To provide certain authorities for the Department of State, and for other purposes.
Public Law 109-140 · H.R. 4436 · 109th Congress · began in the House
Signed by George W. Bush (R) on Dec 22, 2005 · International Affairs
Sponsor: Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ-4)
Cosponsors: None
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
(Sec. 1) Authorizes the Secretary of State to provide for U.S. participation in the Regional Emerging Diseases Intervention Center ("REDI Center") in Singapore.
Requires the Secretary to: (1) consult with the Committee on International Relations of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate (Committees); and (2) report on REDI Center efforts respecting bioterrorism concerns.
(Sec. 2) Amends the Foreign Service Act of 1980 to credit Department of State medical reimbursements to the currently available appropriation account, which shall be available for expenditure during the fiscal year received or longer as may be provided by law.
(Sec. 3) Amends the Diplomatic Security Act to authorize the Secretary to not convene an Accountability Review Board to conduct an inquiry for incidents that involve serious injury, loss of life, or significant property destruction at a U.S. mission in Iraq or Afghanistan during the period of October 1, 2005, through September 30, 2009.
Requires the Secretary, in the case of such an incident, to: (1) notify the Committees; and (2) investigate the incident and submit a report to such Committees.
(Sec. 4) Amends the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2004 to repeal the provision making United States Agency for International Development (USAID) post differential and danger pay increases for employees not in Iraq or Afghanistan subject to the provision of similar pay allowances for Department employees.
Increases the maximum post-differential and danger pay allowance for a Foreign Service employee to 35% of base pay.
Directs the Secretary to report to the Committees and to the Committee on Government Reform of the House and the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate respecting such increases' effect on "hard-to-fill" positions.
(Sec. 5) Amends the Foreign Service Act of 1980 to authorize the Foreign Service Grievance Board to retain an employee on the payroll while a grievance is being reviewed.
(Sec. 6) Amends the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 2003 to extend the International Broadcasting Bureau personal services contracting pilot program through December 31, 2006.
(Sec. 7) Authorizes the Department to provide in advance funds available for official residence expenses to those persons currently eligible to receive such reimbursement.
(Sec. 8) Amends the United States International Broadcasting Act of 1994 to authorize the Broadcasting Board of Governors to pay the primary and secondary education costs of dependents of personnel stationed in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, including certain transportation costs, if the Board determines that the schools available in the Commonwealth are unable to provide an adequate education. Limits such payments to amounts similarly permitted to Department of Defense (DOD) dependents' educational expenses in the Commonwealth.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Related bills
The record lists no related bills.
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 13 actions.
- Dec 22, 2005Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 109-140.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Dec 17, 2005FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Dec 15, 2005FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- FloorFloor · Received in the Senate, read twice, considered, read the third time, and passed without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- OtherOther · Cleared for White House.
- Dec 14, 2005FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 4436.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Smith (NJ) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
- Dec 6, 2005CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Committee on International Relations, and in addition to the Committee on Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in House
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
No amendments to this bill are on record.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.