[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1220 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1220

   To establish the position of Special Envoy to the Pacific Islands 
                                 Forum.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 19, 2023

Mr. Kennedy (for himself, Mr. Schatz, Mr. Hagerty, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. 
Scott of Florida, Mrs. Shaheen, Mrs. Blackburn, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Cassidy, 
 Ms. Duckworth, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Peters, and Mr. Rubio) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                           Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To establish the position of Special Envoy to the Pacific Islands 
                                 Forum.

    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 ``U.S. and Pacific Islands Forum 
Partnership Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The Pacific Islands Forum (referred to in this Act as 
        ``PIF'') was established in 1971.
            (2) PIF is committed to accelerating economic growth, 
        social progress, cultural development, and regional peace and 
        stability.
            (3) The United States is committed to a free and open Indo-
        Pacific and to peace, security, and prosperity in the region.
            (4) The United States seeks to maintain and further develop 
        a constructive and cordial relationship with PIF and its member 
        nations, including the Freely Associated States (the Marshall 
        Islands, Micronesia, and Palau), which have special economic 
        and security ties with the United States.
            (5) The United States seeks to contribute to regional 
        stability in the Pacific region through assistance efforts to 
        combat illegal fishing, enhance maritime security, build 
        resilient infrastructure, and promote sound, just, and 
        responsive governance within the Pacific region to empower 
        citizens, help combat corruption, and strengthen nations' 
        autonomy.
            (6) The Smaller Island States of PIF (the Cook Islands, the 
        Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, 
        Nauru, Niue, Palau, and Tuvalu) are the most vulnerable of PIF 
        countries.
            (7) Increased United States diplomatic engagement and 
        developmental assistance can help alleviate the vulnerabilities 
        linked to the small size of the Smaller Island States, their 
        lack of natural resources, remoteness, and across the PIF 
        region, by addressing the range of development challenges that 
        limit their capacity to ensure democratic, economic, and 
        environmental resilience and long-term sustainable development.
            (8) It is in the long-term interest of the United States to 
        maintain and expand a relationship with PIF and its member 
        nations.

SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) the United States must increase its diplomatic activity 
        and presence in the Pacific, particularly among Pacific Island 
        nations; and
            (2) the Special Envoy to the Pacific Islands Forum--
                    (A) should coordinate policies across the Pacific 
                region with like-minded democracies; and
                    (B) should have a direct line to the President and 
                the Secretary of State to communicate regarding the 
                unique and particular needs of Pacific partner nations.

SEC. 4. SPECIAL ENVOY TO THE PACIFIC ISLANDS FORUM.

    Section 1 of the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 (22 
U.S.C. 2651a) is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(n) Special Envoy to the Pacific Islands Forum.--
            ``(1) Appointment.--The President shall appoint, by and 
        with the advice and consent of the Senate, a qualified 
        individual to serve as Special Envoy to the Pacific Islands 
        Forum (referred to in this section as the `Special Envoy'). The 
        Special Envoy may not concurrently serve as a United States 
        Ambassador to an individual country.
            ``(2) Duties.--The Special Envoy shall--
                    ``(A) represent the United States in its role as 
                dialogue partner to the Pacific Islands Forum; and
                    ``(B) carry out such other duties as the President 
                or the Secretary of State may prescribe.''.

SEC. 5. REPORT.

    Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the Secretary of State shall submit a report to the Committee on 
Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of 
the House of Representatives that describes how the Department of State 
will increase its ability to recruit and retain highly-qualified 
ambassadors, special envoys, and other senior personnel in posts in 
Pacific island countries as the Department expands its diplomatic 
footprint throughout the region.
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