State Department Training Modernization Act
Bill: H.R.8012 | Sponsor: Rep. Kim, Andy (D-NJ)
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
State Department Training Modernization Act
This bill makes changes to the Foreign Service Institute and addresses other issues related to training Foreign Service and Department of State Civil Service personnel.
The bill establishes within the institute (1) the Board of Visitors, which shall provide the State Department with advice and recommendations pertaining to the institute; and (2) the position of provost, which shall have duties such as overseeing and coordinating the institute's academic curriculum.
The State Department may establish and implement an incentive program to encourage Foreign Service members with critical foreign language skills to maintain such skills.
The bill also requires the State Department to expand its professional development and training, including by increasing offerings at partner organizations and offering courses using computer-based or computer-assisted simulations.
The Foreign Service must (1) establish new fellowship programs for Foreign Service and Civil Service officers that include opportunities in certain organizations, such as think tanks and industry entities; and (2) report to Congress on how to expand certain existing fellowship programs to allow fellows in those programs to undertake follow-on State Department opportunities that will benefit from practical knowledge of the people and processes of Congress.
The State Department must report to Congress on (1) offering certain training and professional development opportunities to congressional staff at State Department facilities, (2) a strategy for adapting and evolving training requirements to better meet current and future needs for 21st century diplomacy, and (3) a strategy for broadening and deepening training at the State Department.

To address the importance of foreign affairs training to national 
                   security, 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 ``State Department Training 
Modernization Act''.

SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) the Department of State is a crucial national security 
        agency, whose employees, both Foreign Service and Civil 
        Service, require the best possible training and professional 
        development at every stage of their careers to prepare them to 
        promote and defend United States national interests and the 
        health and safety of United States citizens abroad;
            (2) the Department faces increasingly complex and rapidly 
        evolving challenges, many of which are science and technology-
        driven, and which demand continual, high-quality training and 
        professional development of its personnel;
            (3) the new and evolving challenges of national security in 
        the 21st century necessitates the expansion of standardized 
        training and professional development opportunities linked to 
        equitable, accountable, and transparent promotion and 
        leadership practices for Department of State and other national 
        security agency personnel; and
            (4) consistent with gift acceptance authority of the 
        Department and other applicable laws in effect as of the date 
        of the enactment of this Act, the Department and the Foreign 
        Service Institute may accept funds and other resources from 
        foundations, not-for-profit corporations, and other appropriate 
        sources to help the Department and the Institute enhance the 
        quantity and quality of training and professional development 
        offerings, especially in the introduction of new, innovative, 
        and pilot model courses.

SEC. 3. APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES DEFINED.

    In this Act, the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' 
means--
            (1) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on 
        Appropriations of the Senate; and
            (2) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on 
        Appropriations of the House of Representatives.

SEC. 4. TRAINING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PRIORITIZATION.

    In order to provide the Civil Service of the Department of State 
and the Foreign Service with the level of professional development and 
training needed to effectively advance United States interests across 
the world, the Secretary of State shall--
            (1) increase relevant offerings provided by the 
        Department--
                    (A) of interactive virtual instruction to make 
                training and professional development more accessible 
                and useful to personnel deployed throughout the world; 
                or
                    (B) at partner organizations, including 
                universities, industry entities, and nongovernmental 
                organizations, throughout the United States to provide 
                useful outside perspectives to Department personnel to 
                provide such personnel--
                            (i) a more comprehensive outlook on 
                        different sectors of United States society; and
                            (ii) practical experience dealing with 
                        commercial corporations, universities, labor 
                        unions, and other institutions critical to 
                        United States diplomatic success;
            (2) offer courses using computer-based or computer-assisted 
        simulations, allowing civilian officers to lead decision-making 
        in a crisis environment, and encourage officers of the 
        Department of State and reciprocally officers of other 
        Departments to participate in similar exercises held by the 
        Department of State or other government organizations and the 
        private sector; and
            (3) increase the duration and expand the focus of certain 
        training and professional development courses, including by--
                    (A) extending the A-100 entry-level course to not 
                less than 12 weeks, better matching the length of 
                entry-level training and professional development 
                provided to the officers in other national security 
                departments and agencies; and
                    (B) extending the chief of mission course to not 
                less than 6 weeks for first time chiefs of mission and 
                creating a comparable 6-week course for new Assistant 
                Secretaries and Deputy Assistant Secretaries to more 
                accurately reflect the significant responsibilities 
                accompanying such roles.

SEC. 5. FELLOWSHIPS.

    The Director General of the Foreign Service shall--
            (1) establish new fellowship programs for Foreign Service 
        and Civil Service officers that include short- and long-term 
        opportunities at organizations, including--
                    (A) think tanks and nongovernmental organizations;
                    (B) the Department of Defense, the elements of the 
                intelligence community (as defined in section 3 of the 
                National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3003)), and 
                other relevant Federal agencies;
                    (C) industry entities, especially such entities 
                related to technology, global operations, finance, and 
                other fields directly relevant to international 
                affairs; and
                    (D) schools of international relations and other 
                relevant programs at universities throughout the United 
                States; and
            (2) not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment 
        of this Act, provide Congress with a report on how the 
        Department could expand the Pearson Fellows Program for Foreign 
        Service Officers and the Brookings Fellow Program for Civil 
        Servants at the Department of State to allow fellows in those 
        programs the opportunity to undertake a follow-on assignment 
        within the Department in an office that will benefit from 
        practical knowledge of the people and processes of Congress, 
        including offices other than the Legislative Affairs Bureau 
        (H), including--
                    (A) an assessment of the current state of 
                congressional fellowships, including the demand for 
                fellowships and the value the fellowships provide to 
                both the career of the officer and to the Department; 
                and
                    (B) an assessment of the options for making 
                congressional fellowships for both the Foreign and 
                Civil Services more career-enhancing.

SEC. 6. BOARD OF VISITORS OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE INSTITUTE.

    (a) Establishment.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall establish a Board 
of Visitors of the Foreign Service Institute.
    (b) Duties.--The Board of Visitors established under subsection (a) 
shall provide the Secretary of State with independent advice and 
recommendations on organizational management, strategic planning, 
resource management, curriculum development, and other matters of 
interest to the Foreign Service Institute, including regular 
observations about how well the Department is integrating training and 
professional development into the work of the bureau for Global Talent 
Management (GTM).
    (c) Membership.--
            (1) In general.--The Board shall be--
                    (A) nonpartisan; and
                    (B) composed of 12 members of whom--
                            (i) 2 shall be appointed by the Chairperson 
                        of the Committee on Foreign Relations of the 
                        Senate;
                            (ii) 2 shall be appointed by the Ranking 
                        Member of the Committee on Foreign Relations of 
                        the Senate;
                            (iii) 2 shall be appointed by the 
                        Chairperson of the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
                        of the House of Representatives;
                            (iv) 2 shall be appointed by the Ranking 
                        Member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of 
                        the House of Representatives; and
                            (v) 4 shall be appointed by the Secretary 
                        of State.
            (2) Qualifications.--Members of the Board shall be 
        appointed from among individuals who are not officers or 
        employees of the Federal Government, who have never been 
        members of the Senior Foreign Service or the Senior Executive 
        Service, and are eminent authorities in the fields of 
        diplomacy, management, leadership, economics, trade, 
        technology, and advanced international relations education.
            (3) Outside expertise.--Not fewer than 6 members of the 
        Board shall have a minimum of 10 years of expertise outside the 
        field of diplomacy.
    (d) Terms.--A member of the Board shall be appointed for a term of 
3 years, except that of the members first appointed--
            (1) 4 shall be appointed for a term of 3 years;
            (2) 4 shall be appointed for a term of 2 years; and
            (3) 4 shall be appointed for a term of 1 year.
    (e) Reappointment; Replacement.--A member of the Board may be 
reappointed or replaced at the discretion of the official who made the 
original appointment.
    (f) Chairperson; Co-Chairperson.--
            (1) Approval.--The Chairperson and Co-Chairperson of the 
        Board shall be approved by the Secretary of State based upon a 
        recommendation from the members of the Board.
            (2) Service.--The Chairperson and Co-Chairperson shall 
        serve at the discretion of the Secretary.
    (g) Meetings.--The Board shall meet--
            (1) at the call of the Director of the Foreign Service 
        Institute and the Chairperson; and
            (2) not fewer than 2 times per year.
    (h) Compensation.--A member of the Board shall serve without 
compensation, except a member of the Board shall be allowed travel 
expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, at rates 
authorized for employees of agencies under subchapter I of chapter 57 
of title 5, United States Code, while away from their homes or regular 
places of business in the performance of services for the Board. 
Notwithstanding section 1342 of title 31, United States Code, the 
Secretary of State may accept the voluntary and uncompensated services 
of members of the Board.
    (i) Applicability of Federal Advisory Committee Act.--The Federal 
Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall apply to the Board 
established under this section.

SEC. 7. ESTABLISHMENT OF PROVOST OF THE FOREIGN SERVICE INSTITUTE.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established in the Foreign Service 
Institute the position of Provost.
    (b) Appointment; Reporting.--The Provost shall--
            (1) be appointed by the Board of Visitors of the Foreign 
        Service Institute of the Department of State established under 
        section 6; and
            (2) report to the Director of the Foreign Service 
        Institute.
    (c) Qualifications.--The Provost--
            (1) may not be an individual who is an officer or employee 
        of the Federal Government or who has ever been a career member 
        of the Senior Foreign Service or the Senior Executive Service; 
        and
            (2) shall be an eminent authority in the fields of 
        diplomacy, education, management, leadership, economics, 
        history, trade, or technology.
    (d) Duties.--The Provost shall--
            (1) oversee, review, evaluate, and coordinate the academic 
        curriculum for all courses taught and administered by the 
        Foreign Service Institute;
            (2) coordinate the implementation of a letter or numerical 
        grading system for the performance of Foreign Service officers 
        in courses of the Foreign Service Institute; and
            (3) report not less frequently than quarterly to the Board 
        of Visitors on curriculum developments and the performance of 
        Foreign Service officers.
    (e) Term.--The Provost shall serve for a term of not fewer than 5 
years and may be reappointed for 1 additional term.
    (f) Compensation.--The Provost shall receive a salary commensurate 
with the rank and experience of a member of the Senior Foreign Service 
or the Senior Executive Service, as determined by the Board of 
Visitors.

SEC. 8. OTHER AGENCY RESPONSIBILITIES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR 
              CONGRESSIONAL STAFF.

    (a) Other Agencies.--National security agencies other than the 
Department of State should be afforded the ability to increase the 
enrollment of their personnel in courses at the Foreign Service 
Institute and other training and professional development facilities of 
the Department to promote a whole-of-government approach to mitigating 
national security challenges.
    (b) Congressional Staff.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall provide the 
appropriate congressional committees with a report on offering training 
and professional development opportunities at the Foreign Service 
Institute and other such Department of State facilities for 
congressional staff, to include budget impacts and potential course 
offerings.

SEC. 9. STRATEGY FOR ADAPTING TRAINING REQUIREMENTS FOR MODERN 
              DIPLOMATIC NEEDS.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall develop and submit 
to the appropriate congressional committees a strategy for how to adapt 
and evolve training requirements to better meet the Department's 
current and future needs for 21st century diplomacy.
    (b) Elements.--The strategy required under subsection (a) shall 
include the following elements:
            (1) Integrating training requirements into the Department 
        of State's promotion policies, including establishing 
        educational and professional development standards for training 
        and attainment to be used as a part of tenure and promotion 
        guidelines.
            (2) Addressing multiple existing and emerging national 
        security challenges, including--
                    (A) democratic backsliding and authoritarianism;
                    (B) countering, and assisting United States allies 
                to address, state-sponsored disinformation, including 
                through the Global Engagement Center;
                    (C) cyber threats;
                    (D) aggression and malign influence;
                    (E) the implications of climate change for United 
                States diplomacy; and
                    (F) nuclear threats.
            (3) Establishing residential training for the A-100 
        orientation course administered by the Foreign Service 
        Institute, and evaluating the feasibility of residential 
        training for long-term training opportunities.
    (c) Utilization of Existing Resources.--In establishing the 
residential training program pursuant to subsection (a)(3), the 
Secretary of State shall work with other national security departments 
and agencies that employ residential training for their orientation 
course and consider using the Foreign Affairs Security Training Center 
in Blackstone, Virginia, a facility of the Department of State.

SEC. 10. REPORT AND BRIEFING REQUIREMENTS.

    (a) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit to the appropriate 
congressional committees a report that includes--
            (1) a strategy for broadening and deepening professional 
        development and training at the Department, including assessing 
        current and future needs for 21st century diplomacy;
            (2) the process used and resources needed to implement the 
        strategy throughout the Department; and
            (3) the results and impact of the strategy on the workforce 
        of the Department, particularly the relationship between 
        professional development and training and promotions for 
        Department personnel, and including the measurement and 
        evaluation methods used.
    (b) Briefing.--Not later than 1 year after the date on which the 
Secretary of State submits the report required by subsection (a), and 
annually thereafter for 2 years, the Secretary shall provide to the 
appropriate congressional committees a briefing on the information 
required to be included in the report.

SEC. 11. FOREIGN LANGUAGE MAINTENANCE INCENTIVE PROGRAM.

    (a) Authorization.--The Secretary of State is authorized to 
establish and implement an incentive program to encourage members of 
the Foreign Service who possess language proficiency in any of the 
languages that qualify for bonus points, as determined by the 
Secretary, to maintain critical foreign language skills.
    (b) Report.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit a report to the 
appropriate congressional committees that includes a detailed plan for 
implementing the program authorized under subsection (a), including 
anticipated resource requirements.

SEC. 12. DEPARTMENT OF STATE WORKFORCE MANAGEMENT.

    (a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that informed, 
data-driven, and long-term workforce management, including with respect 
to the Foreign Service, Civil Service, locally employed staff, and 
contractors, is needed to align diplomatic priorities with the 
appropriate personnel and resources.
    (b) Annual Workforce Report.--
            (1) In general.--In order to understand the Department of 
        State's long-term trends with respect to its workforce, the 
        Secretary of State shall, with input from relevant bureaus and 
        offices, including the Bureau of Global Talent Management, the 
        Bureau of Consular Affairs, and the Center for Analytics, 
        submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report 
        that details the Department of State's workforce, disaggregated 
        by Foreign Service, Civil Service, locally employed staff, and 
        contractors--
                    (A) the number of personnel who were hired;
                    (B) the number of personnel whose employment or 
                contract was terminated or voluntarily left the 
                Department;
                    (C) the number of personnel who were promoted, 
                including the grade to which they were promoted;
                    (D) the demographic breakdown of personnel; and
                    (E) the distribution of the Department of State's 
                workforce based on domestic and overseas assignments, 
                including a breakdown of the number of personnel in 
                geographic and functional bureaus, and the number of 
                personnel in overseas missions by region.
            (2) Initial report.--Not later than 180 days after the date 
        of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall 
        submit the report described in paragraph (1) for each fiscal 
        year from fiscal years 2002 through 2022.
            (3) Recurring report.--Not later than December 31, 2023, 
        and annually thereafter for 9 years, the Secretary of State 
        shall submit the report described in paragraph (1) for the 
        prior fiscal year.
            (4) Use of report data.--The data in the reports required 
        under this subsection shall be used by Congress, in 
        coordination with the Secretary of State, to inform 
        recommendations on the appropriate size and composition of the 
        Department of State.

SEC. 13. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON THE IMPORTANCE OF FILLING THE POSITION OF 
              UNDERSECRETARY FOR PUBLIC DIPLOMACY AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS.

    It is the sense of Congress that since a vacancy in the position of 
Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs is detrimental 
to the national security interests of the United States, the President 
should expeditiously nominate a qualified individual to such position 
whenever such vacancy occurs to ensure that the bureaus reporting to 
such position are able to fulfill their mission of--
            (1) expanding and strengthening relationships between the 
        people of the United States and citizens of other countries; 
        and
            (2) engaging, informing, and understanding the perspectives 
        of foreign audiences.

SEC. 14. REPORT ON PUBLIC DIPLOMACY.

    Not later than 120 days after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the Secretary of State shall submit a report to the appropriate 
congressional committees that includes--
            (1) an evaluation of the May 2019 merger of the Bureau of 
        Public Affairs and the Bureau of International Information 
        Programs into the Bureau of Global Public Affairs with respect 
        to--
                    (A) the efficacy of the current bureau 
                configuration of the bureaus reporting to the Under 
                Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs in 
                achieving the mission of the Department of State;
                    (B) the metrics before and after such merger, 
                including personnel data, disaggregated by positions 
                and location, content production, opinion polling, 
                program evaluations, and media appearances;
                    (C) the results of a survey of public diplomacy 
                practitioners to determine their opinion of the 
                efficacy of such merger and any adjustments that still 
                need to be made; and
                    (D) a plan for evaluating and monitoring, not less 
                frequently than once every 2 years, the programs, 
                activities, messaging, professional development 
                efforts, and structure of the Bureau of Global Public 
                Affairs, and submitting a summary of each such 
                evaluation to the appropriate congressional committees; 
                and
            (2) a review of recent outside recommendations for 
        modernizing diplomacy at the Department of State with respect 
        to public diplomacy efforts, including--
                    (A) efforts in each of the bureaus reporting to the 
                Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs 
                to address issues of diversity and inclusion in their 
                work, structure, data collection, programming, and 
                personnel, including any collaboration with the Chief 
                Officer for Diversity and Inclusion;
                    (B) proposals to collaborate with think tanks and 
                academic institutions working on public diplomacy 
                issues to implement recent outside recommendations; and
                    (C) additional authorizations and appropriations 
                necessary to implement such recommendations.
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