[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2609 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2609
To promote education and training to United States diplomatic personnel
relating to the Abraham Accords and other normalization agreements with
Israel, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 2, 2025
Mr. Schneider (for himself and Mr. Hamadeh of Arizona) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To promote education and training to United States diplomatic personnel
relating to the Abraham Accords and other normalization agreements with
Israel, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Promoting Education on the Abraham
Accords for Comprehensive Engagement Act'' or the ``PEACE Act''.
SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) educating relevant Federal officials on the provisions
of the Abraham Accords, as well as the provisions of prior
normalization agreements with Israel, is essential to advancing
the United States commitment to peace, cooperation, and
stability in the Middle East;
(2) the Secretary of State should ensure that United States
diplomats and related personnel working in the region or on
related issues receive comprehensive training on the history,
principles, and future applications of the Abraham Accords and
other normalization agreements; and
(3) the Secretary of State should ensure that United States
diplomats are taught about the policy codified in section 104
of the Israel Relations Normalization Acts of 2022 and future
iterations of the policy as amended.
SEC. 3. ABRAHAM ACCORDS AND NORMALIZATION EDUCATION AND TRAINING.
(a) In General.--To carry out the policy described in section 2,
the Secretary of State may undertake the following:
(1) Supplementing existing offerings at the Foreign Service
Institute and other relevant Department of State training
facilities with courses focused on the Abraham Accords, peace
agreements with Egypt and Jordan, and other such normalization
agreements relating to Israel as determined by the Secretary of
State. Such courses shall be developed to provide an
understanding of these agreements' diplomatic history,
implementation strategies, and implications for regional peace.
(2) Developing virtual training modules and interactive
content accessible by employees and officers of the Department
of State worldwide, focused on the principles, history, and
diplomatic impacts of these agreements.
(b) Scope of Training.--For purposes of training and education
activities implementing subsection (a)(2), the Secretary of State shall
determine the countries eligible to provide such training in a manner
that ensures alignment with current diplomatic landscape and
objectives.
SEC. 4. FELLOWSHIPS AND EXCHANGES.
The Director General of the Foreign Service is authorized to award
fellowships or grants to eligible Foreign Service officers
participating in programs, projects, or activities engaging with
appropriate counterparts of Abraham Accords and other normalization
agreement countries, as determined by the Secretary of State pursuant
to section 3(b), or engaging with regional organizations in the Middle
East, including--
(1) short-term and long-term fellowships with educational
institutions, nongovernmental organizations, or diplomatic
organizations involved in the negotiation and implementation of
the Abraham Accords and other agreements; and
(2) opportunities to collaborate with regional governmental
and non-governmental institutions that are part of the Abraham
Accords or have normalized relations with Israel.
SEC. 5. ABRAHAM ACCORDS AND NORMALIZATION ADVISORY BOARD.
(a) Establishment.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall establish a
nonpartisan Abraham Accords and Normalization Advisory Board consisting
of 4 individuals with expertise in diplomacy, Middle Eastern studies,
interfaith dialogue, and peace-building.
(b) Membership.--The members of the Abraham Accords and
Normalization Advisory Board shall be appointed as follows:
(1) One member each by the Chairperson and Ranking Member
of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of
Representatives.
(2) One member each by the Chairperson and Ranking Member
of the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate.
(c) Duties.--The Board shall be responsible for providing on a
unanimous basis independent advice and recommendations on curriculum
development, resource management, and strategic planning for education
and training curricula within the Foreign Service Institute and the
Department of State relating to the Abraham Accords and other
normalization agreements.
SEC. 6. STRATEGY AND REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.
(a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the enactment of this
Act, the Secretary of State shall develop and submit to the appropriate
congressional committees a strategy for the Department of State to
implement comprehensive training and education programs focused on the
Abraham Accords and other normalization agreements with Israel.
(b) Elements.--The strategy shall include:
(1) A plan for integrating education on the Abraham Accords
and other normalization agreements into existing training
frameworks for Foreign Service Officers and other personnel of
the Department of State;
(2) A description of the unanimous recommendations of the
Abraham Accords and Normalization Advisory Board established
pursuant to section 5 and a detailed explanation of any
departure from such recommendations in the course of
implementing the education and training required by this Act.
(3) An outline of training requirements and goals to
promote the understanding and operational capacity of United
States personnel working with or on issues related to Abraham
Accords and normalization agreements in the relevant countries;
and
(4) An analysis of the manner and extent to which the
implementation of the education and training required by this
Act supports the strategy required by section 105 of the Israel
Relations Normalization Act of 2022 (division Z of the
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022; 22 U.S.C. 8601 note).
(c) Ongoing Reports.--Not later than 1 year after the submission of
the report required by subsection (a), and annually thereafter for 4
years, the Secretary of State shall submit to the appropriate
congressional committees a report detailing the progress, challenges,
and measurable outcomes of the educational initiatives developed
pursuant to this Act.
(d) Appropriate Congressional Committees Defined.--In this section,
the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on
Appropriations of the House of Representatives; and
(2) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on
Appropriations of the Senate.
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