[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 372 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 372

    To make available funds under the Freedom Support Act to expand 
   existing educational and professional exchanges with the Russian 
 Federation to promote and strengthen democratic government and civil 
society in that country, and to make available funds under that Act to 
conduct a study of the feasibility of creating a new foundation toward 
                               that end.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            February 4, 1999

   Mr. Biden introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
             referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To make available funds under the Freedom Support Act to expand 
   existing educational and professional exchanges with the Russian 
 Federation to promote and strengthen democratic government and civil 
society in that country, and to make available funds under that Act to 
conduct a study of the feasibility of creating a new foundation toward 
                               that end.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Russian Democratization Assistance 
Act of 1999''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) The Russian Federation, which is currently undergoing 
        severe political and economic crises, continues to possess 
        thousands of nuclear warheads and the means to deliver them.
            (2) Maintaining stability in Russia is a vital national 
        security concern of the United States.
            (3) Since the collapse of the Soviet Union at the end of 
        1991, the Russian Federation has made significant progress in 
        democratizing its government and society.
            (4) The continued development of democratic institutions 
        and practice will foster stability in the Russian Federation.
            (5) Educational and professional exchanges with the Russian 
        Federation have proven to be an effective mechanism for 
        enhancing democratization in that country.

SEC. 3. POLICY OF THE UNITED STATES.

    It shall be the policy of the United States toward the Russian 
Federation--
            (1) to promote and strengthen democratic government and 
        civil society;
            (2) to expand already existing educational and professional 
        exchanges toward those ends; and
            (3) to consider the feasibility of a Russia-based, 
        internationally funded Foundation for Democracy to further 
        democratic government and civil society.

SEC. 4. ALLOCATION OF FUNDS FOR INTERNATIONAL INFORMATIONAL AND 
              EDUCATIONAL EXCHANGES WITH THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION.

    Of the amount authorized to be appropriated to carry out chapter 11 
of part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2295 et 
seq.; relating to support for the independent states of the former 
Soviet Union) for each of the fiscal years 2000 and 2001, the following 
amounts are authorized to be available for the following programs with 
the Russian Federation:
            (1) For the ``Future Leaders Exchange'', $4,000,000.
            (2) For the ``Freedom Support Act Undergraduate Program'', 
        $3,000,000.
            (3) For the ``Community Connections Program'', $15,000,000.
            (4) For the ``Freedom Support Act Fellowships in 
        Contemporary Issues'', $1,000,000.

SEC. 5. STUDY FOR ESTABLISHMENT OF RUSSIAN DEMOCRACY FOUNDATION.

    (a) In General.--The President is authorized to conduct a study of 
the feasibility of establishing a foundation for the promotion of 
democratic institutions in the Russian Federation.
    (b) Foundation Title.--It is the sense of Congress that any 
foundation established pursuant to subsection (a) should be known as 
the Starovoitova Foundation for Russian Democracy, in honor of Galina 
Starovoitova, a former member of the State Duma and Russia's leading 
female politician who was assassinated in St. Petersburg in November 
1998.
    (c) Allocation of Funds.--Of the amount authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out chapter 11 of part I of the Foreign 
Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2295 et seq.; relating to support for 
the independent states of the former Soviet Union) for fiscal year 
2000, $50,000 is authorized to be available to carry out this section.

SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR MUSKIE FELLOWSHIPS WITH THE 
              RUSSIAN FEDERATION.

    (a) In General.--There is authorized to be appropriated to the 
President $7,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2000 and 2001 to 
carry out the Edmund S. Muskie Fellowship Program under section 227 of 
the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1992 and 1993 (22 
U.S.C. 2452 note) with the Russian Federation.
    (b) Availability of Funds.--Amounts appropriated pursuant to 
subsection (a) are authorized to remain available until expended.
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