HR5001-118

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Special Advisors for Insular Areas Act.

2. Special Advisor for Insular Areas There shall be a Special Advisor for Insular Areas in each Executive department, who shall be an officer of the Executive department. Not later than 6 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the head of each Executive department shall appoint a Special Advisor for Insular Areas for the applicable Executive department. If a vacancy occurs after an initial appointment, the applicable head shall appoint a new Special Advisor for Insular Areas not later than 3 months after the date that the vacancy occurs. The Special Advisor for Insular Areas for each Executive department shall— serve as the principal advisor to the head of the applicable Executive department on matters affecting insular areas; assess the impact of departmental initiatives in the insular areas; provide guidance to programs within the Executive department that impact insular areas; serve as a liaison for stakeholders from the insular areas; and work with the Interagency Group on Insular Areas established by Executive Order 13537 or any successor group within the Department of the Interior.

3. Interdepartmental meetings The Special Advisor for Insular Areas for each Executive department (or their designees) and the Assistant Secretary for Insular and International Affairs (or their designee) shall meet not less than once every 3 months to address major policy matters and initiatives affecting the insular areas. A record of each meeting shall be taken by an employee of and maintained by the Department of the Interior Office of Insular Affairs.

4. Definitions In this Act: The term Executive department has the meaning given that term in section 101 of title 5, United States Code, but does not include the Department of the Interior. The term Freely Associated States means the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau. The term insular areas means the territories and Freely Associated States. The term territories means American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands of the United States.