Represent America Abroad Act of 2021

I 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 1096 To ensure that the United States diplomatic workforce at all levels reflects the diverse composition of the United States, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FEBRUARY 18, 2021 Ms. BASS (for herself, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. RUSH, Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Mr. HASTINGS, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Ms. LEE of California, Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. CHABOT, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. SCHIFF, Mr. BUTTERFIELD, Mr. RYAN, Mr. RUPPERSBERGER, Mr. SIRES, Mr. COSTA, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, Mr. CARSON, Mr. CON- NOLLY, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. CICILLINE, Ms. SEWELL, Ms. TITUS, Mr. TAKANO, Mr. VARGAS, Mr. VEASEY, Ms. BROWNLEY, Ms. KELLY of Illi- nois, Mr. CASTRO of Texas, Mrs. BEATTY, Mr. CASE, Ms. MENG, Mrs. LAWRENCE, Mr. EVANS, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Mr. GALLEGO, Mr. KHANNA, Mr. GOMEZ, Mr. BROWN, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Mr. SUOZZI, Mr. LAWSON of Florida, Mr. CARBAJAL, Mrs. DEMINGS, Ms. JAYAPAL, Mr. TRONE, Ms. OMAR, Ms. HOULAHAN, Mr. LEVIN of Michigan, Ms. TLAIB, Ms. STRICKLAND, Mr. BOWMAN, Ms. MANNING, Mr. TORRES of New York, and Ms. BUSH) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs A BILL To ensure that the United States diplomatic workforce at all levels reflects the diverse composition of the United States, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:54 Mar 12, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1096.IH H1096 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 1096 IH SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 1 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Represent America 2 Abroad Act of 2021’’. 3 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 4 Congress finds the following: 5 (1) As the United States becomes more racially 6 and ethnically diverse, the Department of State and 7 the United States Agency for International Develop- 8 ment (USAID) must continue to invest in policies to 9 recruit, retain, and develop the best and brightest 10 from the full spectrum of American society in order 11 to be better positioned to advance United States in- 12 terests abroad. 13 (2) Foreign Service officers are America’s face 14 to the world. Thus, the workforce must represent the 15 United States commitment to inclusion and diversity 16 in order to effectively advance American values on 17 the world stage. 18 (3) The Department of State and USAID must 19 embrace policies that recruit professionals from the 20 broadest possible pool of talent and retain them in 21 order to significantly increase diversity in the For- 22 eign Service. Timely action to increase diversity at 23 the mid-levels is crucial, as it takes approximately 24 nine years for an entry level Foreign Service officer 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:54 Mar 12, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1096.IH H1096 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 1096 IH (class 6, 5, 4) to rise to the mid-ranks of the For- 1 eign Service (class 3, 2, or 1). 2 (4) February and June 2020 reports by the 3 Government Accountability Office found barriers to 4 a diverse and inclusive workforce within the ranks of 5 the Foreign Service, especially at the mid-career and 6 senior levels. Individuals who are racial or ethnic mi- 7 norities comprise only 24 percent at the Department 8 of State and 27 percent at USAID. At the executive 9 level, individuals who are racial or ethnic minorities 10 comprise only 13 percent at the Department of 11 State and 17 percent at USAID. This means that 12 the leadership is the least diverse level within the 13 Foreign Service. 14 (5) In the past, Secretaries of State have ac- 15 knowledged the lack of workforce diversity and 16 pledged to take concrete steps to address the prob- 17 lem. In 2017, then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson 18 recognized a great diversity gap in the Department 19 of State and former Secretary of State John Kerry 20 noted that in order to represent the United States, 21 the Department of State must have a workforce that 22 reflects the rich composition of its citizenry. Yet 23 there has been no concrete plan to address the lack 24 of diversity at the mid-career and senior levels. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:54 Mar 12, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1096.IH H1096 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 1096 IH (6) USAID has previously identified under-rep- 1 resentation of specific groups in its workforce, but 2 staffing gaps, partly due to a lack of senior leader- 3 ship attention, prevent the agency from adequately 4 addressing the issue. 5 (7) Congress authorized the creation of a 3-year 6 lateral entry pilot project under section 404 of the 7 Department of State Authorities Act, Fiscal Year 8 2017 (Public Law 114–323; 130 Stat. 1928) to 9 bring highly qualified individuals with special skills, 10 which the Department may lack, into the Foreign 11 Service at the mid-career level. Such a project would 12 not only allow the Foreign Service to supplement its 13 work force with those possessing complementary and 14 needed skills, but it would also serve as an avenue 15 to diversify the mid-level and senior ranks of the 16 Foreign Service. Yet, more than three years later, 17 the Department has failed to comply with the law. 18 SEC. 3. DECLARATION OF NATIONAL INTEREST; STATE- 19 MENT OF POLICY. 20 (a) DECLARATION OF NATIONAL INTEREST.—Con- 21 gress declares that it is in the national interest of the 22 United States to ensure that the members of the United 23 States Foreign Service workforce be representative of the 24 American people. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:54 Mar 12, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1096.IH H1096 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 1096 IH (b) STATEMENT OF POLICY.—It shall be the policy 1 of the Department of State and of the United States 2 Agency for International Development— 3 (1) to strengthen the Foreign Service workforce 4 by bolstering the diversity of those who represent 5 Americans abroad; 6 (2) to treat the people of the Foreign Service 7 as its primary asset, and as such, hold as a central 8 tenet making strides in increasing minority represen- 9 tation at all levels of the Foreign Service workforce 10 to secure the country’s national interests; and 11 (3) in accordance with the Foreign Service Act 12 of 1980, to attract highly qualified, mid-career pro- 13 fessionals who are also American minorities, through 14 a pathway program for entry into the Foreign Serv- 15 ice. 16 SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION. 17 (a) MODIFICATION OF LATERAL ENTRY FOREIGN 18 SERVICE PROGRAM.—Section 404 of the Department of 19 State Authorities Act, Fiscal Year 2017 (Public Law 114– 20 323; 130 Stat. 1928) is amended as follows: 21 (1) In subsection (a)— 22 (A) by striking ‘‘It is the sense of Congress 23 that the Foreign Service’’ and inserting the fol- 24 lowing: ‘‘It is the sense of Congress that— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:54 Mar 12, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1096.IH H1096 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 1096 IH ‘‘(1) the Foreign Service’’; 1 (B) by striking the period at the end and 2 inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 3 (C) by adding at the end the following: 4 ‘‘(2) the lateral entry pilot program authorized 5 under this section should be an avenue for the For- 6 eign Service to diversify its mid-level ranks by in- 7 cluding applicants from traditionally under-rep- 8 resented groups in terms of racial, ethnic, geo- 9 graphic, and gender diversity, and disability sta- 10 tus.’’. 11 (2) By redesignating subsections (c) and (d) as 12 subsections (d) and (e), respectively. 13 (3) By inserting after subsection (b) the fol- 14 lowing: 15 ‘‘(c) PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS.—The program au- 16 thorized under subsection (b) shall be implemented not 17 later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this 18 subsection, and the Secretary shall— 19 ‘‘(1) ensure that not less than 50 percent of 20 program participants per year are placed in the For- 21 eign Service; and 22 ‘‘(2) include recruitment outreach for program 23 participation to— 24 ‘‘(A) diversity officers in the private sector; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:54 Mar 12, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1096.IH H1096 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 1096 IH ‘‘(B) all members of the Department’s civil 1 service and recognized Department affinity 2 groups; 3 ‘‘(C) the civil service of other national se- 4 curity related Federal agencies; and 5 ‘‘(D) professional associations.’’. 6 (b) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 7 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State 8 shall establish a program, which shall be known as the 9 ‘‘Represent America Mid-Career Foreign Service Entry 10 Program’’ (in this section referred to as the ‘‘Program’’), 11 to be administered jointly by the Director General of the 12 Foreign Service, the Director of Global Talent Manage- 13 ment of the Department of State, and the Chief Human 14 Capital Officer of the Office of Human Capital and Talent 15 Management of the United States Agency for Inter- 16 national Development, to identify, attract, and welcome 17 into the Foreign Service mid-career professionals who are 18 from minority groups. 19 (c) ELEMENTS OF PROGRAM.— 20 (1) PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS.—The Secretary 21 of State shall carry out the following with respect to 22 the Program: 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:54 Mar 12, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1096.IH H1096 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 1096 IH (A) Establish and publish eligibility cri- 1 teria for candidates to participate in the Pro- 2 gram. 3 (B) Carry out countrywide recruitment ef- 4 forts to attract highly qualified, mid-career pro- 5 fessionals from minority groups, such as at and 6 through the following: 7 (i) Community agencies and organiza- 8 tions. 9 (ii) Faith-based organizations. 10 (iii) Community events. 11 (iv) Professional associations. 12 (v) Colleges and universities, including 13 historically Black colleges and universities 14 and other minority-serving institutions 15 such as Hispanic-serving institutions, 16 Asian American and Native American Pa- 17 cific Islander-serving institutions, Amer- 18 ican Indian Tribally controlled colleges and 19 universities, Alaska Native and Native Ha- 20 waiian-serving institutions, Tribal colleges 21 and universities, Predominantly Black In- 22 stitutions, and Native American-serving, 23 Nontribal institutions. 24 (vi) Diplomats in residence. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:54 Mar 12, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1096.IH H1096 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 1096 IH (vii) Job fairs. 1 (viii) Newspaper/magazines/journals. 2 (ix) Radio stations and programs. 3 (x) Websites, webcasts, podcasts, and 4 other online channels. 5 (C) Recruit eligible candidates for the Pro- 6 gram. 7 (D) Develop a structured program that in- 8 cludes as part of the initial training, a class or 9 module that specifically prepares participants 10 for life in the Foreign Service, including con- 11 veying to such participants essential elements of 12 the practical knowledge that is normally ac- 13 quired during a Foreign Service Officer’s initial 14 assignments. 15 (E) Include appropriate mentorship and 16 other career development opportunities, such as 17 leadership training, for Program participants. 18 (2) OVERALL QUALIFICATIONS.—In recruiting, 19 training, and assigning members of the Program, 20 the Secretary of State should seek highly qualified 21 minority individuals who are mid-career profes- 22 sionals— 23 (A) with diverse work experience who have 24 capabilities, insights, techniques, and experi- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:54 Mar 12, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1096.IH H1096 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 1096 IH ences that would serve to enrich the Foreign 1 Service workforce and empower it to perform 2 more effectively; 3 (B) with demonstrated knowledge of, expe- 4 rience with, and interest in United States for- 5 eign policy and national security and inter- 6 national affairs, including knowledge of the af- 7 fairs, cultures, and languages of other coun- 8 tries; 9 (C) with demonstrable leadership skills and 10 the potential for further growth; 11 (D) that demonstrate a track record of col- 12 laboration, team-building, and stakeholder man- 13 agement skills; 14 (E) with demonstrated capacity for critical 15 thinking and analytical skills, including the 16 ability to synthesize information into clear and 17 concise recommendations; 18 (F) with strategic thinking, and ability to 19 solve complex problems; 20 (G) with flexibility, adaptability, and deter- 21 mination; and 22 (H) who are United States citizens with 23 worldwide service availability and who are able 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:54 Mar 12, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1096.IH H1096 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 1096 IH to obtain appropriate security and medical 1 clearances. 2 (d) ADVANCEMENT FROM PROGRAM.—Candidates 3 who are accepted into the Program in accordance with the 4 qualifications and requirements of this section shall have 5 the opportunity to advance to the Foreign Service oral as- 6 sessment for potential entry as the appropriate class of 7 mid-level Foreign Service officer in accordance with the 8 candidate’s professional qualifications. 9 (e) MID-CAREER PROFESSIONAL DEFINED.—For 10 purposes of the Program, the term ‘‘mid-career profes- 11 sional’’ means an individual who has the skills and experi- 12 ence to serve as a mid-level Foreign Service officer (class 13 3, 2, or 1) and who meets any of the following criteria, 14 consistent with the merit-based principles and core pre- 15 cepts set forth in the Foreign Affairs Manual and Hand- 16 book and in accordance with applicable requirements of 17 the Foreign Service Act of 1980: 18 (1) An individual with at least eight years of 19 professional experience and a bachelor’s degree from 20 an accredited college or university in selected fields 21 of study representing the needs of the Department 22 of State, including public policy, public administra- 23 tion, international law, international relations, polit- 24 ical science, foreign languages, business administra- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:54 Mar 12, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1096.IH H1096 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 12 •HR 1096 IH tion, economics, history, sociology, geography, social 1 or cultural anthropology, statistics, or the human- 2 ities. 3 (2) An individual with at least [Text truncated for display. 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