Skip to content

Title 22 — Foreign Relations and Intercourse

Chapter 38 — Department of State

§ 2658a. Foreign Affairs Manual and Foreign Affairs Handbook changes

Statutory text

(a)

Applicability

The Foreign Affairs Manual and the Foreign Affairs Handbook apply with equal force and effect and without exception to all Department of State personnel, including the Secretary of State, Department employees, and political appointees, regardless of an individual’s status as a Foreign Service officer, Civil Service employee, or political appointee hired under any legal authority.

(b)

Certification

Not later than 30 days after , the Secretary of State shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a certification in unclassified form that the applicability described in subsection (a) has been communicated to all Department personnel, including the personnel referred to in such subsection.

(c)

Report

(1)

In general

Not later than 180 days after , and every 180 days thereafter for 8 years, the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report detailing all significant changes made to the Foreign Affairs Manual or the Foreign Affairs Handbook.

(2)

Covered periods

The first report required under paragraph (1) shall cover the 5-year period preceding the submission of such report. Each subsequent report shall cover the 180-day period preceding submission.

(3)

Contents

Each report required under paragraph (1) shall contain the following:

(A)

The location within the Foreign Affairs Manual or the Foreign Affairs Handbook where a change has been made.

(B)

The statutory basis for each such change, as applicable.

(C)

A side-by-side comparison of the Foreign Affairs Manual or Foreign Affairs Handbook before and after such change.

(D)

A summary of such changes displayed in spreadsheet form.

Legislative history

Reconstructed from this section’s Code source credit and amendment notes, resolved against the local Statutes at Large. Editorial notes are evidence, not the law that made the change.

  1. Department of State Authorization Act of 2021

    Pub. L. 117–81 div. E title LIII § 5318 · 135 Stat. 1541

    Enacted · 22 U.S.C. § 2658a

    Pub. L. 117–81, div. E, title LIII, § 5318, Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2367

    Source evidence

    Code source credit
    Pub. L. 117–81, div. E, title LIII, § 5318, Dec. 27, 2021, 135 Stat. 2367

    Enacted provision · exact public law section
    SEC. 5318. FOREIGN AFFAIRS MANUAL AND FOREIGN AFFAIRS HANDBOOK CHANGES. (a) Applicability.— The Foreign Affairs Manual and the Foreign Affairs Handbook apply with equal force and effect and without exception to all Department of State personnel, including the Secretary of State, Department employees, and political appointees, regardless of an individual’s status as a Foreign Service officer, Civil Service employee, or political appointee hired under any legal authority. (b) Certification.— Not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a certification in unclassified form that the applicability described in subsection (a) has been communicated to all Department personnel, including the personnel referred to in such subsection. (c) Report.— (1) In general.— Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and every 180 days thereafter for 5 years, the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report detailing all significant changes made to the Foreign Affairs Manual or the Foreign Affairs Handbook. (2) Covered periods.— The first report required under paragraph (1) shall cover the 5-year period preceding the submission of such report. Each subsequent report shall cover the 180-day period preceding submission. (3) Contents.— Each report required under paragraph (1) shall contain the following: (A) The location within the Foreign Affairs Manual or the Foreign Affairs Handbook where a change has been made. (B) The statutory basis for each such change, as applicable. (C) A side-by-side comparison of the Foreign Affairs Manual or Foreign Affairs Handbook before and after such change. (D) A summary of such changes displayed in spreadsheet form.

  2. Pub. L. 119–60 div. E title I § 5178 · 139 Stat. 1590

    Substituted · 22 U.S.C. § 2658a(c)(1)

    Pub. L. 119–60 substituted “8 years” for “5 years”

    Unresolved: Pub. L. 119–60 was not found in the local Statutes at Large index.

    Source evidence

    Code amendment note
    Subsec. (c)(1). Pub. L. 119–60 substituted “8 years” for “5 years”.

1 of 2 references resolved to an enrolled provision · 1 unresolved

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2025—Subsec. (c)(1). Pub. L. 119–60 substituted “8 years” for “5 years”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Definitions

For definition of “appropriate congressional committees” as used in this section, see section 5002 of Pub. L. 117–81, set out as a note under section 263c of this title.

Credits

2021–2025 · 2 acts
  1. 2021Pub. L. 117–81, div. E, title LIII, § 5318, , 135 Stat. 2367
  2. 2025Pub. L. 119–60, div. E, title I, § 5178, , 139 Stat. 1590.
Show as published

(Pub. L. 117–81, div. E, title LIII, § 5318, , 135 Stat. 2367; Pub. L. 119–60, div. E, title I, § 5178, , 139 Stat. 1590.)

Parsed from the official OLRC USLM XML in data/usc_all/usc22.xml · release point 119-108 · OLRC build 2026-09-09

USLM identifier /us/usc/t22/s2658a