[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3072 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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117th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 3072
To establish an Office of City and State Diplomacy within the
Department of State, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
October 26, 2021
Mr. Murphy (for himself and Mr. Cornyn) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish an Office of City and State Diplomacy within 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 ``City and State Diplomacy Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) The supremacy clause of the United States Constitution
(article VI, clause 2) establishes that the Federal Government
has the primary role in conducting diplomacy on behalf of the
United States; in turn, the Department of State, which was
created pursuant to statute by Congress in 1789, has the lead
role in formulating and implementing United States foreign
policy.
(2) The growth of subnational cooperation has enabled
States and municipalities to play an increasingly significant
role in foreign policy and complement the efforts of the
Department of State by--
(A) supporting exchanges and cooperation agreements
between elected leaders and officials of State and
municipal governments and those of international
cities, regions, and countries;
(B) promoting United States exports to foreign
markets and foreign direct investment into the United
States; and
(C) sharing best practices and striking agreements
with foreign counterparts on a wide range of topics,
including facilitating trade and investment, protecting
the health and safety of their respective citizens,
cooperating on energy and the environment, and
promoting people-to-people exchanges.
(3) Global networks made up exclusively of local government
officials are at the forefront of harnessing the power of
cities to advance international cooperation, including C40
Cities Climate Leadership Group, ICLEI, United Cities and Local
Governments, Global Parliament of Mayors, Urban20, Strong
Cities Network, and Global Compact of Mayors.
(4) In 2010, the Department of State appointed the first-
ever special representative for Global Intergovernmental
Affairs, who led efforts to build strategic peer-to-peer
relationships between the Department of State, State and local
officials, and their foreign counterparts.
SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) it is in the interest of the United States to support
robust two-way partnerships between the Department of State and
subnational entities to advance United States foreign policy
objectives, improve understanding of United States diplomacy,
and leverage Federal resources to enhance the impact of
subnational engagements; and
(2) the creation in the Department of State of an Office of
City and State Diplomacy, headed by a senior Department
official of appropriate rank to represent the United States at
international fora, would bolster United States interests
through international agreements and Federal support to State
and local entities.
SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE OFFICE OF CITY AND STATE DIPLOMACY.
Section 1 of the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 (22
U.S.C. 2651a) is amended by adding at the end the following new
subsection:
``(i) Office of City and State Diplomacy.--
``(1) In general.--There shall be established within the
Department of State an Office of City and State Diplomacy (in
this subsection referred to as the `Office'). The Department
may use a similar name at its discretion and upon notification
to Congress.
``(2) Head of office.--The head of the Office shall be the
Ambassador-at-Large for City and State Diplomacy (in this
subsection referred to as the `Ambassador') or other
appropriate senior official. The head of the Office shall--
``(A) be appointed by the President, by and with
the advice and consent of the Senate; and
``(B) report directly to the Secretary, or such
other senior official as the Secretary determines
appropriate and upon notification to Congress.
``(3) Duties.--
``(A) Principal duty.--The principal duty of the
head of the Office shall be the overall coordination
(including policy oversight of resources) of Federal
support for subnational engagements by State and
municipal governments with foreign governments. The
head of the Office shall be the principal adviser to
the Secretary of State on subnational engagements and
the principal official on such matters within the
senior management of the Department of State.
``(B) Additional duties.--The additional duties of
the head of the Office shall include the following:
``(i) Coordinating overall United States
policy and programs in support of subnational
engagements by State and municipal governments
with foreign governments, including with
respect to the following:
``(I) Coordinating resources across
the Department of State and throughout
the Federal Government in support of
such engagements.
``(II) Identifying policy, program,
and funding discrepancies among
relevant Federal agencies regarding
such coordination.
``(III) Identifying gaps in Federal
support for such engagements and
developing corresponding policy or
programmatic changes to address such
gaps.
``(ii) Identifying areas of alignment
between United States foreign policy and State
and municipal goals.
``(iii) Improving communication with the
United States public, including, potentially,
communication that demonstrate the breadth of
international engagement by subnational actors
and the impact of diplomacy across the United
States.
``(iv) Providing advisory support to
subnational engagements, including by assisting
State and municipal governments regarding--
``(I) developing and implementing
global engagement and public diplomacy
strategies;
``(II) implementing programs to
cooperate with foreign governments on
policy priorities or managing shared
resources; and
``(III) understanding the
implications of foreign policy
developments or policy changes through
regular and extraordinary briefings.
``(v) Facilitating linkages and networks
among State and municipal governments, and
between State and municipal governments and
their foreign counterparts, including by
tracking subnational engagements and leveraging
State and municipal expertise.
``(vi) Supporting the work of Department of
State detailees assigned to State and municipal
governments pursuant to this subsection.
``(vii) Under the direction of the
Secretary, negotiating agreements and memoranda
of understanding with foreign governments
related to subnational engagements and
priorities.
``(viii) Supporting United States economic
interests through subnational engagements, in
consultation and coordination with the
Department of Commerce, the Department of the
Treasury, and the Office of the United States
Trade Representative.
``(ix) Coordinating subnational engagements
with the associations of subnational elected
leaders, including the United States Conference
of Mayors, National Governors Association,
National League of Cities, National Association
of Counties, Council of State Governments,
National Conference of State Legislators, and
State International Development Organizations.
``(4) Coordination.--With respect to matters involving
trade promotion and inward investment facilitation, the Office
shall coordinate with and support the International Trade
Administration of the Department of Commerce as the lead
Federal agency for trade promotion and facilitation of business
investment in the United States.
``(5) Detailees.--
``(A) In general.--The Secretary of State, with
respect to employees of the Department of State, is
authorized to detail a member of the civil service or
Foreign Service to State and municipal governments on a
reimbursable or nonreimbursable basis. Such details
shall be for a period not to exceed two years, and
shall be without interruption or loss of status or
privilege.
``(B) Responsibilities.--Detailees under
subparagraph (A) should carry out the following
responsibilities:
``(i) Supporting the mission and objectives
of the host subnational government office.
``(ii) Advising State and municipal
government officials regarding questions of
global affairs, foreign policy, cooperative
agreements, and public diplomacy.
``(iii) Coordinating activities relating to
State and municipal government subnational
engagements with the Department of State,
including the Office, Department leadership,
and regional and functional bureaus of the
Department, as appropriate.
``(iv) Engaging Federal agencies regarding
security, public health, trade promotion, and
other programs executed at the State or
municipal government level.
``(v) Any other duties requested by State
and municipal governments and approved by the
Office.
``(C) Additional personnel support for subnational
engagement.--For the purposes of this subsection, the
Secretary of State--
``(i) is authorized to employ individuals
by contract;
``(ii) is encouraged to make use of the re-
hired annuitants authority under section 3323
of title 5, United States Code, particularly
for annuitants who are already residing across
the United States who may have the skills and
experience to support subnational governments;
and
``(iii) is encouraged to make use of
authorities under the Intergovernmental
Personnel Act of 1970 (42 U.S.C. 4701 et seq.)
to temporarily assign State and local
government officials to the Department of State
or overseas missions to increase their
international experience and add their
perspectives on United States priorities to the
Department.
``(6) Report and briefing.--
``(A) Report.--Not later than one year after the
date of the enactment of this subsection, the head of
the Office shall submit to the Committee on Foreign
Relations and the Committee on Appropriations of the
Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the
Committee on Appropriations of the House of
Representatives a report that includes information
relating to the following:
``(i) The staffing plan (including
permanent and temporary staff) for the Office
and a justification for the location of the
Office within the Department of State's
organizational structure.
``(ii) The funding level provided to the
Office for the Office, together with a
justification relating to such level.
``(iii) The rank and title granted to the
head of the Office, together with a
justification relating to such decision and an
analysis of whether the rank and title of
Ambassador-at-Large is required to fulfill the
duties of the Office.
``(iv) A strategic plan for the Office,
including relating to--
``(I) leveraging subnational
engagement to improve United States
foreign policy effectiveness;
``(II) enhancing the awareness,
understanding, and involvement of
United States citizens in the foreign
policy process; and
``(III) better engaging with
foreign subnational governments to
strengthen diplomacy.
``(v) Any other matters as determined
relevant by the head of the Office.
``(B) Briefings.--Not later than 30 days after the
submission of the report required under subparagraph
(A) and annually thereafter, the head of the Office
shall brief the Committee on Foreign Relations and the
Committee on Appropriations of the Senate and the
Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on
Appropriations of the House of Representatives on the
work of the Office and any changes made to the
organizational structure or funding of the Office.
``(7) Rule of construction.--Nothing in this subsection may
be construed as precluding--
``(A) the Office from being elevated to a bureau
within the Department of State; or
``(B) the head of the Office from being elevated to
an Assistant Secretary, if such an Assistant Secretary
position does not increase the number of Assistant
Secretary positions at the Department above the number
authorized under subsection (c)(1).
``(8) Definitions.--In this subsection:
``(A) Municipal.--The term `municipal' means, with
respect to the government of a municipality in the
United States, a municipality with a population of not
fewer than 100,000 people.
``(B) State.--The term `State' means the 50 States,
the District of Columbia, and any territory or
possession of the United States.
``(C) Subnational engagement.--The term
`subnational engagement' means formal meetings or
events between elected officials of State or municipal
governments and their foreign counterparts.''.
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