Foreign Relations Authorization and Reform Act, Fiscal Years 2010 and 2011

H.R. 2475, the Foreign Relations Authorization and Reform Act for Fiscal Years 2010 and 2011, is a comprehensive bill designed to fund and reorganize U.S. diplomatic efforts and foreign assistance. It authorizes the budgets for the Department of State, international broadcasting, and various global exchange programs, while also establishing new scholarship initiatives and press freedom grants.

For the average citizen, the bill’s impact is most visible in its efforts to modernize the passport system and its focus on national security through stricter export controls on military technology. It also seeks to increase government accountability by creating a new Inspector General to oversee how U.S. taxpayer dollars are spent within the United Nations. Additionally, the legislation addresses international consumer and human rights issues, such as protecting the intellectual property of American creators abroad and allowing U.S. citizens to pursue legal claims regarding Holocaust-era insurance policies.