Special Envoy for the Abraham Accords Act

Bill: 118-hr-3099
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Lawler, Michael [R-NY-17]
Introduced: 2023-05-05
Policy area: International Affairs
Subjects: Africa

Arab-Israeli relations

Bahrain

Congressional oversight

Department of State

Diplomacy, foreign officials, Americans abroad

Executive agency funding and structure

Israel

Middle East

Morocco

Sudan

United Arab Emirates
Latest action: action_date: 2023-06-14
text: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.

Summaries:
action_date: 2023-05-05
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 serve as the primary advisor to the U.S. government for expanding and strengthening the Abraham Accords. The duties of the Special Envoy include (1) encouraging counties without diplomatic relations with Israel to establish formal diplomatic, economic, security, and people-to-people ties; (2) expanding and strengthening existing relationships between Israel and Muslim-majority countries; and (3) coordinating efforts across the US government and engaging diplomatically with foreign governments, nongovernmental organizations, and other stakeholders to expand and strengthen the Abraham Accords. </p> <p>The Special Envoy shall have the rank and status of ambassador. </p>

action_date: 2023-06-13
action_desc: Passed 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 serve as the primary advisor to the U.S. government for expanding and strengthening the Abraham Accords. The duties of the Special Envoy include (1) encouraging counties without diplomatic relations with Israel to establish formal diplomatic, economic, security, and people-to-people ties; (2) expanding and strengthening existing relationships between Israel and Muslim-majority countries; and (3) coordinating efforts across the US government and engaging diplomatically with foreign governments, nongovernmental organizations, and other stakeholders to expand and strengthen the Abraham Accords. </p> <p>The Special Envoy shall have the rank and status of ambassador. </p>

tv_txt: IIB 118th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 3099 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES June 14, 2023 Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations AN ACT To establish in the Department of State 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 established within the Department of State a Special Envoy for the Abraham Accords (in this section referred to as the Special Envoy ), who shall serve as the primary advisor to, and coordinate efforts across, the United States Government relating to expanding and strengthening the Abraham Accords. The Special Envoy shall report directly to the Secretary of State and shall hold the office at the pleasure of the President. (b) Nomination Pursuant to subsection (j)(1) of section 1, the Special Envoy shall be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, and may be appointed from among the officers and employees of the Department except that such officer or employee may not retain the position (or the responsibilities associated with the position) held by such officer or employee prior to such appointment simultaneously with the position or responsibilities of the Special Envoy. (c) Rank and status of ambassador The Special Envoy shall have the rank and status of ambassador. (d) Duties The Special Envoy shall be responsible for— (1) encouraging countries without diplomatic relations with Israel to establish formal diplomatic, economic, security, and people-to-people ties; (2) seeking to expand and strengthen existing relationships between Israel and Muslim-majority countries, including those outside the geographic scope of the Near Eastern Affairs Bureau of the Department of State, to ensure that all parties reap tangible security and economic benefits for their citizens; (3) building on existing efforts, including the Negev Forum, to help foster enhanced cooperation between Israel and Muslim-majority countries on shared priorities including as relates to trade, agriculture, and water security; (4) providing diplomatic support for Israel’s integration into cooperative efforts related to regional security; and (5) coordinating lines of effort across the United States Government, including the regional and functional bureaus within the Department of State, and conducting appropriate diplomatic engagement with foreign governments, nongovernmental organizations, and other stakeholders determined appropriate by the Special Envoy in order to expand and strengthen the Abraham Accords. (e) Report (1) In General Not later than 1 year after the date of the confirmation of the first Special Envoy appointed pursuant to this section, and annually thereafter, the Special Envoy shall submit to the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate a report describing all United States efforts to expand the Abraham Accords, including specific diplomatic engagements and status of efforts with respect to specific countries. (2) Form of Report The report required by paragraph (1) shall be submitted in unclassified form but may contain a separate, classified annex. .

Passed the House of Representatives June 13, 2023. Cheryl L. Johnson, Clerk.

tv_txt: I 118th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 3099 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AN ACT To establish in the Department of State 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 established within the Department of State a Special Envoy for the Abraham Accords (in this section referred to as the Special Envoy ), who shall serve as the primary advisor to, and coordinate efforts across, the United States Government relating to expanding and strengthening the Abraham Accords. The Special Envoy shall report directly to the Secretary of State and shall hold the office at the pleasure of the President. (b) Nomination Pursuant to subsection (j)(1) of section 1, the Special Envoy shall be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, and may be appointed from among the officers and employees of the Department except that such officer or employee may not retain the position (or the responsibilities associated with the position) held by such officer or employee prior to such appointment simultaneously with the position or responsibilities of the Special Envoy. (c) Rank and status of ambassador The Special Envoy shall have the rank and status of ambassador. (d) Duties The Special Envoy shall be responsible for— (1) encouraging countries without diplomatic relations with Israel to establish formal diplomatic, economic, security, and people-to-people ties; (2) seeking to expand and strengthen existing relationships between Israel and Muslim-majority countries, including those outside the geographic scope of the Near Eastern Affairs Bureau of the Department of State, to ensure that all parties reap tangible security and economic benefits for their citizens; (3) building on existing efforts, including the Negev Forum, to help foster enhanced cooperation between Israel and Muslim-majority countries on shared priorities including as relates to trade, agriculture, and water security; (4) providing diplomatic support for Israel’s integration into cooperative efforts related to regional security; and (5) coordinating lines of effort across the United States Government, including the regional and functional bureaus within the Department of State, and conducting appropriate diplomatic engagement with foreign governments, nongovernmental organizations, and other stakeholders determined appropriate by the Special Envoy in order to expand and strengthen the Abraham Accords. (e) Report (1) In General Not later than 1 year after the date of the confirmation of the first Special Envoy appointed pursuant to this section, and annually thereafter, the Special Envoy shall submit to the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate a report describing all United States efforts to expand the Abraham Accords, including specific diplomatic engagements and status of efforts with respect to specific countries. (2) Form of Report The report required by paragraph (1) shall be submitted in unclassified form but may contain a separate, classified annex. .

Passed the House of Representatives June 13, 2023. Cheryl L. Johnson, Clerk.

tv_txt: I 118th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 3099 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES May 5, 2023 Mr. Lawler (for himself and Mr. Torres of New York ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs A BILL To establish in the Department of State 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 established within the Department of State a Special Envoy for the Abraham Accords (in this section referred to as the Special Envoy ), who shall serve as the primary advisor to, and coordinate efforts across, the United States Government relating to expanding and strengthening the Abraham Accords. The Special Envoy shall report directly to the Secretary of State and shall hold the office at the pleasure of the President. (b) Nomination Pursuant to subsection (j)(1) of section 1, the Special Envoy shall be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, and may be appointed from among the officers and employees of the Department except that such officer or employee may not retain the position (or the responsibilities associated with the position) held by such officer or employee prior to such appointment simultaneously with the position or responsibilities of the Special Envoy. (c) Rank and status of ambassador The Special Envoy shall have the rank and status of ambassador. (d) Duties The Special Envoy shall be responsible for— (1) encouraging countries without diplomatic relations with Israel to establish formal diplomatic, economic, security, and people-to-people ties; (2) seeking to expand and strengthen existing relationships between Israel and Muslim-majority countries, including those outside the geographic scope of the Near Eastern Affairs Bureau of the Department of State, to ensure that all parties reap tangible security and economic benefits for their citizens; (3) building on existing efforts, including the Negev Forum, to help foster enhanced cooperation between Israel and Muslim-majority countries on shared priorities including as relates to trade, agriculture, and water security; (4) providing diplomatic support for Israel’s integration into cooperative efforts related to regional security; and (5) coordinating lines of effort across the United States Government, including the regional and functional bureaus within the Department of State, and conducting appropriate diplomatic engagement with foreign governments, nongovernmental organizations, and other stakeholders determined appropriate by the Special Envoy in order to expand and strengthen the Abraham Accords. (e) Report (1) In General Not later than 1 year after the date of the confirmation of the first Special Envoy appointed pursuant to this section, and annually thereafter, the Special Envoy shall submit to the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate a report describing all United States efforts to expand the Abraham Accords, including specific diplomatic engagements and status of efforts with respect to specific countries. (2) Form of Report The report required by paragraph (1) shall be submitted in unclassified form but may contain a separate, classified annex. .