---
kind: "diff"
citation: "H.R. 2848"
bill: "113-hr-2848"
heading: "Department of State Operations and Embassy Security Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 2014"
from: "rh"
from_label: "Reported in House"
to: "eh"
to_label: "Engrossed in House"
sections_amended: 9
sections_added: 0
sections_removed: 2
url: "https://uscodex.org/bills/113/hr/2848/changes/eh"
---
# H.R. 2848 — what changed
H.R. 2848, Department of State Operations and Embassy Security Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 2014 — 9 sections amended and 2 removed between Reported in House and Engrossed in House.
Edits are marked `struck` and `inserted`.
## Sec. 201 Foreign Service Act of 1980
- Paragraph (3) of section 38(d) Section 501 of the State Department Basic Authorities Foreign Service Act of 1956 1980 (22 U.S.C. 2710(d)) 3981) is amended by striking “by the Department of State from another agency of the United States Government or pursuant to” and inserting “by the Department of State as “If a result of position designated under this section is unfilled for more than one single assignment cycle, such position shall be filled, as appropriate, on a decision of an international tribunal, temporary basis, in accordance with section 303 or 309.” after “Positions designated under this section are excepted from another agency of the United States Government, or pursuant to”.competitive service.”.
## Sec. 202 Center for strategic counterterrorism communications of the Department of State
- (a) Statement of policy— As articulated in Executive Order 13584, issued on September 9, 2011, it is the policy of the United States to actively counter the actions and ideologies of al-Qa’ida, its affiliates and adherents, other terrorist organizations, and violent extremists overseas that threaten the interests and national security of the United States.
- (b) Establishment of center for strategic counterterrorism communications— There is authorized to be established within the Department of State, under the direction of the Secretary of State, the Center for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications (in this section referred to as the “CSCC”).
- (c) Mission— The CSCC may coordinate, orient, and inform Government-wide public communications activities directed at audiences abroad and targeted against violent extremists and terrorist organizations, especially al-Qa’ida and its affiliates and adherents.
- (d) Coordinator of the center for strategic counterterrorism communications— The head of the CSCC should be the Coordinator. The Coordinator of the CSCC should—
- (1) report to the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs; and
- (2) collaborate with the Bureau of Counterterrorism of the Department of State, other Department bureaus, and other United States Government agencies.
- (e) Duties— The CSCC may—
- (1) monitor and evaluate extremist narratives and events abroad that are relevant to the development of a United States strategic counterterrorism narrative designed to counter violent extremism and terrorism that threaten the interests and national security of the United States;
- (2) develop and promulgate for use throughout the executive branch the United States strategic counterterrorism narrative developed in accordance with paragraph (1), and public communications strategies to counter the messaging of violent extremists and terrorist organizations, especially al-Qa’ida and its affiliates and adherents;
- (3) identify current and emerging trends in extremist communications and communications by al-Qa’ida and its affiliates and adherents in order to coordinate and provide guidance to the United States Government regarding how best to proactively promote the United States strategic counterterrorism narrative developed in accordance with paragraph (1) and related policies, and to respond to and rebut extremist messaging and narratives when communicating to audiences outside the United States;
- (4) facilitate the use of a wide range of communications technologies by sharing expertise and best practices among United States Government and non-Government sources;
- (5) identify and request relevant information from United States Government agencies, including intelligence reporting, data, and analysis;
- (6) identify shortfalls in United States capabilities in any areas relevant to the CSCC’s mission, and recommend necessary enhancements or changes; and
- (7) establish measurable goals, performance metrics, and monitoring and evaluation plans to focus on learning, accountability, and policymaking.
- (f) Steering committee—
- (1) In general— The Secretary of State may establish a Steering Committee composed of senior representatives of United States Government agencies relevant to the CSCC’s mission to provide advice to the Secretary on the operations and strategic orientation of the CSCC and to ensure adequate support for the CSCC.
- (2) Meetings— The Steering Committee should meet not less often than once every six months.
- (3) Leadership— The Steering Committee should be chaired by the Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy. The Coordinator for Counterterrorism of the Department of State should serve as Vice Chair. The Coordinator of the CSCC should serve as Executive Secretary.
- (4) Composition—
- (A) In general— The Steering Committee may include one senior representative designated by the head of each of the following agencies:
- (i) The Department of Defense.
- (ii) The Department of Justice.
- (iii) The Department of Homeland Security.
- (iv) The Department of the Treasury.
- (v) The National Counterterrorism Center of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
- (vi) The Joint Chiefs of Staff.
- (vii) The Counterterrorism Center of the Central Intelligence Agency.
- (viii) The Broadcasting Board of Governors.
- (ix) The Agency for International Development.
- (B) Additional representation— Representatives from United States Government agencies not specified in subparagraph (A) may be invited to participate in the Steering Committee at the discretion of the Chair.
- Section 501 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 3981) is amended by inserting “If a position designated under this section is unfilled for more than one single assignment cycle, such position shall be filled, as appropriate, on a temporary basis, in accordance with section 303 or 309.” after “Positions designated under this section are excepted from the competitive service.”.
## Sec. 203 Anti-piracy information sharing
- The Secretary of State is authorized to provide for the participation by the United States in the Information Sharing Centre located in Singapore, as established by the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP).
- (a) Statement of policy— As articulated in Executive Order 13584, issued on September 9, 2011, it is the policy of the United States to actively counter the actions and ideologies of al-Qa’ida, its affiliates and adherents, other terrorist organizations, and violent extremists overseas that threaten the interests and national security of the United States.
- (b) Establishment of center for strategic counterterrorism communications— There is authorized to be established within the Department of State, under the direction of the Secretary of State, the Center for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications (in this section referred to as the “CSCC”).
- (c) Mission— The CSCC may coordinate, orient, and inform Government-wide public communications activities directed at audiences abroad and targeted against violent extremists and terrorist organizations, especially al-Qa’ida and its affiliates and adherents.
- (d) Coordinator of the center for strategic counterterrorism communications— The head of the CSCC should be the Coordinator. The Coordinator of the CSCC should—
- (1) report to the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs; and
- (2) collaborate with the Bureau of Counterterrorism of the Department of State, other Department bureaus, and other United States Government agencies.
- (e) Duties— The CSCC may—
- (1) monitor and evaluate extremist narratives and events abroad that are relevant to the development of a United States strategic counterterrorism narrative designed to counter violent extremism and terrorism that threaten the interests and national security of the United States;
- (2) develop and promulgate for use throughout the executive branch the United States strategic counterterrorism narrative developed in accordance with paragraph (1), and public communications strategies to counter the messaging of violent extremists and terrorist organizations, especially al-Qa’ida and its affiliates and adherents;
- (3) identify current and emerging trends in extremist communications and communications by al-Qa’ida and its affiliates and adherents in order to coordinate and provide guidance to the United States Government regarding how best to proactively promote the United States strategic counterterrorism narrative developed in accordance with paragraph (1) and related policies, and to respond to and rebut extremist messaging and narratives when communicating to audiences outside the United States;
- (4) facilitate the use of a wide range of communications technologies by sharing expertise and best practices among United States Government and non-Government sources;
- (5) identify and request relevant information from United States Government agencies, including intelligence reporting, data, and analysis;
- (6) identify shortfalls in United States capabilities in any areas relevant to the CSCC’s mission, and recommend necessary enhancements or changes; and
- (7) establish measurable goals, performance metrics, and monitoring and evaluation plans to focus on learning, accountability, and policymaking.
- (f) Steering committee— In general— The Secretary of State may establish a Steering Committee composed of senior representatives of United States Government agencies relevant to the CSCC’s mission to provide advice to the Secretary on the operations and strategic orientation of the CSCC and to ensure adequate support for the CSCC.
- (2) Meetings— The Steering Committee should meet not less often than once every six months.
- (3) Leadership— The Steering Committee should be chaired by the Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy. The Coordinator for Counterterrorism of the Department of State should serve as Vice Chair. The Coordinator of the CSCC should serve as Executive Secretary.
- (4) Composition— In general— The Steering Committee may include one senior representative designated by the head of each of the following agencies:
- (i) The Department of Defense.
- (ii) The Department of Justice.
- (iii) The Department of Homeland Security.
- (iv) The Department of the Treasury.
- (v) The National Counterterrorism Center of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
- (vi) The Joint Chiefs of Staff.
- (vii) The Counterterrorism Center of the Central Intelligence Agency.
- (viii) The Broadcasting Board of Governors.
- (ix) The Agency for International Development.
- (B) Additional representation— Representatives from United States Government agencies not specified in subparagraph (A) may be invited to participate in the Steering Committee at the discretion of the Chair.
## Sec. 204 Anti-piracy information sharing — removed
- The Secretary of State is authorized to provide for the participation by the United States in the Information Sharing Centre located in Singapore, as established by the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP).
## Sec. 212 Authority to restrict passports
- (a) In general— The Secretary of State is authorized to—
- (1) limit to one year or such period of time as the Secretary of State shall determine appropriate the period of validity of a passport issued to a sex offender; and
- (2) revoke the passport or passport card of an individual who has been convicted by a court of competent jurisdiction in a foreign country of a sex offense.
- (b) Limitation for return to United States— Notwithstanding subsection (a), in no case shall a United States citizen convicted by a court of competent jurisdiction in a foreign country of a sex offense be precluded from entering the United States due to a passport revocation under such subsection.
- (c) Reapplication— An individual whose passport or passport card was revoked pursuant to subsection (a)(2) may reapply for a passport or passport card at any time after such individual has returned to the United States.
- (d) Definitions— For purposes of this section:
- (1) Sex offender— The term sex offender means an individual who is listed on the National Sex Offender Registry established pursuant to section 119 of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (42 U.S.C. 16915).
- (2) Sex offense— The term sex offense means a sex offense as defined in section 111(5) of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (42 U.S.C. 16915).
- Section 410(a)(1)(A) of the Department of State and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999 (contained in division A of Public Law 105–277) is amended by striking “a fee of $13” and inserting “a fee equal to one-half the fee that would otherwise apply for processing a machine readable combined border crossing identification card and nonimmigrant visa”.
## Sec. 213 Authority to restrict passports — removed
- (a) In general— The Secretary of State is authorized to—
- (1) limit to one year or such period of time as the Secretary of State shall determine appropriate the period of validity of a passport issued to a sex offender; and
- (2) revoke the passport or passport card of an individual who has been convicted by a court of competent jurisdiction in a foreign country of a sex offense.
- (b) Limitation for return to United States— Notwithstanding subsection (a), in no case shall a United States citizen convicted by a court of competent jurisdiction in a foreign country of a sex offense be precluded from entering the United States due to a passport revocation under such subsection.
- (c) Reapplication— An individual whose passport or passport card was revoked pursuant to subsection (a)(2) may reapply for a passport or passport card at any time after such individual has returned to the United States.
- (d) Definitions— For purposes of this section:
- (1) Sex offender— The term sex offender means an individual who is listed on the National Sex Offender Registry established pursuant to section 119 of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (42 U.S.C. 16915).
- (2) Sex offense— The term sex offense means a sex offense as defined in section 111(5) of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (42 U.S.C. 16915).
## Sec. 221 Reporting reform
- (a) In general— The following provisions of law are repealed:
- (1) Subsections (c)(4) and (c)(5) of section 601 of Public Law 96–465.
- (2) Section 585 of Public Law 104–208.
- (3) Subsections (b) and (c) of section 11 of Public Law 107–245.
- (4) Section 181 of Public Law 102–138.
- (5) Section 1012(c) of Public Law 103–337.
- (6) Section 527(f) of Public Law 103–236.
- (7) Section 304(f) of Public Law 107–173.
- (8) Section 4(b) Subsections (a) and (b) of section 4 of Public Law 79–264.
- (9) Section 3202 Sections 3203 and 3204(f) of Public Law 106–246.
- (b) Conforming amendment— Section 11 of Public Law 107–245 is amended by striking “(a) In general.—”.
- (c) Report on United States contributions to the United Nations—
- (1) In general— Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act and annually thereafter, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall submit to Congress a report on all assessed and voluntary contributions, including in-kind, of the United States Government to the United Nations and its affiliated agencies and related bodies during the previous fiscal year.
- (2) Content— Each report required under subsection (a) shall include the following elements:
- (A) The total amount of all assessed and voluntary contributions, including in-kind, of the United States Government to the United Nations and its affiliated agencies and related bodies during the previous fiscal year.
- (B) The approximate percentage of United States Government contributions to each United Nations affiliated agency or related body in such fiscal year when compared with all contributions to each such agency or body from any source in such fiscal year.
- (C) For each such United States Government contribution—
- (i) the amount of the contribution;
- (ii) a description of the contribution (including whether assessed or voluntary);
- (iii) the department or agency of the United States Government responsible for the contribution;
- (iv) the purpose of the contribution; and
- (v) the United Nations or its affiliated agency or related body receiving the contribution.
- (3) Scope of initial report— The first report required under this subsection shall include the information required under this section for the previous three fiscal years.
- (4) Public availability of information— Not later than 14 days after submitting a report under this subsection, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall post a public version of such report on a text-based, searchable, and publicly available Internet Web site.
## Sec. 301 Suspension of foreign service members without pay
- (a) Suspension— Section 610 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 4010) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
- “(c)
- “(1) In order to promote the efficiency of the Service, the Secretary may suspend a member of the Foreign Service without pay when the member’s security clearance is suspended or when there is reasonable cause to believe that the member has committed a crime for which a sentence of imprisonment may be imposed.
- “(2) Any member of the Foreign Service for whom a suspension is proposed in accordance with paragraph (1) shall be entitled to—
- “(A) written notice stating the specific reasons for the proposed suspension;
- “(B) a reasonable time period of not less than 30 days after receipt of any notice under subparagraph (A) to respond orally and in writing to the proposed suspension;suspension, which period may be extended upon a showing of good cause;
- “(C) representation by an attorney or other representative; and
- “(D) a final written decision, including the specific reasons for such decision, as soon as practicable.
- “(3) Any member suspended under this section may file a grievance in accordance with the procedures applicable to grievances under chapter 11.
- “(4) In the case of a grievance filed under paragraph (3)—
- “(A) the review by the Foreign Service Grievance Board shall be limited to a determination of whether the provisions of paragraphs (1) and (2) have been fulfilled; and
- “(B) the Foreign Service Grievance Board may not exercise the authority provided under section 1106(8).
- “(5) In this subsection:
- “(A) The term reasonable time means—cause to believe a member has committed a crime means the member has been indicted by a grand jury.
- “(i) with respect to a member of the Foreign Service assigned to duty in the United States, 15 days after receiving notice of the proposed suspension; and
- “(ii) with respect to a member of the Foreign Service assigned to duty outside the United States, 30 days after receiving notice of the proposed suspension.
- “(B) The term suspend or suspension means the placing of a member of the Foreign Service in a temporary status without duties and pay.”
- (b) Conforming and clerical amendments—
- (1) Amendment of section heading— Section 610 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980, as amended by subsection (a) of this section, is further amended, in the section heading, by inserting “; Suspension” before the period at the end.
- (2) Clerical amendment— The item relating to section 610 in the table of contents in section 2 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 is amended to read as follows:
## Sec. 414 Revision of provisions relating to personnel recommendations of Accountability Review Board
- (a) In general— Section 304(c) of the Diplomatic Security Act (22 U.S.C. 4834(c)) is amended—
- (1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1)—
- (A) by striking “Whenever” and inserting “If”; and
- (B) by striking “has breached the duty of that individual” and inserting “has engaged in misconduct or unsatisfactorily performed the duties of employment of that individual, and such misconduct or unsatisfactory performance has significantly contributed to the serious injury, loss of life, or significant destruction of property, or the serious breach of security that is the subject of the Board’s examination as described in subsection (a)”;
- (2) in paragraph (2), by striking “finding” each place it appears and inserting “findings”; and
- (3) in the matter following paragraph (3)—
- (A) by striking “has breached a duty of that individual” and inserting “has engaged in misconduct or unsatisfactorily performed the duties of employment of that individual”; and
- (B) by inserting “of employment” after “performance striking “to the performance of the duties”.duties of that individual”.
- (b) Effective date— The amendments made by subsection (a) shall apply with respect to any case of an Accountability Review Board that is convened under section 301 of the Diplomatic Security Act (22 U.S.C. 4831) on or after the date of the enactment of this Act.
## Sec. 423 Transfer authority
- Section 4 of the Foreign Service Buildings Act, 1926 (22 U.S.C. 295) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsections:subsection:
- “(j) In addition to exercising any other transfer authority available to the Secretary of State, and subject to subsection (k), the Secretary may transfer to, and merge with, any appropriation for embassy security, construction, and maintenance such amounts appropriated for any other purpose related to the administration of foreign affairs on or after October 1, 2013, as the Secretary determines necessary to provide for the security of sites and buildings in foreign countries under the jurisdiction and control of the Secretary.“(j)
- “(k) The “(1) In addition to exercising any other transfer authority available to the Secretary of State shall consult State, and subject to paragraphs (2) and (3), the Secretary may transfer to, and merge with, any appropriation for embassy security, construction, and not later than 15 days before maintenance such amounts appropriated for fiscal year 2014 for any transfer of funds pursuant other purpose related to subsection (j) notify, the Committees on Foreign Relations and Appropriations administration of foreign affairs on or after October 1, 2013, if the Senate Secretary determines such transfer is necessary to provide for the security of sites and buildings in foreign countries under the Committees on Foreign Affairs jurisdiction and Appropriations control of the House of Representatives of such transfer.”Secretary.
- “(2) Any funds transferred pursuant to paragraph (1)—
- “(A) shall not exceed 20 percent of any appropriation made available for fiscal year 2014 for the Department of State under the heading “Administration of Foreign Affairs”, and no such appropriation shall be increased by more than 10 percent by any such transfer; and
- “(B) shall be merged with funds in the heading to which transferred, and shall be available subject to the same terms and conditions as the funds with which merged.
- “(3) Not later than 15 days before any transfer of funds pursuant to paragraph (1), the Secretary of State shall notify in writing the Committees on Foreign Relations and Appropriations of the Senate and the Committees on Foreign Affairs and Appropriations of the House of Representatives. Any such notification shall include a description of the particular security need necessitating the transfer at issue.”
## Sec. 431 Security training for personnel assigned to high risk, high threat posts
- (a) In general— Title IV of the Omnibus Diplomatic Security and Antiterrorism Act of 1986 (22 U.S.C. 4851 et seq.; relating to diplomatic security) is amended by adding at the end the following new sections:
- “416. Security training for personnel assigned to a high risk, high threat post
- “(a) In general—Individuals assigned permanently to or who are in long-term temporary duty status as designated by the Secretary at a high risk, high threat post shall receive security training described in subsection (b) on a mandatory basis in order to prepare such individuals for living and working at such posts.
- “(b) Security training described—Security training referred to in subsection (a)—
- “(1) is training to improve basic knowledge and skills; and
- “(2) may include—
- “(A) an ability to recognize, avoid, and respond to potential terrorist situations, including a complex attack;
- “(B) conducting surveillance detection;
- “(C) providing emergency medical care;
- “(D) ability to detect the presence of improvised explosive devices;
- “(E) minimal firearms proficiency; familiarization; and
- “(F) defensive driving maneuvers.
- “(c) Effective date—The requirements of this section shall take effect upon the date of the enactment of this section.
- “(d) Definitions—In this section and sections 417 and 418:
- “(1) Complex attack—The term “complex attack” complex attack has the meaning given such term by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as follows: “An attack conducted by multiple hostile elements which employ at least two distinct classes of weapon systems (i.e., indirect fire and direct fire, improvised explosive devices, and surface to air fire).”.
- “(2) High risk, high threat post—The term high risk, high threat post has the meaning given such term in section 104.
- “417. Security management training for officials assigned to a high risk, high threat post
- “(a) In general—Officials described in subsection (c) who are assigned to a high risk, high threat post shall receive security training described in subsection (b) on a mandatory basis in order to improve the ability of such officials to make security-related management decisions.
- “(b) Security training described—Security training referred to in subsection (a) may include—
- “(1) development of skills to better evaluate threats;
- “(2) effective use of security resources to mitigate such threats; and
- “(3) improved familiarity of available security resources.
- “(c) Officials described—Officials referred to in subsection (a) are—
- “(1) members of the Senior Foreign Service appointed under section 302(a)(1) or 303 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 3942(a)(1) and 3943) or members of the Senior Executive Service (as such term is described in section 3132(a)(2) of title 5, United States Code);
- “(2) Foreign Service officers appointed under section 302(a)(1) of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 3942(a)(1)) holding a position in classes FS–1, FS–2, or FS–3;
- “(3) Foreign Service Specialists appointed by the Secretary under section 303 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 3943) holding a position in classes FS–1, FS–2, or FS–3; and
- “(4) individuals holding a position in grades GS–13, GS–14, or GS–15.
- “(d) Effective date—The requirements of this section shall take effect beginning on the date that is one year after the date of the enactment of this section.
- “418. Language requirements for diplomatic security personnel assigned to high risk, high threat post
- “(a) In general—Diplomatic security personnel assigned permanently to or who are in long-term temporary duty status as designated by the Secretary at a high risk, high threat post should receive language training described in subsection (b) in order to prepare such personnel for duty requirements at such post.
- “(b) Language training described—Language training referred to in subsection (a) should prepare personnel described in such subsection to—
- “(1) speak the language at issue with sufficient structural accuracy and vocabulary to participate effectively in most formal and informal conversations on subjects germane to security; and
- “(2) read within an adequate range of speed and with almost complete comprehension on subjects germane to security.”
- (b) Conforming amendment— The table of contents of the Omnibus Diplomatic Security and Antiterrorism Act of 1986 is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 415 the following new items: