I 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1135 

To establish the Leadership Institute for Transatlantic Engagement to develop 

a diverse community of transatlantic leaders committed to democratic 

institutions, processes, and values. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 18, 2021 

Mr. HASTINGS (for himself, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, Mr. 

COHEN, and Mr. MEEKS) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

A BILL 

To establish the Leadership Institute for Transatlantic Engagement to develop a diverse community of transatlantic 

leaders committed to democratic institutions, processes, 

and values. 

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

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Leadership Institute 

5 for Transatlantic Engagement Act’’ or ‘‘LITE Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE FOR 

2 TRANSATLANTIC ENGAGEMENT. 

3 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the 

4 legislative branch the Leadership Institute for Trans5 atlantic Engagement. 

6 (b) BOARD OF TRUSTEES.—The Institute shall be 

7 subject to the supervision and direction of a Board of 

8 Trustees which shall be composed of five members as fol9 lows: 

10 (1) Two members appointed by the Speaker of 

11 the House of Representatives, one of whom shall be 

12 designated by the majority leader of the House of 

13 Representatives and one of whom shall be designated 

14 by the minority leader of the House of Representa15 tives. 

16 (2) Two members appointed by the President 

17 pro tempore of the Senate, one of whom shall be 

18 designated by the majority leader of the Senate and 

19 one of whom shall be designated by the minority 

20 leader of the Senate. 

21 (3) The Executive Director of the Institute, 

22 who shall serve as an ex officio member of the 

23 Board. 

24 (c) TERM.—Each member of the Board appointed 

25 under this section shall serve for a term of three years. 

26 Any vacancy shall be filled in the same manner as the 


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1 original appointment and the individual so appointed shall 

2 serve for the remainder of the term. A Member of Con3 gress appointed to the Board may not consecutively serve 

4 as a member of the Board for more than a total of six 

5 years. 

6 (d) CHAIR AND VICE-CHAIR.—At the first meeting 

7 and at its first regular meeting in each calendar year 

8 thereafter the Board shall elect a Chair and Vice-Chair 

9 from among the members of the Board. The Chair and 

10 Vice-Chair may not be members of the same political 

11 party. 

12 (e) PAY NOT AUTHORIZED; EXPENSES.—Members of 

13 the Board (other than the Executive Director) shall serve 

14 without pay, but shall be entitled to reimbursement for 

15 travel, subsistence, and other necessary expenses incurred 

16 in the performance of their duties. 

17 (f) LOCATION OF INSTITUTE AND REGIONAL OF18 FICES.—The Institute shall be located in Washington, DC, 

19 and the Executive Director may also establish other offices 

20 for the Institute in regions of the United States and Eu21 rope. 

22 SEC. 3. PURPOSES AND AUTHORITY OF LEADERSHIP INSTI23 TUTE FOR TRANSATLANTIC ENGAGEMENT. 

24 (a) PURPOSES.—The purposes of the Institute shall 

25 be to develop a diverse community of transatlantic leaders, 


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1 including emerging leaders, committed to democratic insti2 tutions, processes, and values by— 

3 (1) providing training and professional develop4 ment opportunities for racially and ethnically diverse 

5 leaders on democratic governance and international 

6 affairs; 

7 (2) enabling international exchanges between 

8 leaders to increase understanding and knowledge of 

9 democratic models of governance; and 

10 (3) increasing awareness of the importance of 

11 international public service careers in racially and 

12 ethnically diverse communities. 

13 (b) AUTHORITY.—The Institute is authorized, con14 sistent with this Act, to develop such programs, activities, 

15 and services as it considers appropriate to carry out the 

16 purposes described in subsection (a). Such authority shall 

17 include the following: 

18 (1) The development and implementation of 

19 training and educational programs and tools for 

20 leaders and for students in secondary and postsec21 ondary schools and colleges, including minority serv22 ing institutions. 

23 (2) The development and implementation of 

24 media and telecommunications productions, as well 

25 as online and social media methods, to assist the InVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:23 Mar 16, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1135.IH H1135

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1 stitute in expanding the reach of its programs 

2 throughout the United States and abroad. 

3 (3) The establishment of library and research 

4 facilities for the collection, publication, compilation, 

5 and distribution of research materials for use in car6 rying out the programs of the Institute. 

7 (c) PROGRAM PRIORITIES.—The Executive Director 

8 shall determine the priority of the programs to be carried 

9 out under this Act and the amount of funds to be allocated 

10 for such programs. 

11 (d) GRANT PROGRAM.— 

12 (1) GRANT PROGRAM.—The Institute shall es13 tablish a program to awards grants in the United 

14 States and abroad on an annual basis to colleges 

15 and universities, other research institutions and or16 ganizations, public departments and Federal agen17 cies (including State, territorial, and overseas de18 partments), and individuals for the purposes of as19 sisting the Institute’s work in conducting research, 

20 international exchanges, education or training activi21 ties, to develop such programs, activities, and serv22 ices as it considers appropriate to carry out the pur23 poses described in subsection (a). 

24 (2) APPLICATION.—Each organization that 

25 seeks a grant under this subsection shall submit an 


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1 application to the Institute at such time, in such 

2 manner, and accompanied by such information as 

3 the Institute may reasonably require. 

4 (3) SET-ASIDE FOR CENTERS OF EXCEL5 LENCE.—The Institute shall ensure that not less 

6 than 50 percent of amounts made available to carry 

7 out this subsection are used to provide grants to mi8 nority-serving institutions and entities that have 

9 made significant efforts to work with racially and 

10 ethnically diverse populations in the United States 

11 or abroad. 

12 (4) CONSORTIUM.—One or more research insti13 tutions may constitute themselves as a consortium 

14 for purposes of seeking a grant under this sub15 section. 

16 SEC. 4. LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE FOR TRANSATLANTIC EN17 GAGEMENT TRUST FUND. 

18 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the 

19 Treasury of the United States a trust fund to be known 

20 as the ‘‘Leadership Institute for Transatlantic Engage21 ment Trust Fund’’. The Fund shall consist of amounts 

22 which may be appropriated, credited, or transferred to it 

23 under this section. 


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1 (b) DONATIONS.—Any money or other property do2 nated, bequeathed, or devised to the Institute under the 

3 authority of this section shall be credited to the Fund. 

4 (c) FUND MANAGEMENT AND INVESTMENT.— 

5 (1) INVESTMENT.—At the request of the Insti6 tute, it shall be the duty of the Secretary of the 

7 Treasury to invest in full the amounts appropriated 

8 to the Fund. Such investments may be made only in 

9 interest-bearing obligations of the United States 

10 issued directly to the Fund. 

11 (2) ISSUANCE OF OBLIGATIONS.—The purposes 

12 for which obligations of the United States may be 

13 issued under chapter 31 of title 31, United States 

14 Code, are hereby extended to authorize the issuance 

15 at par of special obligations directly to the Fund. 

16 Such special obligations shall bear interest at a rate 

17 equal to the average rate of interest, computed as to 

18 the end of the calendar month next preceding the 

19 date of such issue, borne by all marketable interest20 bearing obligations of the United States then form21 ing a part of the public debt, except that if such av22 erage rate is not a multiple of one-eighth of 1 per 

23 centum, the rate of interest of such special obliga24 tions shall be the multiple of one-eighth of 1 per 

25 centum next lower than such average rate. All reVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:23 Mar 16, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1135.IH H1135

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1 quests of the Institute to the Secretary of the Treas2 ury provided for in this section shall be binding upon 

3 the Secretary. 

4 (d) AUTHORITY TO SELL OBLIGATIONS.—At the re5 quest of the Institute, the Secretary of the Treasury shall 

6 redeem any obligation issued directly to the Fund. Obliga7 tions issued to the Fund under subsection (c)(2) shall be 

8 redeemed at par plus accrued interest. Any other obliga9 tions issued directly to the Fund shall be redeemed at the 

10 market price. 

11 (e) PROCEEDS FROM CERTAIN TRANSACTIONS

12 CREDITED TO FUND.—In addition to the appropriations 

13 received pursuant to this Act, the interest on, and the pro14 ceeds from the sale or redemption of, any obligations held 

15 in the Fund pursuant to this Act, shall be credited to and 

16 form a part of the Fund. 

17 (f) FUND RESERVES.—No less than five percent of 

18 the original amount appropriated to the Fund must re19 main in the Fund at all times. 

20 (g) EXPENDITURES.—The Secretary of the Treasury 

21 is authorized to pay to the Institute from the interests 

22 and earnings of the Fund, and moneys credited to the 

23 Fund pursuant to this section, such sums as the Board 

24 determines are necessary and appropriate to enable the 

25 Institute to carry out the provisions of this Act. 


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1 SEC. 5. ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS. 

2 (a) EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.—The Board shall ap3 point an Executive Director who shall be the chief execu4 tive officer and principal executive of the Institute and 

5 who shall supervise the affairs of, assist the directions of, 

6 and carry out the functions of the Board to administer 

7 the Institute. The Executive Director of the Institute shall 

8 be compensated at an annual rate specified by the Board. 

9 (b) OTHER DUTIES.—The Executive Director, in 

10 consultation with the Board shall appoint and fix the com11 pensation of such personnel as may be necessary to carry 

12 out this Act, including personnel to carry out duties at 

13 any locations of the Institute which are established outside 

14 of Washington, DC. 

15 (c) INSTITUTE PERSONNEL.— 

16 (1) STAFF APPOINTMENTS.—All staff appoint17 ments shall be made without regard to the provi18 sions of title 5, United States Code, governing ap19 pointments in the competitive service, and without 

20 regard to the provisions of chapter 51 and sub21 chapter III of chapter 53 of such title relating to 

22 classification and general schedule pay rates. 

23 (2) TREATMENT AS CONGRESSIONAL EMPLOY24 EES.—For purposes of pay and other employment 

25 benefits, rights, and privileges and for all other pur26 poses, any employee of the Institute shall be considVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:23 Mar 16, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1135.IH H1135

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1 ered to be a Congressional employee under section 

2 2107 of title 5, United States Code. 

3 (3) COVERAGE UNDER CONGRESSIONAL AC4 COUNTABILITY ACT OF 1995.— 

5 (A) TREATMENT OF EMPLOYEES AS COV6 ERED EMPLOYEES.—Section 101(3) of the Con7 gressional Accountability Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 

8 1301(3)) is amended— 

9 (i) by striking ‘‘or’’ at the end of sub10 paragraph (J); 

11 (ii) by striking the period at the end 

12 of subparagraph (K) and inserting ‘‘; or’’; 

13 and 

14 (iii) by adding at the end the fol15 lowing new subparagraph: 

16 ‘‘(L) the Leadership Institute for Trans17 atlantic Engagement.’’. 

18 (B) TREATMENT OF INSTITUTE AS EM19 PLOYING OFFICE.—Section 101(9)(D) of such 

20 Act (2 U.S.C. 1301(9)(D)) is amended by strik21 ing ‘‘and the John C. Stennis Center’’ and in22 serting ‘‘the Leadership Institute for Trans23 atlantic Engagement, and the John C. Stennis 

24 Center’’. 


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1 SEC. 6. ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS. 

2 In order to carry out this Act, the Institute may carry 

3 out any of the following: 

4 (1) Prescribe such regulations as it considers 

5 necessary for governing the manner in which its 

6 functions shall be carried out. 

7 (2) Procure temporary and intermittent services 

8 of experts and consultants as are necessary to the 

9 extent authorized by section 3109 of title 5, United 

10 States Code. 

11 (3) Accept and utilize the services of voluntary 

12 and uncompensated personnel and reimburse them 

13 for travel expenses, including per diem, as author14 ized by section 5703 of title 5, United States Code. 

15 (4) Request and utilize the assignment of any 

16 Federal officer or employee from a department, 

17 agency, or Congressional office to the Institute, in18 cluding on a rotating basis, by entering into an 

19 agreement for such assignment. 

20 (5) Solicit and receive money and other prop21 erty donated, bequeathed, or devised, without condi22 tion or restriction other than it be used for the pur23 poses of the Institute, and to use, sell, or otherwise 

24 dispose of such property for the purpose of carrying 

25 out its functions. 


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1 (6) Enter into contracts, grants, or other ar2 rangements, or modifications thereof, to carry out 

3 the provisions of this Act, including with any office 

4 of the Federal government or of any State or any 

5 subdivision thereof, and international public and pri6 vate sector entities. 

7 (7) Make expenditures for any expenses in con8 nection with official training sessions or other au9 thorized programs or activities of the Institute. 

10 (8) Apply for, receive, and use for the purposes 

11 of the Institute grants or other assistance from Fed12 eral sources. 

13 (9) Establish, receive, and use for the purposes 

14 of the Institute fees or other charges for goods or 

15 services provided in fulfilling the Institute’s pur16 poses. 

17 (10) Invest, as specified in section 4(c), monies 

18 authorized to be received under this Act. 

19 (11) Establish advisory committees or other 

20 bodies composed of persons eminent in international 

21 affairs, global security, and civil and human rights, 

22 to advise the Board without compensation (other 

23 than travel related expenses) on matters determined 

24 to be necessary by the Board. 


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1 (12) Respond to the request of offices of Con2 gress and other departments or agencies of the Fed3 eral government to examine, study, or report on any 

4 issue within the Institute’s competence, including the 

5 use of classified materials if necessary. 

6 (13) Work with the appropriate security offices 

7 of the House of Representatives and Senate to ob8 tain or retain need-based security clearances for In9 stitute personnel. 

10 (14) Assign Institute personnel to temporary 

11 duty with offices of the Federal government, inter12 national organizations, agencies and other entities to 

13 fulfill this Act. 

14 (15) Make other necessary expenditures. 

15 SEC. 7. DEFINITIONS. 

16 In this Act: 

17 (1) The term ‘‘Institute’’ means the ‘‘Leader18 ship Institute for Transatlantic Engagement’’ estab19 lished under section 2. 

20 (2) The term ‘‘Board’’ means the Board of 

21 Trustees of the Institute. 

22 (3) The term ‘‘Fund’’ means the Leadership In23 stitute for Transatlantic Engagement Trust Fund 

24 under section 4. 


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1 (4) The term ‘‘minority serving institutions’’ as 

2 defined in section 365(3) of the Higher Education 

3 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1067k(3)). 

4 SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS; DISBURSE5 MENTS. 

6 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be 

8 appropriated such sums as may be necessary to 

9 carry out this Act. 

10 (2) AVAILABILITY.—Amounts authorized to be 

11 appropriated under paragraph (1) are authorized to 

12 remain available until expended. 

13 (b) DISBURSEMENTS.—Amounts made available to 

14 the Institution shall be disbursed on vouchers approved 

15 by the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Board or by a majority 

16 vote of the Board. 

17 (c) USE OF FOREIGN CURRENCIES.—For purposes of 

18 section 502(b) of the Mutual Security Act of 1954 (22 

19 U.S.C. 1754(b)), the Institute shall be deemed to be a 

20 standing committee of the Congress and shall be entitled 

21 to use funds in accordance with such section. 

22 (d) FOREIGN TRAVEL.—Foreign travel for official 

23 purposes by Members of the Institute who are Members 

24 of Congress and Institute staff may be authorized by the 

25 Chair, Vice-Chair, or Executive Director of the Institute. 


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1 (e) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section shall take effect 

2 on the date of enactment of this Act. 

Æ 


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