Skip to main content
HR 5837 113th Congress House

African Descent Act of 2014

Official title: To provide for the establishment of a global affairs strategy and assistance for people of African descent, and for other purposes.

Introduced: December 11, 2014 See on congress.gov
International Affairs AfricaDepartment of StateExecutive agency funding and structureForeign aid and international relief
More subjectsShow fewer subjects
Human rightsRacial and ethnic relations
This bill died when the 113th Congress ended
It never became law before the 113th Congress (2013–2014) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 3 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Dec 10, 2014
Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Dec 10, 2014
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E1792)
Dec 10, 2014
Introduced in House
 Ask about this bill AI · grounded in the bill text

Have a question about what this bill does? Ask in plain English; the answer is drawn from the bill's actual text and official record, and it'll tell you when something isn't in the text rather than guess.

AI answers can be imperfect; always confirm against the full bill text.

 Latest action December 10, 2014

Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

African Descent Act of 2014 - Amends the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 to direct the Secretary of State to establish within the Department of State an Office of Global African Descent Affairs, to be headed by the Director and Special Advisor to the Secretary on Global African Descent Affairs.

Includes among Office functions: (1) advising the Secretary and directing policies, programs, and funding relating to the human rights and the advancement of people of African descent internationally; (2) managing a fund for people of African descent to invest in solutions to combat racial discrimination and create economic and political opportunities for people of African descent internationally; and (3) compiling an annual report on U.S. government activities relating to people of African descent.

Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to include in the annual human rights report for countries in the Americas, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East a description of the status and the people of African descent in each country.

Directs the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to appoint a Senior Advisor to the Administrator on Global African Descent Affairs who shall: (1) advise the Administrator and direct policies, programs, and funding relating to the human rights and advancement of people of African descent internationally; and (2) develop a uniform set of indicators and standards for monitoring and evaluating foreign assistance for people of African descent.

Requires the Director and Special Advisor to the Secretary on Global African Descent Affairs to develop or update annually (for five years) a U.S. global strategy to empower, prevent, and respond to discrimination and violence against people of African descent.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 5837: African Descent Act of 2014. 113th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/113-HR-5837/
MLA
"H.R. 5837: African Descent Act of 2014." 113th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/113-HR-5837/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 5837, 113th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/113-HR-5837/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 5837: African Descent Act of 2014](https://openamerica.io/bill/113-HR-5837/)
Report a problem