59–010

Calendar No. 117

110TH CONGRESS REPORT

1st Session " ! SENATE 110–55

REAUTHORIZATION OF UNITED STATES ADVISORY

COMMISSION ON PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

APRIL 12, 2007.—Ordered to be printed

Mr. BIDEN, from the Committee on Foreign Relations,

submitted the following

REPORT

[To accompany H.R. 1003]

The Committee on Foreign Relations, having had under consideration a bill to amend the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring

Act of 1998 to reauthorize the United States Advisory Commission

on Public Diplomacy, reports favorably thereon and recommends

that the bill do pass.

CONTENTS

Page

I. Purpose ........................................................................................................... 1

II. Legislative History ......................................................................................... 1

III. Discussion ....................................................................................................... 2

IV. Cost Estimate ................................................................................................. 2

V. Evaluation of Regulatory Impact .................................................................. 3

VI. Changes in Existing Law .............................................................................. 3

I. PURPOSE

The purpose of the legislation is to reauthorize the United States

Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy.

II. LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

H.R. 1003, sponsored by Rep. Diane Watson, was approved by

the House of Representatives on March 13, 2007. On March 19,

2007, it was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. On

March 28, 2007, the committee ordered the bill reported favorably

by voice vote.

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III. DISCUSSION

The Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy was created in

the late 1940s to advise the foreign policy apparatus of the government on public diplomacy programs. The specific mandate, by statute, is to ‘‘appraise the effectiveness of policies and programs’’ of

the State Department in this regard (Section 604 of the United

States Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948).

In connection with the abolition of the United States Information

Agency (USIA) in 1998, Congress also abolished the Commission

(Section 1334 of the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act

of 1998). The termination of the Commission was made effective on

October 1, 1999, to coincide with the date of the termination of

USIA. In November 1999, however, Congress decided to reinstate

the Commission, and made the reinstatement retroactive to 1998,

so that, in a legal sense, the Commission never expired. In reinstating the Commission, however, Congress set a sunset date of October 1, 2001, and limited the staff and budgetary resources provided to the Commission (Section 404 of the Admiral James W.

Nance and Meg Donovan Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 2000 and 2001).

Since then, Congress has twice extended the mandate of the

Commission, first to October 1, 2005, then to October 1, 2006. An

effort to reauthorize the Commission in the 109th Congress was

unsuccessful, and the authority for it terminated on October 1,

2006.

The committee believes the Commission serves as a useful mechanism to provide oversight and advice to the Secretary of State and

Congress regarding public diplomacy programming, and therefore

supports this legislation. This bill reauthorizes the Commission

until October 1, 2009.

IV. COST ESTIMATE

Pursuant to paragraph 11(a) of Rule XXVI of the Standing Rules

of the Senate, the following cost estimate has been provided by the

Congressional Budget Office.

CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE COST ESTIMATE

March 29, 2007.

H.R. 1003

AN ACT TO AMEND THE FOREIGN AFFAIRS REFORM AND RESTRUC- TURING ACT OF 1998 TO REAUTHORIZE THE UNITED STATES ADVI- SORY COMMISSION ON PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

As ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations

on March 28, 2007

H.R. 1003 would reauthorize the United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy through fiscal year 2009. (The commission’s authorization expired at the end of fiscal year 2006.) The

commission would make recommendations to the Department of

State on policies and programs related to public diplomacy, and

may also appraise the effectiveness of such policies and programs.

3

It would report to the Congress on its recommendations and appraisals.

Based on information from the Department of State, CBO estimates that implementing this legislation would cost about $300,000

a year over the 2008–2009 period, subject to the appropriation of

the necessary amounts. Enacting the legislation would not affect

direct spending or receipts.

H.R. 1003 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would

not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal governments.

On February 28, 2007, CBO transmitted an estimate for H.R.

1003 as ordered reported by the House Committee on Foreign Affairs on February 15, 2007. Both versions of the legislation and

their cost estimates are identical.

The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Sunita D’Monte, who

can be reached at 226–2840. This estimate was approved by Peter

H. Fontaine, Deputy Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.

V. EVALUATION OF REGULATORY IMPACT

Pursuant to paragraph 11(b) of Rule XXVI of the Standing Rules

of the Senate, the committee has determined that there is no regulatory impact as a result of this legislation.

VI. CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW

Pursuant to paragraph 12 of Rule XXVI of the Standing Rules

of the Senate, changes in existing law made by the bill, as reported, are shown as follows (existing proposed to be omitted is enclosed in black brackets, new matter is printed in italic, existing

law in which no change is proposed is shown in roman).

Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998

* * * * * * *

SUBDIVISION A—CONSOLIDATION OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

AGENCIES

TITLE XI—GENERAL PROVISIONS

* * * * * * *

SEC. 1334. SUNSET OF UNITED STATES ADVISORY COMMISSION ON

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY.

The United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy,

established under section 604 of the United States Information and

Educational Exchange Act of 1948 (22 U.S.C. 1469) and section 8

of Reorganization Plan Numbered 2 of 1977, shall continue to exist

and operate under such provisions of law until øOctober 1, 2006¿

October 1, 2009.

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