[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1168 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1168

    To amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to provide for the 
establishment of a Clean Water for the Americas Partnership within the 
          United States Agency for International Development.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 12, 2001

  Mr. Chafee (for himself, Mr. DeWine, Mr. Leahy, and Mrs. Feinstein) 
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 
                     Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to provide for the 
establishment of a Clean Water for the Americas Partnership within the 
          United States Agency for International Development.

    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 ``Clean Water for the Americas 
Partnership Act of 2001''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) it is in United States national interests to foster 
        public and environmental health among neighboring countries;
            (2) neither disease nor pollution respects international 
        borders;
            (3) improving the lives of people abroad is an essential 
        element in curbing illegal immigration into the United States;
            (4) the health and productivity of the world's natural 
        resources affects all the world's people, including the 
        American people;
            (5) maintaining good relations with nations of Latin 
        America and the Caribbean region promotes United States 
        national security interests in many ways; and
            (6) the United States environmental technology industry is 
        a world leader, and offers great potential economic growth here 
        in the United States, while at the same time fostering improved 
        environmental protection abroad.

SEC. 3. APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES DEFINED.

    In this Act, the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' 
means the Committee on Appropriations and the Committee on Foreign 
Relations of the Senate and the Committee on Appropriations and the 
Committee on International Relations of the House of Representatives.

SEC. 4. AMENDMENT OF THE FOREIGN ASSISTANCE ACT OF 1961.

    (a) In General.--Part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 
U.S.C. 2151 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following new 
chapter:

         ``CHAPTER 13--CLEAN WATER FOR THE AMERICAS PARTNERSHIP

``SEC. 500. DEFINITIONS.

    ``In this chapter:
            ``(1) Joint project.--The term `joint project' means a 
        project between a United States association or nonprofit entity 
        and a Latin American or Caribbean association or nonprofit 
        entity.
            ``(2) Latin american or caribbean association.--The term 
        `Latin American or Caribbean association' means an organization 
        other than a United States association--
                    ``(A) that would be exempt from taxation under 
                section 501(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (26 
                U.S.C. 510(a)) as a business league described in 
                section 501(c)(6) of such Code (26 U.S.C. 501(c)(6)) if 
                the association were subject to that Code; and
                    ``(B) a majority of the members of which are 
                nationals of any country in the region.
            ``(3) Latin american or caribbean nonprofit entity.--The 
        term `Latin American or Caribbean nonprofit entity' includes 
        any institution of higher education, any private nonprofit 
        entity involved in international education activities, or any 
        research institute or other research organization, based in the 
        region.
            ``(4) President.--The term `President' means the President, 
        acting through the Administrator of the agency primarily 
        responsible for carrying out this part.
            ``(5) Region.--The term `region' refers to the region 
        comprised of the member countries of the Organization of 
        American States (other than the United States and Canada).
            ``(6) United states association.--The term `United States 
        association' means a business league described in section 
        501(c)(6) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C. 
        501(c)(6)), and exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of 
        such Code (26 U.S.C. 501(a)).
            ``(7) United states nonprofit entity.--The term `United 
        States nonprofit entity' includes any institution of higher 
education (as defined in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)), any private nonprofit entity involved in 
international education activities, or any research institute or other 
research organization, based in the United States.

``SEC. 500A. ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM.

    ``The President is authorized to establish a program within the 
agency primarily responsible for carrying out this part which shall be 
known as the `Clean Water for the Americas Partnership'. In carrying 
out the program established under this section, the President may 
utilize personnel of the Department of State, the Department of 
Commerce, and the Environmental Protection Agency as well as personnel 
employed by the agency primarily responsible for administering this 
part.

``SEC. 500B. ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT.

    ``The President is authorized to conduct a comprehensive assessment 
of the environmental problems in the region to determine--
            ``(1) which environmental problems threaten human health 
        the most, particularly the health of the urban poor, which 
        environmental problems are most threatening, in the long-term, 
        to the region's natural resources, and which countries have the 
        most pressing environmental problems; and
            ``(2) whether and to what extent there is a market for 
        United States environmental technology, practices, knowledge, 
        and innovations in the region.

``SEC. 500C. ESTABLISHMENT OF TECHNOLOGY AMERICA CENTERS.

    ``(a) Authority to Establish.--The President, in consultation with 
the Director General of the United States and Foreign Commercial 
Service of the Department of Commerce, is authorized to establish 
Technology America Centers (TEAMs) in the region to serve the entire 
region and, where appropriate, to establish TEAMs in urban areas of the 
region to focus on urban environmental problems.
    ``(b) Functions.--The TEAMs would link United States private sector 
environmental technology firms with local partners, both public and 
private, by providing logistic and information support to United States 
firms seeking to find local partners and opportunities for 
environmental projects. TEAMs should emphasize assisting small 
businesses.
    ``(c) Location.--In determining whether to locate a TEAM in a 
country, the President, in consultation with the Director General of 
the United States and Foreign Commercial Service of the Department of 
Commerce, shall take into account the country's need for logistic and 
informational support and the opportunities presented for United States 
firms in the country. A TEAM may be located in a country without regard 
to whether a mission of the United States Agency for International 
Development is established in that country.

``SEC. 500D. PROMOTION OF WATER QUALITY, WATER TREATMENT SYSTEMS, AND 
              ENERGY EFFICIENCY.

    ``Subject to the availability of appropriations, the President is 
authorized to provide matching grants to United States associations and 
United States nonprofit entities for the purpose of promoting water 
quality, water treatment systems, and energy efficiency in the region. 
The grants shall be used to support joint projects, including 
professional exchanges, academic fellowships, training programs in the 
United States or in the region, cooperation in regulatory review, 
development of training materials, the establishment and development in 
the region of local chapters of the associations or nonprofit entities, 
and the development of online exchanges.

``SEC. 500E. GRANTS FOR PREFEASIBILITY STUDIES WITHIN A DESIGNATED 
              SUBREGION.

    ``(a) Grant Authority.--
            ``(1) In general.--Subject to the availability of 
        appropriations, the President is authorized to make grants 
        through the agency primarily responsible for carrying out this 
        part for prefeasibility studies for water projects in any 
        country within a single subregion or in a single country 
        designated under paragraph (2).
            ``(2) Designation of subregion.--The President shall 
        designate in advance a single subregion or a single country for 
        purposes of paragraph (1).
    ``(b) Matching Requirement.--The President may not make any grant 
under this section unless there are made available non-Federal 
contributions in an amount equal to not less than $20 for every $80 of 
Federal funds provided under the grant.
    ``(c) Limitation Per Single Project.--With respect to any single 
project, grant funds under this section shall be available only for the 
prefeasibility portion of that project.
    ``(d) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Prefeasibility.--The term `prefeasibility' means, 
        with respect to a project, not more than 25 percent of the 
        design phase of the project.
            ``(2) Subregion.--The term `subregion' means an area within 
        the region and includes areas such as Central America, the 
        Andean region, and the Southern cone.

``SEC. 500F. CLEAN WATER TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE COMMITTEE.

    ``(a) In General.--The President is authorized to establish a Clean 
Water Technical Assistance Committee (in this section referred to as 
the `Committee') to provide technical support and training services for 
individual water projects.
    ``(b) Composition.--The Committee shall consist of international 
investors, lenders, water service providers, suppliers, advisers, and 
others with a direct interest in accelerating development of water 
projects in the region.
    ``(c) Functions.--Members of the Committee shall act as field 
advisers and may form specialized working groups to provide in-country 
training and technical assistance, and shall serve as a source of 
technical support to resolve barriers to project development.
    ``(d) Nonapplicability of Federal Advisory Committee Act.--The 
Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to the 
Committee.

``SEC. 500G. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    ``(a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated to the 
President $10,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2002, 2003, and 2004 
to carry out this chapter.
    ``(b) Availability of Funds.--Funds appropriated pursuant to 
subsection (a) are authorized to remain available until expended.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) shall 
take effect October 1, 2001.

SEC. 5. REPORT.

    Two years after the date of enactment of this Act, the President 
shall submit a report to the appropriate congressional committees 
containing--
            (1) an assessment of the progress made in carrying out the 
        program established under chapter 13 of part I of the Foreign 
        Assistance Act of 1961, as added by section 4 of this Act; and
            (2) any recommendations for the enactment of legislation to 
        make changes in the program established under chapter 13 of 
        part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as added by 
        section 4 of this Act, for fiscal year 2004.

SEC. 6. TERMINATION DATE.

    (a) In General.--Except as provided in subsection (b), chapter 13 
of part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as added by section 4, 
is repealed on the date that is 3 years after the date of establishment 
of the program described in section 500A of that Act, as so added.
    (b) Exception.--In lieu of the date of repeal specified in 
subsection (a), the repeal required by that subsection shall take 
effect five years after the date of establishment of the program 
described in section 500A of that Act, as so added, if, prior to the 
date of repeal specified in subsection (a), the Administrator of the 
United States Agency for International Development determines and 
certifies to the appropriate congressional committees that it would be 
in the national interest of the United States to continue the program 
described in such section 500A for an additional 2-year period.
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