PRIA Logo™
119-hr-7054119th Congress

To require the Secretary of State to submit to Congress a notification of certain construction projects using nonstandard designs.

Sponsored By: Representative Issa, Darrell [R-CA-48]

In Committee

Summary

Standardization of U.S. embassy and consulate designs would be the priority, with limits on customization and added oversight for any nonstandard projects. Nonstandard plans would need advance congressional notice and specific cost, schedule, and security comparisons.

Show full summary
  • The Bureau of Overseas Building Operations would be directed to start each new embassy and consulate from a standard design and keep customization minimal. The Secretary of State could use a nonstandard design only after sending a notification at least 15 days before obligating funds.
  • Notifications must go to the House Committees on Foreign Affairs and Appropriations and the Senate Committees on Foreign Relations and Appropriations. They must include comparisons of estimated full lifecycle cost, estimated completion date, and security versus a standard design, plus a justification and supporting documentation or an explanation why documentation cannot be provided.
  • "Covered project" is defined as a new United States embassy compound or consulate compound, and includes projects that are in design or pre-design on the date of enactment, which brings those projects under the same notification rules.

Personalized for You

How does this bill affect your finances?

Personalize government policy and PRIA will tell you what this bill means for your household, plus every other piece of legislation we track. PRIA reads each provision against your financial profile to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.

Free to download

Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

1 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.

New oversight for embassy construction

If enacted, the Secretary of State would have to notify four congressional committees at least 15 days before obligating funds for any new embassy or consulate project that uses a nonstandard design. The notice would compare estimated full lifecycle cost, completion date, and security of the nonstandard design to a standard design. The notice would also require a written justification and supporting documents or an explanation if documents are not available. The requirement would apply to new embassy or consulate compounds, including projects in design or pre-design on the date of enactment, and the Secretary could only carry out the nonstandard project after submitting the notice.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Issa, Darrell [R-CA-48]

CA • R

Cosponsors

There are no cosponsors for this bill.

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

View on Congress.gov
Back to Legislation