[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2874 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2874

 To authorize appropriations for international broadcasting operations 
           and capital improvements, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 30, 2004

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To authorize appropriations for international broadcasting operations 
           and capital improvements, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Initiative 911 Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Open communication of information and ideas among 
        peoples of the world contributes to international peace and 
        stability, and that the promotion of such communication is 
        important to the national security of the United States.
            (2) The United States needs to improve its communication of 
        information and ideas to people in foreign countries, 
        particularly in countries with significant Muslim populations.
            (3) A significant expansion of United States international 
        broadcasting would provide a cost-effective means of improving 
        communication with countries with significant Muslim 
        populations by providing news, information, and analysis, as 
        well as cultural programming, through both radio and television 
        broadcasts.
            (4) The report of the National Commission on Terrorist 
        Attacks Upon the United States stated that, ``Recognizing that 
        Arab and Muslim audiences rely on satellite television and 
        radio, the government has begun some promising initiatives in 
        television and radio broadcasting to the Arab world, Iran, and 
        Afghanistan. These efforts are beginning to reach large 
        audiences. The Broadcasting Board of Governors has asked for 
        much larger resources. It should get them.''.

SEC. 3. SPECIAL AUTHORITY FOR SURGE CAPACITY.

    The United States International Broadcasting Act of 1994 (22 U.S.C. 
6201 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following new 
section:

``SEC. 316. SPECIAL AUTHORITY FOR SURGE CAPACITY.

    ``(a) Emergency Authority.--
            ``(1) In general.--Whenever the President determines it to 
        be important to the national interests of the United States and 
        so certifies to the appropriate congressional committees, the 
        President, on such terms and conditions as the President may 
        determine, is authorized to direct any department, agency, or 
        other entity of the United States to furnish the Broadcasting 
        Board of Governors with such assistance as may be necessary to 
        provide international broadcasting activities of the United 
        States with a surge capacity to support United States foreign 
        policy objectives during a crisis abroad.
            ``(2) Supersedes existing law.--The authority of paragraph 
        (1) supersedes any other provision of law.
            ``(3) Surge capacity defined.--In this subsection, the term 
        `surge capacity' means the financial and technical resources 
        necessary to carry out broadcasting activities in a 
        geographical area during a crisis.
    ``(b) Authorization of Appropriations.--
            ``(1) In general.--Effective October 1, 2004, there are 
        authorized to be appropriated to the President such amounts as 
        may be necessary for the President to carry out this section, 
        except that no such amount may be appropriated which, when 
        added to amounts previously appropriated for such purpose but 
        not yet obligated, would cause such amounts to exceed 
        $25,000,000.
            ``(2) Availability of funds.--Amounts appropriated pursuant 
        to the authorization of appropriations in this subsection are 
        authorized to remain available until expended.
            ``(3) Designation of appropriations.--Amounts appropriated 
        pursuant to the authorization of appropriations in this 
        subsection may be referred to as the `United States 
        International Broadcasting Surge Capacity Fund'.''.

SEC. 4. REPORT.

    In each annual report submitted under section 305(a)(9) of the 
United States International Broadcasting Act of 1994 (22 U.S.C. 
6204(a)(9)) after the date of enactment of this Act, the Broadcasting 
Board of Governors shall give special attention to reporting on the 
activities carried out under this Act.

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) In General.--In addition to amounts otherwise available for 
such purposes, the following amounts are authorized to be appropriated 
to carry out United States Government broadcasting activities under the 
United States Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948 (22 
U.S.C. 1431 et seq.), the United States International Broadcasting Act 
of 1994 (22 U.S.C. 6201 et seq.), the Foreign Affairs Reform and 
Restructuring Act of 1998 (as enacted in division of G of the Omnibus 
Consolidated and Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act, 1999; 
Public Law 107-277), and this Act, and to carry out other authorities 
in law consistent with such purposes:
            (1) International broadcasting operations.--For 
        ``International Broadcasting Operations'', $497,000,000 for the 
        fiscal year 2005.
            (2) Broadcasting capital improvements.--For ``Broadcasting 
        Capital Improvements'', $70,000,000 for the fiscal year 2005.
    (b) Availability of Funds.--Amounts appropriated pursuant to the 
authorization of appropriations in this section are authorized to 
remain available until expended.
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