,,ii  #aagth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,s4 #dcbj  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,may #bf1      
#bjbb,mr4 ,risch introduced the         
following bill2 which was read twice and
 referred to the ,committee on ,foreign 
,relations  ,a ,,bill  ,to enhance      
security at ,united ,states diplomatic  
facilities1 and for other purposes4  #a4
 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as
 the ,secure ,embassy ,construction and 
,counterterrorism ,act of #bjbb4  #b4   
,findings ,congress makes the following 
findings3 7#a7 ,the ,secure ,embassy    
,construction and ,counterterrorism ,act
 of #aiii 7title ,,vi of division ,a of 
appendix ,g of ,public ,law #ajf-aac7   
was a necessary response to bombings on 
,august #g1 #aiih1 at the ,united       
,states embassies in ,nairobi1 ,kenya1  
and in ,dar es ,salaam1 ,tanzania that  
were destroyed by simultaneously        
exploding bombs4 ,the resulting         
explosions killed #bbj persons and      
injured more than #d1jjj others4 ,twelve

 ,americans and #dj ,kenyan and         
,tanzanian employees of the ,united     
,states ,foreign ,service were killed in
 the attacks4  7#b7 ,those bombings1    
followed by the expeditionary diplomatic
 efforts in ,iraq and ,afghanistan1     
demonstrated the need to prioritize the 
security of ,united ,states posts and   
personnel abroad above other            
considerations4  7#c7 ,between #aiii and
 #bjbb1 the risk calculus of the        
,department of ,state has swung too far 
toward the elimination of risk1 leading 
to a marked decrease in the ability of  
,united ,states diplomats around the    
world to advance the interests of the   
,united ,states through access to local 
populations1 leaders1 and places4  7#d7 
,america's competitors and adversaries  
do not have the same restrictions that  
,united ,states diplomats have1         
especially in critically important      
medium-threat and high-threat posts4    
7#e7 ,the ,department of ,state's #bjba 
,overseas ,security ,panel report states

 that-- 7,a7 the requirement for setback
 and collocation of diplomatic posts    
under paragraphs 7#b7 and 7#c7 of       
section #fjf7;a7 of the ,secure ,embassy
 ,construction and ,counterterrorism    
,act of #aiii has led to sky-rocketing  
costs of new embassies and consulates2  
and  7,b7 the locations of such posts   
have become less desirable1 creating an 
extremely suboptimal nexus that further 
hinders ,united ,states diplomats who   
are willing to accept more risk in order
 to advance ,united ,states interests4  
#c4 ,sense of ,congress ,it is the sense
 of ,congress that-- 7#a7 the setback   
and collocation requirements referred to
 in section #b7e77;,a71 even with       
available waivers1 no longer provide the
 security such requirements used to     
provide because of advancement in       
technologies1 such as remote controlled 
drones1 that can evade walls and other  
such static barriers2  7#b7 the         
,department of ,state should focus on   
creating performance security standards 

that-- 7,a7 attempt to keep the setback 
requirements of diplomatic posts as     
limited as possible2 and  7,b7 provide  
diplomats access to local populations as
 much as possible1 while still providing
 a necessary level of security2  7#c7   
collocation of diplomatic facilities is 
often not feasible or advisable1        
particularly for public diplomacy spaces
 in countries with repressive           
governments1 since such spaces are      
required to permit the foreign public to
 enter and exit the space easily and    
openly2  7#d7 the ,bureau of ,diplomatic
 ,security should-- 7,a7 fully utilize  
the waiver process provided under       
paragraphs 7#b77;,b7 and 7#c77;,b7 of   
section #fjf7;a7 of the ,secure ,embassy
 ,construction and ,counterterrorism    
,act of #aiii2 and  7,b7 appropriately  
exercise such waiver process as a tool  
to right-size the appropriate security  
footing at each diplomatic post rather  
than only approving waivers in extreme  
circumstances2  7#e7 the return of great

 power competition requires-- 7,a7      
,united ,states diplomats to do all they
 can to outperform our adversaries2 and 
7,b7 the ,department of ,state to better
 utilize taxpayer funding to advance    
,united ,states national interests2 and 
7#f7 this ,act will rebalance the       
,department of ,state's risk and provide
 ,united ,states diplomats the tools    
they need to compete in the #bast       
century1 while saving ,united ,states   
taxpayers potentially billions of       
dollars in reduced property and         
maintenance costs at embassies and      
consulates abroad4  #d4 ,definition of  
,united ,states diplomatic facility     
,section #fjc of the ,secure ,embassy   
,construction and ,counterterrorism ,act
 of #aiii 7title ,,vi of division ,a of 
appendix ,g of ,public ,law #ajf-aac7 is
 amended to read as follows3  #fjc4     
,united ,states diplomatic facility     
defined ,in this title1 the terms       
,united ,states diplomatic facility and 
diplomatic facility-- 7#a7 mean any     

chancery1 consulate1 or other office    
considered diplomatic or consular       
premises1 consistent with the ,vienna   
,convention on ,diplomatic ,relations1  
done at ,vienna ,april #ah1 #aifa1 and  
the ,vienna ,convention on ,consular    
,relations1 done at ,vienna ,april #bd1 
#aifc1 or otherwise subject to a        
publicly available bilateral agreement  
with the host government 7contained in  
the records of the ,united ,states      
,department of ,state7 that recognizes  
the official status of the ,united      
,states ,government personnel present at
 the facility2 and  7#b7 do not         
include-- 7,a7 ,u4,s4 ,customs and      
,border ,protection preclearance        
facilities1 as established pursuant to  
section #fbi of the ,tariff ,act of     
#aicj 7#ai ,u4,s4,c4 #afbi7 and section 
#ajc7;a77#g7 of the ,immigration and    
,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4         
#aajc7;a77#g77 and ,open ,source        
,centers2  7,b7 contractor-owned        
facilities2 and  7,c7 facilities at     

which ,united ,states ,government       
personnel will be present not more than 
#fj consecutive days and where the      
,secretary determines that operational  
conditions1 security considerations1 and
 mission goals support exclusion4  4    
#e4 ,security requirements for ,united  
,states diplomatic facilities ,section  
#fjf7;a7 of the ,secure ,embassy        
,construction and ,counterterrorism ,act
 of #aiii 7title ,,vi of division ,a of 
appendix ,g of ,public ,law #ajf-aac7 is
 amended-- 7#a7 in paragraph 7#a77;,a71 
by striking the threat and inserting a  
range of threats1 including that2  7#b7 
in paragraph 7#b7-- 7,a7 in subparagraph
 7,a7-- 7i7 by striking abroad and      
inserting in a high risk1 high threat   
post2 and  7ii7 by inserting and ,voice 
of ,america correspondents on official  
assignment after military commander2 and
  7,b7 in subparagraph 7,b7-- 7i7 in    
clause 7i71 by inserting if applicable1 
after at the site12  7ii7 in clause     
7ii7-- 7,i7 in subclause 7,i71 by       

inserting at a post designated as high  
risk1 high threat under section #ajd of 
the ,omnibus ,diplomatic ,security and  
,antiterrorism ,act of #aihf 7#bb       
,u4,s4,c4 #dhjc7 before the period at   
the end2 and  7,,ii7 in subclause       
7,,ii71 by inserting at a post          
designated as high risk1 high threat    
under such section #ajd after consulate 
building2 and  7iii7 in clause 7iii71 by
 striking waivers and inserting         
instances of split operations in which  
,united ,states diplomatic facilities   
are not colocated2 and  7#c7 in         
paragraph 7#c7-- 7,a7 by amending       
subparagraph 7,a7 to read as follows3   
7,a7 ,requirement  7i7 ,in general ,each
 newly acquired ,united ,states         
diplomatic facility shall be constructed
 or modified to meet the measured       
building blast performance standard     
applicable to a facility sited not less 
than #ajj feet from the perimeter4  7ii7
 ,leased facilities ,if the ,department 
of ,state is required to commence or    

restart diplomatic operations in a      
country or city without a previously    
constructed diplomatic facility and     
there is insufficient time to construct 
a facility before such commencement1 the
 ,secretary of ,state-- 7,i7 shall make 
every effort to lease an existing       
facility with the maximum setback and   
security features that can be reasonably
 expected2 and  7,,ii7 shall submit a   
setback waiver1 with a period of #a year
 after leased occupancy to process the  
setback waiver4  2 and  7,b7 in         
subparagraph 7,b77ii7-- 7i7 in subclause
 7,i71 by inserting at a post designated
 as high risk1 high threat under section
 #ajd of the ,omnibus ,diplomatic       
,security and ,antiterrorism ,act of    
#aihf 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #dhjc7 before the  
period at the end2  7ii7 in subclause   
7,,ii71 by inserting at a post          
designated as high risk1 high threat    
under such section #ajd after consulate 
building2 and  7iii7 in subclause       
7,,iii71 by striking an annual and      

inserting a quarterly4