[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1117 Introduced in House (IH)]







107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1117

To provide a United States voluntary contribution to the United Nations 
                            Population Fund.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 20, 2001

   Mrs. Maloney of New York (for herself, Mr. Kirk, Mr. Crowley, Mr. 
Leach, Mr. Hoeffel, Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. Berman, Mr. Waxman, Mr. Filner, 
 Mr. Engel, Mr. Cummings, Mr. Brady of Pennsylvania, Mr. Pallone, Mrs. 
 Thurman, Ms. Jackson-Lee of Texas, Mr. Sawyer, Ms. Brown of Florida, 
Mr. Jefferson, Ms. McKinney, Mr. Sanders, Ms. Lee, Mr. Abercrombie, Mr. 
 Capuano, Mr. McGovern, Mr. Towns, Mr. Sherman, Ms. Hooley of Oregon, 
Mrs. Mink of Hawaii, Mr. Udall of Colorado, Mr. Farr of California, Mr. 
 Nadler, Mr. Gonzalez, Mr. Moran of Virginia, Mr. Hinchey, Mr. Allen, 
  Mrs. Morella, Mr. Payne, Mr. Ackerman, Mr. Frank, Mr. Tierney, Mr. 
  Gilman, Mr. Greenwood, Mr. Wynn, Mr. Baldacci, Mr. Blumenauer, Mr. 
 Lantos, Mr. Shays, Mr. Davis of Illinois, Ms. Slaughter, Mrs. Johnson 
   of Connecticut, Mrs. Kelly, Ms. Waters, Mrs. Meek of Florida, Mr. 
 Hilliard, Mr. Meehan, Mr. Rodriguez, Ms. Woolsey, Mr. McDermott, Mr. 
    Stark, Ms. Pelosi, Ms. DeGette, Mr. Weiner, Mr. Price of North 
  Carolina, Ms. Norton, and Mr. Levin) introduced the following bill; 
     which was referred to the Committee on International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To provide a United States voluntary contribution to the United Nations 
                            Population Fund.

    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 ``United Nations Population Fund 
(UNFPA) Funding Act of 2001''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) The renewed commitment of the world community to the 
        formulation of government policies that contribute to global 
        population stabilization and to improvements in the status of 
        women owes much to the efforts of the United Nations and its 
        specialized agencies and organizations, particularly the United 
        Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
            (2) Over one-half of the UNFPA's assistance is devoted to 
        maternal and child health programs, including the provision of 
        family planning services, and it is a major supplier of modern 
        methods of contraception. UNFPA also supports efforts aimed at 
        preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS and other sexually-
        transmitted diseases and activities aimed specifically at 
        enhancing the status of women.
            (3) UNFPA does not fund abortion services, rather, UNFPA 
        seeks to reduce the incidence of abortion by improving access 
        to contraceptive services and to reduce deaths and injuries 
        related to unsafe abortion by supporting treatment of women 
        suffering from its complications.
            (4) Operating in over 130 nations in all regions of the 
        world and as a politically neutral source of funds, UNFPA 
        complements the important work of the United States Agency for 
        International Development population assistance program.
            (5) The United States contribution to UNFPA last year 
        provided an estimated 870,000 women in the developing world 
        with effective modern contraception, thereby preventing 500,000 
        unintended pregnancies, 200,000 abortions, and thousands of 
        maternal and child deaths.
            (6) Many global environmental problems, including water 
        shortages, pollution, tropical deforestation, and the loss of 
        wildlife habitat are linked to rapid population growth. UNFPA 
        has assisted countries around the world plan for and slow 
        population growth, therefore reducing its effects on the 
        environment.
            (7) Assistance provided by UNFPA conforms to the principle, 
        affirmed at the 1994 International Conference on Population and 
        Development by 180 nations, including the United States, that 
        ``all couples and individuals have the basic right to decide 
        freely and responsibly the number and spacing of their children 
        and to have the information, education, and means to do so.''.
            (8) UNFPA opposes coercion in any form. All of UNFPA's 
        programs are designed in conformity with universally recognized 
        human rights principles.
            (9) An appropriate way to express the legitimate concerns 
        of the United States Government about the population policies 
        of the People's Republic of China is by placing those concerns 
        on the bilateral agenda along with other important human rights 
        issues, not by singling out a United Nations agency by 
        withholding all funding thereby punishing the women and 
        families around the world who depend on its humanitarian aid.
            (10) UNFPA plays a constructive role in helping to reduce 
        the incidence of coercive practices in China through its 
        country program which has been successful in eliminating 
        targets and quotas and promoting voluntary family planning and 
        informed consent in the 32 program counties. By improving 
        contraceptive method choice, expanding the range of 
        reproductive health services, and enhancing the status of 
        women, the UNFPA country program will help to enable the 
        Chinese to operationalize the human rights approach of the 
        International Conference on Polulation and Development.

SEC. 3. UNITED STATES VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTION TO THE UNITED NATIONS 
              POPULATION FUND.

    In addition to amounts otherwise available to carry out the 
purposes of chapter 3 of part 1 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, 
there are authorized to be appropriated $35,000,000 for fiscal year 
2002 and $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2003 to be available only for 
United States voluntary contributions to the United Nations Population 
Fund.

SEC. 4. LIMITATION ON THE UNITED STATES VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTION TO THE 
              UNITED NATIONS POPULATION FUND.

    (a) Limitation.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, of the 
funds appropriated for voluntary contributions to the United Nations 
Population Fund for each of the fiscal years 2002 and 2003, an amount 
equal to the amount allocated by the United Nations Population Fund for 
the country program in the People's Republic of China during each 
fiscal year shall be withheld from obligation and expenditure if during 
such fiscal year, the Secretary of State submits to the appropriate 
congressional committees the certification described in subsection (b).
    (b) Certification.--The Secretary of State shall submit a 
certification under subsection (a) if the Secretary determines that the 
country program of the United Nations Population Fund in the People's 
Republic of China does not meet the following criteria--
            (1) Focuses on improving the delivery of voluntary family 
        planning information and services.
            (2) Is designed in conformity with the human rights 
        principles affirmed at the International Conference on 
        Population and Development with the support of 180 nations 
        including the United States.
            (3) Is implemented only in counties of the People's 
        Republic of China where all quotas and targets for the 
        recruitment of program participants have been abolished and the 
        use of coercive measures has been eliminated.
            (4) Is carried out in consultation with and under the 
        oversight and approval of the UNFPA executive board, including 
        the United States representative.
            (5) Is subject to regular independent monitoring to ensure 
        compliance with the principles of informed consent and 
        voluntary participation.
            (6) Suspends operations in project counties found to be in 
        violation of program guidelines.
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