,i  #aacth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #agfh  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,april #bf1 #bjac    
,mr4 ,royce 7for himself1 ,ms4          
,ros-,lehtinen1 ,mr4 ,chabot1 ,mr4      
,mc,caul1 ,mr4 ,poe of ,texas1 ,mr4     
,salmon1 ,mr4 ,kinzinger of ,illinois1  
,mr4 ,cotton1 ,mr4 ,holding1 ,mr4 ,weber
 of ,texas1 ,mr4 ,perry1 ,mr4           
,de,santis1 ,mr4 ,radel1 ,mr4 ,collins  
of ,georgia1 ,mr4 ,meadows1 ,mr4        
,messer1 and ,mr4 ,grimm7 introduced the
 following bill2 which was referred to  
the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs  ,a 
,,bill  ,to amend the ,diplomatic       
,security ,act to require certain       
notifications to ,congress of           
,accountability ,review ,boards of the  
,department of ,state1 avoid conflicts  
of interest of the members of such      
,boards1 require actions with respect to
 reports from such ,boards1 and for     
other purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this 
,act may be cited as the ,accountability
 ,review ,board ,reform ,act of #bjac4  

#b4 ,findings2 ,sense of ,congress  7a7 
,findings ,congress finds the following3
  7#a7 ,the ,united ,states has a       
crucial stake in supporting the presence
 abroad of ,united ,states ,government  
personnel representing ,united ,states  
interests4  7#b7 ,united ,states        
,government personnel and missions      
abroad are confronted by serious        
security risks1 including the threat of 
terrorism1 which will continue for the  
foreseeable future4  7#c7 ,the          
,accountability ,review ,board process  
was established in #aihf by ,congress to
 conduct a thorough assessment of       
security-related incidents at or related
 to a ,united ,states ,government       
mission abroad4  7#d7 ,each assessment  
by a ,board is expected to promote      
strengthened security measures1 and to  
provide for the accountability of       
,united ,states ,government personnel   
with security-related responsibilities4 
7#e7 ,the terrorist attack in ,benghazi1
 ,libya1 on ,september #aa1 #bjab1 that 

took the lives of four ,united ,states  
,government personnel has brought       
unprecedented attention to the work of  
such ,boards4  7b7 ,sense of ,congress  
,it is the sense of ,congress that the  
effectiveness of ,accountability ,review
 ,boards would be improved by           
reconstituting such ,boards to increase 
their independence from the ,department 
of ,state4  #c4 ,notification to        
,congress about certain information     
relating to accountability review boards
 of the ,department of ,state           
,subsection 7c7 of section #cja of the  
,omnibus ,diplomatic ,security and      
,antiterrorism ,act 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4      
#dhca7 is amended--  7#a7 in the matter 
preceding paragraph 7#a71 by inserting 1
 the ,chairman of the ,committee on     
,foreign ,affairs of the ,house of      
,representatives1 after the ,committee  
on ,foreign ,relations of the ,senate2  
and  7#b7 in paragraph 7#b71 by striking
 and at the end2  7#c7 by redesignating 
paragraph 7#c7 as paragraph 7#e72 and   

7#d7 by inserting after paragraph 7#b7  
the following new paragraphs3  7#c7 of  
any individual who is employed at a     
grade of not lower than the level of    
,,fs-#c or ,,gs-#ad who is hired1       
assigned1 or detailed to assist the     
,board to carry out its duties2  7#d7 of
 any political appointee who is hired1  
assigned1 or detailed to assist the     
,board to carry out its duties2 and  4  
#d4 ,accountability review boards  7a7  
,membership ,subsection 7a7 of section  
#cjb of the ,omnibus ,diplomatic        
,security and ,antiterrorism ,act 7#bb  
,u4,s4,c4 #dhcb7 is amended--  7#a7 by  
striking the first sentence and         
inserting the following new sentence3 ,a
 ,board shall consist of five members1  
two appointed by the ,secretary of      
,state1 two appointed by the            
,chairperson of the ,council of         
,inspectors ,general on ,integrity and  
,efficiency 7the ,,cigie ,chairperson71 
and one appointed by the ,director of   
,national ,intelligence42 and  7#b7 by  

striking the final two sentences and    
inserting the following new sentences3  
,members of a ,board who are not        
,federal officers or employees shall    
each be paid at a rate not to exceed the
 maximum rate of basic pay payable for  
level ,,iv of the ,executive ,schedule  
under section #ecag of title #e1 ,united
 ,states ,code1 for each day 7including 
travel time7 during which such members  
are engaged in the actual performance of
 duties vested in such ,board4 ,members 
of the ,board who are ,federal officers 
or employees shall receive no additional
 pay by reason of such membership4 ,only
 in exceptional circumstances may a     
member of a ,board be a current ,federal
 officer or employee44  7b7 ,staff      
,paragraph 7#b7 of subsection 7b7 of    
section #cjb of the ,omnibus ,diplomatic
 ,security and ,antiterrorism ,act is   
amended to read as follows3  7#b7 ,staff
  7,a7 ,in general ,a ,board may hire   
staff to assist the ,board1 and may have
 any ,federal ,government employee      

assigned or detailed to such ,board1    
with or without reimbursement1 to assist
 such ,board4 ,any such assignee or     
detailee shall retain without           
interruption the rights1 status1 and    
privileges of his or her regular        
employment4  7,b7 ,special rule ,any    
individual who is hired1 assigned1 or   
detailed to assist a ,board under       
subparagraph 7,a7 shall be subject to   
the rule relating to the avoidance of   
conflicts of interest under subsection  
7a7 in the same manner and to the same  
extent as a ,member of such a ,board is 
subject to such avoidance under such    
subsection4  7,c7 ,office of the        
,inspector ,general ,to the maximum     
extent practicable1 individuals         
assisting the ,board shall be employees 
of the ,office of the ,inspector        
,general of the ,department of ,state4  
4  7c7 ,conflicts of interest ,section  
#cjb of the ,omnibus ,diplomatic        
,security and ,antiterrorism ,act is    
amended by adding at the end the        

following new subsections3  7c7         
,avoidance of conflicts of interest     
7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of     
,state1 the ,,cigie ,chairperson1 and   
the ,director of ,national ,intelligence
 may not appoint any individual as a    
member of a ,board if the ,secretary1   
the ,,cigie ,chairperson1 or the        
,director1 as the case may be1          
determines that such individual has a   
conflict of interest concerning a person
 whose performance such ,board          
reasonably could be expected to review4 
7#b7 ,declining appointment ,an         
individual shall decline appointment to 
membership on a ,board if such          
individual has actual knowledge of a    
conflict of interest concerning a person
 whose performance such ,board could    
reasonably be expected to review4  7#c7 
,recusal from particular activities ,a  
member of a ,board shall recuse him or  
herself from any ,board activity1       
interview1 deposition1 or recommendation
 concerning a person with whom such     

member has a conflict of interest4 ,such
 member shall promptly notify the other 
members of such ,board of any such      
recusal1 but need not state the basis   
therefor4  7d7 ,conflict of interest    
defined ,in this section1 the term      
conflict of interest means one of the   
following relationships1 whether current
 or former1 that would cause a          
reasonable person with knowledge of the 
relevant facts to question the          
impartiality of the parties to such     
relationship toward each other3  7#a7 ,a
 business1 contractual1 or other        
financial relationship that involves    
other than a routine consumer           
transaction4  7#b7 ,a familial1 member  
of household1 or other close personal   
relationship1 including a social        
relationship of a romantic or intimate  
nature4  7#c7 ,a direct managerial or   
supervisory workplace relationship4  4  
#e4 ,evidence ,subsection 7a7 of section
 #cjc of the ,omnibus ,diplomatic       
,security and ,antiterrorism ,act 7#bb  

,u4,s4,c4 #dhcc7 is amended by adding at
 the end the following new paragraph3   
7#d7 ,determination of relevancy ,the   
,board may accept any evidence          
determined by a member of the ,board to 
be relevant and material to an          
investigation or inquiry of the ,board4 
,the ,federal ,rules of ,evidence are   
not applicable to the ,board4  4  #f4   
,board actions  7a7 ,program            
recommendations ,subsection 7b7 of      
section #cjd of the ,omnibus ,diplomatic
 ,security and ,antiterrorism ,act 7#bb 
,u4,s4,c4 #dhcd7 is amended to read as  
follows3  7b7 ,program recommendations  
7#a7 ,in general ,except as provided in 
paragraph 7#b71 not later than #ij days 
after a ,board is convened in a case1   
such ,board shall submit to the         
,secretary of ,state and ,congress its  
findings 7which may be classified to the
 extent determined necessary by the     
,board71 together with recommendations  
as appropriate to improve the security  
and efficiency of any program or        

operation which such ,board has         
reviewed4  7#b7 ,extension ,the #ij day 
period referred to in paragraph 7#a7 may
 be extended for up to #fj days if the  
,chairperson of the ,board referred to  
in such paragraph determines that such  
additional time is necessary to complete
 a thorough review of the program or    
operation at issue4  7#c7 ,dissenting   
views ,if a member dissents from any of 
the findings or recommendations of the  
,board1 such member may submit          
dissenting views to accompany the       
submission of the ,board's findings and 
recommendations under paragraph 7#a74  4
  7b7 ,reports ,paragraph 7#a7 of       
subsection 7d7 of section #cjd of the   
,omnibus ,diplomatic ,security and      
,antiterrorism ,act is amended to read  
as follows3  7#a7 ,program              
recommendations ,not later than #ij days
 after the submission to the ,secretary 
of ,state of the findings and           
recommendations from any ,board in      
accordance with subsection 7b71 the     

,secretary shall submit to ,congress a  
corresponding report on the action taken
 with respect to each such              
recommendation4  4  #g4 ,regulations    
,the ,secretary of ,state shall         
promulgate or update regulations1 as the
 case may be1 to carry out the          
amendments made by this ,act4  #h4      
,effective date ,the amendments made by 
this ,act shall apply with respect to   
any case of an ,accountability ,review  
,board that is convened under section   
#cja of the ,omnibus ,diplomatic        
,security and ,antiterrorism ,act 7#bb  
,u4,s4,c4 #dhca7 on or after the date of
 the enactment of this ,act4