[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 135 (Wednesday, September 23, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H9826-H9827]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  REAUTHORIZING UNITED STATES ADVISORY COMMISSION ON PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

  Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 2131) to amend the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring 
Act of

[[Page H9827]]

1998 to reauthorize the United States Advisory Commission on Public 
Diplomacy, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 2131

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. REAUTHORIZATION OF UNITED STATES ADVISORY 
                   COMMISSION ON PUBLIC DIPLOMACY.

       Section 1334 of the Foreign Affairs Reform and 
     Restructuring Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6553) is amended by 
     striking ``October 1, 2009'' and inserting ``October 1, 
     2010''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Watson) and the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-
Lehtinen) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from California.


                             General Leave

  Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include 
extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. WATSON. This legislation would extend by 1 year the mandate of 
the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, a bipartisan panel 
created by Congress and appointed by the President that reports on the 
public diplomacy work of the State Department, the Broadcasting Board 
of Governors, and other United States Government agencies. The 
commission reports its findings and recommendations to the President, 
Congress and the Secretary of State. Its products provide a window into 
what works and what does not work in our public diplomacy efforts.
  For example, the commission's 2008 report on the human resource 
dimension of public diplomacy has been used as a guide by both Congress 
and the new administration on ways that the recruitment and training of 
public diplomacy staff at the State Department can and should be 
improved.
  Mr. Speaker, the United States Advisory Commission on Public 
Diplomacy serves a very useful purpose. We should reauthorize it for 
another year of operation, and I strongly urge my colleagues to support 
this legislation to do just that.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may 
consume.
  I rise in support of H.R. 2131, introduced by my good friend 
Ambassador Watson. In terms of commerce, culture, military power, and 
just about any other field of human endeavor, our Nation is a key actor 
in the complex world of the 21st century. Sometimes, however, our goals 
and our intentions are misunderstood or are deliberately misinterpreted 
by those who mean us harm. People cannot fully understand American 
interests without understanding American ideals, economic and personal 
freedom, democracy and human rights; and people will not fully grasp 
those American ideals without having a sense of the diverse genius of 
the American people whose resolve, good will and generosity constitute 
the true heart of our Nation. We cannot take that knowledge for 
granted, Mr. Speaker. Showing the true face of America to the people of 
the world is the lofty aim of our U.S. public diplomacy efforts.
  In the wrenching aftermath of the Second World War, Congress created 
the United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy in 1948.

                              {time}  1145

  According to its current charter, the Commission ``appraises U.S. 
Government activities intended to understand, inform and influence 
foreign publics.''
  For example, just last year, the Commission issued a 36-page report 
critiquing and making recommendations for personnel practices of the 
current Public Diplomacy bureaucracy in areas such as recruitment, 
training and integration into broader State Department operations.
  This short bill before us today will keep the Commission's 
legislative authorization from expiring at the end of this month. This 
will give the Foreign Affairs Committee and this Congress another year 
to assess the work and the efficacy of the Commission and its 
relationship with our broader Public Diplomacy apparatus before 
undertaking a more comprehensive, longer-term reform effort.
  I would like to again thank my colleague from California, Ambassador 
Watson, for introducing this measure, and I support its adoption by 
this House.
  Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, so I yield back the 
balance of my time.
  Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time. I 
certainly thank the young lady.
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2131, 
which amends the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998 
to reauthorize the United States Advisory Commission on Public 
Diplomacy through September 30, 2010.
  The Advisory Commission is a bipartisan panel created by Congress and 
appointed by the President to formulate and recommend to the President, 
the Secretary of State, and Members of Congress policies and programs 
to carry out public diplomacy of the U.S. Government, and to assess the 
effectiveness of ongoing public diplomacy activities. Such programs and 
activities constitute our effort to understand, inform and influence 
foreign publics in support of U.S. foreign policy objectives.
  Public diplomacy has never been more important to the security of our 
nation than it is today. Fortunately, President Obama enjoys a 
wellspring of support overseas, offering the United States a chance to 
repair its image. According to a new survey released on September 9, 
2009 by the German Marshall Fund of the United States, for example, 
European support for President Barack Obama's handling of foreign 
policy is currently at 77 percent, four times greater than that of 
George W. Bush when he left office. In the Asia Pacific region and 
throughout the rest of the world, support rates for our new President 
have climbed at similarly dramatic rates.
  Yet, the challenges confronting U.S. public diplomacy are varied, and 
there is no easy means to address them. As Under Secretary of State for 
Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, Judith A. McHale, said in 
testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during her 
nomination hearing, ``An important lesson of recent years is that we 
must do a better job of thinking and planning strategically, with a 
clear mission and a steady eye on long-term global goals, accompanied 
by careful assessment of programs, personnel and expenditures. This 
will allow us to craft proactive, purposeful and integrated programs 
that further U.S. policy interests and resonate with foreign publics.''
  The Advisory Commission was created specifically to assist in 
devising such strategic plans and in providing objective criticism. It 
has done an excellent job in this regard and deserves to continue its 
work for another year, and this is why I am hopeful that my colleagues 
will join me in supporting H.R. 2131.
  Ms. WATSON. I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Watson) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2131, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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