people of the Foreign Service as its 
        primary asset, and as such, hold as a central tenet making 
        strides in increasing representation at all levels of the 
        Foreign Service workforce to secure the country's national 
        interests; and
            (3) in accordance with the Foreign Service Act of 1980, to 
        attract highly qualified, mid-career professionals who belong 
        to historically excluded groups, through a pathway program for 
        entry into the Foreign Service.

SEC. 4. MODIFICATION OF LATERAL ENTRY FOREIGN SERVICE PROGRAM.

    (a) Modification of Lateral Entry Foreign Service Program.--Section 
404 of the Department of State Authorities Act, Fiscal Year 2017 
(Public Law 114-323; 130 Stat. 1928) is amended to read as follows:

``SEC. 404. LATERAL ENTRY INTO THE FOREIGN SERVICE.

    ``(a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
            ``(1) the Foreign Service should permit mid-career entry 
        into the Foreign Service for qualified individuals who are 
        willing to bring their talents and experiences to the work of 
        the Foreign Service; and
            ``(2) the lateral entry program authorized under this 
        section should be used to address disparities in retention and 
        promotion as identified by barrier analysis and 2020 Government 
        Accountability Office reports, by identifying, attracting, and 
        welcoming into the Foreign Service highly qualified mid-career 
        professionals who belong to historically excluded groups in 
        terms of racial, ethnic, geographic, and gender diversity, and 
        disability status.
    ``(b) Establishment of Program.--The Secretary shall establish a 
pilot program for lateral entry into the Foreign Service by mid-career 
professionals who belong to historically excluded groups in terms of 
racial, ethnic, geographic, and gender diversity, and disability status 
that--
            ``(1) is in full comportment with current Foreign Service 
        intake procedures, including the requirement to pass the 
        Foreign Service exam;
            ``(2) requires only one directed assignment in a position 
        appropriate to the grade level of the participant;
            ``(3) includes, as part of the required initial training, a 
        class or module that specifically prepares participants in the 
        pilot program for life in the Foreign Service, including 
        conveying to such participants essential elements of the 
        practical knowledge that is normally acquired during a Foreign 
        Service officer's initial assignments;
            ``(4) includes an annual assessment of the progress of the 
        pilot program by a review board consisting of Department 
        officials with appropriate expertise, including employees of 
        the Foreign Service, in order to evaluate the success of the 
        pilot program; and
            ``(5) includes recruitment outreach for pilot program 
        participation to--
                    ``(A) diversity officers in the private sector;
                    ``(B) all members of the civil service of the 
                Department and recognized Department affinity groups;
                    ``(C) the civil service of other national security 
                related Federal agencies; and
                    ``(D) professional associations.
    ``(c) Administration.--The pilot program under subsection (b) shall 
be administered jointly by the Director General of the Foreign Service, 
the Director of Global Talent Management of the Department of State, 
and the Chief Human Capital Officer of the Office of Human Capital and 
Talent Management of the United States Agency for International 
Development.
    ``(d) Elements.--
            ``(1) Program requirements.--The Secretary shall carry out 
        the following with respect to the pilot program under 
        subsection (b):
                    ``(A) Establish and publish eligibility criteria 
                for candidates to participate in the pilot program.
                    ``(B) Carry out countrywide recruitment efforts to 
                attract highly qualified, mid-career professionals from 
                among historically excluded groups, such as at and 
                through the following:
                            ``(i) Community agencies and organizations.
                            ``(ii) Faith-based organizations.
                            ``(iii) Community events.
                            ``(iv) Professional associations.
                            ``(v) Colleges and universities, including 
                        historically Black colleges and universities 
                        and other minority-serving institutions such as 
                        Hispanic-serving institutions, Asian American 
                        and Native American Pacific Islander-serving 
                        institutions, American Indian Tribally 
                        controlled colleges and universities, Alaska 
                        Native and Native Hawaiian-serving 
                        institutions, Tribal colleges and universities, 
                        Predominantly Black Institutions, and Native 
                        American-serving, Nontribal institutions.
                            ``(vi) Diplomats in residence.
                            ``(vii) Job fairs.
                            ``(viii) Newspaper/magazines/journals.
                            ``(ix) Radio stations and programs.
                            ``(x) Websites, webcasts, podcasts, and 
                        other online channels.
                    ``(C) Include appropriate mentorship and other 
                career development opportunities, such as leadership 
                training, for participants in the pilot program.
            ``(2) Overall qualifications.--In establishing eligibility 
        criteria under paragraph (1)(A), the Secretary shall seek 
        highly qualified individuals who are mid-career professionals 
        from the civil service and private sector belonging to 
        historically excluded groups--
                    ``(A) with diverse work experience, who have 
                capabilities, insights, techniques, and experiences 
                that would serve to enrich the Foreign Service 
                workforce and empower it to perform more effectively;
                    ``(B) with demonstrated knowledge of, experience 
                with, and interest in United States foreign policy and 
                national security and international affairs, including 
                knowledge of the affairs, cultures, and languages of 
                other countries;
                    ``(C) with demonstrable leadership skills and the 
                potential for further growth;
                    ``(D) that demonstrate a track record of 
                collaboration, team-building, and stakeholder 
                management skills;
                    ``(E) with demonstrated capacity for critical 
                thinking and analytical skills, including the ability 
                to synthesize information into clear and concise 
                recommendations;
                    ``(F) with strategic thinking, and ability to solve 
                complex problems;
                    ``(G) with flexibility, adaptability, and 
                determination; and
                    ``(H) who are United States citizens with worldwide 
                service availability and who are able to obtain 
                appropriate security and medical clearances.
    ``(e) Advancement From Program.--Candidates who are accepted into 
the pilot program under subsection (b) in accordance with the 
qualifications and requirements of this section shall have the 
opportunity to advance to the Foreign Service oral assessment for 
potential entry as the appropriate class of mid-level Foreign Service 
officer in accordance with the candidate's professional qualifications 
with a goal of not less than 50 percent of such participants per year 
being so placed.
    ``(f) Annual Reporting.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
the enactment of the Represent America Abroad Act of 2023, and annually 
thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate congressional 
committees a report on the status of the pilot program under subsection 
(b). Each such report shall include the following information with 
respect to the previous year:
            ``(1) The number of accepted and unaccepted applicants to 
        the pilot program, and the number of accepted applicants who 
        began participating in the pilot program, and the number of 
        accepted applicants who began participating in the pilot 
        program.
            ``(2) Anonymized information on the backgrounds of accepted 
        pilot program applicants and participants with respect to 
        education and prior work experience, ethnicity, and sex.
            ``(3) The number of pilot program participants who have 
        advanced from the pilot program to a placement in the Foreign 
        Service, disaggregated by education, prior work experience, 
        ethnicity and sex.
            ``(4) A disaggregation by Foreign Service assignment, cone 
        and post or mission (including identifying whether the post is 
        hard-to-fill) assigned to each pilot program participant who 
        has advanced to a placement in the Foreign Service.
            ``(5) The grade level at which each pilot program 
        participant who has advanced to a placement in the Foreign 
        Service entered the Foreign Service.
            ``(6) The structure and operation of the pilot program.
            ``(7) Attrition rates and retention data with respect to 
        the pilot program, including information on how such data 
        compares to the data reported in the most recent prior 
        submission of such report.
            ``(8) Information on recruiting efforts for the pilot 
        program, including the resources allocated to outreach, as well 
        as where, how, and when outreach will be carried out.
            ``(9) Information on efforts to improve the efficacy of the 
        pilot program and promote retention of program participants.
    ``(g) Longitudinal Data.--The Secretary shall--
            ``(1) collect and maintain data on the career progression 
        of each program participant for the length of each 
        participant's Foreign Service career; and
            ``(2) make the data described in paragraph (1) available to 
        the appropriate congressional committees upon request.
    ``(h) Duration.--The pilot program under subsection (b) shall be 
for an initial duration of 3 years, but may be renewed for an 
additional 5-year period following the end of such initial duration.
    ``(i) Mid-Career Professional Defined.--In this section, the term 
`mid-career professional' means an individual who has the skills and 
experience to serve as a mid-level Foreign Service officer (class 3, 2, 
or 1) and who meets any of the following criteria, consistent with the 
merit-based principles and core precepts set forth in the Foreign 
Affairs Manual and Handbook and in accordance with applicable 
requirements of the Foreign Service Act of 1980:
            ``(1) An individual with at least 8 years of professional 
        experience and a bachelor's degree from an accredited college 
        or university in selected fields of study representing the 
        needs of the Department of State, including public policy, 
        public administration, international law, international 
        relations, political science, foreign languages, business 
        administration, economics, history, sociology, geography, 
        social or cultural anthropology, statistics, or the humanities.
            ``(2) An individual with at least 7 years of professional 
        experience and a master's degree from an accredited college or 
        university in selected fields of study representing the needs 
        of the Department of State, including any field specified in 
        paragraph (1).
            ``(3) An individual with at least 5 years of professional 
        experience and doctoral degree from an accredited college or 
        university in selected fields of study representing the needs 
        of the Department of State, including any field specified in 
        paragraph (1).''.
    (b) Timing.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary of State shall commence the implementation 
of the pilot program under section 404(b) of the Department of State 
Authorities Act, Fiscal Year 2017 (Public Law 114-323; 130 Stat. 1928), 
as amended by subsection (a).
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