What This Bill Does
This bill changes reporting requirements for the Department of State (the government agency that handles U.S. relations with other countries) about construction projects at U.S. embassies and other facilities overseas. The bill makes the reports more detailed by requiring the State Department to explain cost increases and project delays.
Who It Affects
The State Department must provide these reports to Congress. Specifically, several Congressional committees receive the reports: the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the Senate Appropriations Committee, the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the House Appropriations Committee, the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, and the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability.
Key Provisions
* The State Department must include in its reports an explanation of why a project's current cost estimate increased by 15 percent or more compared to the original estimate, and describe how the department will prevent further cost increases (Sec. 2(b)(1)).
* The State Department must explain why a project's estimated completion date was delayed by 180 days or more, and describe how the department will manage the effects of this delay (Sec. 2(b)(2)).
* The State Department must report whether it has issued a stop-work order or suspension-of-work order on any part of a project, explain how long the order will last, and justify why the order was issued (Sec. 2(b)(2)).
What Changes
The current law requires the State Department to send these construction reports to certain Congressional committees. This bill adds two more committees that must receive the reports. The bill also requires the department to provide three new types of information in these reports: explanations of cost increases above 15 percent, reasons for project delays of 180 days or more, and details about any work stoppages.
Important Definitions
None defined in bill text.
I
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION H. R. 1186
To amend the Department of State Authorities Act, Fiscal Year 2017 to
modify the biannual report on overseas capital construction projects.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
FEBRUARY 24, 2023
Mr. LYNCH introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee
on Foreign Affairs
A BILL
To amend the Department of State Authorities Act, Fiscal
Year 2017 to modify the biannual report on overseas
capital construction projects.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
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tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
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This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Embassy Construction
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Accountability Act of 2023’’.
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SEC. 2. MODIFICATIONS TO BIANNUAL REPORT ON OVER-
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SEAS CAPITAL CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS.
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(a) IN GENERAL.—Subsection (a) of section 118 of
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the Department of State Authorities Act, Fiscal Year
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2017 (Public Law 114–323; 22 U.S.C. 304) is amended—
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•HR 1186 IH
(1) by striking ‘‘and the Committees on Appro-
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priations’’ and inserting ‘‘, the Committees on Ap-
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propriations’’; and
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(2) by inserting after ‘‘House of Representa-
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tives,’’ the following: ‘‘, and the Committee on
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Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the
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Senate and the Committee on Oversight and Ac-
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countability of the House of Representatives’’.
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(b) CONTENTS.—Subsection (b) of such section is
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amended—
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(1) in paragraph (2), by adding at the end be-
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fore the period the following: ‘‘and, when the current
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cost estimate exceeds the initial cost estimate by 15
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percent or more, an explanation of the causal or con-
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tributing factors resulting in the increased estimated
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cost, as well as how the Department plans to miti-
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gate the risk of further potential cost increases’’;
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and
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(2) by adding at the end the following:
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‘‘(10) If the current date of estimated comple-
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tion reported under paragraph (9) exceeds the date
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of estimated completion reported under paragraph
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(8) by 180 days or more, a description of the causal
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or contributing factors that resulted in the revised
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estimated completion date, as well as how the De-
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•HR 1186 IH
partment plans to mitigate the operational impacts
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of the delay.
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‘‘(11) Whether the Department has issued a
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stop-work order or suspension-of-work order on any
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component or subset of the project, the expected du-
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ration of any such order, and the justification for
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any such order.’’.
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