Bill Sponsor
House Bill 1252
117th Congress(2021-2022)
Improving Embassy Design and Security Act
Introduced
Introduced
Introduced in House on Feb 23, 2021
Overview
Text
Introduced
Feb 23, 2021
Latest Action
Feb 23, 2021
Origin Chamber
House
Type
Bill
Bill
The primary form of legislative measure used to propose law. Depending on the chamber of origin, bills begin with a designation of either H.R. or S. Joint resolution is another form of legislative measure used to propose law.
Bill Number
1252
Congress
117
Policy Area
International Affairs
International Affairs
Primary focus of measure is matters affecting foreign aid, human rights, international law and organizations; national governance; arms control; diplomacy and foreign officials; alliances and collective security. Measures concerning trade agreements, tariffs, foreign investments, and foreign loans may fall under Foreign Trade and International Finance policy area.
Sponsorship by Party
Republican
Texas
House Votes (0)
Senate Votes (0)
No House votes have been held for this bill.
Summary

Improving Embassy Design and Security Act

This bill amends procedures related to Department of State overseas construction.

For any new embassy or consulate compound construction projects, the State Department may use a non-standard design only after consulting Congress. The State Department shall justify the choice to use such a design and provide documentation of the full lifecycle costs and the project's completion date, compared to the project if it used a standard design.

The State Department shall report to Congress biannually on overseas capital construction projects; currently it is required to report annually on embassy construction costs. The bill also expands the required information for such reports, including the value of all requests to adjust the contract amount (such as a request for equitable adjustment or a certified claim).

The bill also directs the State Department to complete all contractor performance evaluations by April 1, 2022.

The State Department shall use the design-build project delivery method (where a single firm is responsible for both designing and construction) for all diplomatic posts and shall notify Congress if it seeks to use a different method for a project.

The bill directs the State Department to report to Congress on various topics, including a six-year Long-Range Overseas Building Plan, a Long-Range Overseas Maintenance Plan, and a report detailing steps to expand the embassy construction contractor base to increase competition.

Text (1)
February 23, 2021
Actions (2)
02/23/2021
Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
02/23/2021
Introduced in House
Public Record
Record Updated
Mar 8, 2023 8:12:44 PM