[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4517 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4517

 To authorize the establishment of a Negotiations Support Unit in the 
              Department of State, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 12, 2024

  Mr. Merkley introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
             referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To authorize the establishment of a Negotiations Support Unit in the 
              Department of State, 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. AUTHORITY TO ESTABLISH NEGOTIATIONS SUPPORT UNIT WITHIN 
              DEPARTMENT OF STATE.

    (a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) there is a need for the United States Government to 
        maintain a permanent institutional hub for technical expertise, 
        strategic advice, and knowledge management in negotiations, 
        mediation, and peace processes in order to prioritize and 
        invest in diplomacy;
            (2) the United States plays a unique role in enabling and 
        supporting peace processes and complex political negotiations, 
        the success of which are essential to stability and democracy 
        around the world;
            (3) the meaningful engagement of conflict-affected 
        communities, particularly women, youth, and other impacted 
        populations, is vital to durable, implementable, and 
        sustainable peace;
            (4) negotiation requires a specific technical and 
        functional skillset, and thus institutional expertise in this 
        practice area should include trained practitioners and subject 
        matter experts;
            (5) such skills should continue to be employed as the 
        United States advises and contributes to peace processes, 
        including those where the United States plays a supporting role 
        or is led by multilateral and international partners; and
            (6) training programs for United States diplomats should 
        draw upon this expertise and United States lessons learned to 
        help equip diplomats with skills to respond to peace processes 
        and complex political negotiations, and how to request support.
    (b) Negotiations Support Unit.--Section 1 of the State Department 
Basic Authorities Act (22 U.S.C. 2651a) is amended by adding at the end 
the following new subsection:
    ``(p) Negotiations Support Unit.--
            ``(1) Authority to establish.--The Secretary of State may 
        establish within the Department of State a unit to be known as 
        the `Negotiations Support Unit' responsible for carrying out 
        the functions described in paragraph (2), as appropriate.
            ``(2) Functions.--The functions described in this paragraph 
        are the following:
                    ``(A) Serving as a permanent institutional hub and 
                resource for negotiations and peace process expertise 
                and knowledge management.
                    ``(B) Advising the Secretary of State, other 
                relevant senior officials, members of the Foreign 
                Service, and employees of the Department of State on 
                the substance, process, and strategy of negotiations, 
                mediation, peace processes, and other complex political 
                negotiations from strategy and planning to 
                implementation.
                    ``(C) Supporting the development and implementation 
                of United States policy related to complex political 
                negotiations and peace processes, including those led 
                by multilateral and international partners.
                    ``(D) Advising on mediation and negotiations 
                programs to implement United States policy.
                    ``(E) Supporting training for Foreign Services 
                Officers and civil servants on tailored negotiation and 
                mediation skills.
                    ``(F) Working with other governments, international 
                organizations, and nongovernmental organizations, as 
                appropriate, to support the development and 
                implementation of United States policy on peace 
                processes and complex political negotiations.
                    ``(G) Any additional duties the Secretary of State 
                may prescribe.
            ``(3) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
        to be appropriated $5,000,000 for the establishment of the 
        Negotiations Support Unit under paragraph (1).''.
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