[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3836 Introduced in House (IH)]
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114th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3836
To require a report on diversity recruitment, employment, retention,
and promotion at the Department of State, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
October 27, 2015
Mr. Castro of Texas (for himself, Ms. Bass, and Mr. Rangel) introduced
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign
Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require a report on diversity recruitment, employment, retention,
and promotion at the Department of State, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Foreign Affairs Inclusion Reporting
Act'' or the ``FAIR Act''.
SEC. 2. REPORT ON DIVERSITY RECRUITMENT, EMPLOYMENT, RETENTION, AND
PROMOTION AT THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE.
(a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act and quadrennially thereafter, the Secretary of
State shall submit to Congress a report that--
(1) describes the efforts, consistent with existing law,
including procedures, effects, and results since the period
covered by the prior such report, to promote in the Department
of State equal opportunity and inclusion for all United States
employees in direct hire and personal service contractors
status, particularly employees of the Foreign Service,
including equal opportunity for all races, ethnicities, ages,
genders, and service-disabled veterans, with a focus on
traditionally underrepresented minority groups;
(2) includes a section on--
(A) the diversity of selection boards;
(B) the employment of minority and service-disabled
veterans during the most recent 10-year period,
including--
(i) the number hired through direct hires,
internships, and fellowship programs;
(ii) the number promoted to senior
positions, including FS-01, GS-15, Senior
Executive Service, and Senior Foreign Service;
and
(iii) attrition rates by grade, civil and
foreign services, and the senior level ranks
specified in clause (ii);
(C) mentorship and retention programs; and
(3) is organized in terms of real numbers and percentages
at all levels.
(b) Contents.--Each report submitted under subsection (a) shall
describe the efforts of the Department of State to--
(1) propagate fairness, impartiality, and inclusion in the
work environment domestically and abroad;
(2) eradicate harassment, intolerance, and discrimination;
(3) refrain from engaging in unlawful discrimination in any
phase of the employment process, including recruitment, hiring,
evaluation, assignments, promotion, retention, and training;
(4) eliminate illegal retaliation against employees for
participating in a protected equal employment opportunity
activity;
(5) provide reasonable accommodation for qualified
employees and applicants with disabilities;
(6) resolve workplace conflicts, confrontations, and
complaints in a prompt, impartial, constructive, and timely
manner;
(7) improve demographic data availability and analysis
regarding recruitment, hiring, promotion, training, length in
service, assignment restrictions, and pass-through programs;
(8) recruit a diverse staff by--
(A) recruiting women, minorities, veterans, and
undergraduate and graduate students;
(B) recruiting at historically Black colleges and
universities, Hispanic serving institutions, women's
colleges, and colleges that typically serve majority
minority populations;
(C) sponsoring and recruiting at job fairs in urban
communities;
(D) placing job advertisements in newspapers,
magazines, and job sites oriented toward women and
people of color;
(E) providing opportunities through the Foreign
Service Internship Program and other hiring
initiatives; and
(F) recruiting mid- and senior-level professionals
through programs such as--
(i) the International Career Advancement
Program;
(ii) the Public Policy and International
Affairs Fellowship Program;
(iii) the Institute for International
Public Policy Fellowship Program;
(iv) Seminar XXI at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology's Center for
International Studies; and
(v) other similar, highly respected,
international leadership programs; and
(9) provide opportunities through--
(A) the Charles B. Rangel International Affairs
Fellowship Program; and
(B) the Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs
Fellowship Program.
(c) Scope of Initial Report.--The first report submitted to
Congress under subsection (a) shall include the information described
in subsection (b) for the three fiscal years immediately preceding the
fiscal year in which such first report is submitted.
SEC. 3. EXPANSION OF THE CHARLES B. RANGEL INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
PROGRAM AND THE THOMAS R. PICKERING FOREIGN AFFAIRS
FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM.
Beginning in fiscal year 2016, the Secretary of State shall--
(1) increase by ten the number of fellows selected for the
Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Program; and
(2) increase by ten the number of fellows selected for the
Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship Program.
SEC. 4. RETENTION OF MID- AND SENIOR-LEVEL PROFESSIONALS FROM
UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS AT THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of State should provide attention
and oversight to the employment, retention, and promotion of
underrepresented groups to promote a diverse ethnic representation
among mid- and senior-level career professionals through programs, such
as--
(1) the International Career Advancement Program;
(2) Seminar XXI at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology's Center for International Studies; and
(3) other highly respected international leadership
programs.
(b) Review of Past Programs.--The Secretary of State should review
past programs designed to increase minority representation in
international affairs positions, including--
(1) the Public Policy and International Affairs Fellowship
Program; and
(2) the Institute for International Public Policy
Fellowship Program.
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