110TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 1084 
AN ACT 
To amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, the State 
Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956, and the For-
eign Service Act of 1980 to build operational readiness 
in civilian agencies, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Reconstruction and 
Stabilization Civilian Management Act of 2008’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) In June 2004, the Office of the Coordinator 
for Reconstruction and Stabilization (referred to as 
the ‘‘Coordinator’’) was established in the Depart-
ment of State with the mandate to lead, coordinate, 
and institutionalize United States Government civil-
ian capacity to prevent or prepare for post-conflict 
situations and help reconstruct and stabilize a coun-
try or region that is at risk of, in, or is in transition 
from, conflict or civil strife. 
(2) In December 2005, the Coordinator’s man-
date was reaffirmed by the National Security Presi-
dential Directive 44, which instructed the Secretary 
of State, and at the Secretary’s direction, the Coor-
dinator, to coordinate and lead integrated United 
States Government efforts, involving all United 
States departments and agencies with relevant capa-
bilities, to prepare, plan for, and conduct reconstruc-
tion and stabilization operations. 
(3) National Security Presidential Directive 44 
assigns to the Secretary, with the Coordinator’s as-
sistance, the lead role to develop reconstruction and
stabilization strategies, ensure civilian interagency 
program and policy coordination, coordinate inter-
agency processes to identify countries at risk of in-
stability, provide decision-makers with detailed op-
tions for an integrated United States Government 
response in connection with reconstruction and sta-
bilization operations, and carry out a wide range of 
other actions, including the development of a civilian 
surge capacity to meet reconstruction and stabiliza-
tion emergencies. The Secretary and the Coordinator 
are also charged with coordinating with the Depart-
ment of Defense on reconstruction and stabilization 
responses, and integrating planning and imple-
menting procedures. 
(4) The Department of Defense issued Direc-
tive 3000.05, which establishes that stability oper-
ations are a core United States military mission that 
the Department of Defense must be prepared to con-
duct and support, provides guidance on stability op-
erations that will evolve over time, and assigns re-
sponsibilities within the Department of Defense for 
planning, training, and preparing to conduct and 
support stability operations. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act:
(1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis-
trator’’ means the Administrator of the United 
States Agency for International Development. 
(2) AGENCY.—The term ‘‘agency’’ means any 
entity included in chapter 1 of title 5, United States 
Code. 
(3) APPROPRIATE
CONGRESSIONAL
COMMIT-
TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com-
mittees’’ means the Committee on Foreign Affairs of 
the House of Representatives and the Committee on 
Foreign Relations of the Senate. 
(4) DEPARTMENT.—Except as otherwise pro-
vided in this Act, the term ‘‘Department’’ means the 
Department of State. 
(5) PERSONNEL.—The term ‘‘personnel’’ means 
individuals serving in any service described in sec-
tion 2101 of title 5, United States Code, other than 
in the legislative or judicial branch. 
(6) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of State. 
SEC. 4. AUTHORITY TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE FOR RECON-
STRUCTION AND STABILIZATION CRISES. 
Chapter 1 of part III of the Foreign Assistance Act 
of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2351 et seq.) is amended by inserting 
after section 617 the following new section:
‘‘SEC. 618. ASSISTANCE FOR A RECONSTRUCTION AND STA-
BILIZATION CRISIS. 
‘‘(a) ASSISTANCE.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—If the President determines 
that it is in the national security interests of the 
United States for United States civilian agencies or 
non-Federal employees to assist in reconstructing 
and stabilizing a country or region that is at risk of, 
in, or is in transition from, conflict or civil strife, the 
President may, in accordance with the provisions set 
forth in section 614(a)(3), subject to paragraph (2) 
of this subsection but notwithstanding any other 
provision of law, and on such terms and conditions 
as the President may determine, furnish assistance 
to such country or region for reconstruction or sta-
bilization using funds under paragraph (3). 
‘‘(2) PRE-NOTIFICATION
REQUIREMENT.—The 
President may not furnish assistance pursuant para-
graph (1) until five days (excepting Saturdays, Sun-
days, and legal public holidays) after the require-
ments under section 614(a)(3) of this Act are car-
ried out. 
‘‘(3) FUNDS.—The funds referred to in para-
graph (1) are funds made available under any other 
provision of law and under other provisions of this 
Act, and transferred or reprogrammed for purposes
of this section, and such transfer or reprogramming 
shall be subject to the procedures applicable to a no-
tification under section 634A of this Act. 
‘‘(b) LIMITATION.—The authority contained in this 
section may be exercised only during fiscal years 2008, 
2009, and 2010, except that the authority may not be ex-
ercised to furnish more than $100,000,000 in any such 
fiscal year.’’. 
SEC. 5. RECONSTRUCTION AND STABILIZATION. 
Title I of the State Department Basic Authorities Act 
of 1956 (22 U.S.C. 2651a et seq.) is amended by adding 
at the end the following new section: 
‘‘SEC. 62. RECONSTRUCTION AND STABILIZATION. 
‘‘(a) OFFICE OF THE COORDINATOR FOR RECON-
STRUCTION AND STABILIZATION.— 
‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established 
within the Department of State the Office of the Co-
ordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization. 
‘‘(2) COORDINATOR FOR RECONSTRUCTION AND 
STABILIZATION.—The head of the Office shall be the 
Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization, 
who shall be appointed by the President, by and 
with the advice and consent of the Senate. The Co-
ordinator shall report directly to the Secretary.
‘‘(3) FUNCTIONS.—The functions of the Office 
of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabiliza-
tion shall include the following: 
‘‘(A) Monitoring, in coordination with rel-
evant bureaus and offices of the Department of 
State and the United States Agency for Inter-
national Development (USAID), political and 
economic instability worldwide to anticipate the 
need for mobilizing United States and inter-
national assistance for the reconstruction and 
stabilization of a country or region that is at 
risk of, in, or are in transition from, conflict or 
civil strife. 
‘‘(B) Assessing the various types of recon-
struction and stabilization crises that could 
occur and cataloging and monitoring the non- 
military resources and capabilities of agencies 
(as such term is defined in section 3 of the Re-
construction and Stabilization Civilian Manage-
ment Act of 2008) that are available to address 
such crises. 
‘‘(C) 
Planning, 
in 
conjunction 
with 
USAID, to address requirements, such as de-
mobilization, disarmament, rebuilding of civil 
society, policing, human rights monitoring, and