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[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1524 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1524

To strengthen the capacity, transparency, and accountability of United 
States foreign assistance programs to effectively adapt and respond to 
      new challenges of the 21st century, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 28, 2009

Mr. Kerry (for himself, Mr. Lugar, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Corker, Mr. Risch, 
and Mr. Cardin) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
             referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
To strengthen the capacity, transparency, and accountability of United 
States foreign assistance programs to effectively adapt and respond to 
      new challenges of the 21st century, 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 Assistance Revitalization 
and Accountability Act of 2009''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Administrator.--Except as otherwise provided, the term 
        ``Administrator'' means the Administrator of the United States 
        Agency for International Development.
            (2) Agency.--Except as otherwise provided, the term 
        ``Agency'' means the United States Agency for International 
        Development.
            (3) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
        ``appropriate congressional committees'' means the Committee on 
        Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign 
        Affairs of the House of Representatives.
            (4) Secretary.--Except as otherwise provided, the term 
        ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of State.

SEC. 3. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Poverty, hunger, lack of opportunity, gender 
        inequality, and environmental degradation are recognized as 
        significant contributors to--
                    (A) socioeconomic and political instability; and
                    (B) the exacerbation of disease pandemic and other 
                global health threats.
            (2) The 2006 National Security Strategy of the United 
        States notes, ``America's national interests and moral values 
        drive us in the same direction: to assist the world's poor 
        citizens and least developed nations and help integrate them 
        into the global economy.''.
            (3) The bipartisan Final Report of the National Commission 
        on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (9/11 Commission 
        Report) recommends, ``A comprehensive United States strategy to 
        counter terrorism should include economic policies that 
        encourage development, more open societies, and opportunities 
        for people to improve the lives of their families and enhance 
        prospects for their children.''.
            (4) The alleviation of poverty and hunger is in the 
        national interest of the United States. It improves United 
        States security by mitigating the underlying causes of violence 
        and extremism, addresses threats like climate change and 
        pandemic disease, expands economic opportunities for producers 
        and consumers in the United States, demonstrates United States 
        leadership to the world, and represents the values, 
        humanitarianism, and generosity of the American people.
            (5) Elevating the standing of the United States in the 
        world represents a critical and essential element for any 
        strategy to improve national and global security by mitigating 
        the root causes of conflict and multinational terrorism, 
        strengthening diplomatic and economic relationships, preventing 
        global climate change, curbing weapons proliferation, and 
        fostering peace and cooperation between all nations.
            (6) Currently the global development policies and programs 
        of the United States Government are scattered across 12 
        different Federal departments, 25 different Federal agencies, 
        and nearly 60 Federal Government offices. The current law 
        governing foreign assistance is outdated, cumbersome, and lacks 
        relevance for modern challenges, articulating at least 140 
        broad priorities for United States development efforts, with at 
        least 400 specific directives on how to implement those broad 
        priorities. Moreover, it allows the budget process to drive 
        priorities, rather than setting clear priorities that drive 
        resource decisions.
            (7) The international and domestic challenges of the 21st 
        century--including transnational threats such as economic 
        instability, terrorism, climate change, and disease--cannot be 
        met with a foreign assistance apparatus that was created to 
        confront the challenges of the 20th century. The cornerstone 
        for a new foreign assistance architecture begins with reform of 
        the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 that ensures a rationalized 
        organizational structure for a strengthened development agency, 
        a concise set of development priorities, rebuilt human resource 
        capacity, strengthened monitoring and evaluation, reinvigorated 
        policy and intellectual expertise, with sufficient resources 
        and commensurate accountability to achieve key foreign 
        assistance goals.
            (8) President Barack Obama has expressed a commitment to 
        cut extreme poverty and hunger around the world in half, and to 
        increase the level of United States foreign assistance to meet 
        that goal.

SEC. 4. STATEMENT OF POLICY.

    It is the policy of the United States, given the importance of 
global prosperity and security to the national interests of the United 
States, to promote global development, good governance, and the 
reduction of poverty and hunger. In support of this policy, a reform 
and rebuilding process should be initiated that will redefine the 
United States foreign assistance architecture and strengthen the 
capacity of the United States Agency for International Development and 
related agencies to establish effective development policies and 
implement innovative and effective foreign assistance programs with 
maximum impact.

SEC. 5. POLICY AND STRATEGIC PLANNING.

    (a) Sense of Congress on Building the Policy Capacity of USAID.--It 
is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) there has been too little emphasis in recent years in 
        developing the capacity of the Agency to formulate 
        international development policy and to integrate important 
        policy initiatives and innovative policy concepts into Agency 
        programs and activities;
            (2) the Agency should increase its emphasis on recruiting, 
        hiring, training, and enhancing professional officers who will 
        support the Agency's role in formulating development policy and 
        enhancing innovative solutions to development challenges;
            (3) there is a particular need to strengthen policy 
        formulation and development in missions worldwide, in addition 
        to strengthening the capacity of the Agency to address policy 
        issues in headquarters in Washington, District of Columbia, 
        which should be dealt with by deploying policy officers to 
        missions worldwide; and
            (4) a Bureau for Policy and Strategic Planning should 
        ensure that policy concepts and priorities are appropriately 
        integrated into all programs and activities undertaken by the 
        Agency.
    (b) Establishment of USAID Positions To Build Policy and Strategic 
Planning Capacity.--
            (1) Deputy administrator of the united states agency for 
        international development.--Section 624 of the Foreign 
        Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2384) is amended by inserting 
        after subsection (c) the following new subsection:
    ``(d) Deputy Administrators.--There shall be in the United States 
Agency for International Development, among the statutory officers 
authorized by subsection (a), not more than 2 Deputy Administrators, 
who shall assist the Administrator in all matters.''.
            (2) Assistant administrator for policy and strategic 
        planning.--Such section is further amended by adding at the end 
        the following new subsection:
    ``(f) Assistant Administrator for Policy and Strategic Planning.--
There shall be in the United States Agency for International 
Development, among the statutory officers authorized by subsection (a), 
an Assistant Administrator for Policy and Strategic Planning, who shall 
assist the Administrator and Deputy Administrators in matters related 
to policy planning, strategic planning, program design, research, 
evaluation, budget allocation and management, and in other matters.''.
            (3) Clerical amendment.--Subsection (a) of such section is 
        amended by striking ``twelve'' and inserting ``fourteen''.
    (c) Bureau for Policy and Strategic Planning.--Chapter 2 of part 
III of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2381 et seq.) is 
amended by inserting after section 624 the following new section:

``SEC. 624A. BUREAU FOR POLICY AND STRATEGIC PLANNING.

    ``(a) Establishment.--There is established in the United States 
Agency for International Development a Bureau for Policy and Strategic 
Planning (referred to in this section as the `Bureau').
    ``(b) Duties.--The primary duties of the Bureau shall include the 
following:
            ``(1) Developing and formulating United States Government 
        policy on development issues in support of United States policy 
        objectives.
            ``(2) Ensuring long-term strategic planning and direction 
        for overall development policy and programs, as well as across 
        regions and sectors.
            ``(3) Designing and conducting significant research and 
        evaluation on development and aid effectiveness.
            ``(4) Establishing resource and workforce allocation 
        criteria.
            ``(5) Guiding overall budget decisions and reviewing 
        bureau-specific resource allocations, workforce allocations, 
        operational planning, and program decisions.
            ``(6) Integrating monitoring and evaluation into overall 
        decisionmaking and strategic planning.''.
    (d) Office for Learning, Evaluation, and Analysis in Development.--
Chapter 2 of part III of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 
2381 et seq.), as amended by subsection (c), is further amended by 
inserting after section 624A the following:

``SEC. 624B OFFICE FOR LEARNING, EVALUATION, AND ANALYSIS IN 
              DEVELOPMENT.

    ``(a) Sense of Congress on Analysis and Evaluation.--It is the 
sense of Congress that--
            ``(1) achieving United States foreign policy objectives 
        requires the consistent and systematic evaluation of the impact 
        of United States foreign assistance programs and analysis on 
        what programs work and why, when, and where they work;
            ``(2) the design of assistance programs and projects should 
        include the collection of relevant data required to measure 
        outcomes and impacts;
            ``(3) the design of assistance programs and projects should 
        reflect the knowledge gained from evaluation and analysis;
            ``(4) a culture and practice of high quality evaluation 
        should be revitalized at agencies managing foreign assistance 
        programs, which requires that the concepts of evaluation and 
        analysis are used to inform policy and programmatic decisions, 
        including the training of aid professionals in evaluation 
        design and implementation;
            ``(5) the effective and efficient use of funds cannot be 
        achieved without an understanding of how lessons learned are 
        applicable in various environments, and under similar or 
        different conditions; and
            ``(6) project evaluations should be used as sources of data 
        when running broader analyses of development outcomes and 
        impacts.
    ``(b) Establishment.--There is established in the Bureau for Policy 
and Strategic Planning an Office for Learning, Evaluation, and Analysis 
in Development (referred to in this section as the `Office'), which 
shall be under the management of the Assistant Administrator for Policy 
and Strategic Planning.
    ``(c) Duties.--The duties of the Office shall be to--
            ``(1) develop, design, coordinate, guide, and conduct the 
        complete range of activities relating to the monitoring of 
        resources, the evaluation of projects, the evaluation of 
        program impacts, and analysis that is necessary for the 
        identification of findings, generalizations that can be derived 
        from those findings, and their applicability to proposed 
        project and program design;
            ``(2) serve as a resource to the United States Agency for 
        International Development, other government entities, 
        implementing partners, the academic community, the donor 
        community, and host governments in the design of programs and 
        projects;
            ``(3) serve as an authoritative voice in linking evaluation 
        and research results to strategic planning and policy options;
            ``(4) design a strategy for strengthening evaluation and 
        research for foreign assistance programs managed by the United 
        States Agency International Development;
            ``(5) develop the scope and guidelines for evaluation and 
        research that are multidisciplinary in nature;
            ``(6) establish annual evaluation and research agendas and 
        objectives that are responsive to policy and programmatic 
        priorities;
            ``(7) guide the use of rigorous methodologies, choosing 
        from among a wide variety of qualitative and quantitative 
        methods common in the field of social scientific inquiry;
            ``(8) coordinate the evaluation processes of bureaus and 
        missions of the United States Agency for International 
        Development;
            ``(9) develop and implement a training plan on evaluation 
        and research for aid personnel;
            ``(10) make recommendations to the Assistant Administrator 
        for Policy and Strategic Planning on linking evaluation and 
        research findings to policy and strategic planning options;
            ``(11) develop a clearinghouse capacity for the 
        dissemination of knowledge and lessons learned to USAID 
        professionals, implementing partners, the international aid 
        community, and aid recipient governments, and as a repository 
        of knowledge on lessons learned;
            ``(12) distribute evaluation and research reports 
        internally and make this material available online to the 
        public; and
            ``(13) partner with the academic community, implementing 
        partners, and national and international institutions that have 
        expertise in evaluation and analysis when such partnerships 
        will provide needed expertise or will significantly improve the 
        evaluation and analysis.
    ``(d) Subordinate Units.--The Administrator may create such 
subordinate units as may be necessary for the performance of duties 
described in paragraphs (9) and (11) of subsection (c).
    ``(e) Technical Expertise.--If the Assistant Administrator 
determines that the Office requires expertise that is of a technical 
nature and is outside the expertise of the Agency for International 
Development, such expertise may be accessed through existing 
contracting authorities.
    ``(f) Monitoring.--Evaluation and analysis activities of the Office 
shall be in addition to, but not duplicative of, existing monitoring 
activities as provided under existing law.
    ``(g) Coordination.--The Office should closely coordinate and 
consult with the Council on Research and Evaluation of Foreign 
Assistance to ensure consistency of approach toward evaluation, 
research, analysis, and related activities.
    ``(h) Annual Reports to Congress.--
            ``(1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, and not later than December 31 of 
        each year thereafter, the Administrator shall submit to the 
        appropriate congressional committees a report on the work of 
        the Office.
            ``(2) Content.--The report required under paragraph (1) 
        shall include--
                    ``(A) a copy of the annual evaluation and research 
                agenda for the preceding year;
                    ``(B) a description of the evaluation activities 
                conducted in the preceding year;
                    ``(C) a description of training activities 
                conducted in the preceding year;
                    ``(D) a forecast of evaluation and research planned 
                for the following year; and
                    ``(E) a description of the ways in which the 
                results of evaluations have informed the design and 
                operation of agency policies and programs during the 
                year.
    ``(i) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the United States Agency for International Development 
$5,000,000 for fiscal year 2010 and such sums as may be necessary for 
fiscal year 2011.
    ``(j) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Analysis.--The term `analysis' means the comparative 
        study of evaluations conducted over a period of time, in 
        varying locations, and under varying conditions that produces 
        generalized findings and explanations of outcomes and assesses 
        their applicability to proposed project and program design.
            ``(2) Evaluation.--The term `evaluation' means the full 
        range of activities designed to assess the efficiency and 
        effectiveness of inputs and processes on outputs, results, and 
        outcomes of various projects, programs, and activities.
            ``(3) Outcome.--The term `outcome' means any change 
        occurring during the course of a project, program, or activity, 
        including changes that cannot be attributed directly to the 
        project, program, or activity.
            ``(4) Outputs.--The term `output' means the products, 
        capital, goods, and services that result from a project, 
        program, or activity.''.

SEC. 6. COUNCIL ON RESEARCH AND EVALUATION OF FOREIGN ASSISTANCE.

    (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) The American public and Congress must have confidence 
        that--
                    (A) Federal funds allocated for foreign assistance 
                programs are used efficiently and effectively; and
                    (B) funding allocations and programs are linked to 
                clearly defined policy objectives.
            (2) The December 2007 HELP Commission Report on Foreign 
        Assistance Reform states, ``[T]he systems our government uses 
        to evaluate development and humanitarian assistance programs 
        are either in disarray or do not exist. Current systems tend to 
        focus more on outputs, such as counting how many books are 
        delivered to a school, rather than on outcomes, such as 
        measuring how many children can actually read. Indeed, out of 
        26,285 impact evaluations that USAID conducted between 1996 and 
        2005, only 30 measured the impact of projects.''.
            (3) The HELP Commission also recommends that the United 
        States Government reestablish an independent Office of 
        Monitoring and Evaluation responsible for foreign assistance 
        operations and provide the office with sufficient funding to 
        monitor and evaluate performance that should be accountable to 
        Congress and to the executive branch.
    (b) Establishment.--There is established in the executive branch 
the Council on Research and Evaluation of Foreign Assistance (referred 
to in this section as the ``Council'').
    (c) Purposes.--The purposes of the Council shall be--
            (1) to evaluate the impact of United States Government 
        foreign assistance programs and their contribution to policy, 
        strategies, projects, program goals, and priorities undertaken 
        by the United States Government in support of foreign policy 
        objectives; and
            (2) to cultivate an integrated research and development 
        program that will--
                    (A) incorporate best practices from evaluation 
                studies and analyses; and
                    (B) foster and promote innovative programs to 
                improve the effectiveness of United States foreign 
                assistance.
    (d) Duties and Authorities.--
            (1) Evaluations of united states government foreign 
        assistance programs and international and multilateral 
        assistance programs receiving financial assistance from the 
        united states.--
                    (A) Authorization.--The Council is authorized to 
                conduct evaluations, on a program-by-program basis, of 
                the effectiveness of--
                            (i) foreign assistance programs carried out 
                        by any United States Government agency; and
                            (ii) international and multilateral 
                        assistance programs receiving financial 
                        assistance from the United States.
                    (B) Impact assessment.--Evaluations conducted under 
                subparagraph (A) shall assess the impact of the 
                programs described in clauses (i) and (ii) of 
                subparagraph (A) and their contribution to policy, 
                strategies, projects, program goals, and priorities of 
                the United States Government.
                    (C) Selection criteria.--The Director, in 
                consultation with the Board, shall establish--
                            (i) criteria for selecting foreign 
                        assistance programs and international and 
                        multilateral assistance programs receiving 
                        financial assistance from the United States to 
                        be evaluated under subparagraph (A); and
                            (ii) procedures for conducting such 
                        evaluations.
                    (D) Coordination.--The criteria and procedures 
                established under subparagraph (C) shall include 
                procedures to avoid duplication of the Council's 
                activities, and to ensure effective coordination and 
                cooperation, with the activities of the Comptroller 
                General of the United States, relevant Inspectors 
                General, and other relevant entities.
                    (E) Methodologies.--In conducting evaluations under 
                subparagraph (A), the Council shall utilize rigorous 
                and objective methodologies, choosing from among a wide 
                variety of qualitative and quantitative methods common 
                in the field of social scientific inquiry.
                    (F) Interagency assistance.--In conducting 
                evaluations under subparagraph (A), the Director is 
                authorized to request information or assistance from 
                the head of any Federal agency to the extent necessary 
                to facilitate the evaluation of a program, including 
                access to all records, reports, audits, reviews, 
                documents, papers, recommendations, and other material 
                available to the program being evaluated by the 
                Council. Upon receipt of a request under this 
                subparagraph, the head of the Federal agency receiving 
                the request, insofar as is practicable and not in 
                contravention of any applicable law, shall furnish to 
                the Director, or to an authorized designee, such 
                information or assistance as may be necessary to carry 
                out the purposes of this section.
                    (G) Reports.--At least 30 days before issuing a 
                report under this subparagraph, the Director shall 
                submit a draft of the report to the head of the Federal 
                agency responsible for implementing the program being 
                evaluated and provide the agency head an opportunity to 
                comment on the report. The Council shall issue a report 
                to the appropriate congressional committees on each 
                evaluation conducted under subparagraph (A) that 
                contains--
                            (i) an assessment of the effectiveness of 
                        the program evaluated, including the 
                        effectiveness of any partnership with non-
                        Federal partners, as appropriate;
                            (ii) any recommendations to improve the 
                        program's effectiveness, including the 
                        effectiveness of partnerships with non-Federal 
                        organizations, as appropriate; and
                            (iii) any comments received from the head 
                        of the Federal agency, or his or her designee, 
                        including any non-Federal partner, as 
                        appropriate.
                    (H) Consultation.--The Director shall regularly 
                consult with the appropriate congressional committees 
                to discuss priorities for evaluations to be conducted 
                under subparagraph (A).
            (2) Research on foreign assistance design, implementation, 
        evaluation, and effectiveness.--
                    (A) In general.--The Council shall conduct research 
                and analysis on the design, implementation, evaluation, 
                and effectiveness of foreign assistance programs in an 
                effort to develop innovative approaches relating to 
                foreign assistance, including--
                            (i) research and analysis aimed at 
                        developing objective methodologies for 
                        evaluating the effectiveness of foreign 
                        assistance programs in achieving assistance 
                        objectives;
                            (ii) research and analysis aimed at 
                        identifying ways of improving coordination of 
                        foreign assistance programs carried out by 
                        Federal agencies, including ways of 
                        coordinating research and development conducted 
                        by such agencies; and
                            (iii) research and analysis aimed at 
                        identifying approaches through which the United 
                        States Government can support the development 
                        of evaluation capacity in developing countries, 
                        and strategies to encourage the use of 
                        evaluation findings among different levels of 
                        decision makers and implementers.
                    (B) Additional research.--In addition to the 
                research conducted under subparagraph (A), the Council 
                may also conduct research and analysis on--
                            (i) trends relating to foreign assistance 
                        programs and the measures necessary to ensure 
                        continued progress; and
                            (ii) the relative effectiveness of 
                        international and multilateral assistance 
                        programs receiving financial assistance from 
                        the United States, including programs of the 
                        World Bank Group, United Nations entities, and 
                        regional multilateral development banks, as 
                        compared to United States foreign assistance 
                        programs.
                    (C) Integrated research and development program.--
                The Director, in consultation with the Board, shall 
                establish and implement an integrated research and 
                development program that will serve as a laboratory for 
                innovative programs related to foreign assistance to 
                fulfill the objectives described in subparagraph (A).
                    (D) Partners.--In conducting research and analysis 
                under subparagraph (A), the Council shall partner with 
                the academic community, implementing partners, and 
                national and international institutions that have 
                expertise in evaluation, research, and analysis, as 
                appropriate.
                    (E) Reports.--The Council shall issue reports to 
                the appropriate congressional committees on the results 
                of research conducted pursuant to subparagraph (A) that 
                include recommendations to Federal agencies responsible 
                for implementing foreign assistance programs on how to 
                improve the design, implementation, and evaluation of 
                such programs.
                    (F) Collaboration.--The Council shall actively 
                collaborate with Federal agencies responsible for 
                implementing foreign assistance programs by--
                            (i) sharing the results of research 
                        conducted pursuant to subparagraph (A); and
                            (ii) providing recommendations and advice 
                        on how to improve the design, effectiveness, 
                        efficiency, and innovation of such programs.
                    (G) Consultation.--The Director shall regularly 
                consult with the appropriate congressional committees 
                to discuss priorities for research to be conducted 
                under subparagraph (A).
            (3) Independence.--The Council shall preserve its 
        independence to ensure organizational autonomy, protection from 
        external influence, and avoidance of conflicts of interest.
    (e) Council on Research and Evaluation of Foreign Assistance 
Advisory Board.--
            (1) Establishment.--There is established a Council on 
        Research and Evaluation of Foreign Assistance Advisory Board 
        (referred to in this subsection as the ``Board'').
            (2) Purposes.--The purposes of the Board shall be--
                    (A) to consult with the Director regarding the 
                existing program of work of the Council, current 
                evaluations that are ongoing or completed, and 
                projected evaluations and activities to be undertaken 
                by the Council; and
                    (B) to serve as a forum for coordination and 
                discussion of related matters pertaining to the 
                Council's operations and activities.
            (3) Duties.--The Board shall--
                    (A) regularly consult with the Director regarding 
                the activities of the Council, but may not prevent or 
                prohibit the Director from initiating, carrying out, or 
                completing any evaluation or analysis of any 
                development, humanitarian, or foreign assistance 
                program or activity; and
                    (B) ensure coordination with the Office of 
                Management and Budget in the Executive Office of the 
                President.
            (4) Membership.--The Board shall consist of--
                    (A) the Director of the Council, or designee;
                    (B) the Secretary of State, or designee;
                    (C) the Secretary of the Treasury, or designee;
                    (D) the Administrator of the United States Agency 
                for International Development, or designee;
                    (E) the Chief Executive Officer of the Millennium 
                Challenge Corporation, or designee;
                    (F) the Secretary of Agriculture, or designee;
                    (G) the Secretary of Defense, or designee;
                    (H) the Secretary of Health and Human Services, or 
                designee;
                    (I) 1 individual to be appointed by the Director;
                    (J) 1 officer in the Senior Foreign Service for the 
                Agency for International Development or the Department 
                of State with experience in the implementation of 
                assistance programs;
                    (K) 4 individuals with relevant professional 
                evaluation and international experience, who shall be 
                appointed by the President, by and with the advice and 
                consent of the Senate, of which--
                            (i) 1 individual shall be appointed from 
                        among a list of 3 individuals submitted by the 
                        chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations 
                        of the Senate;
                            (ii) 1 individual shall be appointed from 
                        among a list of 3 individuals submitted by the 
                        ranking member of the Committee on Foreign 
                        Relations of the Senate;
                            (iii) 1 individual shall be appointed from 
                        among a list of 3 individuals submitted by the 
                        chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of 
                        the House of Representatives; and
                            (iv) 1 individual shall be appointed from 
                        among a list of 3 individuals submitted by the 
                        ranking member of the Committee on Foreign 
                        Affairs of the House of Representatives.
            (5) Terms.--
                    (A) Officers of the federal government.--Each 
                member of the Board described in subparagraphs (A) 
                through (H) of paragraph (4) shall serve for a term 
                that is concurrent with the term of service of the 
                individual's position as an officer within the other 
                Federal department or agency.
                    (B) Other members.--Each member of the Board 
                described in subparagraphs (I) through (K) of paragraph 
                (4) shall be appointed for a 3-year term and may be 
                reappointed for an additional 2-year term.
                    (C) Vacancies.--A vacancy in the Board shall be 
                filled in the manner in which the original appointment 
                was made.
            (6) Chairperson.--The members of the Board shall select 
        from among its membership a Chairperson to serve a 1-year term.
            (7) Technical advisory group.--The Director shall have the 
        authority to form a technical advisory group to provide 
        recommendations and advise the existing program of work of the 
        Council. The subgroup shall consist of the 4 members of the 
        Board described in paragraph (4)(K), and additional members as 
        appropriate.
            (8) Quorum.--A majority of the members of the Board shall 
        constitute a quorum.
            (9) Meetings.--The Board shall meet at the call of the 
        Chairperson but no less than annually.
            (10) Compensation.--
                    (A) Officers of the federal government.--
                            (i) In general.--A member of the Board 
                        described in subparagraph (A), (B), (C), (D), 
                        (E), (F), (G), or (H) of paragraph (4) may not 
                        receive additional pay, allowances, or benefits 
                        by reason of the member's service on the Board.
                            (ii) Travel expenses.--Each such member of 
                        the Board shall receive travel expenses, 
                        including per diem in lieu of subsistence, in 
                        accordance with applicable provisions under 
                        subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, United 
                        States Code.
                    (B) Other members.--
                            (i) In general.--Except as provided in 
                        clause (ii), a member of the Board described in 
                        paragraph (4)(F)--
                                    (I) shall be paid compensation out 
                                of funds made available for the 
                                purposes of this title at the daily 
                                equivalent of the highest rate payable 
                                under section 5332 of title 5, United 
                                States Code, for each day (including 
                                travel time) during which the member is 
                                engaged in the actual performance of 
                                duties as a member of the Board; and
                                    (II) while away from the member's 
                                home or regular place of business on 
                                necessary travel in the actual 
                                performance of duties as a member of 
                                the Board, shall be paid per diem, 
                                travel, and transportation expenses in 
                                the same manner as is provided under 
                                subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, 
                                United States Code.
                            (ii) Limitation.--A member of the Board may 
                        not be paid compensation under clause (i)(II) 
                        for more than 90 days in any calendar year.
    (f) Director.--
            (1) Appointment.--
                    (A) In general.--The Council shall be headed by a 
                Director, who shall be appointed by the President from 
                among the individuals recommended under subparagraph 
                (B) to a 4-year term, subject to a 1-year renewal, by 
                and with the advice and consent of the Senate.
                    (B) Selection.--When a vacancy occurs in the office 
                of Director, the chairmen and ranking minority members 
                of the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and 
                the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 
                Representatives shall each recommend up to 3 
                individuals to the President for appointment to the 
                vacant office. In considering individuals for 
                appointment to the office of Director, the chairmen and 
                ranking minority members shall--
                            (i) take into account the integrity and 
                        demonstrated ability of the individuals in 
                        public administration, international 
                        development and foreign assistance programs, 
                        monitoring and evaluation analysis, and all 
                        aspects of program and project design; and
                            (ii) disregard the political affiliation of 
                        the individuals.
            (2) Responsibilities.--The Director shall--
                    (A) be responsible for the management of the 
                Council;
                    (B) exercise the powers of the Council;
                    (C) be responsible for initiating, carrying out, 
                and completing any evaluation or analysis of any 
                development, humanitarian, or foreign assistance 
                program or activity; and
                    (D) discharge the duties of the Council.
            (3) Rank; compensation.--The Director shall--
                    (A) have the equivalent rank of Under Secretary; 
                and
                    (B) be compensated at the rate provided for level 
                III of the Executive Schedule under section 5314 of 
                title 5, United States Code.
            (4) Additional term; removal.--
                    (A) Additional term.--The Director may be 
                reappointed for not more than 1 additional 4-year term.
                    (B) Removal.--The President may remove the Director 
                from office after submitting written notification to 
                the Senate and the House of Representatives that 
                describes the underlying reasons for such removal.
            (5) Conforming amendment.--Section 5314 of title 5, United 
        States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``Director, Council on Research and Evaluation of Foreign 
Assistance.''.
    (g) Deputy Directors.--The Director shall appoint--
            (1) a Deputy Director for Evaluation, who shall be 
        responsible for overseeing the evaluations conducted by the 
        Council; and
            (2) a Deputy Director for Research Innovation, who shall be 
        responsible for overseeing an integrated research and 
        development program that will foster and promote innovative 
        programs to improve the effectiveness of United States foreign 
        assistance.
    (h) Office Space, Equipment, and Supplies.--Each agency head shall 
provide the Director with--
            (1) appropriate and adequate office space at central and 
        field office locations of such agency;
            (2) such equipment, office supplies, and communications 
        facilities and services as may be necessary for the operation 
        of such offices; and
            (3) necessary maintenance services for such offices and the 
        equipment and facilities located in such offices.
    (i) Personnel Matters.--
            (1) Human resources management system.--Notwithstanding any 
        other provision of law, the Director may establish a human 
        resources management system for the employees of the Council 
        that provides for--
                    (A) work schedule flexibility;
                    (B) merit based hiring;
                    (C) fair treatment without regard to political 
                affiliation;
                    (D) equal pay for equal work;
                    (E) protection of employees against reprisal for 
                whistle blowing;
                    (F) a pay-for-performance evaluation system that 
                links individual pay to performance;
                    (G) a streamlined process for removing 
                underperforming employees; and
                    (H) a maximum tenure with the Council of 7 years.
            (2) Detail of personnel.--
                    (A) From federal government.--Upon the request of 
                the Director, the head of a Federal agency may detail 
                any employee of such agency to the Council on a 
                reimbursable basis. Any employee so detailed remains, 
                for the purpose of preserving such employee's 
                allowances, privileges, rights, seniority, and other 
                benefits, an employee of the agency from which 
                detailed.
                    (B) From outside organizations.--The Director may 
                accept the services of personnel detailed to the 
                Council from organizations outside the Federal 
                Government, including bilateral agencies, multilateral 
                institutions, international organizations, think-tanks, 
                nongovernmental organizations, institutions of higher 
                education, and the private sector.
            (3) Reemployment rights.--
                    (A) In general.--An employee of an agency who is 
                serving under a career or career conditional 
                appointment (or the equivalent), and who, with the 
                consent of the head of such agency, transfers to the 
                Council, is entitled to be reemployed in such 
                employee's former position or a position of like 
                seniority, status, and pay in such agency, if such 
                employee--
                            (i) is separated from the Council for any 
                        reason, other than misconduct, neglect of duty, 
                        or malfeasance; and
                            (ii) applies for reemployment not later 
                        than 90 days after the date of separation from 
                        the Council.
                    (B) Specific rights.--An employee described in 
                subparagraph (A)--
                            (i) is entitled to be reemployed within 30 
                        days after applying for reemployment; and
                            (ii) once reemployed, is entitled to at 
                        least the rate of basic pay to which such 
                        employee would have been entitled had such 
                        employee never transferred to the Council.
            (4) Hiring authority.--Not more than 5 employees of the 
        Council may be appointed, compensated, or removed without 
        regard to the civil service laws and regulations.
            (5) Basic pay.--The Director may fix the rate of basic pay 
        of employees of the Council without regard to the provisions of 
        chapter 51 of title 5, United States Code (relating to the 
        classification of positions) or subchapter III of chapter 53 of 
        such title (relating to General Schedule pay rates), except 
        that no employee of the Office may receive a rate of basic pay 
        that exceeds the rate for level IV of the Executive Schedule 
        under section 5315 of such title.
            (6) Personnel outside the united states.--
                    (A) Assignment to united states embassies.--
                Employees of the Council, including individuals 
                detailed to or contracted by the Council, may be 
                assigned to a United States diplomatic mission or 
                consular post or a United States Agency for 
                International Development field mission for purposes of 
                assignments related to activities or programs of the 
                Council.
                    (B) Overseas benefits.--Each employee of the 
                Council, including any individual detailed to or 
                contracted by the Council, and the members of the 
                family of such employee, while the employee is 
                performing duties in any country or place outside the 
                United States, shall be afforded the same benefits 
                enjoyed by members of the Foreign Service, or the 
                family of a member of the Foreign Service, as 
                appropriate.
                    (C) Responsibility of chief of mission.--Employees 
                of the Council, including individuals detailed to or 
                contracted by the Council, and members of the families 
                of such employees, shall be subject to section 207 of 
                the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 3927) in the 
                same manner as United States Government employees while 
                the employee is performing duties in any country or 
                place outside the United States if such employee or 
                member of the family of such employee is not a national 
                of or permanently resident in such country or place.
    (j) Public Disclosure.--
            (1) In general.--Not less frequently than quarterly, the 
        Council shall make publicly available--
                    (A) the findings and conclusions of all the reports 
                and studies completed by the Council since the most 
                recent public disclosure;
                    (B) information regarding funds allocated or 
                transferred by the Council under this section;
                    (C) the name of each United States Government 
                agency with management responsibility for the 
                activities that were evaluated; and
                    (D) a description of the program or project carried 
                out by the agencies described in subparagraph (C).
            (2) Dissemination.--The information required to be 
        disclosed under paragraph (1) shall be made available to the 
        public--
                    (A) through publication in the Federal Register;
                    (B) on the Internet Web site of the Council; and
                    (C) by any other methods that the Director 
                determines to be appropriate.
    (k) Report on Projected Evaluations.--Not later than December 31, 
2010, and November 1 thereafter, the Director shall submit a report to 
the appropriate congressional committees that includes a projected list 
of evaluations for the current fiscal year.
    (l) Report on Methodologies and Best Practices.--
            (1) Initial report.--Not later than September 30, 2011, the 
        Director shall submit a report to each Federal Agency 
        responsible for implementing foreign assistance programs and to 
        the appropriate congressional committees that details 
        recommended methodologies and best practices for use in 
        evaluating the effectiveness of United States Government 
        foreign assistance programs.
            (2) Regular updates.--The Director shall regularly update 
        the methodologies recommended in the report submitted under 
        paragraph (1) to account for developments and trends in foreign 
        assistance programs.
            (3) Biennial report.--Not later than 2 years after the 
        submission of the report under paragraph (1), and biennially 
        thereafter, the Director shall submit, to each Federal agency 
        responsible for implementing foreign assistance programs and to 
        the appropriate congressional committees, a report that 
        contains updates to its recommended methodologies and best 
        practices for use in evaluating the effectiveness of United 
        States Government foreign assistance programs.
    (m) Annual Report.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than February 15, 2011, and each 
        February 15 thereafter, the Director shall submit a report to 
        the appropriate congressional committees that includes--
                    (A) the specific programs, projects, and activities 
                that were evaluated by the Council; and
                    (B) other activities carried out by the Council 
                during the most recently completed fiscal year.
            (2) Joint submission.--The report described in paragraph 
        (1) may be submitted with the budget justification materials 
        submitted to Congress with the President's budget under section 
        1105(a) of title 31, United States Code.
    (n) Strategic Plan.--
            (1) Submission.--Every 2 years, the Director shall submit a 
        strategic plan for the activities of the Council to the 
        appropriate congressional committees.
            (2) Contents.--The strategic plan required under paragraph 
        (1) shall include--
                    (A) the long-term strategic goals of the Council;
                    (B) the identification of the activities and 
                programs that support--
                            (i) the achievement of the Council's 
                        strategic goals; and
                            (ii) opportunities that hold the potential 
                        for yielding significant development or foreign 
                        assistance benefits; and
                    (C) the connection of the activities and programs 
                of the Council to activities and missions of United 
                States foreign assistance programs.
    (o) Government Accountability Office Report.--Not later than 6 
years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller 
General of the United States shall submit a report to the appropriate 
congressional committees that contains--
            (1) a review of, and comments addressing, the performance 
        and overall effectiveness of the Council's activities, programs 
        and general operations;
            (2) an assessment of how effectively the Council has 
        implemented its stated objectives and adhered to and 
        accomplished the purposes and duties described in subsections 
        (c) and (d);
            (3) recommendations relating to any additional actions the 
        Comptroller General recommends to improve the Council's 
        performance, activities and operations; and
            (4) assess the impact of the Council on the workload of the 
        International Affairs Division of the Government Accountability 
        Office.
    (p) Administrative Authorities of the Council.--In addition to the 
authority otherwise provided under this section, the Council, in 
carrying out the provisions of this section, is authorized--
            (1) to select, appoint, and employ such officers and 
        employees as may be necessary for carrying out the functions, 
        powers, and duties of the Council;
            (2) to obtain services authorized by section 3109 of title 
        5, United States Code, at daily rates not to exceed the 
        equivalent rate prescribed for grade GS-18 of the General 
        Schedule under section 5332 of such title;
            (3) to the extent, and in such amounts as may be 
        appropriated in advance--
                    (A) to make and perform such contracts, grants, and 
                other agreements for audits, studies, evaluations, 
                analyses, and other services with--
                            (i) public agencies;
                            (ii) any private entity or person in the 
                        United States or in a candidate country; and
                            (iii) governmental agencies of any such 
                        country that is undertaking research that 
                        supports the work of the Council, as 
                        appropriate; and
                    (B) to make such payments as may be necessary for 
                carrying out the functions of the Council;
            (4) to adopt, alter, and use a seal, which shall be 
        judicially noticed;
            (5) to determine and prescribe the manner in which its 
        obligations shall be incurred and its expenses allowed and 
        paid, including expenses for representation;
            (6) to lease, purchase, or otherwise acquire, improve, and 
        use such real property wherever situated, as may be necessary 
        for carrying out the functions of the Council;
            (7) to accept cash gifts or donations of services or of 
        property, tangible or intangible, for the purpose of carrying 
        out the provisions of this section, as it relates to public-
        private partnerships;
            (8) to use the United States mails in the same manner and 
        on the same conditions as executive agencies;
            (9) to enter into personal services contracts with 
        individuals, who shall not be considered Federal employees for 
        any provision of law administered by the Office of Personnel 
        Management;
            (10) to hire or obtain passenger motor vehicles; and
            (11) to have such other powers as may be necessary and 
        incident to carrying out this section.
    (q) Other Authorities.--Except to the extent inconsistent with the 
provisions of this section, the administrative authorities contained in 
the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 (22 U.S.C. 2651a et 
seq.) and the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.) 
shall apply to the implementation of this section to the same extent 
and in the same manner as such authorities apply to the implementation 
of such Acts.
    (r) Applicability of the Government Corporation Control Act.--
            (1) In general.--The Council shall be subject to chapter 91 
        of subtitle VI of title 31, United States Code, except that the 
        Council shall not be authorized to issue obligations or offer 
        obligations to the public.
            (2) Conforming amendment.--Section 9101(3) of title 31, 
        United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the 
        following:
                    ``(S) the Council on Research and Evaluation of 
                Foreign Assistance.''.
    (s) Inspector General.--
            (1) In general.--The Inspector General of the Agency for 
        International Development--
                    (A) shall serve as Inspector General for the 
                Council; and
                    (B) in acting in such capacity, may conduct 
                reviews, investigations, and inspections of all aspects 
                of the operations and activities of the Council.
            (2) Reimbursement.--The Council shall reimburse the Agency 
        for International Development for all expenses incurred by the 
        Inspector General in connection with the Inspector General's 
        responsibilities under this subsection.
    (t) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section the following amounts:
            (1) $30,000,000 for fiscal year 2011.
            (2) $35,000,000 for fiscal year 2012.
            (3) $40,000,000 for fiscal year 2013.
            (4) $45,000,000 for fiscal year 2014.
            (5) $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2015.
            (6) $55,000,000 for fiscal year 2016.
    (u) Effective Date.--This section shall be effective during the 7 
year period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 7. COMPREHENSIVE WORKFORCE AND HUMAN RESOURCES STRATEGY FOR THE 
              UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT.

    (a) Comprehensive Workforce and Human Resources Strategy for the 
United States Agency for International Development.--The Administrator 
shall develop and implement a comprehensive workforce and human 
resources strategy for the Agency to support the objective of promoting 
development and reducing global poverty.
    (b) Scope.--The strategy required under subsection (a) shall be a 
strategy for modernizing the workforce of the United States Agency for 
International Development in support of foreign assistance and policy 
priorities, and shall--
            (1) determine long-term Agency personnel priorities, 
        including priorities over 5- and 10-year time periods;
            (2) identify career professional development programs for 
        all personnel, including training, language, and education, 
        interagency and intergovernmental rotations, and assignment 
        opportunities outside the United States Government;
            (3) include an assessment of future development and foreign 
        policy priorities and the implications of such priorities for 
        technical and policy expertise, including how to meet future 
        unanticipated demands brought about by manmade and natural 
        disasters;
            (4) include an overseas facilities and security assessment 
        examining the implications of such facilities and security for 
        personnel increases;
            (5) include the appropriateness of regional platforms to 
        perform necessary Agency functions and to provide services to 
        other donors and organizations;
            (6) consider structural reform options to professionalize 
        the human resource capacity of the Agency, including options to 
        outsource the entirety of the human resource capacity of the 
        Agency; and
            (7) address the means to enable the Agency to access 
        cutting-edge technical and managerial expertise.
    (c) Factors To Consider.--In developing the strategy required under 
subsection (a), the Administrator shall, among other things--
            (1) examine the objectives the Agency is mandated to 
        fulfill, and assess whether its current workforce model 
        effectively supports the goals of the Agency;
            (2) review the Agency's workforce evolution and identify 
        the additional program demands that have been placed on the 
        workforce in the past 10 years;
            (3) examine different personnel and workforce management 
        models from other United States Government agencies, 
        international organizations, and the private sector and 
        determine the comparative advantages the models might offer and 
        whether they would allow the Agency to better structure its 
        workforce to carry out its responsibilities and meet the 
        challenges of a changing environment;
            (4) examine different bureaucratic and legislative 
        constraints facing the Agency in implementing a comprehensive 
        workforce planning and management system and how these 
        constraints can be addressed, including--
                    (A) which limitations, if any, currently exist that 
                prevent the Agency from hiring the right people for the 
                right positions in a timely manner, including mid-level 
                hires and reentry of mid-level professionals into the 
                Agency; and
                    (B) how this compares with other organizations, 
                such as the Department of State and the Millennium 
                Challenge Corporation (MCC), and how the Agency 
                compares to the Department of State and the MCC in its 
                ability to attract and retain high caliber 
                professionals;
            (5) examine the advantages and disadvantages of the 
        Agency's use of contractors in the last 10 years to carry out 
        its core mission and management responsibilities;
            (6) assess the scope and effectiveness of training, 
        including the availability of language training, for Agency 
        personnel, and the extent to which available trainings support 
        carrying out Agency objectives; and
            (7) present a cost analysis for using a contracting model 
        versus a direct hire model and determine the cost savings and 
        consequences that could result from the elimination of 
        institutional contractors and the hiring of the same 
        professionals as personal services contractors.
    (d) Workforce and Human Resources Task Force.--
            (1) In general.--The Administrator shall establish a 
        workforce and human resources task force that will participate 
        in the development of the workforce and human resources 
        strategy required under subsection (b) and will consult with, 
        and provide information and advice to, senior management of the 
        Agency on matters and issues related to workforce planning, 
        human resource recruitment and training, and other personnel 
        issues as the Agency develops and implements the workforce and 
        human resources strategy.
            (2) Composition.--The task force shall be composed of 9 
        members as follows:
                    (A) Four senior career professionals of the Agency 
                from different personnel backgrounds, at least 2 of 
                whom shall be from Foreign Service, appointed by the 
                Administrator.
                    (B) One senior official from the Department of 
                State appointed by the Secretary.
                    (C) One senior official from the Office of 
                Personnel Management appointed by the Director of the 
                Office of Personnel Management.
                    (D) Three professionals outside the United States 
                Government noted for their knowledge and experience in 
                personnel and human resource issues, appointed by the 
                Administrator in consultation with the Senate.
            (3) Deadline for appointments.--All members of the task 
        force shall be designated not later than 60 days after the date 
        of the enactment of this Act.
            (4) Termination.--The task force shall terminate 2 years 
        after the enactment of this Act.
    (e) Reports.--
            (1) Initial report.--Not later than 1 year after the date 
        of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit to 
        the appropriate congressional committees the strategy required 
        under subsection (a).
            (2) Government accountability office report.--Not later 
        than 120 days after the submission of the initial strategy 
        under paragraph (1), the Comptroller General of the United 
        States shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees 
        a report that contains--
                    (A) a review of, and comments addressing, the 
                strategy submitted under paragraph (1); and
                    (B) recommendations relating to any additional 
                actions the Comptroller General recommends to improve 
                the strategy and its implementation.
            (3) Subsequent reports.--Not later than 2 years after the 
        submission of the initial strategy under paragraph (1), and 
        every 2 years thereafter until 2021, the Administrator shall 
        transmit to the appropriate congressional committees an updated 
        strategy--
                    (A) assessing progress made during the preceding 2 
                years toward implementing the strategy required under 
                this section and meeting the specific goals, 
                benchmarks, and time frames specified in the strategy 
                required under subsection (a);
                    (B) identifying legal or other impediments to 
                achieving those objectives and recommendations for 
                addressing those impediments; and
                    (C) describing modifications to the strategy based 
                upon the Agency's experience during the previous 2 
                years and any revisions to the policy, program, 
                financial or other assumptions that were the basis for 
                the current strategy.
    (f) Outside Assistance.--To assist in the development, formulation, 
and implementation of the workforce and human resources strategy, the 
Administrator shall contract with an independent organization--
            (1) to help the Agency assess current human resource 
        capacity;
            (2) to review how its human resource capacity matches up 
        against Agency mandates and policy priorities;
            (3) to compare the Agency's current human resource system 
        and practices with best practices of other organizations, 
        public and private;
            (4) to provide a set of recommendations to facilitate 
        structural reform to the Agency's human resources bureau; and
            (5) to assist with other issues related to supporting the 
        development of the workforce and human resources strategy.
    (g) Availability of Funds.--Amounts made available to carry out 
section 667 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2427) 
shall be made available to carry out subsection (f).

SEC. 8. PERSONNEL AND HUMAN RESOURCES.

    (a) Career Professional Development.--Chapter 2 of part III of the 
Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2381 et seq.) is amended by 
inserting after section 630 the following new section:

``SEC. 630A. INTERAGENCY AND INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION ROTATIONS.

    ``(a) Rotations.--
            ``(1) Career guidelines.--The Administrator shall establish 
        career guidelines for Foreign Service officers and civil 
        service officers that incorporate interagency, 
        intergovernmental, or international organization rotational 
        assignments. The guidelines established under this paragraph 
        shall include--
                    ``(A) selection;
                    ``(B) professional education and training;
                    ``(C) types of relevant interagency, 
                intergovernmental, and international organization 
                assignments; and
                    ``(D) such other matters as the Administrator 
                considers appropriate.
            ``(2) Promotions to senior ranks.--Not later than 2 years 
        after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator 
        shall establish additional guidelines that consider 
        participation by relevant officers in at least 1 interagency, 
        intergovernmental, or international organizational rotational 
        assignment of at least 6 months as a factor for promotion into 
        the ranks of the Senior Foreign Service or Senior Executive 
        Service.
            ``(3) Promotion policy objectives for assignments to 
        interagency, intergovernmental, and international 
        organizations.--
                    ``(A) Qualifications.--The Administrator shall 
                ensure that promotion precepts and promotion panels do 
                not penalize officers who have been assigned to 
                interagency, intergovernmental or international 
                organizations.
                    ``(B) Report.--The Administrator shall provide an 
                annual report to the appropriate congressional 
                committees that--
                            ``(i) specifies the aggregate number of 
                        officers and the promotion rates of officers 
                        who are serving in, or have served in, 
                        interagency, intergovernmental, or 
                        international organization rotational 
                        assignments; and
                            ``(ii) details efforts to meet the 
                        objectives described in paragraph (1).
    ``(b) External Training and Educational Opportunities.--It is the 
sense of Congress that--
            ``(1) the Administrator of the United States Agency for 
        International Development should augment and expand external 
        training and educational opportunities for Foreign Service and 
        civil service personnel and expand opportunities for work 
        assignments to entities outside the United States Government;
            ``(2) a strong development agency should have a 
        knowledgeable and capable workforce that is familiar with and 
        has access to cutting edge development practices, 
        methodologies, ideas, work experience, and programs; and
            ``(3) the Administrator of the United States Agency for 
        International Development should ensure that personnel of the 
        Agency have opportunities during their careers to obtain a 
        range of knowledge-building work experiences and advanced 
        education and training in academic and other relevant 
        institutions in the United States and abroad to increase the 
        capacity of the Agency to fulfill its mission.''.
    (b) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, the Administrator of the United States Agency for 
International Development shall submit to the appropriate congressional 
committees a report on efforts to facilitate and promote external 
training and educational opportunities for Foreign Service and civil 
service personnel, including--
            (1) a description of the internal process of securing such 
        opportunities and the number of officers who have undertaken 
        such external trainings in the past year; and
            (2) a description of actions the Administrator has taken or 
        plans to take to further expand and facilitate external 
        training and educational opportunities.

SEC. 9. STRENGTHENING DEVELOPMENT COORDINATION IN THE FIELD.

    (a) In General.--Section 631(d) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 
1961 (22 U.S.C. 2391) is amended to read as follows:
    ``(d) Coordination of Development Assistance Activities.--Under the 
overall direction of the chief of the United States diplomatic mission, 
the chief of each special mission carrying out the purposes of part I 
in a country shall be responsible for the coordination of all 
development and humanitarian efforts of the United States Government in 
such country. Such activities shall include all development and 
humanitarian activities from funds made available to carry out the 
provisions of this or any other Act.''.
    (b) Sense of Congress on Modernizing USAID Missions for the 21st 
Century.--It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) the role of the United States Agency for International 
        Development (USAID) and foreign assistance continues to evolve 
        to meet emerging challenges, new priorities, changing 
        circumstances, and augmented roles and responsibilities;
            (2) the environment in which our foreign assistance and 
        development agencies operate is dramatically different than the 
        Cold War environment in which they were created;
            (3) despite the new and changing of USAID circumstances, 
        the United States Government has not significantly updated the 
        basic USAID mission structure since it was first established in 
        1961; and
            (4) to reflect evolving threats, opportunities and 
        challenges in the 21st century, USAID should undertake a 
        comprehensive examination of the mission structure, with 
        special attention to staffing, authorities, the balance between 
        Washington, District of Columbia, and the field, and management 
        best practices.
    (c) Report.--Not later than 18 months after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the United States Agency 
for International Development shall submit to the appropriate 
congressional committees a report on modernizing USAID missions for the 
21st century, including--
            (1) whether missions are staffed and well suited for 
        current and emerging roles and responsibilities;
            (2) whether the management and organizational structure 
        provide the required flexibility while providing effective 
        oversight of programs;
            (3) whether the level of centralized versus decentralized 
        decisionmaking is appropriate for the current and emerging 
        context in which the mission is working;
            (4) whether there is sufficient flexibility in terms of 
        personnel to address fluctuations in funding for programs, and 
        if not, what type of flexibility would be helpful;
            (5) whether up-to-date technical expertise and lessons from 
        prior projects are being systematically incorporated into new 
        program design;
            (6) whether missions of USAID are appropriately focused on 
        bilateral and multilateral donor coordination and whether this 
        is a priority for USAID personnel;
            (7) what the appropriate relationship and balance are 
        between USAID missions and the broader United States mission in 
        a country;
            (8) how effectively USAID is able to coordinate with the 
        Department of Defense, especially as the Department of Defense 
        implements an increasing number of development and humanitarian 
        programs;
            (9) whether the existing structure of the United States 
        foreign assistance system allows for proper coordination 
        between different Federal departments and agencies implementing 
        foreign assistance and development programs to avoid 
        duplication of effort; and
            (10) what obstacles exist to more effective coordination, 
        including what structural or organizational improvements would 
        assist with more effective coordination.

SEC. 10. TRANSPARENCY OF UNITED STATES FOREIGN ASSISTANCE.

    (a) Sense of Congress on Transparency of Assistance.--It is the 
sense of Congress that--
            (1) United States citizens and recipients of United States 
        foreign assistance should, to the maximum extent practicable, 
        have full access to information on United States foreign 
        assistance; and
            (2) to the extent possible, United States Government 
        agencies, departments, and institutions should undertake 
        preparatory consultations with relevant outside stakeholders in 
        a transparent and full manner in the course of formulating 
        policies and strategies related to foreign assistance and 
        development.
    (b) Public Availability of Information.--
            (1) In general.--The President shall direct all Federal 
        departments and agencies to make publicly available on their 
        Web sites comprehensive, timely, comparable, and accessible 
        information on United States foreign assistance. The 
        information shall be presented on a detailed program-by-program 
        basis and country-by-country basis.
            (2) Content.--To ensure transparency, accountability, and 
        effectiveness of United States foreign assistance, the 
        information on United States foreign assistance published and 
        made available under paragraph (1) shall include annual budget 
        presentations and justifications of any programs or projects 
        that provide foreign assistance by any Federal department or 
        agency. In the event that detailed information is classified, 
        an unclassified summary shall be posted and the classified 
        details shall be submitted separately to the appropriate 
        congressional committees.
            (3) Timely availability of information.--The President 
        shall direct the head of each Federal department and agency 
        providing United States foreign assistance to ensure that the 
        information required under this subsection is made available on 
        no less than an annual basis at the time the President's annual 
        budget is released. Data that is of a provisional nature shall 
        be updated when actual figures are available.
    (c) Sense of Multilateral Efforts.--It is the sense of Congress 
that, in order to best assess the use and impact of United States 
foreign assistance in relation to funding provided by other donor 
nations and recipient countries, the President should fully engage with 
and participate in the International Aid Transparency Initiative, 
established on September 4, 2008, at the Accra High Level Forum on Aid 
Effectiveness.

SEC. 11. OPERATING EXPENSES.

    (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) The separate account created by Congress in 1976 to 
        authorize and appropriate funds for all operating expenses of 
        the United States Agency for International Development has been 
        an important tool to ensure transparency of administrative 
        costs and accountability of funds.
            (2) Funding for the operating expenses of the Agency has 
        not kept pace with the growth of the Agency's program funding 
        and the expanded geographic and sectoral demands for economic 
        assistance abroad.
            (3) As a result, this has caused the Agency in certain 
        cases to fund selected administrative costs out of program 
        funds in order to properly administer, oversee, and implement 
        its programs and activities, thus detracting from the goals of 
        increased transparency and accountability that establishment of 
        the separate operating expenses account was intended to foster.
            (4) A 2003 Government Accountability Office report on the 
        operating expenses of the Agency noted that ``USAID's operating 
        expense account does not fully reflect the agency's cost of 
        doing business primarily because the agency pays for some 
        administrative activities done by contractors and other 
        nondirect-hire staff with program funds'' and that ``Congress 
        has increasingly encouraged the Agency to use program funds to 
        support certain administrative costs''.
            (5) The December 2007 HELP Commission Report on Foreign 
        Assistance Reform--
                    (A) states, ``Over time, the effectiveness of a 
                separate OE budget has eroded. During the past 30 
                years, Congress and the Executive branch have allowed 
                program funds to be used to pay for the costs of 
                activities once funded from the OE account while 
                cutting the OE budget.'';
                    (B) recommends ``[a]bolish[ing] the OE account and 
                replac[ing] it with a more accurate accounting 
                process,'';
                    (C) argues that ``the USAID OE account no longer 
                serves a useful purpose''; and
                    (D) states, ``While it might have been constructive 
                in bringing clarity to the cost of doing business in 
                the 1970s, another system should be developed that 
                calculates true administrative and management expenses, 
                including those now funded with program or project 
                funds. This new system needs to allow administrative 
                expenses to be properly managed and monitored and needs 
                to ensure that Congress receives clear, timely and 
                transparent information regarding these 
                expenditures.''.
            (6) While Congress concurs with the HELP Commission's 
        recommendation that a major reassessment of the scope and the 
        continued utility of the operating expenses account structure 
        is in order, Congress also believes that the urgency of the 
        issues confronting Agency management in terms of hiring 
        technical expertise and providing the Agency with the capacity 
        to oversee and administer critical foreign assistance programs 
        and functions, justifies providing the Agency with broader 
        discretion on ways to support direct-hire staffing 
        requirements.
    (b) Guidelines for Program Funds.--
            (1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2) and except as 
        otherwise authorized by law, program funds may be used for--
                    (A) travel expenses of all employees who are 
                members of the Foreign Service or civil service;
                    (B) salaries and related expenses of employees 
                other than Foreign Service or civil service employees 
                who are United States citizens; and
                    (C) costs associated with research and policy 
                analysis in support of programs (other than for 
                salaries and benefits of employees or costs associated 
                with contractors), including analysis for development 
                assistance policy planning and for the design, 
                monitoring, and evaluation of programs and activities.
            (2) Notification.--The Administrator shall--
                    (A) submit a written report to the appropriate 
                congressional committees detailing the Agency's plan 
                for managing and accounting for the funds used in 
                accordance with the authority provided by paragraph (1) 
                not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment 
                of this Act; and
                    (B) consult with the appropriate congressional 
                committees about the use and management of such funds 
                not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment 
                of this Act.
    (c) Semiannual Report.--Not later than once every 6 months until 
2013, the Administrator shall submit a report to the appropriate 
congressional committees that details the purpose and amount of funds 
obligated under the authority provided pursuant to subsection (b), 
categorized by bureau and activity.
    (d) Report on Recommendations for Operating Expense Reform.--Not 
later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
Administrator, in coordination with the workforce and human resources 
task force established pursuant to section 7(d), shall submit a report 
to the appropriate congressional committees that contains--
            (1) recommendations and detailed justifications for 
        streamlining and improving the efficiency of how the Agency 
        uses operating expenses, including recommendations for 
        alternative models and approaches;
            (2) recommendations and detailed justifications for 
        increasing the transparency of Agency operating expenses;
            (3) an assessment of how the operating expenses account has 
        affected Agency performance in support of program goals and 
        objectives; and
            (4) an assessment of how the operating expenses account has 
        affected human resources and personnel of the Agency, including 
        a discussion of the proliferation of new hiring authorities and 
        increased reliance on contractors to handle the core business 
        of the Agency.
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