[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6239 Introduced in House (IH)]
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116th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 6239
To establish the Leadership Institute for Transatlantic Engagement to
develop a diverse community of transatlantic leaders at all levels of
government, including emerging leaders, committed to democratic
institutions.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 12, 2020
Mr. Hastings introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish the Leadership Institute for Transatlantic Engagement to
develop a diverse community of transatlantic leaders at all levels of
government, including emerging leaders, committed to democratic
institutions.
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 ``Leadership Institute for
Transatlantic Engagement Act'' or ``LITE Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) The United States diversity of backgrounds, cultures,
perspectives, skills, and experiences is a national asset that
has assisted in realizing United States foreign policy,
security, and economic goals, yet according to recent
government statistics, diverse communities continue to be
underrepresented in international public service careers and
leadership roles.
(2) According to census data, the United States, European,
and other societies are becoming more diverse, indicating an
increasing need for global leaders with expertise in
policymaking and governance that can competently represent the
needs of diverse constituencies and ensure that democratic
values and practices are equally applied to and offer the same
protections and opportunities for all.
(3) There is therefore a compelling need to encourage
outstanding young people from diverse and underserved
populations to pursue international public service careers.
(4) There is also a need for international leadership
training opportunities for individuals serving in national,
regional, and local governments and parliaments around the
world, and for individuals serving as employees of Members of
Congress and as employees of members of other legislatures,
that includes a focus on civil and human rights and the
inclusion of diverse and underserved populations in
policymaking and governance.
(5) The establishment and operation of an institute for the
training and development of a diverse and inclusive group of
global leaders to serve in international public service careers
would address these critical needs.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) The term ``Institute'' means the ``Leadership Institute
for Transatlantic Engagement'' established under section 4.
(2) The term ``Board'' means the Board of Trustees of the
Institute.
(3) The term ``Fund'' means the Leadership Institute for
Transatlantic Engagement Trust Fund under section 6.
(4) The term ``underrepresented population'' means a
population of individuals who have historically been outside
the purview of leadership in international or domestic public
or private sector careers, based upon race, ethnicity, color,
religion, gender, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity,
and sexual orientation), national origin, youth (under 25),
disability, or other demographic factors.
(5) The term ``minority serving institutions'' as defined
in section 365(3) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 1067k(3)).
SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT OF LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE FOR TRANSATLANTIC
ENGAGEMENT.
(a) Establishment.--There is established in the legislative branch
the Leadership Institute for Transatlantic Engagement.
(b) Board of Trustees.--The Institute shall be subject to the
supervision and direction of a Board of Trustees which shall be
composed of five members as follows:
(1) Two members appointed by the Speaker of the House of
Representatives, one of whom shall be designated by the
majority leader of the House of Representatives and one of whom
shall be designated by the minority leader of the House of
Representatives.
(2) Two members appointed by the President pro tempore of
the Senate, one of whom shall be designated by the majority
leader of the Senate and one of whom shall be designated by the
minority leader of the Senate.
(3) The Executive Director of the Institute, who shall
serve as an ex officio member of the Board.
(c) Term.--Each member of the Board appointed under this section
shall serve for a term of three years. Any vacancy shall be filled in
the same manner as the original appointment and the individual so
appointed shall serve for the remainder of the term. A Member of
Congress appointed to the Board may not serve as a member of the Board
for more than a total of six years.
(d) Chair and Vice-Chair.--At the first meeting and at its first
regular meeting in each calendar year thereafter the Board shall elect
a Chair and Vice-Chair from among the members of the Board. The Chair
and Vice-Chair may not be members of the same political party.
(e) Pay Not Authorized; Expenses.--Members of the Board (other than
the Executive Director) shall serve without pay, but shall be entitled
to reimbursement for travel, subsistence, and other necessary expenses
incurred in the performance of their duties.
(f) Location of Institute and Regional Offices.--The Institute
shall be located in Washington, DC, and the Board may also establish
other offices for the Institute in regions of the United States and
Europe.
SEC. 5. PURPOSES AND AUTHORITY OF LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE FOR
TRANSATLANTIC ENGAGEMENT.
(a) Purposes.--The purposes of the Institute shall be to develop a
diverse community of transatlantic leaders, including emerging leaders,
at all levels of government committed to democratic institutions by--
(1) increasing awareness of the importance of public
service careers that focus on international affairs, civil and
human rights, social inclusion, and global security among
underrepresented populations;
(2) providing training and development opportunities for
Members of Congress, parliaments, and national, State, and
locally elected or appointed government officials and their
employees in the United States and abroad to become more
effective and more efficient in performing their public duties
and to develop their potential for accepting increased
international public service opportunities; and
(3) enabling transatlantic political leaders, at all levels
of government to gain significant, firsthand exposure to United
States democratic institutions through visits to the United
States, and for United States political leaders at all levels
of government to support democratic institutions globally
through travel abroad and knowledge sharing.
(b) Authority.--The Institute is authorized, consistent with this
Act, to develop such programs, activities, and services as it considers
appropriate to carry out the purposes described in subsection (a). Such
authority shall include the following:
(1) The development and implementation of training and
educational programs and tools for transatlantic leaders and
their staff, including Members of Congress, parliaments, and
national, State, and locally elected or appointed government
officials and their employees in the United States and abroad
to enhance and foster excellence in their skills and abilities
as public servants and to increase support for democratic
institutions.
(2) The development and implementation of training,
educational programs, and tools for secondary and post-
secondary schools and colleges in the United States and abroad,
including a focus on minority serving institutions, to
encourage United States and international students to increase
their civic engagement and consider international public
service careers in civil and human rights, international
affairs, global security, and in other areas.
(3) The development and implementation of media and
telecommunications productions, as well as online and social
media methods, to assist the Institute in expanding the reach
of its programs throughout the United States and abroad.
(4) The establishment of library and research facilities
for the collection, publication, compilation, and distribution
of research materials for use in carrying out the programs of
the Institute.
(c) Program Priorities.--The Board shall determine the priority of
the programs to be carried out under this Act and the amount of funds
to be allocated for such programs.
(d) Grant Program.--
(1) Grant program.--The Institute shall establish a program
to awards grants in the United States and abroad on an annual
basis to colleges and universities, other research institutions
and organizations, public departments and Federal agencies
(including State, territorial, and overseas departments),
private organizations or corporations, and individuals for the
purposes of assisting the Institute's work in conducting
research, international exchanges, education or training
activities, and outreach to facilitate strengthening--
(A) democratic institutions, including civil and
human rights;
(B) emerging and current political leaders and
their employees at any level of government; and
(C) interest and excellence in international public
service careers.
(2) Application.--Each organization that seeks a grant
under this subsection shall submit an application to the
Institute at such time, in such manner, and accompanied by such
information as the Institute may reasonably require.
(3) Set-aside for centers of excellence.--The Institute
shall ensure that not less than 50 percent of amounts made
available to carry out this subsection are used to provide
grants to minority-serving institutions and entities that have
made significant efforts to work with under-represented
populations in the United States or abroad.
(4) Consortium.--One or more research institutions may
constitute themselves as a consortium for purposes of seeking a
grant under this subsection.
SEC. 6. LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE FOR TRANSATLANTIC ENGAGEMENT TRUST FUND.
(a) Establishment.--There is established in the Treasury of the
United States a trust fund to be known as the ``Leadership Institute
for Transatlantic Engagement Trust Fund''. The Fund shall consist of
amounts which may be appropriated, credited, or transferred to it under
this section.
(b) Donations.--Any money or other property donated, bequeathed, or
devised to the Institute under the authority of this section shall be
credited to the Fund.
(c) Fund Management and Investment.--
(1) Investment.--At the request of the Institute, it shall
be the duty of the Secretary of the Treasury to invest in full
the amounts appropriated to the Fund. Such investments may be
made only in interest-bearing obligations of the United States
issued directly to the Fund.
(2) Issuance of obligations.--The purposes for which
obligations of the United States may be issued under chapter 31
of title 31, United States Code, are hereby extended to
authorize the issuance at par of special obligations directly
to the Fund. Such special obligations shall bear interest at a
rate equal to the average rate of interest, computed as to the
end of the calendar month next preceding the date of such
issue, borne by all marketable interest-bearing obligations of
the United States then forming a part of the public debt,
except that if such average rate is not a multiple of one-
eighth of 1 per centum, the rate of interest of such special
obligations shall be the multiple of one-eighth of 1 per centum
next lower than such average rate. All requests of the
Institute to the Secretary of the Treasury provided for in this
section shall be binding upon the Secretary.
(d) Authority To Sell Obligations.--At the request of the
Institute, the Secretary of the Treasury shall redeem any obligation
issued directly to the Fund. Obligations issued to the Fund under
subsection (c)(2) shall be redeemed at par plus accrued interest. Any
other obligations issued directly to the Fund shall be redeemed at the
market price.
(e) Proceeds From Certain Transactions Credited to Fund.--In
addition to the appropriations received pursuant to this Act, the
interest on, and the proceeds from the sale or redemption of, any
obligations held in the Fund pursuant to this Act, shall be credited to
and form a part of the Fund.
(f) Fund Reserves.--Five to ten percent of the original amount
appropriated to the Fund must remain in the Fund at all times.
(g) Expenditures.--The Secretary of the Treasury is authorized to
pay to the Institute from the interests and earnings of the Fund, and
moneys credited to the Fund pursuant to this section, such sums as the
Board determines are necessary and appropriate to enable the Institute
to carry out the provisions of this Act.
SEC. 7. ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS.
(a) Executive Director.--The Board shall appoint an Executive
Director who shall be the chief executive officer and principal
executive of the Institute and who shall supervise the affairs of,
assist the directions of, and carry out the functions of the Board to
administer the Institute. The Executive Director of the Institute shall
be compensated at an annual rate specified by the Board.
(b) Other Duties.--The Executive Director, in consultation with the
Board shall appoint and fix the compensation of such personnel as may
be necessary to carry out this Act, including personnel to carry out
duties at any locations of the Institute which are established outside
of Washington, DC.
(c) Institute Personnel.--
(1) Staff appointments.--All staff appointments shall be
made without regard to the provisions of title 5, United States
Code, governing appointments in the competitive service, and
without regard to the provisions of chapter 51 and subchapter
III of chapter 53 of such title relating to classification and
general schedule pay rates.
(2) Treatment as congressional employees.--For purposes of
pay and other employment benefits, rights, and privileges and
for all other purposes, any employee of the Institute shall be
considered to be a Congressional employee under section 2107 of
title 5, United States Code.
(3) Coverage under congressional accountability act of
1995.--
(A) Treatment of employees as covered employees.--
Section 101(3) of the Congressional Accountability Act
of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1301(3)) is amended--
(i) by striking ``or'' at the end of
subparagraph (J);
(ii) by striking the period at the end of
subparagraph (K) and inserting ``; or''; and
(iii) by adding at the end the following
new subparagraph:
``(L) the Leadership Institute for Transatlantic
Engagement.''.
(B) Treatment of institute as employing office.--
Section 101(9)(D) of such Act (2 U.S.C. 1301(9)(D)) is
amended--
(i) by striking ``and the John C. Stennis
Center'' and inserting ``the John C. Stennis
Center''; and
(ii) by striking the semicolon at the end
and inserting the following: ``, and the
Leadership Institute for Transatlantic
Engagement;''.
SEC. 8. ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS.
In order to carry out this Act, the Institute may carry out any of
the following:
(1) Prescribe such regulations as it considers necessary
governing the manner in which its functions shall be carried
out.
(2) Procure temporary and intermittent services of experts
and consultants as are necessary to the extent authorized by
section 3109 of title 5, United States Code.
(3) Accept and utilize the services of voluntary and
uncompensated personnel and reimburse them for travel expenses,
including per diem, as authorized by section 5703 of title 5,
United States Code.
(4) Request and utilize the assignment of any Federal
officer or employee from a department, agency, or Congressional
office to the Institute, including on a rotating basis, by
entering into an agreement for such assignment.
(5) Solicit and receive money and other property donated,
bequeathed, or devised, without condition or restriction other
than it be used for the purposes of the Institute, and to use,
sell, or otherwise dispose of such property for the purpose of
carrying out its functions.
(6) Enter into contracts, grants, or other arrangements, or
modifications thereof, to carry out the provisions of this Act,
including with any office of the Federal Government or of any
State or any subdivision thereof, and international public and
private sector entities.
(7) Make expenditures for any expenses in connection with
official training sessions or other authorized programs or
activities of the Institute.
(8) Apply for, receive, and use for the purposes of the
Institute grants or other assistance from Federal sources.
(9) Establish, receive, and use for the purposes of the
Institute fees or other charges for goods or services provided
in fulfilling the Institute's purposes.
(10) Invest, as specified in section 6(c), moneys
authorized to be received under this Act.
(11) Establish advisory committees or other bodies composed
of persons eminent in international affairs, global security,
and civil and human rights, to advise the Board without
compensation (other than travel related expenses) on matters
determined to be necessary by the Board.
(12) Respond to the request of offices of Congress and
other departments or agencies of the Federal Government to
examine, study, or report on any issue within the Institute's
competence, including the use of classified materials if
necessary.
(13) Work with the appropriate security offices of the
House of Representatives and Senate to obtain or retain need-
based security clearances for Institute personnel.
(14) Assign Institute personnel to temporary duty with
offices of the Federal Government, international organizations,
agencies and other entities to fulfill this Act.
(15) Make other necessary expenditures.
SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS; DISBURSEMENTS.
(a) Authorization of Appropriations.--
(1) In general.--There are authorized to be appropriated
such sums as may be necessary to carry out this Act.
(2) Availability.--Amounts authorized to be appropriated
under paragraph (1) are authorized to remain available until
expended.
(b) Disbursements.--Amounts made available to the Institution shall
be disbursed on vouchers approved by the Chair and Vice-Chair of the
Board or by a majority vote of the Board.
(c) Use of Foreign Currencies.--For purposes of section 502(b) of
the Mutual Security Act of 1954 (22 U.S.C. 1754(b)), the Institute
shall be deemed to be a standing committee of the Congress and shall be
entitled to use funds in accordance with such section.
(d) Foreign Travel.--Foreign travel for official purposes by
Members of the Institute who are Members of Congress and Institute
staff may be authorized by the Chair, Vice-Chair, or Executive Director
of the Institute.
(e) Effective Date.--This section shall take effect on the date of
enactment of this Act.
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