To provide for certain authorities of the Department of State, and for other purposes.

SA 3819 is an amendment submitted by Mrs. Shaheen and Mr. Risch to add Division E, titled the Department of State Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026, to bill S. 2296.

The purpose of this amendment is to establish authorizations, mandates, and reporting requirements for the Department of State across several key areas:

• Workforce Matters: It aims to improve the vetting of language instructors, provide language incentive pay for certain civil service employees, explore 360-degree personnel evaluations, and create policies for job sharing and part-time work.

• Organization and Operations: It requires regular briefings for Congress, reaffirms support for congressional travel, and mandates notifications when personnel are reduced at diplomatic posts where China or Russia also have a presence. It also establishes the Regional China Officer program.

• Information Security and Cyber Diplomacy: It authorizes funding for data analytics and AI pilot programs, regulates the use of commercial cloud enclaves overseas, and sets a policy to oppose the misuse of commercial spyware.

• Public Diplomacy: It requires a strategy to combat foreign information manipulation and interference and removes the ban on using Federal funds for World's Fair pavilions.

• Diplomatic Security and Consular Affairs: It requests reports on the feasibility of putting consular officers on Navy and Coast Guard missions to Pacific island countries and outlines security benchmarks required to reopen the diplomatic mission in Damascus, Syria.

• Miscellaneous: It includes various technical fixes, such as updating the HAVANA Act payment dates, extending overtime pay for protective services, and creating a strategy to move supply chains away from the People's Republic of China.