,i  #aacth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #gca  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of   
,,representatives  ,february #ad1 #bjac 
,mr4 ,radel 7for himself1 ,ms4 ,frankel 
of ,florida1 ,mr4 ,weber of ,texas1 ,mr4
 ,cotton1 and ,mr4 ,messer7 introduced  
the following bill2 which was referred  
to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs  
,a ,,bill  ,to amend the ,foreign       
,relations ,authorization ,act1 ,fiscal 
,years #aiij and #aiia to allow the     
,department of ,state to use a          
best-value contracting method in        
awarding local guard or protective      
service contracts in high risk areas    
abroad under the diplomatic security    
program4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act   
may be cited as the ,protecting         
,americans ,abroad ,act4  #b4           
,diplomatic security program contracting
 ,section #acf of the ,foreign          
,relations ,authorization ,act1 ,fiscal 
,years #aiij and #aiia 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4   
#dhfd7 is amended--  7#a7 in subsection 
7c7--  7,a7 in the matter preceding     

paragraph 7#a71 by striking ,with       
respect and inserting ,except as        
provided in subsection 7d71 with        
respect2 and  7,b7 in paragraph 7#c71 by
 striking subsection 7d7 and inserting  
subsection 7e72  7#b7 by redesignating  
subsections 7d71 7e71 7f71 and 7g7 as   
subsections 7e71 7f71 7g71 and 7h71     
respectively2  7#c7 by inserting after  
subsection 7c7 the following new        
subsection3  7d7 ,award of local guard  
and protective service contracts in high
 risk areas ,with respect to any local  
guard contract for a ,foreign ,service  
building located in a high risk area    
that is entered into after the date of  
the enactment of this subsection1 the   
,secretary of ,state--  7#a7 shall      
comply with paragraphs 7#a71 7#b71 7#d71
 7#e71 and 7#f7 of subsection 7c7 in the
 award of the contract2  7#b7 after     
evaluating proposals for the contract1  
may award the contract to the firm      
representing the best value to the      
,government in accordance with the best 

value tradeoff process described in     
subpart #ae4a of the ,federal           
,acquisition ,regulation 7#dh ,c4,f4,r4 
#ae4aja-a72 and  7#c7 shall ensure that 
contractor personnel under the contract 
providing local guard or protective     
services are classified--  7,a7 as      
employees of the contractor2  7,b7 if   
the contractor is a joint venture1 as   
employees of one of the persons or      
parties constituting the joint venture2 
or  7,c7 as employees of a subcontractor
 to the contractor1 and not as          
independent contractors to the          
contractor or any other entity          
performing under such contracts4  2 and 
7#d7 in subsection 7e71 as redesignated 
by paragraph 7#b7 of this section--     
7,a7 in paragraph 7#c71 by striking and 
at the end2  7,b7 in paragraph 7#d71 by 
striking the period at the end and      
inserting 2 and2 and  7,c7 by adding at 
the end the following new paragraph3    
7#e7 the term high risk area means an   
area determined by the ,assistant       

,secretary of ,diplomatic ,security to  
present an increased threat of serious  
damage or harm to ,united ,states       
diplomatic facilities or personnel4  4