,i #aaith ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #iadg ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,june #d1 #bjbf,mr4 ,goldman of ,texas 7for himself1 ,mrs4 ,wagner1 ,ms4 ,wasserman ,schultz1 ,mr4 ,schneider1 ,mr4 ,wilson of ,south ,carolina1 ,mr4 ,carter of ,georgia1 ,mr4 ,bacon1 ,mr4 ,newhouse1 ,ms4 ,salazar1 ,mr4 ,yakym1 ,mr4 ,davis of ,north ,carolina1 ,mr4 ,weber of ,texas1 ,mr4 ,mc,dowell1 ,mr4 ,gottheimer1 ,mr4 ,bilirakis1 ,mr4 ,fitzpatrick1 ,mr4 ,panetta1 ,ms4 ,tenney1 ,mr4 ,issa1 ,mr4 ,messmer1 ,mr4 ,moskowitz1 ,mr4 ,van ,orden1 and ,mr4 ,lawler7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs ,a ,,bill ,to amend the ,state ,department ,basic ,authorities ,act of #aief to modify the duties of the ,special ,presidential ,envoy for the ,abraham ,accords1 ,negev ,forum1 and ,related ,normalization ,agreements1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,abraham ,accords ,expansion ,act of #bjbf4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,the ,abraham ,accords1 signed in #bjbj1 established a historic framework for normalization of relations between ,israel and several countries in the ,middle ,east and ,north ,africa4 7#b7 ,central ,asia and the ,caucasus are strategically significant regions with shared security1 economic1 and diplomatic interests relevant to the objectives of the ,abraham ,accords4 7#c7 ,expansion of normalization frameworks to these regions would advance the national security and economic interests of the ,united ,states4 7#d7 ,kazakhstan has demonstrated regional leadership by becoming the first country in ,central ,asia to join the ,abraham ,accords on ,november #f1 #bjbe1 thereby advancing normalization1 economic cooperation1 and shared interests in the region4 7#e7 ,the ,special ,envoy should expand normalization efforts to additional regions1 including the ,indo-,pacific1 ,central ,asia1 the ,caucasus1 and beyond4 #c4 ,presidential ,envoy for the ,abraham ,accords1 ,negev ,forum1 and ,related ,integration and ,normalization ,fora and ,agreements ,section #fd of the ,state ,department ,basic ,authorities ,act of #aief 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #bgce;a7 is amended-- 7#a7 in subsection 7d77#b77;,b71 by striking the ,indo-,pacific region1 and beyond and inserting the ,indo-,pacific region1 ,central ,asia and the ,caucasus1 and beyond2 7#b7 by striking subsection 7i72 7#c7 by striking subsection 7j7 and inserting the following3 7i7 ,interagency coordination 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,special ,envoy shall coordinate with the heads of relevant ,federal departments and agencies in carrying out subsection 7d71 including the ,secretary of ,defense1 the ,secretary of ,commerce1 and the ,secretary of ,energy4 7#b7 ,use of existing authorities ,the ,special ,envoy shall1 to the maximum extent practicable1 implement the policy and objectives of the ,united ,states in ,central ,asia and the ,caucasus using programs and authorities that existed prior to the date of the enactment of this subsection4 7#c7 ,no additional funds authorized ,no funds are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this subsection4 7j7 ,deputy ,special ,envoy 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,special ,envoy may designate a ,deputy ,special ,envoy to assist in carrying out subsection 7d74 7#b7 ,qualifications ,to the extent practicable1 an individual designated under paragraph 7#a7 should possess relevant regional expertise4 7#c7 ,staffing ,the ,special ,envoy shall ensure appropriate staffing to support activities under subsection 7d74 2 and 7#d7 in subsection 7k71 by adding at the end the following3 7#h7 ,caucasus ,the term #8,caucasus' means ,armenia1 ,azerbaijan1 and ,georgia4 7#i7 ,central ,asia ,the term ,central ,asia means ,kazakhstan1 ,kyrgyzstan1 ,tajikistan1 ,turkmenistan1 and ,uzbekistan4 4