I 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1096 

To ensure that the United States diplomatic workforce at all levels reflects 

the diverse composition of the United States, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 18, 2021 

Ms. BASS (for herself, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. RUSH, Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Mr. 

HASTINGS, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Ms. LEE of California, Mr. DANNY K. 

DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. CHABOT, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. 

SCHIFF, Mr. BUTTERFIELD, Mr. RYAN, Mr. RUPPERSBERGER, Mr. 

SIRES, Mr. COSTA, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, Mr. CARSON, Mr. CONNOLLY, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. CICILLINE, Ms. SEWELL, Ms. TITUS, Mr. 

TAKANO, Mr. VARGAS, Mr. VEASEY, Ms. BROWNLEY, Ms. KELLY of Illinois, Mr. CASTRO of Texas, Mrs. BEATTY, Mr. CASE, Ms. MENG, Mrs. 

LAWRENCE, Mr. EVANS, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Mr. GALLEGO, Mr. 

KHANNA, Mr. GOMEZ, Mr. BROWN, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Mr. SUOZZI, Mr. 

LAWSON of Florida, Mr. CARBAJAL, Mrs. DEMINGS, Ms. JAYAPAL, Mr. 

TRONE, Ms. OMAR, Ms. HOULAHAN, Mr. LEVIN of Michigan, Ms. TLAIB, 

Ms. STRICKLAND, Mr. BOWMAN, Ms. MANNING, Mr. TORRES of New 

York, and Ms. BUSH) introduced the following bill; which was referred 

to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

A BILL 

To ensure that the United States diplomatic workforce at 

all levels reflects the diverse composition of the United 

States, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Represent America 

3 Abroad Act of 2021’’. 

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

5 Congress finds the following: 

6 (1) As the United States becomes more racially 

7 and ethnically diverse, the Department of State and 

8 the United States Agency for International Develop9 ment (USAID) must continue to invest in policies to 

10 recruit, retain, and develop the best and brightest 

11 from the full spectrum of American society in order 

12 to be better positioned to advance United States in13 terests abroad. 

14 (2) Foreign Service officers are America’s face 

15 to the world. Thus, the workforce must represent the 

16 United States commitment to inclusion and diversity 

17 in order to effectively advance American values on 

18 the world stage. 

19 (3) The Department of State and USAID must 

20 embrace policies that recruit professionals from the 

21 broadest possible pool of talent and retain them in 

22 order to significantly increase diversity in the For23 eign Service. Timely action to increase diversity at 

24 the mid-levels is crucial, as it takes approximately 

25 nine years for an entry level Foreign Service officer 


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1 (class 6, 5, 4) to rise to the mid-ranks of the For2 eign Service (class 3, 2, or 1). 

3 (4) February and June 2020 reports by the 

4 Government Accountability Office found barriers to 

5 a diverse and inclusive workforce within the ranks of 

6 the Foreign Service, especially at the mid-career and 

7 senior levels. Individuals who are racial or ethnic mi8 norities comprise only 24 percent at the Department 

9 of State and 27 percent at USAID. At the executive 

10 level, individuals who are racial or ethnic minorities 

11 comprise only 13 percent at the Department of 

12 State and 17 percent at USAID. This means that 

13 the leadership is the least diverse level within the 

14 Foreign Service. 

15 (5) In the past, Secretaries of State have ac16 knowledged the lack of workforce diversity and 

17 pledged to take concrete steps to address the prob18 lem. In 2017, then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson 

19 recognized a great diversity gap in the Department 

20 of State and former Secretary of State John Kerry 

21 noted that in order to represent the United States, 

22 the Department of State must have a workforce that 

23 reflects the rich composition of its citizenry. Yet 

24 there has been no concrete plan to address the lack 

25 of diversity at the mid-career and senior levels. 


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1 (6) USAID has previously identified under-rep2 resentation of specific groups in its workforce, but 

3 staffing gaps, partly due to a lack of senior leader4 ship attention, prevent the agency from adequately 

5 addressing the issue. 

6 (7) Congress authorized the creation of a 3-year 

7 lateral entry pilot project under section 404 of the 

8 Department of State Authorities Act, Fiscal Year 

9 2017 (Public Law 114–323; 130 Stat. 1928) to 

10 bring highly qualified individuals with special skills, 

11 which the Department may lack, into the Foreign 

12 Service at the mid-career level. Such a project would 

13 not only allow the Foreign Service to supplement its 

14 work force with those possessing complementary and 

15 needed skills, but it would also serve as an avenue 

16 to diversify the mid-level and senior ranks of the 

17 Foreign Service. Yet, more than three years later, 

18 the Department has failed to comply with the law. 

19 SEC. 3. DECLARATION OF NATIONAL INTEREST; STATE20 MENT OF POLICY. 

21 (a) DECLARATION OF NATIONAL INTEREST.—Con22 gress declares that it is in the national interest of the 

23 United States to ensure that the members of the United 

24 States Foreign Service workforce be representative of the 

25 American people. 


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1 (b) STATEMENT OF POLICY.—It shall be the policy 

2 of the Department of State and of the United States 

3 Agency for International Development— 

4 (1) to strengthen the Foreign Service workforce 

5 by bolstering the diversity of those who represent 

6 Americans abroad; 

7 (2) to treat the people of the Foreign Service 

8 as its primary asset, and as such, hold as a central 

9 tenet making strides in increasing minority represen10 tation at all levels of the Foreign Service workforce 

11 to secure the country’s national interests; and 

12 (3) in accordance with the Foreign Service Act 

13 of 1980, to attract highly qualified, mid-career pro14 fessionals who are also American minorities, through 

15 a pathway program for entry into the Foreign Serv16 ice. 

17 SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION. 

18 (a) MODIFICATION OF LATERAL ENTRY FOREIGN

19 SERVICE PROGRAM.—Section 404 of the Department of 

20 State Authorities Act, Fiscal Year 2017 (Public Law 114– 

21 323; 130 Stat. 1928) is amended as follows: 

22 (1) In subsection (a)— 

23 (A) by striking ‘‘It is the sense of Congress 

24 that the Foreign Service’’ and inserting the fol25 lowing: ‘‘It is the sense of Congress that— 


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1 ‘‘(1) the Foreign Service’’; 

2 (B) by striking the period at the end and 

3 inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

4 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

5 ‘‘(2) the lateral entry pilot program authorized 

6 under this section should be an avenue for the For7 eign Service to diversify its mid-level ranks by in8 cluding applicants from traditionally under-rep9 resented groups in terms of racial, ethnic, geo10 graphic, and gender diversity, and disability sta11 tus.’’. 

12 (2) By redesignating subsections (c) and (d) as 

13 subsections (d) and (e), respectively. 

14 (3) By inserting after subsection (b) the fol15 lowing: 

16 ‘‘(c) PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS.—The program au17 thorized under subsection (b) shall be implemented not 

18 later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this 

19 subsection, and the Secretary shall— 

20 ‘‘(1) ensure that not less than 50 percent of 

21 program participants per year are placed in the For22 eign Service; and 

23 ‘‘(2) include recruitment outreach for program 

24 participation to— 

25 ‘‘(A) diversity officers in the private sector; 


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1 ‘‘(B) all members of the Department’s civil 

2 service and recognized Department affinity 

3 groups; 

4 ‘‘(C) the civil service of other national se5 curity related Federal agencies; and 

6 ‘‘(D) professional associations.’’. 

7 (b) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 

8 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State 

9 shall establish a program, which shall be known as the 

10 ‘‘Represent America Mid-Career Foreign Service Entry 

11 Program’’ (in this section referred to as the ‘‘Program’’), 

12 to be administered jointly by the Director General of the 

13 Foreign Service, the Director of Global Talent Manage14 ment of the Department of State, and the Chief Human 

15 Capital Officer of the Office of Human Capital and Talent 

16 Management of the United States Agency for Inter17 national Development, to identify, attract, and welcome 

18 into the Foreign Service mid-career professionals who are 

19 from minority groups. 

20 (c) ELEMENTS OF PROGRAM.— 

21 (1) PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS.—The Secretary 

22 of State shall carry out the following with respect to 

23 the Program: 


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1 (A) Establish and publish eligibility cri2 teria for candidates to participate in the Pro3 gram. 

4 (B) Carry out countrywide recruitment ef5 forts to attract highly qualified, mid-career pro6 fessionals from minority groups, such as at and 

7 through the following: 

8 (i) Community agencies and organiza9 tions. 

10 (ii) Faith-based organizations. 

11 (iii) Community events. 

12 (iv) Professional associations. 

13 (v) Colleges and universities, including 

14 historically Black colleges and universities 

15 and other minority-serving institutions 

16 such as Hispanic-serving institutions, 

17 Asian American and Native American Pa18 cific Islander-serving institutions, Amer19 ican Indian Tribally controlled colleges and 

20 universities, Alaska Native and Native Ha21 waiian-serving institutions, Tribal colleges 

22 and universities, Predominantly Black In23 stitutions, and Native American-serving, 

24 Nontribal institutions. 

25 (vi) Diplomats in residence. 


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1 (vii) Job fairs. 

2 (viii) Newspaper/magazines/journals. 

3 (ix) Radio stations and programs. 

4 (x) Websites, webcasts, podcasts, and 

5 other online channels. 

6 (C) Recruit eligible candidates for the Pro7 gram. 

8 (D) Develop a structured program that in9 cludes as part of the initial training, a class or 

10 module that specifically prepares participants 

11 for life in the Foreign Service, including con12 veying to such participants essential elements of 

13 the practical knowledge that is normally ac14 quired during a Foreign Service Officer’s initial 

15 assignments. 

16 (E) Include appropriate mentorship and 

17 other career development opportunities, such as 

18 leadership training, for Program participants. 

19 (2) OVERALL QUALIFICATIONS.—In recruiting, 

20 training, and assigning members of the Program, 

21 the Secretary of State should seek highly qualified 

22 minority individuals who are mid-career profes23 sionals— 

24 (A) with diverse work experience who have 

25 capabilities, insights, techniques, and experiVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:54 Mar 12, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1096.IH H1096

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1 ences that would serve to enrich the Foreign 

2 Service workforce and empower it to perform 

3 more effectively; 

4 (B) with demonstrated knowledge of, expe5 rience with, and interest in United States for6 eign policy and national security and inter7 national affairs, including knowledge of the af8 fairs, cultures, and languages of other coun9 tries; 

10 (C) with demonstrable leadership skills and 

11 the potential for further growth; 

12 (D) that demonstrate a track record of col13 laboration, team-building, and stakeholder man14 agement skills; 

15 (E) with demonstrated capacity for critical 

16 thinking and analytical skills, including the 

17 ability to synthesize information into clear and 

18 concise recommendations; 

19 (F) with strategic thinking, and ability to 

20 solve complex problems; 

21 (G) with flexibility, adaptability, and deter22 mination; and 

23 (H) who are United States citizens with 

24 worldwide service availability and who are able 


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1 to obtain appropriate security and medical 

2 clearances. 

3 (d) ADVANCEMENT FROM PROGRAM.—Candidates 

4 who are accepted into the Program in accordance with the 

5 qualifications and requirements of this section shall have 

6 the opportunity to advance to the Foreign Service oral as7 sessment for potential entry as the appropriate class of 

8 mid-level Foreign Service officer in accordance with the 

9 candidate’s professional qualifications. 

10 (e) MID-CAREER PROFESSIONAL DEFINED.—For 

11 purposes of the Program, the term ‘‘mid-career profes12 sional’’ means an individual who has the skills and experi13 ence to serve as a mid-level Foreign Service officer (class 

14 3, 2, or 1) and who meets any of the following criteria, 

15 consistent with the merit-based principles and core pre16 cepts set forth in the Foreign Affairs Manual and Hand17 book and in accordance with applicable requirements of 

18 the Foreign Service Act of 1980: 

19 (1) An individual with at least eight years of 

20 professional experience and a bachelor’s degree from 

21 an accredited college or university in selected fields 

22 of study representing the needs of the Department 

23 of State, including public policy, public administra24 tion, international law, international relations, polit25 ical science, foreign languages, business administraVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:54 Mar 12, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1096.IH H1096

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1 tion, economics, history, sociology, geography, social 

2 or cultural anthropology, statistics, or the human3 ities. 

4 (2) An individual with at least seven years of 

5 professional experience and a master’s degree from 

6 an accredited college or university in selected fields 

7 of study representing the needs of the Department 

8 of State, including any field specified in paragraph 

9 (1). 

10 (3) An individual with at least five years of pro11 fessional experience and doctoral degree from an ac12 credited college or university in selected fields of 

13 study representing the needs of the Department of 

14 State, including any field specified in paragraph (1). 

15 (f) REPORTS.— 

16 (1) INITIAL REPORT.—Not later than 180 days 

17 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec18 retary of State shall submit to the Committee on 

19 Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and 

20 the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate 

21 a report on a plan to establish the Program. 

22 (2) ANNUAL UPDATE.—Not later than one year 

23 after the submission of the report required under 

24 paragraph (1) and annually thereafter, the Secretary 

25 of State shall submit to the Committee on Foreign 


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1 Affairs of the House of Representatives and the 

2 Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate a re3 port on the status of the Program. Each such report 

4 shall include the following information with respect 

5 to the previous year: 

6 (A) The number of candidates approved 

7 for the Program. 

8 (B) The number of candidates who began 

9 participating, including anonymized information 

10 on such candidates’ backgrounds with respect 

11 to education and prior work experience and 

12 grade level at which the candidate entered the 

13 Foreign Service. 

14 (C) A breakdown of the number of partici15 pants recruited into and advancing from the 

16 Program by ethnicity and sex. 

17 (D) A disaggregation by Foreign Service 

18 cone and post or mission (including identifying 

19 whether the post is hard-to-fill) assigned to 

20 each participant advancing from the Program. 

21 (E) Program attrition rates and retention 

22 data, including information on how such data 

23 compares to the data reported in the most re24 cent prior submission of such report. 


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1 (F) Information on recruiting efforts for 

2 the Program, including an outreach strategy 

3 detailing resources allocated to outreach, as well 

4 as where, how, and when outreach will be car5 ried out. 

6 (G) Information on efforts to improve the 

7 efficacy of the Program and promote retention 

8 of Program participants. 

Æ 


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