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Senate Committee Approves State Department Authorization

On July 27, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved S. 1631, the Department of State Authorization Act of FY2018, as amended, sponsored by Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN).

Among other provisions, the bill would authorize the Office of Global Women’s Issues within the State Department. The office would “serve as principal advisor to the [s]ecretary regarding gender equity, women’s empowerment, and violence against women and girls as a foreign policy matter.” The measure also would authorize an ambassador-at-large to head the office.

Although its origins date back to 1995, President Obama established the office in 2009; to date, it has not been enacted in statute.