[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4202 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4202

 To require the Department of State to create and implement a process 
             for better supporting new diplomatic missions.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 23, 2024

   Mr. Risch introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
                  referred to the Committee on Finance

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To require the Department of State to create and implement a process 
             for better supporting new diplomatic missions.

    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 ``Embassy in a Box Act of 2024''.

SEC. 2. PURPOSE.

    The purpose of this Act is to equip the Department of State with 
the tools necessary to stand up new diplomatic missions efficiently and 
effectively in advance of United States strategic interests around the 
world. An ``embassy in a box'' approach establishes expedited processes 
to provide the physical resources new diplomatic missions needed, 
particularly in austere locations.

SEC. 3. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Increasing the United States global diplomatic 
        footprint is imperative to advance United States' national 
        security interests, particularly in the face of a massive 
        diplomatic expansion of the People's Republic of China.
            (2) Adding more diplomatic missions, often in small island 
        nations in the Pacific and Indian Oceans as well as the 
        Caribbean Sea, will lay down the diplomatic infrastructure 
        needed to compete with the People's Republic of China.
            (3) Diplomatic missions should be resourced and equipped 
        for success as soon as, or even before, they open in order to 
        allow diplomats to focus on advancing United States national 
        interests in-country, instead of navigating bureaucratic 
        processes.
            (4) Successfully opening new missions is not simply a 
        choice between expediency and quality. The United States can 
        move more swiftly to open new missions while still putting 
        United States diplomats in a positions to get to work 
        immediately.
            (5) To avoid this binary, the Department of State has to 
        reduce the bureaucratic obstacles inhibiting current and future 
        diplomats at new missions, while positively identifying ways 
        that the Department can best support them.

SEC. 4. REPORT TO CONGRESS.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 60 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit to 
appropriate congressional committees a report on how the Department of 
State is creating an ``embassy in a box'' concept to provide new 
missions the needed resources and authorities to successfully and 
quickly stand up and operate a mission from the moment United States 
personnel arrive, or even before the opening of a new mission, to 
immediately begin advancing United States national interests.
    (b) Elements.--The report required under subsection (a) shall 
include--
            (1) a list of authorities and processes related to the 
        opening of new missions;
            (2) a list of authorities and processes related to the 
        opening of new missions that the Department has waived or moved 
        away from in order to expediently stand up new missions, 
        particularly in small island nations;
            (3) a list of equipment that should be provided to each new 
        mission, the approval of which will be handled prior to or 
        shortly after the opening of the mission and will not be the 
        responsibility of the mission, including--
                    (A) an authorization of one vehicle per Department 
                of State direct hire; or
                    (B) enough vehicles in motor pool to adequately 
                serve fully all Department of State direct hires;
            (4) required support staff who are assigned to a new 
        mission, including those who may not be resident at a new 
        mission;
            (5) processes or traditional requirements for an embassy 
        that are being eliminated or reimagined;
            (6) the cost of paying a 20-percent differential rate 
        specifically for United States direct hires who are accredited 
        to any new United States mission with a hardship differential 
        of 20 percent or more for the first ten years of its existence; 
        and
            (7) any other authorities or processes that may be required 
        to successfully and quickly stand up a new United States 
        mission, including any new authorities the Department may need.

SEC. 5. DELEGATING AUTHORITIES TO SENIOR OFFICIAL TO LEAD NEW EMBASSY 
              EXPANSION.

    (a) Delegation.--The Secretary of State and the Under Secretary of 
State for Management shall delegate all needed authorities to expedite 
the creation of new missions abroad, as well as their continued 
management and operational support, to the Director of the Office of 
Management Strategy and Solutions.
    (b) Responsibilities.--The Director of the Office of Management 
Strategy and Solutions shall be responsible for--
            (1) expediting the resourcing of new diplomatic missions by 
        temporarily waiving or reducing processes needed to open new 
        missions, as conditions within the host country may require;
            (2) when necessary, quickly adjudicating within the 
        Department any obstacles that arise during the planning and 
        execution phases of the establishment of a new mission;
            (3) ensuring new missions receive the management and 
        operational support needed so that personnel can focus on 
        diplomacy and not administrative challenges; and
            (4) ensuring that the authorities provided in the Secure 
        Embassy Construction and Counterterrorism Act of 1999 (title VI 
        of division A of appendix G of Public Law 106-113), as amended 
        by the the Secure Embassy Construction and Counterterrorism Act 
        of 2022 (section 9301 of Public Law 117-263; 136 Stat. 3879), 
        are fully utilized in the planning for all new United States 
        missions.

SEC. 6. IMPLEMENTING THE SECURE EMBASSY CONSTRUCTION AND 
              COUNTERTERRORISM ACT OF 2022.

    Not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
the Secretary shall--
            (1) promulgate new policies and procedures consistent with 
        the Secure Embassy Construction and Counterterrorism Act of 
        1999 (title VI of division A of appendix G of Public Law 106-
        113), as amended by the the Secure Embassy Construction and 
        Counterterrorism Act of 2022 (section 9301 of Public Law 117-
        263; 136 Stat. 3879); and
            (2) submit a report to the appropriate congressional 
        committees detailing such policies and procedures and the 
        impact of implementation on overseas facilities and out-year 
        embassy construction projects.

SEC. 7. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
        ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
                    (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the 
                Committee on Appropriations of the Senate; and
                    (B) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the 
                Committee on Appropriations of the House of 
                Representatives.
            (2) New diplomatic mission.--The term ``new diplomatic 
        mission'' means any bilateral diplomatic mission opened since 
        January 1, 2020, in a country where there had not been a 
        bilateral diplomatic mission since the date that is 20 years 
        before the date of the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 8. SUNSET.

    The authorities and requirements of this Act shall terminate ten 
years after the date of the enactment of this Act.
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