PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Feb 29, 2016
Decade for the People of African Descent Act
This bill establishes within the Department of State an Office on the International Decade for People of African Descent which shall be headed by an Ambassador-at-Large for the International Decade for People of African Descent.
The State Department, with the assistance of the Ambassador-at-Large, shall establish an Internet site containing major international documents relating to the International Decade for People of African Descent.
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
It is the sense of Congress that:
U.S. diplomatic missions in countries may promote the International Decade for People of African Descent; and
in allocating or recommending the allocation of funds or the recommendation of candidates for programs and grants, U.S. diplomatic missions should give consideration to those programs, initiatives, and candidates deemed to assist in the promotion of the International Decade for People of African Descent.
The bill also establishes the U.S. Commission on the International Decade for People of African Descent, which shall: (1) promote the International Decade for People of African Descent; and (2) make policy recommendations to the President, the State Department, and Congress regarding matters involving the International Decade for People of African Descent.
It is the sense of Congress that there should be within the Executive Office of the President a Special Adviser to the President on the International Decade for People of African Descent, to serve as liaison with the Ambassador-at-Large for the International Decade, the commission, Congress, and nongovernmental organizations.
People & committees
Rep. Jackson Lee, Sheila [D-TX-18] · D–TX
Legislative record
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Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
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Source last updated: Aug 12, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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