H.R. 193: Improving Embassy Design and Security Act

116th Congress · introduced 2019-01-03 · International Affairs · Latest: Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2019-01-03 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. McCaul, Michael T. [R-TX-10] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Improving Embassy Design and Security Act

Plain summary

Improving Embassy Design and Security Act This bill amends procedures related to Department of State overseas construction to reduce costs. For any new embassy or consulate compound construction projects, the State Department may use a non-standard design only after consulting Congress. The State Department shall justify the choice to use such a design and provide documentation of the full lifecycle costs and the project's completion date, compared to the project if it used a standard design. The State Department shall report to Congress quarterly on overseas capital construction projects; currently it is required to report annually on embassy construction costs. The bill also expands the required information for such reports, including the value of all requests to adjust the contract amount (such as a request for equitable adjustment or a certified claim). The bill also directs the State Department to complete all contractor performance evaluations by October 1, 2021. The State Department shall use the design-build project delivery method (where a single firm is responsible for both designing and construction) for all diplomatic posts and shall notify Congress if it seeks to use a different method for a project. The bill directs the State Department to report to Congress on various topics, including a six-year Long-Range Overseas Building Plan, a Long-Range Overseas Maintenance Plan, and a report detailing steps to expand the embassy construction contractor base to increase competition.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

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A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

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What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Improving Embassy Design and Security Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. McCaul, Michael T. [R-TX-10] · 1 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Robin L. Kelly (D-IL)

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. McCaul, Michael T. [R-TX-10] reported raising $276,976 (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (2)

Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Securities: Financial investments that can be bought and sold, such as stocks and bonds.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-116hr193.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/116/hr>

Record fed-us-cong116-hr193 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong116 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong116