Restoring U.S. Leadership in International Organizations Act of 2021
Bill: H.R.3812 | Sponsor: Rep. Castro, Joaquin (D-TX)
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
Restoring U.S. Leadership in International Organizations Act of 2021
This bill makes changes and establishes requirements to expand U.S. engagement with international organizations.
Changes include eliminating (1) a limitation on the number of foreign service employees on the staff of the U.S. Mission to the United Nations who are eligible for housing benefits, and (2) a requirement that those employees contribute a portion of their pay toward housing costs. Additionally, the value of the housing benefits is excluded from income for federal tax purposes.
The bill also allows consideration of an employee's service formulating policy for or representing the United States at an international, multilateral, or similar organization in Foreign Service processes for promotions, performance pay, and related matters.
The Department of State must establish training on conducting diplomacy at international and multilateral organizations and on negotiating multilateral international agreements. The bill requires this training for certain State Department employees, such as those assigned to U.S. missions at international organizations.
Furthermore, the bill designates the U.S. Special Representative to the United Nations as a standing member of the President's cabinet and outlines U.S. policy for staffing and paying dues to international and multilateral organizations.
The State Department must annually report to Congress about the number of and related information about federal employees detailed or transferred to international organizations.

To encourage Foreign Service officers to serve at the United States 
 mission to the United Nations, increase Federal Government details to 
  international organizations, increase multilateral training at the 
              Department of State, 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 ``Restoring U.S. Leadership in 
International Organizations Act of 2021''.

SEC. 2. HOUSING FOR UNITED STATES DIPLOMATS AT THE UNITED NATIONS.

    Paragraph (2) of section 9 of the United Nations Participation Act 
of 1945 (22 U.S.C. 287e-1), is amended--
            (1) by striking ``no more than 30'';
            (2) by striking ``and shall reflect a significant reduction 
        over the number of persons eligible for housing benefits as of 
        the date of enactment of this provision'';
            (3) by striking ``The Secretary shall require that each 
        employee occupying housing under this subsection contribute to 
        the Department of State a percentage of his or her base salary, 
        in an amount to be determined by the Secretary of State toward 
        the cost of such housing.'';
            (4) by striking ``The Secretary may reduce such payments to 
        the extent of income taxes paid on the value of the leased or 
        rented quarters any'' and inserting ``Any''; and
            (5) by adding at the end the following new sentence: ``For 
        purposes of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, living quarters 
        made available to any individual under this paragraph shall not 
        be taken into account in determining the gross income of such 
        individual.''.

SEC. 3. PROMOTING SERVICE AT INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS.

    Section 603(b) of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 4003) 
is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``or'' after the semi-
        colon at the end;
            (2) by redesignating paragraph (2) as paragraph (3); and
            (3) by inserting after paragraph (1) the following new 
        paragraph:
            ``(2) service in a position the primary responsibility of 
        which is to formulate policy for or represent the United States 
        at an international organization, a multilateral institution, 
        or a broad-based multilateral negotiation of an international 
        instrument; or''.

SEC. 4. STATEMENT OF POLICY.

    It is the policy of the United States that--
            (1) the Special Representative of the United States to the 
        United Nations serves as a standing member of the cabinet;
            (2) assessed dues to multilateral organizations be paid in 
        full in a timely fashion;
            (3) Federal agencies utilize all the authorities under 
        section 3343 of title 5, United States Code, or subpart C of 
        part 352 of title 5, Code of Federal Regulations (or any 
        successor regulations) to detail or transfer employees to 
        relevant international organizations; and
            (4) that Secretary of State shall assist the Department of 
        State and other Federal agencies in carrying out paragraph (3) 
        to the fullest extent.

SEC. 5. REPORTING ON DETAILS AND TRANSFERS TO INTERNATIONAL 
              ORGANIZATIONS.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act and annually thereafter, the Secretary of State, 
in consultation with the heads of other Federal departments and 
agencies as appropriate, shall submit to the Committee on Foreign 
Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign 
Relations of the Senate a report on the total number of Federal 
employees detailed or transferred to an international organization 
during the immediately preceding 12-month period. The first report 
submitted under the previous sentence shall include a strategy for 
increasing the number of Federal employees who are detailed or 
transferred to an international organization.
    (b) Matters To Be Included.--Each report required by subsection (a) 
shall include the following:
            (1) The number of Federal employees detailed or transferred 
        during the applicable 12-month period to an international 
        organization under section 3343 of title 5, United States Code, 
        or subpart C of part 352 of title 5, Code of Federal 
        Regulations (or any successor regulations), disaggregated by--
                    (A) an identification of the Federal agency from 
                which such employees were detailed or transferred; and
                    (B) an identification of the international 
                organizations to and from which such employees have 
                been detailed or transferred.
            (2) A list of international organizations to and from which 
        a Federal agency previously detailed or transferred Federal 
        employees.

SEC. 6. TRAINING FOR INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS.

    (a) Training Programs.--Section 708 of the Foreign Service Act of 
1980 (22 U.S.C. 4028) is amended by adding at the end the following new 
subsection:
    ``(e) Training in Multilateral Diplomacy.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary, with the assistance of 
        other relevant officials, shall establish a series of training 
        courses on--
                    ``(A) the conduct of diplomacy at international 
                organizations and other multilateral institutions; and
                    ``(B) broad-based multilateral negotiations of 
                international instruments.
            ``(2) Required training.--Members of the Service, including 
        appropriate chiefs of mission and other officers who are 
        assigned to United States missions representing the United 
        States to international organizations and other multilateral 
        institutions or who are assigned in Washington, DC, to 
        positions that have as their primary responsibility formulation 
        of policy toward such organizations and institutions, or toward 
        participation in broad-based multilateral negotiations of 
        international instruments, shall receive specialized training 
        in the areas described in paragraph (1) prior to beginning of 
        service for such assignment or, if receiving such training at 
        that time is not practical, within the first year of beginning 
        such assignment.''.
    (b) Training for Civil Service Employees.--The Secretary of State 
shall ensure that employees of the Department of State who are members 
of the civil service and who are assigned to positions described in 
subsection (e) of section 708 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (as 
added by subsection (a)) receive training described in such subsection.
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