[Senate Report 110-55]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



                                                       Calendar No. 117
110th Congress                                                   Report
                                 SENATE
 1st Session                                                     110-55

======================================================================



 
    REAUTHORIZATION OF UNITED STATES ADVISORY COMMISSION ON PUBLIC 
                               DIPLOMACY

                                _______
                                

                 April 12, 2007.--Ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

          Mr. Biden, from the Committee on Foreign Relations,
                        submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                        [To accompany H.R. 1003]

    The Committee on Foreign Relations, having had under 
consideration a bill to amend the Foreign Affairs Reform and 
Restructuring Act of 1998 to reauthorize the United States 
Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, reports favorably 
thereon and recommends that the bill do pass.

                                CONTENTS

                                                                   Page
  I. Purpose..........................................................1
 II. Legislative History..............................................1
III. Discussion.......................................................2
 IV. Cost Estimate....................................................2
  V. Evaluation of Regulatory Impact..................................3
 VI. Changes in Existing Law..........................................3

                               I. Purpose

    The purpose of the legislation is to reauthorize the United 
States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy.

                        II. Legislative History

    H.R. 1003, sponsored by Rep. Diane Watson, was approved by 
the House of Representatives on March 13, 2007. On March 19, 
2007, it was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. On 
March 28, 2007, the committee ordered the bill reported 
favorably by voice vote.

                            III. Discussion

    The Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy was created in 
the late 1940s to advise the foreign policy apparatus of the 
government on public diplomacy programs. The specific mandate, 
by statute, is to ``appraise the effectiveness of policies and 
programs'' of the State Department in this regard (Section 604 
of the United States Information and Educational Exchange Act 
of 1948).
    In connection with the abolition of the United States 
Information Agency (USIA) in 1998, Congress also abolished the 
Commission (Section 1334 of the Foreign Affairs Reform and 
Restructuring Act of 1998). The termination of the Commission 
was made effective on October 1, 1999, to coincide with the 
date of the termination of USIA. In November 1999, however, 
Congress decided to reinstate the Commission, and made the 
reinstatement retroactive to 1998, so that, in a legal sense, 
the Commission never expired. In reinstating the Commission, 
however, Congress set a sunset date of October 1, 2001, and 
limited the staff and budgetary resources provided to the 
Commission (Section 404 of the Admiral James W. Nance and Meg 
Donovan Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 2000 
and 2001).
    Since then, Congress has twice extended the mandate of the 
Commission, first to October 1, 2005, then to October 1, 2006. 
An effort to reauthorize the Commission in the 109th Congress 
was unsuccessful, and the authority for it terminated on 
October 1, 2006.
    The committee believes the Commission serves as a useful 
mechanism to provide oversight and advice to the Secretary of 
State and Congress regarding public diplomacy programming, and 
therefore supports this legislation. This bill reauthorizes the 
Commission until October 1, 2009.

                           IV. Cost Estimate

    Pursuant to paragraph 11(a) of Rule XXVI of the Standing 
Rules of the Senate, the following cost estimate has been 
provided by the Congressional Budget Office.

               CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE COST ESTIMATE

                                                    March 29, 2007.

                               H.R. 1003


  An act to amend the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 
  1998 to reauthorize the United States Advisory Commission on Public 
                               Diplomacy


  As ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on 
                             March 28, 2007

    H.R. 1003 would reauthorize the United States Advisory 
Commission on Public Diplomacy through fiscal year 2009. (The 
commission's authorization expired at the end of fiscal year 
2006.) The commission would make recommendations to the 
Department of State on policies and programs related to public 
diplomacy, and may also appraise the effectiveness of such 
policies and programs. It would report to the Congress on its 
recommendations and appraisals.
    Based on information from the Department of State, CBO 
estimates that implementing this legislation would cost about 
$300,000 a year over the 2008-2009 period, subject to the 
appropriation of the necessary amounts. Enacting the 
legislation would not affect direct spending or receipts.
    H.R. 1003 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and 
would not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal 
governments.
    On February 28, 2007, CBO transmitted an estimate for H.R. 
1003 as ordered reported by the House Committee on Foreign 
Affairs on February 15, 2007. Both versions of the legislation 
and their cost estimates are identical.
    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Sunita D'Monte, 
who can be reached at 226-2840. This estimate was approved by 
Peter H. Fontaine, Deputy Assistant Director for Budget 
Analysis.

                   V. Evaluation of Regulatory Impact

    Pursuant to paragraph 11(b) of Rule XXVI of the Standing 
Rules of the Senate, the committee has determined that there is 
no regulatory impact as a result of this legislation.

                      VI. Changes in Existing Law

    Pursuant to paragraph 12 of Rule XXVI of the Standing Rules 
of the Senate, changes in existing law made by the bill, as 
reported, are shown as follows (existing proposed to be omitted 
is enclosed in black brackets, new matter is printed in italic, 
existing law in which no change is proposed is shown in roman).

Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *



        SUBDIVISION A--CONSOLIDATION OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AGENCIES


TITLE XI--GENERAL PROVISIONS

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *



SEC. 1334. SUNSET OF UNITED STATES ADVISORY COMMISSION ON PUBLIC 
                    DIPLOMACY.

    The United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, 
established under section 604 of the United States Information 
and Educational Exchange Act of 1948 (22 U.S.C. 1469) and 
section 8 of Reorganization Plan Numbered 2 of 1977, shall 
continue to exist and operate under such provisions of law 
until [October 1, 2006] October 1, 2009.


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