119-hres623

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 623 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
H. RES. 623

 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives in support of 
 science diplomacy, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 August 1, 2025

 Mr. Foster (for himself and Ms. Friedman) submitted the following 
 resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

 RESOLUTION

 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives in support of 
 science diplomacy, and for other purposes.

Whereas the mission of the Department of State is to create a more secure, 
 democratic, and prosperous world for the benefit of the American people 
 and the international community;
Whereas advancements in science and technology are dramatically changing the way 
 personal and business affairs are conducted;
Whereas the United States and international community must address an ever-
 growing array of complex global problems;
Whereas science provides a common language through which individuals from 
 different nations and distinct cultures can communicate, cooperate, and 
 work together toward common goals;
Whereas science diplomacy is the use of scientific collaborations among nations 
 to address the common problems facing 21st century humanity and to build 
 constructive international partnerships;
Whereas science and technology cooperation is one of the most effective ways of 
 influencing and assisting other nations while building bridges between 
 people and countries;
Whereas, through decades of international scientific cooperation, CERN, the 
 European Organization for Nuclear Research near Geneva, Switzerland, 
 became an example of how former political adversaries could come 
 together through science to make a more peaceful and productive world;
Whereas the Synchrotron-light for Experimental Science and Applications in the 
 Middle East

    (SESAME) , a scientific facility in Jordan, will bring 
 together scientists from Israel, Iran, and the surrounding regions to 
 work cooperatively on dozens of simultaneous experiments in fields 
 ranging from biological and medical sciences to archeology;
Whereas, in response to a 1999 report conducted by the National Academy of 
 Sciences, then-Secretary of State Madeline Albright created the position 
 of Science and Technology Adviser;
Whereas the Office of Science and Technology Cooperation of the Department of 
 State encourages science, technology, and innovation ecosystems to 
 support United States foreign and economic policy priorities; and
Whereas the Department of State should modernize its science and technology 
 capabilities in order to carry out its mission more effectively in the 
 21st century: Now, therefore, be it
 Resolved, That the House of Representatives--

    (1) recognizes that the United States and international 
 community must address a growing array of complex global 
 challenges;

    (2) reaffirms that international scientific engagement 
 furthers the diplomatic and security interests of the United 
 States; and

    (3) calls on the Secretary of State to--
        (A) develop science and technology-oriented 
 foresight assessments;
        (B) establish a Science and Technology Advisory 
 Board comprised of independent experts to provide 
 technical proficiency on science and technology issues 
 related to the Department's foreign policy priorities;
            (C) provide the Science and Technology Adviser with 
 the organizational status equivalent to that of an 
 Assistant Secretary;
            (D) evaluate the adequacy of the number of Foreign 
 Service Officers in the Department's workforce with 
 technical backgrounds and provide increased training 
 and recruitment as necessary; and
        (E) assess the feasibility of re-creating a Foreign 
 Service Reserve Officer functional cone for recruiting 
 experts in Science and Technology, and other specialty 
 needs of the Department of State.
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