H.R. 8139 establishes a new governance and operational framework for the Congressional Office for International Leadership, which runs exchange programs for emerging foreign leaders to build relationships between Congress and international political figures. The bill creates a 12-member Board of Trustees—including congressional leaders, committee chairs, and private citizens—to oversee the office and determine eligible countries, while an Executive Director manages day-to-day operations. The legislation authorizes a grant program providing up to 3,500 annual grants to U.S. organizations that host foreign emerging leaders for stays not exceeding 30 days per year, and sets up a dedicated Treasury fund for the office with independent annual audits subject to Government Accountability Office review. The Executive Director gains authority to hire staff, enter contracts, and spend funds with two-thirds Board approval, and the bill includes protections for existing staff and agreements when it takes effect.
Take Action
Your position
Add a comment
to comment on this bill.
Annotate the text
Highlight any passage on the Summary or Full Text tab to attach a note. Annotations appear on the Annotations tab.