[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2121 Introduced in House (IH)]
107th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2121
To make available funds under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to
expand democracy, good governance, and anti-corruption programs in the
Russian Federation in order to promote and strengthen democratic
government and civil society in that country and to support independent
media.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 12, 2001
Mr. Lantos introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on International Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To make available funds under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to
expand democracy, good governance, and anti-corruption programs in the
Russian Federation in order to promote and strengthen democratic
government and civil society in that country and to support independent
media.
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 Democracy Act of 2001''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.
(a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the
leadership of the Russian Federation has publicly committed
itself to building--
(A) a society with democratic political
institutions and practices, observance of universally
recognized standards of human rights and religious and
press freedom; and
(B) a market economy, based on internationally
accepted principles of transparency, accountability,
and the rule of law.
(2) In order to facilitate this transition, the
international community provided multilateral and bilateral
technical assistance, and the United States contributions to
these efforts played an important role in influencing the
Government of the Russian Federation to abandon expansionist
and confrontational policies of the former Soviet Union and
start developing new institutions built on democratic and
liberal economic foundations and the rule of law.
(3)(A) Since 1992, United States Government democratic
reform programs and public diplomacy programs, including
training, small grants, and technical assistance to independent
television, radio, and print media across the Russian
Federation, has strengthened nongovernment-owned media,
provided access to and training in the use of the Internet,
brought nearly 40,000 Russian citizens to the United States and
has led to the establishment of over 65,000 nongovernmental
organizations, thousands of vibrant independent media outlets
and numerous political parties.
(B) These efforts also contributed to the conduct of
substantially free and fair Russian parliamentary elections in
1995 and 1999 and Presidential elections in 1996 and 2000.
(4) The United States has also assisted Russian efforts to
dismantle its centrally planned state-controlled economy and
helped create institutions and infrastructure for a market
economy by encouraging transparent privatization of state-owned
enterprises, and two-thirds of the Russian Federation's
domestic product is now generated by the private sector.
(5)(A) The United States fostered grassroots
entrepreneurship in the Russian Federation by focusing United
States economic assistance on small- and medium-sized
businesses and by providing training, consulting services, and
small loans to more than 250,000 Russian entrepreneurs.
(B) There are now more than 900,000 small businesses in the
Russian Federation, producing 12-15 percent of the gross
domestic product of the Russian Federation.
(C) United States-funded programs help to fight corruption
and financial crimes, such as money laundering, by helping to
establish a commercial legal infrastructure, develop an
independent judiciary, support the drafting of a new criminal
code, civil code, and bankruptcy law, develop legal and
regulatory framework for the Russian Federation's equivalent of
the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, support
Russian law schools, create legal aid clinics, and bolster law-
related activities of nongovernmental organizations.
(6)(A) Despite these successes, political and economic
freedoms in the Russian Federation remain tenuous. Since the
election of President Putin in May 2000, the Government of the
Russian Federation has launched administrative and political
reforms that run counter to the democratic achievements of the
past 8 years, restrict political plurality, threaten the
nongovernmental sector, and call into question the Government's
commitment to freedom of the press, including the concerted
campaign by Russian authorities against independent television
station NTV and its founder, Vladimir Guzinsky.
(B) The Department of State's Country Reports on Human
Rights Practices for 2000 concluded that during 2000 ``the
[Russian Federation] Government's record on media freedom
worsened and significant problems persist'' and that ``[t]here
was persistent evidence of government pressure on the media.''.
(7)(A) Furthermore, despite the Russian economic recovery
of 1999 and 2000 due to higher oil prices and due in part
because of the failure of President Putin to carry through with
his promise to implement genuine economic reform, except for
the approval of important tax code reform legislation, the
Russian economy also remains highly resistant to reform and
continues to be plagued with corruption and organized crime.
(B) This corruption and crime is estimated to cost the
Russian economy $15,000,000,000 annually, and the Government of
the Russian Federation has not yet genuinely addressed the
problems of crime, corruption, violation of property and investor
rights, weak rule of law, absence of an independent judiciary, and the
lack of transparency in corporate governance.
(8) In addition, while the Government of the Russian
Federation allowed for elections in Chechnya to establish the
Chechen civilian administration, the perilous economic, social,
and political situation in Chechnya and the transfer of the
responsibility for the conduct of the Chechen operation from
the Russian military to the Russian security services threatens
to undermine indigenous Chechen authorities and increase human
rights abuses.
(9) These developments and actions by the Government of the
Russian Federation led more than 1,000 civic and human rights
activists representing 430 groups from throughout the Russian
Federation to meet in Moscow in January 2001 to take the
unprecedented step of declaring a human rights emergency in
response to what they see as the growing threat to civil
liberties.
(10) Because the capability of Russian democratic forces
and the civil society to organize and defend democratic gains
without international support is uncertain, and because the
gradual integration of the Russian Federation into the global
order of free-market democratic nations will further Russian
cooperation with the United States on a wide-range of
political, economic, and security issues, the success of
democracy in Russia is in the national security interest of the
United States and the United States Government needs to develop
a far-reaching and flexible strategy aimed at rejuvenating
Russian society's support for democracy and market economy,
particularly by enhancing Russian democratic institutions and
education, promoting the rule of law, and supporting Russian
independent media.
(b) Purposes.-- The purposes of this Act are--
(1) to strengthen and advance institutions of democratic
government and free and independent media and to sustain the
development of the independent civil society in the Russian
Federation based on religious and ethnic tolerance,
internationally recognized human rights, and internationally
recognized rule of law; and
(2) to target United States foreign assistance to the
political and economic reality in the Russian Federation, and,
to the extent possible, to focus United States foreign
assistance programs on using local expertise and giving local
organizations a greater role in designing and implementing such
programs, while maintaining appropriate oversight and
monitoring.
SEC. 3. UNITED STATES POLICY TOWARD THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION.
(a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the United
States Government should--
(1) consider the transition undertaken by the Russian
Federation to be a work in progress, where the influence and
the prominence of the United States can be a persuasive factor
in gradual Russian integration in Western institutions;
(2) recognize that a democratic and economically stable
Russian Federation is inherently less confrontational and
destabilizing in its foreign policy and therefore promotion of
democracy in Russia is in the national security interests of
the United States;
(3) continue and increase assistance to the democratic
forces in the Russian Federation, including to independent
media, progressive regional administrations, democratic
political parties, and nongovernmental organizations; and
(4) express its opposition to antidemocratic and
authoritarian tendencies in countries with important
relationships with the United States.
(b) Statement of Policy.--It shall be the policy of the United
States--
(1) to engage the Government of Russian Federation and
Russian society to strengthen democratic reform and
institutions, and to promote good governance principles based
on the internationally recognized norms of transparency in
business practices, the rule of law, religious freedom, and
human rights;
(2) to advance a dialogue between United States Government
officials and private sector individuals and representatives of
the Government of the Russian Federation on Russian integration
into the western community of nations;
(3) to encourage United States Government officials and
private sector individuals to meet regularly with democratic
activists, human rights activists, representatives of the
independent media, representatives of nongovernmental
organizations, civic organizers, and reform-minded politicians
from Moscow and the various regions of the Russian Federation;
(4) to incorporate democratic reforms, independent media,
and economic reforms in the broad United States agenda with the
Government of the Russian Federation;
(5) to encourage the Government of the Russian Federation
to address cross-border issues, including environment, crime,
trafficking, and corruption in a cooperative and transparent
manner consistent with internationally recognized and accepted
principles of the rule of law;
(6) to consult with the Government of the Russian
Federation and the Russian Parliament on adoption of economic
and social reforms necessary to sustain Russian economic growth
since 1999;
(7) to persuade the Government of the Russian Federation to
honor its commitments made to the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) at the November 1999 Istanbul
Conference and to conduct a genuine good neighbor policy toward
the other independent states of the former Soviet Union in the
spirit of internationally accepted principles of regional
cooperation; and
(8) to encourage the G-7 partners and international
financial institutions, including the World Bank, the
International Monetary Fund, and the European Bank for
Reconstruction and Development, to develop financial safeguards and
transparency practices in lending to the Russian Federation.
SEC. 4. SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING POLICY OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION.
It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) the Government of the Russian Federation and Russian
President Putin should resolve outstanding taxation issues that
hinder deliverance of United States assistance programs and to
completely fulfill its obligations under existing bilateral
agreements; and
(2) the Parliament of the Russian Federation should adopt
necessary legislation and procedures for the exemption of
United States assistance from all forms of taxation and customs
duties.
SEC. 5. AMENDMENTS TO THE FOREIGN ASSISTANCE ACT OF 1961.
(a) Amendments.--
(1) Democracy and rule of law.--Section 498(2) of the
Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2295(2)) is amended--
(A) in the heading, by striking ``Democracy'' and
inserting ``Democracy and rule of law'';
(B) by striking subparagraphs (E) and (G);
(C) by redesignating subparagraph (F) as
subparagraph (I);
(D) by inserting after subparagraph (D) the
following:
``(E) development and support of grass-roots and
nongovernmental organizations promoting democracy, rule
of law, transparency, and accountability in the
political process, including grants in small amounts to
such organizations;
``(F) international exchanges to promote greater
understanding by Russian Federation citizens on how
democracy, public policy process, market institutions,
and independent judiciary function in Western
societies;
``(G) political parties committed to promoting
democracy, human rights, and economic reforms;
``(H) support for civic organizations committed to
promoting human rights; and''; and
(E) by adding at the end the following:
``(J) strengthened administration of justice
through programs and activities carried out in
accordance with section 498B(e), including--
``(i) support for nongovernmental
organizations, civic organizations, and
political parties that favor a strong and
independent judiciary based on merit;
``(ii) support for local organizations that
work with judges and law enforcement officials
in efforts to achieve a reduction in the number
of pretrial detainees; and
``(iii) support for the creation of Russian
legal associations or groups that provide
training in human rights and advocacy, public
education with respect to human rights-related
laws and proposed legislation, and legal
assistance to persons subject to improper
government interference.''.
(2) Independent media.--Section 498 of the Foreign
Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2295) is amended--
(A) by redesignating paragraphs (3) through (13) as
paragraphs (4) though (14), respectively; and
(B) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following:
``(3) Independent media.--Developing a free and independent
media, including--
``(A) supporting all forms of nonstate-owned media
reporting, including print, radio, and television;
``(B) providing special support for, and
unrestricted public access to, nongovernmental
Internet-based sources of information, dissemination
and reporting, including providing technical and other
support for web radio services, providing computers and
other necessary resources for Internet connectivity and
training new Internet users in nongovernmental and
other civic organizations on methods and uses of
Internet-based media; and
``(C) training in journalism, including
investigative journalism techniques which educate the
public on the costs of corruption and act as a
deterrent against corrupt officials.''.
(b) Conforming Amendment.--Section 498B(e) of such Act is amended
by striking ``paragraph (2)(G)'' and inserting ``paragraph (2)(J)''.
SEC. 6. ACTIVITIES TO SUPPORT THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION.
(a) Assistance Programs.--In providing assistance to the Russian
Federation under chapter 11 of part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of
1961 (22 U.S.C. 2295 et seq.), the President is authorized to carry out
the following specific activities:
(1) Work with the Government of the Russian Federation, the
Duma, and representatives of the Russian Federation judiciary
to help implement a revised and improved code of criminal
procedure and other laws.
(2) Establish civic education programs relating to
democracy, public policy, rule of law, and the importance of
the independent media, including the establishment of
``American Centers'' and public policy schools at Russian
universities and programs by universities in the United States
to offer courses through Internet-based off-site learning
centers at Russian universities.
(3) Support the Regional Investment Initiatives (RII)
program, which provides targeted assistance in those regions of
the Russian Federation that have demonstrated commitment to
reform, democracy, and rule of law, and promote the concept of
such program as a model for all regions of the Russian
Federation.
(b) Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Voice of America.--Radio
Free Europe/Radio Liberty and the Voice of America should use new and
innovative techniques, in cooperation with local independent media
sources and to the extent possible, to disseminate information
throughout the Russian Federation relating to democracy, free-market
economics, rule of law, and human rights.
SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF ASSISTANCE FOR DEMOCRACY, INDEPENDENT MEDIA,
AND THE RULE OF LAW.
Of the amounts made available to carry out the provision of chapter
11 of part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2295 et
seq.) and the Freedom for Russia and Emerging Eurasian Democracies and
Open Markets Support Act of 1992 for fiscal year 2002, not less than
$50,000,000 is authorized to be available for the activities authorized
by paragraphs (2) and (3) of section 498 of the Foreign Assistance Act
of 1961, as amended by section 5(a) of this Act.
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