[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 157 (Wednesday, September 28, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S5246]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 5763. Mr. KENNEDY submitted an amendment intended to be proposed 
to amendment SA 5499 submitted by Mr. Reed (for himself and Mr. Inhofe) 
and intended to be proposed to the bill H.R. 7900, to authorize 
appropriations for fiscal year 2023 for military activities of the 
Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense 
activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel 
strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which was 
ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

        At the end of subtitle D of title XII, add the following:

     SEC. 1254. SPECIAL ENVOY TO THE PACIFIC ISLANDS FORUM.

       (a) 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 be used to 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.
       (b) 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--
       (1) by redesignating subsection (h) (as added by section 
     361(a)(1) of division FF of Public Law 116-260) as subsection 
     (k); and
       (2) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(l) Special Envoy to the Pacific Islands Forum.--
       ``(1) Appointment.--The President shall appoint, by and 
     with the advice and consent of the Senate, either the United 
     States Ambassador to a country that is a member of the 
     Pacific Islands Forum or another qualified individual to 
     serve as Special Envoy to the Pacific Islands Forum (referred 
     to in this section as the `Special Envoy'). If an Ambassador 
     is appointed to serve as the Special Envoy pursuant this 
     paragraph, he or she may not begin such service until after 
     Senate confirmation to such position and shall serve 
     concurrently as an Ambassador and as the Special Envoy 
     without receiving additional compensation.
       ``(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.''.
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