Sec. 302. Department of State equity plans and measurement
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The Secretary shall appoint, within the immediate office of the Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, a Deputy Assistant Secretary (referred to in this section as the DAS ), who shall advance United States national security through equity and support for underserved communities in the development and conduct of policies and programs outside the United States. The DAS shall— report directly to the Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights and the Under Secretary of State for Management; manage the Department of State’s equity infrastructure, such as assistance programs, diplomatic engagements, procurement and contracts, and public diplomacy programs and initiatives; integrate equity and support for underserved communities as a cross-cutting policy priority across strategic planning and documents, tools, and guidance, and stakeholder engagement at the Department of State by— leading the Department of State’s Agency Equity Team, which includes representatives from— the Office of Foreign Assistance; the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs; the Bureau of Global Public Affairs; the Under Secretary of State for Management; the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor; the Bureau of International Organization Affairs; the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization; and the Office of the Procurement Executive; developing, monitoring, and reporting on equity assessment tools and country-specific baselines, measurements, and reporting mechanisms, including a social inclusion analysis tool, or other relevant metrics; developing an annual budget to implement annual agency-wide equity action plans; increasing transparency and accountability in the management of procurement, contracts, and grants, including for small and disadvantaged businesses and minority-led organizations; expanding overseas outreach and engagement with underserved communities, including providing programs in languages used by minority and indigenous communities, and utilizing live captioning services for the deaf and hard of hearing; and working with the Director of the Foreign Service Institute to develop and provide for all employees and persons under Chief of Mission authority country-specific trainings on issues related to underserved communities, such as language, economy, environment, health, education, and cultural and religious practices; support the activities of the Department of State’s Equity Principals, including Department of State officials responsible for leading Department-wide policies and strategies for— racial, ethnic, and Indigenous communities; women and girls; persons with disabilities; refugees and internally displaced persons; members of religious minority groups; and LGBTQI+ persons; coordinate activities, policies, and programs between Equity Principals, as applicable; and consult regarding the development and implementation of annual budgets, equity action plans, and a uniform set of indicators and standards for monitoring and evaluating the efforts of their offices; and review and implement recommendations from the July 2022 Government Accountability Office report to the Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate , entitled, FOREIGN ASSISTANCE:
State and USAID Are Taking Actions to Advance Equity Abroad and Mitigate Challenges (GAO-22-105112). The DAS shall be classified at not lower than GS–15 of the General Schedule and shall be supported by senior staff with relevant expertise.