UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR GLOBAL MEDIA.

SEC. 1299Q. UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR GLOBAL MEDIA. (a) Sense of Congress.—It is the sense of Congress that the Office of Cuba Broadcasting should— (1) remain an independent entity of the United States Agency for Global Media; and (2) continue taking steps to ensure that the Office is fulfilling its core mission of promoting freedom and democracy by providing the people of Cuba with objective news and information programming. (b) Standards and Principles.—Section 303 of the United States International Broadcasting Act of 1994 (22 U.S.C. 6202) is amended— (1) in subsection (a), by inserting “, including editorial independence” before the semicolon at the end; and (2) in subsection (b), by inserting “, including editorial independence,” after “programing”. (c) Authorities of the Chief Executive Officer; Limitation on Corporate Leadership of Grantees.—Section 305 of the United States International Broadcasting Act of 1994 (22 U.S.C. 6204) is amended— (1) in subsection (a)— (A) in paragraph (20), by inserting “in accordance with subsection (c)” before the period at the end; (B) in paragraph (21)— (i) by striking “including with Federal officials,”; and (ii) by inserting “in accordance with subsection (c)” before the period at the end; (C) by adding at the end the following new paragraph: “(23) To— “(A) require annual content reviews of each language service of Voice of America, The Office of Cuba Broadcasting, and each grantee network, consisting of a review of at least 10 percent of available unique weekly content from any selected week from the previous year, which shall be conducted, to the extent practicable, by fluent language speakers and experts without direct affiliation to the language service being reviewed, who are seeking any evidence of inappropriate or unprofessional content, which shall be submitted to the Office of Policy Research, the head and Board of the respective language service, and the Chief Executive Officer; “(B) submit to the appropriate congressional committees a list of anomalous reports, including status updates on anomalous services during the 3-year period commencing on the date of receipt of the first report of biased, unprofessional, or otherwise problematic content."; and “(C) launch a review, using external, native-language and regional experts, the results of which are to be reported to the appropriate congressional committees, if a widespread pattern of violations of the principles, standards, or journalistic code of ethics of a language service or grantee network has been identified.” ; and (2) by adding at the end the following new subsection: “(c) Limitation on Corporate Leadership of Grantees.— “(1) In general.—The Chief Executive Officer may not award any grant under subsection (a) to RFE/RL, Inc., Radio Free Asia, the Middle East Broadcasting Networks, the Open Technology Fund, or any other grantee authorized under this title (collectively referred to as ‘Agency Grantee Networks’) unless the incorporation documents of any such grantee require that the corporate leadership and Board of Directors of such grantee be selected in accordance with this Act. “(2) Conflicts of interest.— “(A) Chief executive officer.—The Chief Executive Officer may not serve on any of the corporate boards of any grantee under subsection (a). “(B) Federal employees.—A full-time employee of a Federal agency may not serve on a corporate board of any grantee under subsection (a). “(3) Qualifications of grantee board members.—Individuals appointed under subsection (a) to the Board of Directors of any of the Agency Grantee Networks shall have requisite expertise in journalism, technology, broadcasting, or diplomacy, or appropriate language or cultural understanding relevant to the grantee’s mission.” . (d) International Broadcasting Advisory Board.—Section 306 of the United States International Broadcasting Act of 1994 (22 U.S.C. 6205) is amended— (1) by striking subsections (a) through (c) and inserting the following: “(a) In General.—The International Broadcasting Advisory Board (referred to in this section as the ‘Advisory Board’) shall advise the Chief Executive Officer of the United States Agency for Global Media, as appropriate. The Advisory Board as established shall exist within the executive branch as an entity described in section 104 of title 5, United States Code. “(b) Composition of the Advisory Board.— “(1) In general.—The Advisory Board shall consist of seven members, of whom— “(A) six shall be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, in accordance with subsection (c); and “(B) one shall be the Secretary of State. “(2) Chair.—The President shall designate, with the advice and consent of the Senate, one of the members appointed under paragraph (1)(A) as Chair of the Advisory Board. “(3) Party limitation.—Not more than three members of the Advisory Board appointed under paragraph (1)(A) may be affiliated with the same political party. “(4) Terms of office.— “(A) In general.—Except as provided in subparagraph (B), members of the Advisory Board shall serve for a single term of 4 years, except that, of the first group of members appointed under paragraph (1)(A)— “(i) two members who are not affiliated with the same political party, shall be appointed for terms ending on the date that is 2 years after the date of the enactment of the U.S. Agency for Global Media Reform Act; “(ii) two members who are not affiliated with the same political party, shall be appointed for terms ending on the date that is 4 years after the date of the enactment of the U.S. Agency for Global Media Reform Act; and “(iii) two members who are not affiliated with the same political party, shall be appointed for terms ending on the date that is 6 years after the date of the enactment of the U.S. Agency for Global Media Reform Act. “(B) Secretary of state.—The Secretary of State shall serve as a member of the Advisory Board for the duration of his or her tenure as Secretary of State. “(5) Vacancies.— “(A) In general.—The President shall appoint, with the advice and consent of the Senate, additional members to fill vacancies on the Advisory Board occurring before the expiration of a term. “(B) Term.—Any members appointed pursuant to subparagraph (A) shall serve for the remainder of such term. “(C) Service beyond term.—Any member whose term has expired shall continue to serve as a member of the Advisory Board until a qualified successor has been appointed and confirmed by the Senate. “(D) Secretary of state.—When there is a vacancy in the office of Secretary of State, the Acting Secretary of State shall serve as a member of the Advisory Board until a new Secretary of State is appointed.” ; (2) by redesignating subsection (d) as subsection (c); (3) by amending subsection (c), as redesignated— (A) in the subsection heading, by inserting “ADVISORY” before “BOARD”; and (B) in paragraph (2), by inserting “who are” before “distinguished”; and (4) by striking subsections (e) and (f) and inserting the following new subsections: “(d) Functions of the Advisory Board.—The members of the Advisory Board shall— “(1) provide the Chief Executive Officer of the United States Agency for Global Media with advice and recommendations for improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the Agency and its programming; “(2) meet with the Chief Executive Officer at least four times annually, including twice in person as practicable, and at additional meetings at the request of the Chief Executive Officer or the Chair of the Advisory Board; “(3) report periodically, or upon request, to the congressional committees specified in subsection (c)(2) regarding its advice and recommendations for improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the United States Agency for Global Media and its programming; “(4) obtain information from the Chief Executive Officer, as needed, for the purposes of fulfilling the functions described in this subsection; “(5) consult with the Chief Executive Officer regarding budget submissions and strategic plans before they are submitted to the Office of Management and Budget or to Congress; “(6) advise the Chief Executive Officer to ensure that— “(A) the Chief Executive Officer fully respects the professional integrity and editorial independence of United States Agency for Global Media broadcasters, networks, and grantees; and “(B) agency networks, broadcasters, and grantees adhere to the highest professional standards and ethics of journalism, including taking necessary actions to uphold professional standards to produce consistently reliable and authoritative, accurate, objective, and comprehensive news and information; and “(7) provide other strategic input to the Chief Executive Officer. “(e) Appointment of Heads of Networks.— “(1) In general.—The heads of Voice of America, the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, RFE/RL, Inc., Radio Free Asia, the Middle East Broadcasting Networks, the Open Technology Fund, or of any other grantee authorized under this title may only be appointed or removed if such action has been approved by a majority vote of the Advisory Board. “(2) Removal.—After consulting with the Chief Executive Officer, five or more members of the Advisory Board may unilaterally remove any such head of network or grantee network described in paragraph (1). “(3) Quorum.— “(A) In general.—A quorum shall consist of four members of the Advisory Board (excluding the Secretary of State). “(B) Decisions.—Except as provided in paragraph (2), decisions of the Advisory Board shall be made by majority vote, a quorum being present. “(C) Closed sessions.—The Advisory Board may meet in closed sessions in accordance with section 552b of title 5, United States Code. “(f) Compensation.— “(1) In general.—Members of the Advisory Board, while attending meetings of the Advisory Board or while engaged in duties relating to such meetings or in other activities of the Advisory Board under this section (including travel time) shall be entitled to receive compensation equal to the daily equivalent of the compensation prescribed for level IV of the Executive Schedule under section 5315 of title 5, United States Code. “(2) Travel expenses.—While away from their homes or regular places of business, members of the Board may be allowed travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, as authorized under section 5703 of such title for persons in the Government service employed intermittently. “(3) Secretary of state.—The Secretary of State is not entitled to any compensation under this title, but may be allowed travel expenses in accordance with paragraph (2). “(g) Support Staff.—The Chief Executive Officer shall, from within existing United States Agency for Global Media personnel, provide the Advisory Board with an Executive Secretary and such administrative staff and support as may be necessary to enable the Advisory Board to carry out subsections (d) and (e).” . (e) Conforming Amendments.—The United States International Broadcasting Act of 1994 (22 U.S.C. 6201 et seq.) is amended— (1) [22 U.S.C. 6203] in section 304— (A) in the section heading, by striking “broadcasting board of governors” and inserting “united states agency for global media”; (B) in subsection (a), by striking “Broadcasting Board of Governors” and inserting “United States Agency for Global Media”; (C) in subsection (b)(1), by striking “Broadcasting Board of Governors” and inserting “United States Agency for Global Media”; and (D) in subsection (c), by striking “Board” each place such term appears and inserting “Agency”; (2) [22 U.S.C. 6204] in section 305— (A) in subsection (a)— (i) in paragraph (6), by striking “Board” and inserting “Agency”; (ii) in paragraph (13), by striking “Board” and inserting “Agency”; (iii) in paragraph (20), by striking “Board” and inserting “Agency”; and (iv) in paragraph (22), by striking “Board” and inserting “Agency”; (B) in subsection (b), by striking “Board” each place such term appears and inserting “Agency”; (3) [22 U.S.C. 6207] in section 308— (A) in subsection (a), in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking “Board” and inserting “Agency”; (B) in subsection (b), by striking “Board” each place such term appears and inserting “Agency”; (C) in subsection (d), by striking “Board” and inserting “Agency”; (D) in subsection (g), by striking “Board” each place such term appears and inserting “Agency”; (E) in subsection (h)(5), by striking “Board” and inserting “Agency”; and (F) in subsection (i), in the first sentence, by striking “Board” and inserting “Agency”; (4) [22 U.S.C. 6208] in section 309— (A) in subsection (c)(1), by striking “Board” each place such term appears and inserting “Agency”; (B) in subsection (e), in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking “Board” and inserting “Agency”; (C) in subsection (f), by striking “Board” each place such term appears and inserting “Agency”; and (D) in subsection (g), by striking “Board” and inserting “Agency”; (5) [22 U.S.C. 6209] in section 310(d), by striking “Board” and inserting “Agency”; (6) [22 U.S.C. 6209a] in section 310A(a), by striking “Broadcasting Board of Governors” and inserting “United States Agency for Global Media”; (7) [22 U.S.C. 6209b] in section 310B, by striking “Board” and inserting “Agency”; (8) [22 U.S.C. 6211] by striking section 312; (9) [22 U.S.C. 6212] in section 313(a), in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking “Board” and inserting “Agency”; (10) [22 U.S.C. 6213] in section 314— (A) by striking “(4) the terms ‘Board and Chief Executive Officer of the Board’ means the Broadcasting Board of Governors” and inserting the following: “(2) the terms ‘Agency’ and ‘Chief Executive Officer of the Agency’ mean the United States Agency for Global Media and the Chief Executive Officer of the United States Agency for Global Media, respectively,” ; and (B) in paragraph (3)— (i) by striking “includes—” and inserting “means the corporation having the corporate title described in section 308”; and (ii) by striking subparagraphs (A) and (B); and (11) [22 U.S.C. 6216] in section 316— (A) in subsection (a)(1), by striking “Broadcasting Board of Governors” and inserting “United States Agency for Global Media”; and (B) in subsection (c), by striking “Broadcasting Board of Governors” and inserting “United States Agency for Global Media”. (f) Savings Provisions.—Section 310 of the United States International Broadcasting Act of 1994 (22 U.S.C. 6209) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsections: “(f) Maintenance of Proprietary Information.—No consolidation of grantees authorized under subsection (a) involving any grantee shall result in any legal transfer of ownership of any proprietary information or intellectual property to the United State Agency for Global Media or any other Federal entity. “(g) Rule of Construction.—No consolidation of grantees authorized under subsection (a) shall result in the consolidation of the Open Technology Fund or any successor entity with any other grantee.” .