[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6498 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
117th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 6498
To authorize music-related exchange programs facilitated by the
Department of State and relevant private sector partnerships, and for
other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 25, 2022
Mr. McCaul (for himself and Mr. Deutch) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To authorize music-related exchange programs facilitated by the
Department of State and relevant private sector partnerships, 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 ``Promoting Peace, Education, And
Cultural Exchange through Music Diplomacy Act'' or the ``PEACE through
Music Diplomacy Act''.
SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) music is an important conveyer of culture and can be
used to communicate values and build understanding between
communities;
(2) music artists play a valuable role in cross-cultural
exchange, and their works and performances can promote
peacebuilding and conflict resolution efforts;
(3) the music industry in the United States has made
important contributions to American society and culture, and
musicians and industry professionals in the United States can
offer valuable expertise to young music artists around the
world; and
(4) the United States Government should promote exchange
programs, especially programs that leverage the expertise and
resources of the private sector, that give young music artists
from around the world the chance to improve their skills, share
ideas, learn about American culture, and develop the necessary
skills to support conflict resolution and peacebuilding efforts
in their communities and broader societies.
SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF MUSIC-RELATED EXCHANGE PROGRAMS.
The Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961 (commonly
referred to as the Fulbright-Hays Act) is amended--
(1) in section 102(a)(2) (22 U.S.C. 2452(a)(2))--
(A) in clause (iii), by striking ``assemblies;''
and inserting ``assemblies; and''; and
(B) in clause (iv)--
(i) by inserting ``, including in
coordination and consultation with the private
sector,'' before ``similar''; and
(ii) by striking ``national interest.'' and
inserting ``national interest; and''; and
(2) in section 112(a) (22 U.S.C. 2460(a))--
(A) in paragraph (8), by striking ``and'' after the
semicolon at the end;
(B) in paragraph (9), by striking the period at the
end and inserting ``; and''; and
(C) by adding at the end the following new
paragraph:
``(10) exchange programs, including in coordination and
consultation with the private sector, focused on music and the
performing arts that provide opportunities for foreign
nationals and Americans to build cross-cultural understanding
and advance peace abroad.''.
SEC. 4. PRIVATE SECTOR PARTNERSHIPS.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of State should seek to partner with
the private sector in support of music-related exchange programs
implemented by the Department of State's Bureau of Educational and
Cultural Affairs (ECA), leverage private sector expertise in developing
and implementing such programs, expand networking and mentorship
opportunities for program participants, and identify private sector
funding sources for travel and other program-related expenses where
relevant.
(b) Authorization of Certain Partnerships.--The Secretary of State
is authorized to partner with the private sector, including through the
granting of awards, to recognize musicians whose works or performances
have advanced peace abroad and who could contribute to networking and
mentorship opportunities for participants of music-related exchange
programs implemented by ECA.
SEC. 5. STRATEGY.
(a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit to the
appropriate congressional committees a strategy for advancing United
States foreign policy goals, including conflict resolution and
peacebuilding efforts, through music-related exchange programs
implemented by ECA. Such strategy shall include--
(1) a description of clearly defined annual goals, targets,
and planned outcomes for each music-related exchange program;
(2) a plan to monitor and evaluate each music-related
exchange program and progress made toward achieving such goals,
targets, and planned outcomes, including measurable benchmarks;
(3) a plan to ensure that music-related exchange programs
are promoting United States foreign policy objectives,
including ensuring such programs are clearly branded and paired
with robust public diplomacy efforts;
(4) a plan to pursue partnerships with the private sector
while implementing music-related exchange programs, including
leveraging industry expertise and expanding networking and
mentorship opportunities for program participants; and
(5)(A) examples of how ECA's music-related exchange
programs have contributed to conflict resolution and
peacebuilding efforts to date, including through participant
and alumni actions;
(B) a description of lessons learned regarding how to
better encourage conflict resolution and peacebuilding efforts
through ECA's music-related exchange programs; and
(C) a plan to incorporate such lessons learned into
relevant current and future programming.
(b) Consultation.--In developing the strategy required under
subsection (a), the Secretary of State shall consult with the Committee
on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Committee on
Foreign Relations of the Senate, as well as relevant private sector
partners.
(c) Appropriate Congressional Committees Defined.--In this section,
the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on
Appropriations of the House of Representatives; and
(2) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on
Appropriations of the Senate.
<all>