“To require the Secretary of State to submit to Congress a notification of certain construction projects using nonstandard designs.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section expresses the sense of Congress that the Bureau of Overseas Building Operations of the Department of State prioritize standard designs for new U.S. embassy and consulate compounds to minimize customization. It requires the Secretary of State to notify the appropriate congressional committees (i.e., House and Senate Foreign Affairs/Relations and Appropriations Committees) at least 15 days before obligating funds for a covered project (i.e., construction of a new U.S. embassy or consulate compound, including those in the design or pre-design phase as of enactment) that uses a nonstandard design, including (1) a lifecycle cost comparison to a standard design, (2) a completion date comparison, (3) a security comparison, (4) a justification for the nonstandard design, and (5) supporting documentation or an explanation for its absence.