Special Envoy for the Abraham Accords Act

Bill: 118-hr-1268
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Torres, Ritchie [D-NY-15]
Introduced: 2023-02-28
Policy area: International Affairs
Latest action: action_date: 2023-02-28
text: Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Summaries:
action_date: 2023-02-28
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><b>Special Envoy for the Abraham Accords Act</b></p> <p>This bill establishes the position of Special Envoy for the Abraham Accords within the Department of State. (The Abraham Accords are agreements to normalize or improve relations between Israel and four members of the Arab League: the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan.)</p> <p>The Special Envoy shall seek to expand and strengthen the Abraham Accords. The Special Envoy's responsibilities include (1) serving as the primary advisor to the U.S. government for expanding and strengthening the Abraham Accords, (2) discussing the Abraham Accords with officials from counties lacking official diplomatic relations with Israel, and (3) consulting with representatives of nongovernmental organizations that have attempted to expand and strengthen the Abraham Accords.</p> <p>The Special Envoy shall have the rank of ambassador. </p>

tv_txt: I 118th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 1268 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES February 28, 2023 Mr. Torres of New York (for himself and Mr. Lawler ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs A BILL To amend the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 to establish the position of Special Envoy for the Abraham Accords, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Special Envoy for the Abraham Accords Act . 2. Findings Congress finds that the policy of the United States, as enacted in section 104 of the Israel Relations Normalization Act of 2022 (division Z of Public Law 117–103 ), with respect to the Abraham Accords remains unchanged. 3. Special Envoy for the Abraham Accords 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: 64. Special Envoy for the Abraham Accords (a) Special Envoy for the Abraham Accords There is in the Department of State a Special Envoy for the Abraham Accords (in this section referred to as the Special Envoy ). (b) Nomination (1) In general The Special Envoy shall be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. The Special Envoy shall report directly to the Secretary. (2) Determination If the President determines that such is appropriate, the President may nominate the Special Envoy from among officers and employees of the Department. Such officer or employee may not retain the position (or the responsibilities associated with such position) held by such officer or employee prior to the nomination of such officer or employee to the position of Special Envoy under this paragraph. (c) Qualifications The Special Envoy should be a person of recognized distinction in the field high-level diplomatic experience, and or knowledge of the Islamic and Jewish worlds, knowledge of economics, security, and human rights. (d) Rank and status of ambassador The Special Envoy who shall have the rank of ambassador and shall hold the office at the pleasure of the President. (e) Duties The Special Envoy shall seek to expand and strengthen the Abraham Accords, in coordination with regional ambassadors, nongovernmental organizations, and other stakeholders determined appropriate by the Special Envoy. (f) Responsibilities The Special Envoy shall— (1) serve as the primary advisor to, and coordinate efforts across, the United States Government relating to expanding and strengthening the Abraham Accords; (2) engage in discussions with nation-state officials lacking official diplomatic relations with Israel regarding the Abraham Accords; and (3) consult with representatives of nongovernmental organizations that have attempted to expand and strengthen the Abraham Accords. .