I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 6054 

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 

OCTOBER 25, 2023 

Ms. KAMLAGER-DOVE (for herself, Mr. LIEU, Mr. TORRES of New York, Mr. 

CASTRO of Texas, Mr. KIM of New Jersey, Mr. CONNOLLY, Ms. TITUS, 

Ms. OMAR, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mr. COHEN, Mr. KHANNA, Ms. 

LEE of California, Mr. VARGAS, Mr. VEASEY, Ms. KELLY of Illinois, Mr. 

TAKANO, Ms. NORTON, Ms. ADAMS, Mr. POCAN, Mr. SCHIFF, Ms. 

BROWNLEY, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Mr. TRONE, and Ms. JAYAPAL) 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, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

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

5 Abroad Act of 2023’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 


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1 (1) The Department of State and the United 

2 States Agency for International Development 

3 (USAID) must continue to invest in policies to re4 cruit, retain, and develop the best and brightest 

5 from the full spectrum of American society in order 

6 to be better positioned to advance United States in7 terests abroad. 

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

9 to the world and in order to effectively advance 

10 American values on the world stage should represent 

11 the United States commitment to inclusion and di12 versity. 

13 (3) The Department of State and USAID must 

14 embrace policies that recruit professionals from the 

15 broadest possible pool of talent and retain them in 

16 order to have a Foreign Service that is the most ef17 fective and truly reflects the diversity of the United 

18 States. 

19 (4) February and June 2020 reports by the 

20 Government Accountability Office found barriers to 

21 a diverse and inclusive workforce within the ranks of 

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

23 senior levels. Individuals who are racial or ethnic mi24 norities comprise only 24 percent at the Department 

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


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1 level, individuals who are racial or ethnic minorities 

2 comprise only 13 percent at the Department of 

3 State and 17 percent at USAID. This means that 

4 the leadership is the least diverse level within the 

5 Foreign Service. 

6 (5) In the past, Secretaries of State have ac7 knowledged the lack of workforce diversity and 

8 pledged to take concrete steps to address the prob9 lem. In 2017, then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson 

10 recognized a great diversity gap in the Department 

11 of State and former Secretary of State John Kerry 

12 noted that in order to represent the United States, 

13 the Department of State must have a workforce that 

14 reflects the rich composition of its citizenry. Yet 

15 there has been no concrete plan to address the lack 

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

17 (6) USAID has previously identified under-rep18 resentation of specific groups in its workforce, but 

19 staffing gaps, partly due to a lack of senior leader20 ship attention, prevent the agency from adequately 

21 addressing the issue. 

22 SEC. 3. DECLARATION OF NATIONAL INTEREST; STATE23 MENT OF POLICY. 

24 (a) DECLARATION OF NATIONAL INTEREST.—Con25 gress declares that it is in the national interest of the 


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1 United States to ensure that the members of the United 

2 States Foreign Service workforce be representative of the 

3 American people. 

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

5 of the Department of State and of the United States 

6 Agency for International Development— 

7 (1) to strengthen the Foreign Service workforce 

8 by bolstering the diversity of those who represent 

9 Americans abroad; 

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

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

12 tenet making strides in increasing representation at 

13 all levels of the Foreign Service workforce to secure 

14 the country’s national interests; and 

15 (3) in accordance with the Foreign Service Act 

16 of 1980, to attract highly qualified, mid-career pro17 fessionals who belong to historically excluded groups, 

18 through a pathway program for entry into the For19 eign Service. 

20 SEC. 4. MODIFICATION OF LATERAL ENTRY FOREIGN SERV21 ICE PROGRAM. 

22 (a) MODIFICATION OF LATERAL ENTRY FOREIGN

23 SERVICE PROGRAM.—Section 404 of the Department of 

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

25 323; 130 Stat. 1928) is amended to read as follows: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 404. LATERAL ENTRY INTO THE FOREIGN SERVICE. 

2 ‘‘(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con3 gress that— 

4 ‘‘(1) the Foreign Service should permit mid-ca5 reer entry into the Foreign Service for qualified indi6 viduals who are willing to bring their talents and ex7 periences to the work of the Foreign Service; and 

8 ‘‘(2) the lateral entry program authorized under 

9 this section should be used to address disparities in 

10 retention and promotion as identified by barrier 

11 analysis and 2020 Government Accountability Office 

12 reports, by identifying, attracting, and welcoming 

13 into the Foreign Service highly qualified mid-career 

14 professionals who belong to historically excluded 

15 groups in terms of racial, ethnic, geographic, and 

16 gender diversity, and disability status. 

17 ‘‘(b) ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM.—The Secretary 

18 shall establish a pilot program for lateral entry into the 

19 Foreign Service by mid-career professionals who belong to 

20 historically excluded groups in terms of racial, ethnic, geo21 graphic, and gender diversity, and disability status that— 

22 ‘‘(1) is in full comportment with current For23 eign Service intake procedures, including the re24 quirement to pass the Foreign Service exam; 


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1 ‘‘(2) requires only one directed assignment in a 

2 position appropriate to the grade level of the partici3 pant; 

4 ‘‘(3) includes, as part of the required initial 

5 training, a class or module that specifically prepares 

6 participants in the pilot program for life in the For7 eign Service, including conveying to such partici8 pants essential elements of the practical knowledge 

9 that is normally acquired during a Foreign Service 

10 officer’s initial assignments; 

11 ‘‘(4) includes an annual assessment of the 

12 progress of the pilot program by a review board con13 sisting of Department officials with appropriate ex14 pertise, including employees of the Foreign Service, 

15 in order to evaluate the success of the pilot program; 

16 and 

17 ‘‘(5) includes recruitment outreach for pilot 

18 program participation to— 

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

20 ‘‘(B) all members of the civil service of the 

21 Department and recognized Department affin22 ity groups; 

23 ‘‘(C) the civil service of other national se24 curity related Federal agencies; and 

25 ‘‘(D) professional associations. 


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1 ‘‘(c) ADMINISTRATION.—The pilot program under 

2 subsection (b) shall be administered jointly by the Director 

3 General of the Foreign Service, the Director of Global Tal4 ent Management of the Department of State, and the 

5 Chief Human Capital Officer of the Office of Human Cap6 ital and Talent Management of the United States Agency 

7 for International Development. 

8 ‘‘(d) ELEMENTS.— 

9 ‘‘(1) PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS.—The Sec10 retary shall carry out the following with respect to 

11 the pilot program under subsection (b): 

12 ‘‘(A) Establish and publish eligibility cri13 teria for candidates to participate in the pilot 

14 program. 

15 ‘‘(B) Carry out countrywide recruitment 

16 efforts to attract highly qualified, mid-career 

17 professionals from among historically excluded 

18 groups, such as at and through the following: 

19 ‘‘(i) Community agencies and organi20 zations. 

21 ‘‘(ii) Faith-based organizations. 

22 ‘‘(iii) Community events. 

23 ‘‘(iv) Professional associations. 

24 ‘‘(v) Colleges and universities, includ25 ing historically Black colleges and univerVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:55 Oct 29, 2023 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6054.IH H6054

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1 sities and other minority-serving institu2 tions such as Hispanic-serving institutions, 

3 Asian American and Native American Pa4 cific Islander-serving institutions, Amer5 ican Indian Tribally controlled colleges and 

6 universities, Alaska Native and Native Ha7 waiian-serving institutions, Tribal colleges 

8 and universities, Predominantly Black In9 stitutions, and Native American-serving, 

10 Nontribal institutions. 

11 ‘‘(vi) Diplomats in residence. 

12 ‘‘(vii) Job fairs. 

13 ‘‘(viii) Newspaper/magazines/journals. 

14 ‘‘(ix) Radio stations and programs. 

15 ‘‘(x) Websites, webcasts, podcasts, and 

16 other online channels. 

17 ‘‘(C) Include appropriate mentorship and 

18 other career development opportunities, such as 

19 leadership training, for participants in the pilot 

20 program. 

21 ‘‘(2) OVERALL QUALIFICATIONS.—In estab22 lishing eligibility criteria under paragraph (1)(A), 

23 the Secretary shall seek highly qualified individuals 

24 who are mid-career professionals from the civil servVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:55 Oct 29, 2023 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6054.IH H6054

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1 ice and private sector belonging to historically ex2 cluded groups— 

3 ‘‘(A) with diverse work experience, who 

4 have capabilities, insights, techniques, and expe5 riences that would serve to enrich the Foreign 

6 Service workforce and empower it to perform 

7 more effectively; 

8 ‘‘(B) with demonstrated knowledge of, ex9 perience with, and interest in United States for10 eign policy and national security and inter11 national affairs, including knowledge of the af12 fairs, cultures, and languages of other coun13 tries; 

14 ‘‘(C) with demonstrable leadership skills 

15 and the potential for further growth; 

16 ‘‘(D) that demonstrate a track record of 

17 collaboration, team-building, and stakeholder 

18 management skills; 

19 ‘‘(E) with demonstrated capacity for crit20 ical thinking and analytical skills, including the 

21 ability to synthesize information into clear and 

22 concise recommendations; 

23 ‘‘(F) with strategic thinking, and ability to 

24 solve complex problems; 


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1 ‘‘(G) with flexibility, adaptability, and de2 termination; and 

3 ‘‘(H) who are United States citizens with 

4 worldwide service availability and who are able 

5 to obtain appropriate security and medical 

6 clearances. 

7 ‘‘(e) ADVANCEMENT FROM PROGRAM.—Candidates 

8 who are accepted into the pilot program under subsection 

9 (b) in accordance with the qualifications and requirements 

10 of this section shall have the opportunity to advance to 

11 the Foreign Service oral assessment for potential entry as 

12 the appropriate class of mid-level Foreign Service officer 

13 in accordance with the candidate’s professional qualifica14 tions with a goal of not less than 50 percent of such par15 ticipants per year being so placed. 

16 ‘‘(f) ANNUAL REPORTING.—Not later than 1 year 

17 after the date of the enactment of the Represent America 

18 Abroad Act of 2023, and annually thereafter, the Sec19 retary shall submit to the appropriate congressional com20 mittees a report on the status of the pilot program under 

21 subsection (b). Each such report shall include the fol22 lowing information with respect to the previous year: 

23 ‘‘(1) The number of accepted and unaccepted 

24 applicants to the pilot program, and the number of 

25 accepted applicants who began participating in the 


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1 pilot program, and the number of accepted appli2 cants who began participating in the pilot program. 

3 ‘‘(2) Anonymized information on the back4 grounds of accepted pilot program applicants and 

5 participants with respect to education and prior 

6 work experience, ethnicity, and sex. 

7 ‘‘(3) The number of pilot program participants 

8 who have advanced from the pilot program to a 

9 placement in the Foreign Service, disaggregated by 

10 education, prior work experience, ethnicity and sex. 

11 ‘‘(4) A disaggregation by Foreign Service as12 signment, cone and post or mission (including identi13 fying whether the post is hard-to-fill) assigned to 

14 each pilot program participant who has advanced to 

15 a placement in the Foreign Service. 

16 ‘‘(5) The grade level at which each pilot pro17 gram participant who has advanced to a placement 

18 in the Foreign Service entered the Foreign Service. 

19 ‘‘(6) The structure and operation of the pilot 

20 program. 

21 ‘‘(7) Attrition rates and retention data with re22 spect to the pilot program, including information on 

23 how such data compares to the data reported in the 

24 most recent prior submission of such report. 


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1 ‘‘(8) Information on recruiting efforts for the 

2 pilot program, including the resources allocated to 

3 outreach, as well as where, how, and when outreach 

4 will be carried out. 

5 ‘‘(9) Information on efforts to improve the effi6 cacy of the pilot program and promote retention of 

7 program participants. 

8 ‘‘(g) LONGITUDINAL DATA.—The Secretary shall— 

9 ‘‘(1) collect and maintain data on the career 

10 progression of each program participant for the 

11 length of each participant’s Foreign Service career; 

12 and 

13 ‘‘(2) make the data described in paragraph (1) 

14 available to the appropriate congressional commit15 tees upon request. 

16 ‘‘(h) DURATION.—The pilot program under sub17 section (b) shall be for an initial duration of 3 years, but 

18 may be renewed for an additional 5-year period following 

19 the end of such initial duration. 

20 ‘‘(i) MID-CAREER PROFESSIONAL DEFINED.—In this 

21 section, the term ‘mid-career professional’ means an indi22 vidual who has the skills and experience to serve as a mid23 level Foreign Service officer (class 3, 2, or 1) and who 

24 meets any of the following criteria, consistent with the 

25 merit-based principles and core precepts set forth in the 


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1 Foreign Affairs Manual and Handbook and in accordance 

2 with applicable requirements of the Foreign Service Act 

3 of 1980: 

4 ‘‘(1) An individual with at least 8 years of pro5 fessional experience and a bachelor’s degree from an 

6 accredited college or university in selected fields of 

7 study representing the needs of the Department of 

8 State, including public policy, public administration, 

9 international law, international relations, political 

10 science, foreign languages, business administration, 

11 economics, history, sociology, geography, social or 

12 cultural anthropology, statistics, or the humanities. 

13 ‘‘(2) An individual with at least 7 years of pro14 fessional experience and a master’s degree from an 

15 accredited college or university in selected fields of 

16 study representing the needs of the Department of 

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

18 ‘‘(3) An individual with at least 5 years of pro19 fessional experience and doctoral degree from an ac20 credited college or university in selected fields of 

21 study representing the needs of the Department of 

22 State, including any field specified in paragraph 

23 (1).’’. 

24 (b) TIMING.—Not later than 90 days after the date 

25 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall 


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1 commence the implementation of the pilot program under 

2 section 404(b) of the Department of State Authorities Act, 

3 Fiscal Year 2017 (Public Law 114–323; 130 Stat. 1928), 

4 as amended by subsection (a). 

Æ 


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