Foreign Assistance Revitalization and Accountability Act of 2009
Latest action · Feb 2, 2010 Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 268.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedJul 28, 2009
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Foreign Assistance Revitalization and Accountability Act of 2009 - (Sec. 4) States that it is U.S. policy to redefine the foreign assistance architecture and strengthen the capacity of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and related agencies to establish development policies and implement innovative and effective foreign assistance programs.
(Sec. 5) Expresses the sense of Congress on the need to develop USAID's capacity to formulate international development policy and to integrate policy initiatives into its programs and activities.
Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to require that in USAID, among the authorized statutory officers, there shall be not more than two Deputy Administrators, who shall assist the Administrator in all matters.
Establishes in USAID: (1) an Assistant Administrator for Policy and Strategic Planning to assist in matters related to policy planning, strategic planning, program design, research, evaluation, and budget allocation and management; and (2) a Bureau for Policy and Strategic Planning whose primary duties shall include policy and long-term strategy development, evaluation of program effectiveness, and establishment of resource and workforce allocation criteria.
Establishes within such Bureau an Office for Learning, Evaluation, and Analysis in Development which shall: (1) develop and conduct the complete range of activities relating to resource monitoring and project evaluation and analysis; (2) design a strategy for strengthening evaluation and research for foreign assistance programs; (3) develop an information clearinghouse capacity; and (4) partner with academic and national and international institutions.
Directs the Administrator of USAID to report to Congress annually regarding the work of the Office.
Authorizes FY2010-FY2011 appropriations.
(Sec. 6) Establishes the Council on Research and Evaluation of Foreign Assistance which shall: (1) evaluate the impact of U.S. government foreign assistance programs and their contribution to, and impact on, U.S. policy objectives; and (2) cultivate an integrated research and development program that will incorporate best practices and promote innovative programs.
Establishes a Council on Research and Evaluation of Foreign Assistance Advisory Board.
Requires the Director of the Council to report: (1) annually to Congress regarding projected evaluations; (2) biennually to federal agencies responsible for implementing foreign assistance programs and to Congress regarding methodologies and best practices for evaluating the effectiveness of U.S. government foreign assistance programs; and (3) annually to Congress regarding Council programs and activities.
Requires the Director to submit to Congress a strategic Council plan every two years.
Directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to report to Congress within six years regarding Council operations.
Authorizes FY2011-FY2016 appropriations.
(Sec. 7) Directs the The Administrator to: (1) develop a comprehensive workforce and human resources strategy for modernizing the USAID workforce; (2) establish a workforce and human resources task force to participate in such strategy's development (which shall terminate two years after enactment of this Act); and (3) report to Congress within one year and every two years thereafter regarding such strategy.
Directs GAO to report to Congress regarding such strategy.
Makes specified funds available to carry out such activities.
(Sec. 8) Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to direct the Administrator to: (1) establish career guidelines for Foreign Service and Civil Service personnel that incorporate interagency, intergovernmental, or international organization rotational assignments; (2) establish additional guidelines that consider participation by relevant officers in at least one interagency, intergovernmental, or international organizational rotational assignment of at least six months as a promotion factor into the ranks of the Senior Foreign Service or Senior Executive Service; (3) ensure that promotion precepts and panels do not penalize officers who have been assigned to interagency, intergovernmental, or international organizations; and (4) submit a related report to Congress.
Directs the Administrator to: (1) establish procedures to ensure that appropriate language training for USAID Foreign Service Officers is provided before their overseas transfer; and (2) report to Congress regarding USAID efforts to facilitate external training, language training, and educational opportunities for Foreign Service and Civil Service personnel.
(Sec. 9) Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to make the chief of each special mission responsible for the coordination of all U.S. government development and humanitarian efforts in a country.
Directs the Administrator to report to Congress regarding modernizing USAID missions.
(Sec. 10) Directs the President to require all federal departments and agencies to make publicly available on their web sites comprehensive and accessible information on U.S. foreign assistance on a program-by-program and country-by-country basis.
Requires: (1) any organization or business that receives more than 50% of its funding from the U.S. government under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to submit a report to USAID that contains the names and all forms of compensation paid to its five most highly compensated employees; and (2) USAID to make such information publicly accessible on its web site.
(Sec. 11) Authorizes the use of USAID program funds for: (1) travel expenses for Foreign Service or Civil Service personnel; (2) salaries and related expenses of employees other than Foreign Service or Civil Service employees who are U.S. citizens; and (3) research and policy analysis costs.
Directs the Administrator to submit specified reports to Congress regarding such funds' management and accounting.
Cosponsors 23
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jul 28, 2009 to Jan 27, 2010; 5 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-MD | Benjamin L. Cardin | Original | Jul 28, 2009 |
| R-TN | Bob Corker | Original | Jul 28, 2009 |
| R-ID | James E. Risch | Original | Jul 28, 2009 |
| R-IN | Richard G. Lugar | Original | Jul 28, 2009 |
| D-NJ | Robert Menendez | Original | Jul 28, 2009 |
| D-NH | Jeanne Shaheen | Aug 6, 2009 | |
| D-OR | Jeff Merkley | Sep 8, 2009 | |
| D-PA | Robert P. Casey Jr. | Sep 8, 2009 | |
| D-SD | Tim Johnson | Sep 9, 2009 | |
| D-MO | Claire McCaskill | Sep 29, 2009 | |
| D-DE | Edward E. Kaufman | Sep 30, 2009 | |
| D-NY | Kirsten E. Gillibrand | Sep 30, 2009 | |
| D-NJ | Frank R. Lautenberg | Oct 14, 2009 | |
| D-NC | Kay R. Hagan | Oct 14, 2009 | |
| D-CA | Dianne Feinstein | Oct 29, 2009 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | Foreign Relations Committee | Referred Jul 28, 2009Markup Nov 17, 2009Reported Feb 2, 2010 |
Actions 6
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Feb 2, 2010Committee on Foreign Relations. Reported by Senator Kerry with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 111-122.
- Feb 2, 2010Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 268.
- Nov 17, 2009Committee on Foreign Relations. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
- Jul 28, 2009Introduced in Senate
- Jul 28, 2009Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S8198-8199)
In the Congressional Record 2
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senate | Debate and remarks S560 | Benjamin L. Cardin D-MD | Feb 11, 2010 |
| Senate | Debate and remarks S8198–S8201 | John F. Kerry D-MA, Richard G. Lugar R-IN, Robert Menendez D-NJ | Jul 28, 2009 |
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Committee report
Congressional Budget Office cost estimates 2
- Jan 20, 2010S. 1524, Foreign Assistance Revitalization and Accountability Act of 2009<p>Cost estimate for the bill as ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on November 17, 2009</p>
- Jan 20, 2010S. 1524, Foreign Assistance Revitalization and Accountability Act of 2009Cost estimate for the bill as ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on November 17, 2009
Printed hearings 3
Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.
| Number | Hearing | Committee | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| S. Hrg. 111-778 | FOREIGN POLICY PRIORITIES IN THE FY11 INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS BUDGET119 pages | Foreign Relations Committee | Feb 24, 2010 |
| S. Hrg. 111-346 | VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN: GLOBAL COSTS AND CONSEQUENCES63 pages | Foreign Relations Committee | Oct 1, 2009 |
| S. Hrg. 111-164 | THE CASE FOR REFORM: FOREIGN AID AND DEVELOPMENT IN A NEW ERA60 pages | Foreign Relations Committee | Jul 22, 2009 |
CRS reports 5
Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.
Cite it 5
Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.
| Product | Title | Kind | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| R42827 | Does Foreign Aid Work? Efforts to Evaluate U.S. Foreign Assistance Archived | Report | Jul 22, 2016 |
| R41173 | Foreign Aid Reform, National Strategy, and the Quadrennial Review Archived | Report | Feb 15, 2011 |
| R41410 | The Millennium Development Goals: The September 2010 U.N. High-level Meeting Archived | Report | Dec 9, 2010 |
| R40756 | Foreign Aid Reform: Agency Coordination Archived | Report | Aug 7, 2009 |
| R40102 | Foreign Aid Reform: Studies and Recommendations Archived | Report | Jul 28, 2009 |
Titles 3
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to strengthen the capacity, transparency, and accountability of United States foreign assistance programs to effectively adapt and respond to new challenges of the 21st century, and for other purposes.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Foreign Assistance Revitalization and Accountability Act of 2009
- Short Titles as Reported to Senate
- Foreign Assistance Revitalization and Accountability Act of 2009
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: International Affairs.
- Advisory bodies
- Diplomacy, foreign officials, Americans abroad
- Executive agency funding and structure
- Foreign aid and international relief
- Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
- Government information and archives
- International Affairs
- U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
Text 2
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Feb 2, 2010Reported to Senate
- Jul 28, 2009Introduced in Senate
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
