[DOCID: f:sr055.110]
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Calendar No. 117
110th Congress Report
SENATE
1st Session 110-55
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REAUTHORIZATION OF UNITED STATES ADVISORY COMMISSION ON PUBLIC
DIPLOMACY
_______
April 12, 2007.--Ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Biden, from the Committee on Foreign Relations,
submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany H.R. 1003]
The Committee on Foreign Relations, having had under
consideration a bill to amend the Foreign Affairs Reform and
Restructuring Act of 1998 to reauthorize the United States
Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, reports favorably
thereon and recommends that the bill do pass.
CONTENTS
Page
I. Purpose..........................................................1
II. Legislative History..............................................1
III. Discussion.......................................................2
IV. Cost Estimate....................................................2
V. Evaluation of Regulatory Impact..................................3
VI. Changes in Existing Law..........................................3
I. Purpose
The purpose of the legislation is to reauthorize the United
States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy.
II. Legislative History
H.R. 1003, sponsored by Rep. Diane Watson, was approved by
the House of Representatives on March 13, 2007. On March 19,
2007, it was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. On
March 28, 2007, the committee ordered the bill reported
favorably by voice vote.
III. Discussion
The Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy was created in
the late 1940s to advise the foreign policy apparatus of the
government on public diplomacy programs. The specific mandate,
by statute, is to ``appraise the effectiveness of policies and
programs'' of the State Department in this regard (Section 604
of the United States Information and Educational Exchange Act
of 1948).
In connection with the abolition of the United States
Information Agency (USIA) in 1998, Congress also abolished the
Commission (Section 1334 of the Foreign Affairs Reform and
Restructuring Act of 1998). The termination of the Commission
was made effective on October 1, 1999, to coincide with the
date of the termination of USIA. In November 1999, however,
Congress decided to reinstate the Commission, and made the
reinstatement retroactive to 1998, so that, in a legal sense,
the Commission never expired. In reinstating the Commission,
however, Congress set a sunset date of October 1, 2001, and
limited the staff and budgetary resources provided to the
Commission (Section 404 of the Admiral James W. Nance and Meg
Donovan Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 2000
and 2001).
Since then, Congress has twice extended the mandate of the
Commission, first to October 1, 2005, then to October 1, 2006.
An effort to reauthorize the Commission in the 109th Congress
was unsuccessful, and the authority for it terminated on
October 1, 2006.
The committee believes the Commission serves as a useful
mechanism to provide oversight and advice to the Secretary of
State and Congress regarding public diplomacy programming, and
therefore supports this legislation. This bill reauthorizes the
Commission until October 1, 2009.
IV. Cost Estimate
Pursuant to paragraph 11(a) of Rule XXVI of the Standing
Rules of the Senate, the following cost estimate has been
provided by the Congressional Budget Office.
CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE COST ESTIMATE
March 29, 2007.
H.R. 1003
An act to amend the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of
1998 to reauthorize the United States Advisory Commission on Public
Diplomacy
As ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on
March 28, 2007
H.R. 1003 would reauthorize the United States Advisory
Commission on Public Diplomacy through fiscal year 2009. (The
commission's authorization expired at the end of fiscal year
2006.) The commission would make recommendations to the
Department of State on policies and programs related to public
diplomacy, and may also appraise the effectiveness of such
policies and programs. It would report to the Congress on its
recommendations and appraisals.
Based on information from the Department of State, CBO
estimates that implementing this legislation would cost about
$300,000 a year over the 2008-2009 period, subject to the
appropriation of the necessary amounts. Enacting the
legislation would not affect direct spending or receipts.
H.R. 1003 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and
would not affect the budgets of state, local, or tribal
governments.
On February 28, 2007, CBO transmitted an estimate for H.R.
1003 as ordered reported by the House Committee on Foreign
Affairs on February 15, 2007. Both versions of the legislation
and their cost estimates are identical.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Sunita D'Monte,
who can be reached at 226-2840. This estimate was approved by
Peter H. Fontaine, Deputy Assistant Director for Budget
Analysis.
V. Evaluation of Regulatory Impact
Pursuant to paragraph 11(b) of Rule XXVI of the Standing
Rules of the Senate, the committee has determined that there is
no regulatory impact as a result of this legislation.
VI. Changes in Existing Law
Pursuant to paragraph 12 of Rule XXVI of the Standing Rules
of the Senate, changes in existing law made by the bill, as
reported, are shown as follows (existing proposed to be omitted
is enclosed in black brackets, new matter is printed in italic,
existing law in which no change is proposed is shown in roman).
Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998
* * * * * * *
SUBDIVISION A--CONSOLIDATION OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AGENCIES
TITLE XI--GENERAL PROVISIONS
* * * * * * *
SEC. 1334. SUNSET OF UNITED STATES ADVISORY COMMISSION ON PUBLIC
DIPLOMACY.
The United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy,
established under section 604 of the United States Information
and Educational Exchange Act of 1948 (22 U.S.C. 1469) and
section 8 of Reorganization Plan Numbered 2 of 1977, shall
continue to exist and operate under such provisions of law
until [October 1, 2006] October 1, 2009.