	Most Recent Developments

The Foreign Relations Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 2003 ( H.R. 1646 / S. 1401 / S. 1803 ) authorizes the Departmentof State's operations and programs through FY2003, and establishes U.S. policy on: Colombia assistance, a U.S.embassy in Jerusalem, U.S. human rightspolicy, UNESCO, and arms sales to Taiwan, among other measures. Congressman Hyde introduced H.R. 1646 on April 27, 2001. The Housepassed the bill, as amended, on May 16, 2001 by a recorded vote of 352-73. The Committee filed its report ( S.Rept. Conferees met on September 18,2002 and filed the conference report ( H.Rept. 107-671 ) on September 23rd. The House passed theconference report by voice vote on September 25th and theSenate passed it by unanimous consent the next day. President Bush signed the legislation into law ( P.L. It also serves as a vehicle for Congress toinfluence executive branch management of foreign policy. 107-60 ). On May 1, 2002, the Senate incorporated S. 1803 in H.R. 107-228 , the Foreign Relations Authorization Act for FY2003 authorizes - at the Bush Administration's request - the Department of State andother departments or agencies (including the Department of Defense) to detail employees to the American Institutein Taiwan (AIT) (Section 326); requires thatTaiwan be "treated as though it were designated a major non-NATO ally" (Section 1206); requires consultationswith Congress on U.S. security assistance toTaiwan every 180 days (Section 1263); and authorizes the sale to Taiwan of the four Kidd-class destroyers (Section1701). P.L. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee reported out S. 1401 (the Senate version of the Foreign Relations Authorization for FY2002-FY2003) onSeptember 4, 2001, with a provision in section 606, similar to a provision in the House version of the bill, requiringthe Secretary of State to submit to appropriatecongressional committees within 60 days after enactment a report that outlines a comprehensive strategy to eradicateall opium at its source in Colombia. S. 1401 , the Foreign Relations Authorization for FY2002-FY2003, reported out by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on September 4, 2001( S.Rept. 1646 was approved by the House by voice vote on September 25, 2002, and was approved by the Senate byunanimous consent on September 26, 2002. 107-228 ) on September 30, 2002. Meanwhile, the Foreign Operations Appropriations FY2003 bill, as reported in the Senate ( S. 2779 )and the House ( H.R. In the first several votes on the issue in 2001, the House International Relations Committee adopted (26-22) an amendment to H.R. 1646 . Both H.R. State Department and International Broadcasting Issues (16)

In addition to providing the required authority for the State Department and related agencies to spend specified levels of appropriations (see Table 1 forappropriation and authorization levels), H.R. (19) Within the Commerce, Justice, State, and RelatedAgencies Appropriations for FY2001( P.L. The Senate Security Assistance Act ( S. 1803 ) did not contain any of theseprovisions. (Section 405, P.L.
Congress is required by law to authorize the spending of appropriations for the State Department and foreign policy activities every two years. The authorizationprocess dovetails with the annual appropriation process for the Department of State (within the Commerce, Justice,State and Related Agency appropriation) andforeign policy/foreign aid activities (within the foreign operations appropriation).
While Congress intended the legislation would serve as authorization for both FY2002 and FY2003, the delay in getting it through Congress led to a waiver of theauthorization requirement for FY2002 ( P.L. 107-77 , Section 405); the law that was eventually enacted ( P.L.107-228 ) authorizes foreign relations spending onlyfor FY2003.
The Foreign Relations Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003 ( H.R. 1646 / S. 1401 / S. 1803 ) authorizes, among other things,the Department of State's operations and programs, arms sales to Taiwan, the U.S. embassy to be located inJerusalem, UNESCO, and U.S. assistance toColombia. Both H.R. 1646 and S. 1803 contain authorization for security assistance, as well.
Congressman Hyde introduced H.R. 1646 on April 27, 2001. The House International Relations Committee reported the bill May 4, 2001 ( H.Rept.107-57 ). The House passed it, as amended, on May 16, 2001 by a recorded vote of 352-73.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed its foreign relations authorization bill ( S. 1401 ) by unanimous voice vote on August 1, 2001. TheCommittee filed its report ( S.Rept. 107-60 ) on September 4, 2001. With a crowded schedule after the September11th attacks, the Senate did not take up theauthorization bill. Rather, within the context of the Commerce, Justice, State (CJS) appropriation (section 405, P.L.107-77 ), Congress waived the requirementfor authorization prior to the State Department spending its appropriations as is required by law.
On May 1, 2002, the Senate amended its version of H.R. 1646 by substituting S. 1803 (the Security Assistance Act) language.Throughout the 2002 summer, House and Senate staff met to iron out the differences of the two sides' authorizationbills. As a result of staff-level meetings,several provisions that had been in House and Senate bills (such as global warming and international familyplanning measures) were not included in theconference report that was voted on and passed by conferees.
The House and Senate conferees met for the first time on September 18, 2002 and filed the conference report September 23rd ( H.Rept 107-671 ). The Housepassed the conference report by voice vote on September 25th; the Senate passed it by unanimousconsent on September 26, 2002. The President signed it into law( P.L. 107-228 ) on September 30, 2002.