,,ii #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #ejbf ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,december #af1 #bjbj,mr4 ,schatz 7for himself and ,mr4 ,young7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations ,a ,,bill ,to establish the ,office of ,press ,freedom1 to create press freedom curriculum at the ,national ,foreign ,affairs ,training ,center1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,global ,press ,freedom ,act4 #b4 ,findings ,congress makes the following findings3 7#a7 ,freedom of the press is a fundamental civil1 political1 and human right that is foundational in the ,united ,states democratic system and enshrined in the ,first ,amendment of the ,united ,states ,constitution1 which states 7in part7 ,congress shall make no law ''' abridging the freedom of speech or of the press '''4 7#b7 ,freedom of the press is essential to a free1 open1 and democratic system4 7#c7 ,historically1 ,united ,states foreign policy has advanced freedom of the press as a central tenet1 at home and abroad4 7#d7 ,the ,united ,states led the drafting of the ,universal ,declaration of ,human ,rights1 adopted in ,paris on ,december #aj1 #aidh1 which enshrines the commitment of countries around the world to protect and promote universal human rights and values that are indispensable for human dignity1 including freedom of expression and of the press4 7#e7 ,article #ai of the ,universal ,declaration of ,human ,rights states1 ,everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression2 this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek1 receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers44 7#f7 ,in #ahbc1 ,thomas ,jefferson wrote1 the only security of all is in a free press4 7#g7 ,a free press has long been recognized as an important aspect of the ,united ,states national security and actions taken by foreign governments or organizations that weaken free press protections are a national security threat to the ,united ,states4 7#h7 ,the right to freedom of the press is under renewed and1 in some cases1 increasing assault around the world1 with rhetoric delegitimizing and discrediting the media or journalists1 online harassment1 physical attacks1 legal campaigns1 censorship1 and surveillance1 all of which threaten the ability of journalists to do their jobs safely and freely4 7#i7 ,in the past decade1 the world has seen a significant deterioration of press freedoms4 7#aj7 ,according to ,freedom ,house's ,freedom in the ,media #bjai study-- 7,a7 #ai percent of the countries it designates as ,free with respect to press and journalistic freedom have seen reductions in their press freedom score during the past #e years2 and 7,b7 #bh percent of the countries it designates as ,not ,free have experienced further declines in press freedom during the past #e years4 7#aa7 ,according to ,reporters ,without ,border's #bjbj ,world ,press ,freedom ,index-- 7,a7 approximately #gd percent of the countries of the world are classified as problematic situation or worse with respect to journalistic freedom2 7,b7 approximately #bf percent of the countries of the world have satisfactory or good press freedom environments2 7,c7 among the countries that have recently suffered the largest declines in press freedom are ,poland1 ,turkey1 ,burundi1 ,hungary1 ,bolivia1 ,serbia1 and the ,democratic ,republic of ,congo2 7,d7 around the world1 #bjai marked the fourth consecutive year in which #cjj or more journalists were jailed2 7,e7 the ,,covid-#ai pandemic has precipitated state censorship1 harassment1 and violence in both authoritarian and democratic states2 and 7,f7 authorities have detained journalists for reporting on the pandemic in many nations1 including ,china1 ,zimbabwe1 ,bangladesh1 ,mali1 ,belarus1 ,azerbaijan1 ,iran1 the ,philippines1 ,tajikistan1 ,poland1 the ,democratic ,republic of ,congo1 and ,serbia4 7#ab7 ,according to the ,committee to ,protect ,journalists1 in #bjai-- 7,a7 at least #bej journalists worldwide were in prison for the fourth consecutive year1 with ,turkey1 ,china1 ,egypt1 and ,saudi ,arabia responsible for more than #ej percent of the jailed journalists2 7,b7 of the journalists detained-- 7i7 #bc percent were detained without charge2 and 7ii7 #ff percent were imprisoned on anti-state charges2 7,c7 at least #be journalists were killed for their work2 and 7,d7 there was complete impunity for journalists' murders in an estimated #he percent of cases4 7#ac7 ,congress has recognized the importance of freedom of the press by enacting-- 7,a7 the ,daniel ,pearl ,freedom of the ,press ,act of #bjji 7,public ,law #aaa-aff72 7,b7 the ,global ,magnitsky ,human ,rights ,accountability ,act 7subtitle ,f of title ,,xii of ,public ,law #aad-cbh72 and 7,c7 ,s4 ,res4 #eja1 #aaeth ,congress 7recognizing threats to freedom of the press and expression around the world and reaffirming freedom of the press as a priority in efforts of the ,government of the ,united ,states to promote democracy and good governance74 7#ad7 ,the importance of freedom of the press has been recognized by numerous ,united ,states presidential administrations that span ideological and party lines1 including-- 7,a7 a #aghf letter to ,james ,currie1 in which ,secretary of ,state ,thomas ,jefferson wrote our liberty depends on the freedom of the press1 and that cannot be limited without being lost42 7,b7 an address to ,congress on ,february #f1 #aihf1 in which ,president ,ronald ,reagan stated1 ,victories against poverty are greatest and peace most secure where people live by laws that ensure free press1 free speech1 and freedom to worship1 vote1 and create wealth2 7,c7 a statement by ,secretary of ,state ,condoleezza ,rice on ,april #aa1 #bjjg1 stating that there is no more important pillar of democracy than a free and active press2 7,d7 a statement by former ,secretary of ,state ,madeline ,albright on ,may #ca1 #bjah1 reporting that ,freedom of the press is a basic aspect of democracy1 invented by ,americans42 and 7,e7 a statement by ,secretary of ,state ,mike ,pompeo on ,may #c1 #bjai1 stating1 ,a free and independent media is indispensable to a vibrant1 functioning democracy4 ,despite some progress1 journalists around the world continue to be persecuted1 targeted with violence1 or even killed--all too often with impunity44 7#ae7 ,protection of a free and open press is not a partisan issue4 7#af7 ,it is imperative that ,congress further enshrine the ,department of ,state's role in protecting this basic human right abroad4 #c4 ,statement of policy ,it shall be the policy of the ,united ,states-- 7#a7 to condemn violations of1 and attacks on1 press freedoms2 7#b7 to promote1 and to assist other governments in the promotion of1 the importance of a free and open press2 7#c7 to support press freedom abroad in all aspects of ,american foreign policy2 and 7#d7 to work with foreign governments that affirm and protect press freedom-- 7,a7 to develop multilateral initiatives to combat suppression of the free press2 and 7,b7 to hold accountable those governments that violate and attack press freedoms4 #d4 ,office of ,press ,freedom2 ,ambassador-at-,large for ,press ,freedom 7a7 ,establishment ,there is established1 within the ,united ,states ,department of ,state1 the ,office of ,press ,freedom 7referred to in this ,act as the ,office71 which-- 7#a7 shall be situated in the ,bureau of ,democracy1 ,human ,rights1 and ,labor2 and 7#b7 shall be headed by the ,ambassador-at-,large for ,press ,freedom 7referred to in this ,act as the ,ambassador74 7b7 ,appointment ,the ,ambassador shall be appointed by the ,president1 by and with advice and consent of the ,senate1 and shall work with the ,assistant ,secretary of ,state for ,democracy1 ,human ,rights1 and ,labor to advise the ,secretary of ,state regarding matters related to press freedom4 7c7 ,duties ,the ,ambassador shall have the following duties3 7#a7 ,general responsibilities ,the ,ambassador shall have the primary responsibility-- 7,a7 to advance the protection and well-being of members of the ,united ,states and foreign press abroad2 7,b7 to denounce violations of press freedom or freedom of expression by foreign governments or other actors2 and 7,c7 to engage with foreign governments and press freedom organizations around the world concerning press freedom and freedom of expression4 7#b7 ,specific tasks ,the ,ambassador1 with the assistance of the ,office1 and in fulfillment of the responsibilities described in paragraph 7#a71 shall-- 7,a7 coordinate efforts between relevant ,united ,states embassy personnel and press organizations or threatened individuals in situations in which freedom of the press is threatened abroad2 7,b7 publicly and privately denounce oppression of the press abroad2 7,c7 represent the ,united ,states in issues concerning press freedom in diplomatic engagement with foreign governments1 intergovernmental organizations1 the ,united ,nations1 and other international organizations in which the ,united ,states is a member2 7,d7 recommend appropriate responses by the ,united ,states ,government when press freedoms are infringed upon2 and 7,e7 provide ,congress and the public with a regular report describing the successes and enduring challenges of the ,office1 based on metrics that the ,office shall develop4 7#c7 ,advisory role ,the ,ambassador-- 7,a7 shall be a principal advisor to the ,president and to the ,secretary of ,state regarding matters affecting press freedom abroad2 and 7,b7 shall make recommendations regarding the polices of the ,united ,states ,government towards governments or other organizations or individuals that-- 7i7 violate press freedoms2 or 7ii7 fail to ensure the protection of members of the press4 7#d7 ,reporting responsibilities ,the ,ambassador shall-- 7,a7 work with the staff of the ,office to ensure the success of the ,office in carrying out its mission-- 7i7 to promote press freedom abroad2 and 7ii7 to protect members of the press in foreign countries2 7,b7 not later than #a year after being appointed1 ensure that there is a reasonable process for measuring the efficacy of the ,office in carrying out the missions described in subparagraph 7,a72 7,c7 not later than #ah months after being appointed1 and annually thereafter-- 7i7 submit a report to ,congress that describes-- 7,i7 the outcomes of the activities of the ,office based on the process established pursuant to subparagraph 7,b72 and 7,,ii7 the efforts of the ,national ,foreign ,affairs ,training ,center to train ,foreign ,service ,officers about press freedom in accordance with section #e2 and 7ii7 make a copy of the report submitted pursuant to clause 7i7 available to the public2 and 7,d7 review and approve the language in the ,freedom of ,expression section of each country reviewed in the annual ,country ,report on ,human ,rights ,practices4 7#e7 ,funding ,the ,secretary of ,state shall provide the ,ambassador with sufficient funds-- 7,a7 to hire the staff for the ,office to enable the ,office to carry out the tasks and responsibilities described in paragraphs 7#a71 7#b71 and 7#c72 7,b7 to comply with the reporting requirements described in paragraph 7#d72 and 7,c7 for necessary travel to carry out this section4 #e4 ,press freedom curriculum 7a7 ,development ,the ,ambassador and the ,office shall develop a press freedom curriculum for the ,national ,foreign ,affairs ,training ,center that enables ,foreign ,service ,officers to better understand issues of press freedom and the tools that are available to help protect journalists and promote freedom of the press norms1 including-- 7#a7 the historic and current issues facing press freedom1 including countries of specific concern2 7#b7 the ,department of ,state's role in promoting press freedom as an ,american value1 a human rights issue1 and a national security imperative2 7#c7 ways to incorporate press freedom promotion into other aspects of diplomacy2 and 7#d7 existing tools to assist journalists in distress and methods for engaging foreign governments and institutions on behalf of individuals engaged in journalistic activity who are at risk of harm4 7b7 ,required study ,any ,foreign ,service ,officer who is assigned to function as a ,public ,diplomacy ,officer1 a ,political ,officer1 or a ,consular ,officer at an overseas mission shall complete the study of the curriculum described in subsection 7a7 not later than #ij days after the first day of such assignment4 #f4 ,,gao study on the ,daniel ,pearl ,freedom of the ,press ,act of #bjji 7a7 ,study ,the ,comptroller ,general of the ,united ,states shall evaluate the implementation of the ,daniel ,pearl ,freedom of the ,press ,act of #bjji 7,public ,law #aaa-aff7 by-- 7#a7 assessing the effects of including the information described in section #aaf7;d77#ab7 of the ,foreign ,assistance ,act of #aifa 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #baean7d77#ab77 in the annual ,country ,reports on ,human ,rights ,practices2 and 7#b7 determining how reporting on instances of governmental suppression of free press abroad and inaction in addressing press freedom violations has changed since the enactment of the ,daniel ,pearl ,freedom of the ,press ,act of #bjji4 7b7 ,report ,not later than #a year after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,comptroller ,general shall submit a report to ,congress and to the ,secretary of ,state that-- 7#a7 summarizes the results of the study required under subsection 7a72 and 7#b7 provides recommendations for any legislative or regulatory action that would improve the efforts of the ,department of ,state to report on issues of press freedom abroad4