,i #aaith ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #ejba ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,august #bb1 #bjbe,ms4 ,kamlager-,dove 7for herself1 ,mr4 ,huizenga1 ,mr4 ,meeks1 ,mr4 ,mc,caul1 ,mr4 ,moylan1 ,ms4 ,salazar1 ,mr4 ,lawler1 ,mrs4 ,cherfilus-,mc,cormick1 ,mr4 ,lieu1 ,ms4 ,titus1 ,mr4 ,amo1 ,ms4 ,castor of ,florida1 ,ms4 ,mc,bride1 ,mr4 ,jackson of ,illinois1 ,ms4 ,williams of ,georgia1 ,mr4 ,johnson of ,georgia1 ,mr4 ,bacon1 ,mr4 ,baumgartner1 ,mrs4 ,radewagen1 ,mr4 ,carter of ,georgia1 ,mrs4 ,kim1 ,mr4 ,mc,cormick1 ,mr4 ,keating1 and ,mr4 ,stanton7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs ,a ,,bill ,to require a sports diplomacy strategy to strategically leverage the major sporting events being hosted in the ,united ,states in the next decade to enhance ,united ,states soft power1 diplomatic relationships1 and global leadership1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,american ,decade of ,sports ,act4 #b4 ,mega-,decade ,sports ,diplomacy ,strategy 7a7 ,submission 7#a7 ,initial strategy ,not later than #abj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,assistant ,secretary for ,educational and ,cultural ,affairs of the ,department of ,state shall submit to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs of the ,house of ,representatives and ,committee on ,foreign ,relations of the ,senate a #e-year sports diplomacy strategy to strategically leverage the major sporting events being hosted in the ,united ,states to enhance ,united ,states soft power1 diplomatic relationships1 and global leadership4 7#b7 ,subsequent strategy ,not later than #e years after the date on which the initial strategy is submitted pursuant to paragraph 7#a71 the ,assistant ,secretary for ,educational and ,cultural ,affairs shall submit to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs of the ,house of ,representatives and ,committee on ,foreign ,relations of the ,senate a subsequent #e-year sports diplomacy strategy in accordance with the requirements of this section4 7b7 ,elements ,the elements of each strategy required by subsection 7a7 shall include the following3 7#a7 ,a description of the ,department of ,state's diplomatic objectives and metrics of success related to the mega-decade of sports4 7#b7 ,a plan to partner with local host cities1 diaspora communities1 creatives1 athletes1 the sports industry1 private sector entities1 human rights organizations1 and civil society stakeholders surrounding the competitions for the purpose of showcasing ,united ,states national strengths and forging new diplomatic connections4 7#c7 ,a plan to coordinate internally within the ,department of ,state to leverage sporting events to advance various diplomatic lines of effort1 including by-- 7,a7 integrating sports diplomacy into regional bureaus' bilateral engagements and efforts to pursue new areas of cooperation with foreign partners2 7,b7 integrating sports into public diplomacy to reach new foreign audiences that might not otherwise engage with ,united ,states embassies abroad2 and 7,c7 leveraging sports diplomacy to advance commercial diplomacy4 7#d7 ,a plan to ensure an expeditious and secure visa process for athletes and their families and support staff and eligible international visitors planning to travel to the ,united ,states to attend the games1 including reducing visa appointment wait times4 7#e7 ,a description of the financial and personnel support needed to implement the #e-year sports diplomacy strategy4 7#f7 ,any plans to deploy domestic public diplomacy resources1 such as the ,cultural ,unit and ,foreign ,press ,center established during the #aihd ,olympic ,games1 to enable foreign visitors to engage with ,american culture and values4 7c7 ,public availability ,each strategy required by subsection 7a7 shall be made publicly available on an internet website of the ,department of ,state not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 and again #e years later4 7d7 ,consultation ,prior to the submission of each strategy required by subsection 7a71 the ,assistant ,secretary for ,educational and ,cultural ,affairs shall consult with the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs of the ,house of ,representatives and the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations of the ,senate on the elements of the strategy and every #ahj days thereafter provide information on the implementation of each strategy until ,december #ca1 #bjcd4 #c4 ,requirement for the ,office of ,sports ,diplomacy to carry out the ,mega-,decade of ,sports ,diplomacy ,strategy 7a7 ,in general ,no later than #ij days after the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,state shall rename the sports diplomacy division of the ,department of ,state as the ,office of ,sports ,diplomacy4 ,the ,office shall report directly to the ,deputy ,assistant ,secretary for ,professional and ,cultural ,exchanges in the ,bureau of ,educational and ,cultural ,affairs4 ,the ,office shall be responsible for managing sports diplomacy exchange programs and implementing each strategy required by section #b7;a71 including by carrying out the following3 7#a7 ,coordinating implementation of the strategy across relevant bureaus1 directorates1 and offices of the ,department of ,state4 7#b7 ,working with host cities and their social1 political1 and economic partners to identify new avenues for engagement with foreign entities4 7#c7 ,engaging local diaspora communities to deepen people-to-people connections with foreign visitors and officials4 7#d7 ,partnering with the ,united ,states sports industry1 major sports leagues1 and individual athletes to promote new international sports partnerships and sports diplomacy programs4 7#e7 ,collaborating with host cities' international trade and tourism offices to deepen economic and commercial ties with foreign nations4 7#f7 ,elevating ,american arts1 film1 and music creators to promote cultural exchange and connection with foreign visitors4 7#g7 ,coordinating with internal ,department and interagency stakeholders to ensure efficient and expeditious processing of visas for eligible international visitors1 broadcasters1 athletes1 and support staff interested in attending the games4 7b7 ,full-,time equivalent employees ,the ,secretary of ,state shall1 not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 and until ,december #ca1 #bjcd1 assign to the ,office of ,sports ,diplomacy established under subsection 7a7 not less than #c additional full-time equivalent staff dedicated to implementing each strategy required by section #b7;a74 ,such staff shall not be dual-hatted1 and shall be assigned to the ,office by considering mechanisms1 including-- 7#a7 the use of existing flexible hiring authorities1 including ,domestic ,employees ,teleworking ,overseas 7,d,e,t,os72 and 7#b7 the realignment of existing personnel4 #d4 ,implementation report ,not later than #a year after the submission of the strategy required in section #b7;a71 and annually thereafter until ,december #ca1 #bjcd1 the ,secretary of ,state shall submit to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs of the ,house of ,representatives and the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations of the ,senate a report on the progress toward achieving the objectives of this ,act4 #e4 ,definition ,in this ,act1 the terms mega-decade of sports and ,american decade of sports mean the major international sporting competitions hosted in the ,united ,states between #bjbd and #bjcd1 including the #bjbd ,copa ,america1 #bjbe ,club ,world ,cup1 #bjbf ,,fifa ,world ,cup1 #bjbh ,summer ,olympics and ,paralympics1 the #bjca ,men's and #bjcc ,women's ,rugby ,world ,cup1 and the #bjcd ,winter ,olympics and ,paralympics4