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Title 22, Foreign Relations and IntercourseRelease 119-110

§1464b Voice of America Hiring Practices

Title 22 › CHAPTER 18 — UNITED STATES INFORMATION AND EDUCATIONAL EXCHANGE PROGRAMS › SUBCHAPTER V — DISSEMINATION ABROAD OF INFORMATION ABOUT THE UNITED STATES › § 1464b

Last updated Sep 22, 2026|Official source

Summary

After February 16, 1990, Voice of America must not hire people who need to be approved by a foreign government or by an organization controlled by a foreign government. Two kinds of people are allowed anyway: people in VOA exchange programs, and clerical, technical, or maintenance staff at VOA offices in other countries. If the Broadcasting Board of Governors finds that this rule would force VOA to end a particular foreign-language service, the Board must, at least 90 days before it starts recruiting those foreign-government‑approved candidates, send a report to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. The report must say how many and where usable language speakers could be hired without breaking the rule, and what steps VOA took to try to recruit them.

Full Legal Text

Title 22, §1464b

Foreign Relations and Intercourse, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Prohibition
After February 16, 1990, the Voice of America shall not select candidates for employment who must be or are preapproved for employment at the Voice of America by a foreign government or an entity controlled by a foreign government.
(b)Exception
The prohibition referred to in this section shall not apply to—
(1)participants in the Voice of America’s exchange programs; or
(2)clerical, technical, or maintenance staff at Voice of America offices in foreign countries.
(c)Report
If the Broadcasting Board of Governors determines that the prohibition under subsection (a) would require the termination of a specific Voice of America foreign language service, then, not less than 90 days before the Board begins to recruit such candidates, the Board shall submit to the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives a report concerning—
(1)the number and location of speakers of the applicable foreign language who could be recruited by the Voice of America without violating this section; and
(2)the efforts made by the Voice of America to recruit such individuals for employment.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1998—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 105–277, in introductory provisions, substituted “Broadcasting Board of Governors” for “Director of the United States Information Agency”, “Board begins” for “Agency begins”, and “Board shall” for “Director shall”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Change of Name

Broadcasting Board of Governors renamed United States Agency for Global Media pursuant to section 6204(a)(21) of this title. The renaming was effectuated by notice to congressional appropriations committees dated May 24, 2018, and became effective Aug. 22, 2018.

Effective Date

of 1998 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 105–277 effective Oct. 1, 1999, see section 1301 of Pub. L. 105–277, set out as an

Effective Date

note under section 6531 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

22 U.S.C. § 1464b

Title 22, Foreign Relations and Intercourse

Last Updated

Sep 22, 2026

Release point: 119-110