,i #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #cega ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,june #bg1 #bjai ,mr4 ,ted ,lieu of ,california 7for himself and ,mr4 ,wilson of ,south ,carolina7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs ,a ,,bill ,to establish an ,office of ,subnational ,diplomacy within the ,department of ,state1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,city and ,state ,diplomacy ,act4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,the supremacy clause of the ,united ,states ,constitution 7article ,,vi1 clause #b7 establishes that the ,federal ,government has the primary role in conducting diplomacy on behalf of the ,united ,states2 in turn1 the ,department of ,state1 which was created pursuant to statute by ,congress in #aghi1 has the lead role in formulating and implementing ,united ,states foreign policy4 7#b7 ,the growth of subnational cooperation has enabled ,states and municipalities to play an increasingly significant role in foreign policy and complement the efforts of the ,department of ,state by-- 7,a7 supporting exchanges and cooperation agreements between elected leaders and officials of ,state and municipal governments and those of international cities1 regions1 and countries2 7,b7 promoting ,united ,states exports to foreign markets and foreign direct investment into the ,united ,states2 and 7,c7 sharing best practices and striking agreements with foreign counterparts on a wide range of topics1 including facilitating trade and investment1 protecting the health and safety of their respective citizens1 cooperating on energy and the environment1 and promoting people-to-people exchanges4 7#c7 ,global networks made up exclusively of local government officials are at the forefront of harnessing the power of cities to advance international cooperation1 including ,c#dj ,cities ,climate ,leadership ,group1 ,,iclei1 ,united ,cities and ,local ,governments1 ,global ,parliament of ,mayors1 ,urban#bj1 ,strong ,cities ,network1 and ,global ,compact of ,mayors4 7#d7 ,in #bjaj1 the ,department of ,state appointed the first-ever special representative for ,global ,intergovernmental ,affairs1 who led efforts to build strategic peer-to-peer relationships between the ,department of ,state1 ,state and local officials1 and their foreign counterparts4 #c4 ,sense of ,congress ,it is the sense of ,congress that it is in the interest of the ,united ,states to promote subnational engagements1 align such engagements with national foreign policy objectives1 and leverage ,federal resources to enhance the impact of such engagements4 #d4 ,establishment of the ,office of ,subnational ,diplomacy ,section #a of the ,state ,department ,basic ,authorities ,act of #aief 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #bfea;a7 is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection3 7h7 ,office of ,subnational ,diplomacy 7#a7 ,in general ,there shall be established within the ,department of ,state an ,office of ,subnational ,diplomacy 7in this subsection referred to as the ,office74 7#b7 ,head of ,office ,the head of the ,office shall be the ,ambassador-at-,large for ,subnational ,diplomacy 7in this subsection referred to as the ,ambassador74 ,the ,ambassador shall-- 7,a7 be appointed by the ,president1 by and with the advice and consent of the ,senate2 and 7,b7 report directly to the ,under ,secretary for ,political ,affairs4 7#c7 ,duties 7,a7 ,principal duty ,the principal duty of the ,ambassador shall be the overall supervision 7including policy oversight of resources7 of ,federal support for subnational engagements by ,state and municipal governments with foreign governments4 ,the ,ambassador shall be the principal adviser to the ,secretary of ,state on subnational engagements and the principal official on such matters within the senior management of the ,department of ,state4 7,b7 ,additional duties ,the additional duties of the ,ambassador shall include the following3 7i7 ,coordinating overall ,united ,states policy and programs in support of subnational engagements by ,state and municipal governments with foreign governments1 including with respect to the following3 7,i7 ,coordinating resources across the ,department of ,state and throughout the ,federal ,government in support of such engagements4 7,,ii7 ,identifying policy1 program1 and funding disputes among relevant ,federal agencies regarding such coordination4 7,,iii7 ,identifying gaps in ,federal support for such engagements and developing corresponding policy or programmatic changes to address such gaps4 7ii7 ,promoting ,united ,states foreign policy goals through support for subnational engagements and aligning subnational priorities with national foreign policy goals1 as appropriate4 7iii7 ,maintaining a public database of subnational engagements4 7iv7 ,providing advisory support to subnational engagements1 including by assisting ,state and municipal governments to-- 7,i7 develop1 implement1 and1 as necessary1 adjust global engagement and public diplomacy strategies2 and 7,,ii7 implement programs to cooperate with foreign governments on policy priorities or managing shared resources4 7v7 ,facilitating linkages and networks between ,state and municipal governments and their foreign counterparts4 7vi7 ,overseeing the work of ,department of ,state detailees assigned to ,state and municipal governments pursuant to this subsection4 7vii7 ,negotiating agreements and memoranda of understanding with foreign governments to support subnational engagements and priorities4 7viii7 ,promoting ,united ,states trade and foreign exports on behalf of ,united ,states businesses through exchanges between the ,united ,states and foreign state1 municipal1 and provincial governments1 and by establishing a more enduring relationship overall between subnational governments4 7ix7 ,coordinating subnational engagements with the associations of subnational elected leaders1 including the ,u4,s4 ,conference of ,mayors1 ,national ,governors ,association1 ,national ,league of ,cities1 ,national ,association of ,counties1 ,council of ,state ,governments1 ,national ,conference of ,state ,legislators1 and ,state ,international ,development ,offices4 7#d7 ,detailees 7,a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of ,state1 acting through the ,ambassador1 is authorized to detail ,foreign ,service officers to ,state and municipal governments on a reimbursable or nonreimbursable basis4 ,such details shall be for a period not to exceed two years1 and shall be without interruption or loss of ,foreign ,service status or privilege4 7,b7 ,responsibilities ,detailees under subparagraph 7,a7 shall carry out the following3 7i7 ,supporting the mission and objectives of the ,office4 7ii7 ,coordinating activities relating to ,state and municipal government subnational engagements with the ,department of ,state1 including the ,office1 ,department leadership1 and regional and functional bureaus of the ,department1 as appropriate4 7iii7 ,engaging the ,department of ,state and other ,federal agencies regarding security1 public health1 trade promotion1 and other programs executed at the ,state or municipal government level4 7iv7 ,advising ,state and municipal government officials regarding questions of global affairs1 foreign policy1 cooperative agreements1 and public diplomacy4 7v7 ,any other duties requested by ,state and municipal governments and approved by the ,office4 7#e7 ,report and briefing 7,a7 ,report ,not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this subsection1 the ,ambassador shall submit to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs of the ,house of ,representatives and the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations of the ,senate a report that includes information relating to the following3 7i7 ,the staffing plan 7including permanent and temporary staff7 for the ,office4 7ii7 ,the funding level provided to the ,office for the ,office1 together with a justification relating to such level4 7iii7 ,the status of filling the position of ,ambassador-at-,large for ,subnational ,diplomacy4 7iv7 ,a strategic plan for the ,office4 7v7 ,any other matters as determined relevant by the ,ambassador4 7,b7 ,briefings ,not later than #cj days after the submission of the report required under subparagraph 7,a7 and annually thereafter1 the ,ambassador shall brief the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs of the ,house of ,representatives and the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations of the ,senate on the work of the ,office and any changes made to the organizational structure or funding of the ,office4 7#f7 ,definitions ,in this subsection3 7,a7 ,municipal ,the term municipal means1 with respect to the government of a municipality1 a municipality with a population of not fewer than #ajj1jjj people4 7,b7 ,state ,the term ,state means the #ej ,states1 the ,district of ,columbia1 and any territory or possession of the ,united ,states4 7,c7 ,subnational engagement ,the term subnational engagement means formal meetings or events between elected officials of ,state or municipal governments and their foreign counterparts4 4