# 119-hr-5245: To provide for the management authorities of the Department of State. 119-hr-5245, To provide for the management authorities of the Department of State., is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Lawler, Michael [R-NY-17] (R-NY); status in_committee; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-10). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5245 - As of: 2026-09-10 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: 119-hr-5245 - Congress: 119 - Title: To provide for the management authorities of the Department of State. - Status: in_committee - Introduced: 2025-09-10 - Sponsor: Rep. Lawler, Michael [R-NY-17] (R-NY) - Cosponsors: 0 - Policy area: International Affairs - Touches household money: yes - Last recorded action: 2026-09-10 ## Summary **Overhauls management at the State Department** by creating an Under Secretary for Management and several new Assistant Secretaries and bureaus to modernize consular services, technology, security, asset management, and human resources. It centralizes consular and IT systems, expands diplomatic security authorities, and tightens rules for foreign-mission property and congressional notifications. The Impact: - U.S. citizens and travelers: Consolidates consular policy and operations under a new Bureau of Consular Affairs, updates passport and immigrant-visa fee rules and permits surcharges for 2026–2027, and extends special passport hiring authority from 3 to 5 years. It also clarifies interagency data-sharing for fraud detection while prohibiting new categories of data collection or unrelated uses. - Department workforce and training: Creates new management roles and a reconfigured Foreign Service Institute with four schools to align training with modern diplomatic needs, and moves consular IT under a Chief Information Officer to reduce redundancy and improve cybersecurity. - Security and foreign-mission oversight: Expands Diplomatic Security authorities and mandatory counterintelligence training for agents at high-risk posts, imposes 60-day and rapid-notification rules for certain foreign-mission property transactions, and requires 45-day notice before closing posts except for emergencies. *Authorizes appropriations for the new Under Secretary, Assistant Secretaries, and bureaus for fiscal years 2026 and 2027.* ## Provisions PRIA read - Broader powers for State agents: benefit, medium. The bill would let Department special agents and some Foreign Service staff investigate passport and visa fraud and related crimes. They could seek and execute warrants, serve subpoenas, carry firearms with required approvals, and make some warrantless arrests. They could protect certain people, in… - More funding for consular services: benefit, medium. For fiscal years 2026 and 2027, the bill would let the Department use passport and immigrant visa surcharges and some Fraud Prevention Account fees to pay consular costs, with U.S. citizen services first in line. It would change fee-basis wording for those years, which could affect how consular fee… - New management and tech offices: benefit, medium. This bill would create an Under Secretary for Management and a Bureau of Consular Affairs. It would also set up a Chief Information Officer for Diplomatic Technology and a Bureau of Diplomatic Technology. The Office of Consular Systems and Technology would move under the CIO, with a plan due to Con… - More oversight of post closures: benefit, low. This bill would bar spending on closing a U.S. consular or diplomatic post unless Congress gets 45 days’ notice and reprogramming rules are followed. Exceptions would apply for a diplomatic break or a real and present security threat with a travel advisory. When the Department plans to reopen a pos… - Tighter control of foreign mission property: benefit, low. Foreign missions would need to notify the Department before buying or selling U.S. real estate. The Under Secretary could review for 60 days, block, or set conditions, and risky purchases could be barred if Defense or the FBI flags them. The bill would also add the State Department to certain secur… - Upgraded training and hiring at State: benefit, low. The Foreign Service Institute would report to the Assistant Secretary for Human Resources and include at least four schools for languages, IT, leadership, and area studies. The bill would also extend Passport Services’ special hiring authority from 3 to 5 years to help staff passport operations. - New fees to use State facilities: cost, low. If enacted, the Department could charge fees for the diplomatic reception rooms and the Shultz training center. It could also keep money received from Blair House use for Blair House maintenance, but only as Congress allows. Users could face new or higher charges. Collected funds would be credited… - Stronger checks on passport and visa: mixed, low. The bill would let the Bureau of Consular Affairs access other federal records to review passport and visa applications. Use would be limited to checking eligibility, finding fraud, and spotting law-enforcement or security issues. The Department could sign data-sharing agreements and must safeguard… - Stronger vetting at high‑risk posts: mixed, low. This bill would expand counterintelligence screening to more posts and include some non‑security staff in critical or designated countries. It would also require specific counterintelligence training for Diplomatic Security agents in CI roles or at posts rated High or Critical for human intelligenc… - Property exchanges with foreign missions: mixed, low. This bill would let the Department make reciprocal property exchanges with foreign missions and charge surcharges or fees if approved. The Department would need to notify Congress at least 15 days before such deals. Money from later sales would go to the Foreign Service Buildings Fund and be spent… ## Related bills - 119-hr-9237: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act - 119-hr-6644: 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act - 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025 - 119-hr-4393: DIGNIDAD (Dignity) Act of 2025 - 119-hr-9086: Foreign Service Modernization Act - 119-hr-3633: Digital Asset Market Clarity Act ## Sources - [119-hr-5245 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/5245) ## Related - [119-hr-9237: Take Care of America’s Veterans Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9237) - [119-hr-6644: 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6644) - [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151) - [119-hr-4393: DIGNIDAD (Dignity) Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4393) - [119-hr-9086: Foreign Service Modernization Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9086) - [119-hr-3633: Digital Asset Market Clarity Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3633) - [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5245 (as of 2026-09-10).