[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3605 Introduced in House (IH)]







109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3605

   To require the President to develop and implement a comprehensive 
   strategy to further the United States foreign policy objective of 
vastly reducing global poverty and eliminating extreme global poverty, 
 to require periodic reports on the progress toward implementation of 
                 the strategy, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 28, 2005

  Mr. Smith of Washington (for himself and Mr. Bachus) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on International 
                               Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To require the President to develop and implement a comprehensive 
   strategy to further the United States foreign policy objective of 
vastly reducing global poverty and eliminating extreme global poverty, 
 to require periodic reports on the progress toward implementation of 
                 the strategy, 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 ``Global Poverty Act of 2005''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) More than one billion people worldwide live on less 
        than $1 per day, and another 1.6 billion people struggle to 
        survive on less than $2 per day, according to the World Bank.
            (2) At the United Nations Millennium Summit in 2000, the 
        United States joined more than 180 other countries in 
        committing to work toward goals to improve life for the world's 
        poorest people by 2015.
            (3) Such goals include reducing by one-half the proportion 
        of people worldwide, between 1990 and 2015, that live on less 
        than $1 per day, cutting in half the proportion of people 
        suffering from hunger and unable to access safe drinking water 
        and sanitation, reducing child mortality by two-thirds, 
        ensuring basic education for all children, and reversing the 
        spread of HIV/AIDS and malaria, while sustaining the 
        environment upon which human life depends.
            (4) On March 22, 2002, President George W. Bush stated: 
        ``We fight against poverty because hope is an answer to terror. 
        We fight against poverty because opportunity is a fundamental 
        right to human dignity. We fight against poverty because faith 
        requires it and conscience demands it. We fight against poverty 
        with a growing conviction that major progress is within our 
        reach.''.
            (5) The 2002 National Security Strategy of the United 
        States notes: ``[A] world where some live in comfort and 
        plenty, while half of the human race lives on less than $2 per 
        day, is neither just nor stable. Including all of the world's 
        poor in an expanding circle of development and opportunity is a 
        moral imperative and one of the top priorities of U.S. 
        international policy.''.
            (6) The bipartisan Final Report of the National Commission 
        on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States recommends: ``A 
        comprehensive U.S. strategy to counter terrorism should include 
        economic policies that encourage development, more open 
        societies, and opportunities for people to improve the lives of 
        their families and enhance prospects for their children.''.
            (7) At the summit of the Group of Eight (G-8) nations in 
        July 2005, leaders from all eight countries committed to 
        increase aid to Africa from the current $25 billion annually to 
        $50 billion by 2010, and to cancel 100 percent of the debt 
        obligations owed to the World Bank, African Development Bank, 
        and International Monetary Fund by 18 of the world's poorest 
        nations.
            (8) The United States has recognized the need for increased 
        financial and technical assistance to countries burdened by 
        extreme poverty, as well as the need for strengthened economic 
        and trade opportunities for those countries, through 
        significant initiatives in recent years, including the United 
        States Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria 
        Act of 2003, the Millennium Challenge Act of 2003, the Heavily 
        Indebted Poor Countries Initiative, and trade preference 
        programs for developing countries, such as the African Growth 
        and Opportunity Act.

SEC. 3. DECLARATION OF POLICY.

     It is a major priority of United States foreign policy to vastly 
reduce global poverty and to eliminate extreme poverty in developing 
countries.

SEC. 4. REQUIREMENT TO DEVELOP COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGY.

    (a) Strategy.--The President, acting through the Administrator of 
the United States Agency for International Development, and in 
consultation with the heads of other appropriate departments and 
agencies of the Government of the United States, international 
organizations, international financial institutions, recipient 
governments, United States and international nongovernmental 
organizations, civil society organizations, and other appropriate 
entities, shall develop and implement a comprehensive strategy to 
further the United States foreign policy objective of vastly reducing 
global poverty and eliminating extreme global poverty.
    (b) Contents.--The strategy required by subsection (a) shall 
include, but not be limited to, the following:
            (1) Specific and measurable goals, benchmarks, and 
        timetables to achieve the global poverty reduction objectives 
        described in subsection (a).
            (2) An explanation of how these goals, benchmarks, and 
        timetables will enable the United States to fulfill its 
        commitment to help achieve the internationally recognized goal 
        of reducing by one-half the proportion of people worldwide, 
        between 1990 and 2015, who live on less than $1 per day.
    (c) Guidelines.--The strategy required by subsection (a) should 
adhere to the following guidelines:
            (1) Continued investment in existing United States 
        initiatives related to international poverty reduction, such as 
        the United States Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, 
        and Malaria Act of 2003, the Millennium Challenge Act of 2003, 
        the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative, and trade 
        preference programs for developing countries, such as the 
        African Growth and Opportunity Act.
            (2) Increasing overall United States development assistance 
        levels while at the same time improving the effectiveness of 
        such assistance.
            (3) Enhancing and expanding debt relief.
            (4) Leveraging United States trade policy where possible to 
        enhance economic development prospects for developing 
        countries.
            (5) Coordinating efforts and working in cooperation with 
        developed and developing countries, international 
        organizations, and international financial institutions.
            (6) Mobilizing and leveraging the participation of 
        businesses, United States and international nongovernmental 
        organizations, civil society, and public-private partnerships.
            (7) Coordinating the goal of poverty reduction with other 
        development goals, such as combating the spread of preventable 
        diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria, 
        increasing access to potable water and basic sanitation, and 
        reducing hunger and malnutrition.
            (8) Integrating principles of sustainable development into 
        policies and programs.
    (d) Reports.--
            (1) Initial report.--Not later than one year after the date 
        of the enactment of this Act, the President, acting through 
        Administrator of the United States Agency for International 
        Development, shall transmit to the appropriate congressional 
        committees a report that describes the strategy required by 
        subsection (a).
            (2) Subsequent reports.--Not less than once every year 
        after the submission of the initial report under paragraph (1) 
        until 2015, the President shall transmit to the appropriate 
        congressional committees a report on the status of the 
        implementation of the strategy, progress made in achieving the 
        global poverty reduction objectives described in subsection 
        (a), and any changes to the strategy since the date of the 
        submission of the last report.

SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
        ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
                    (A) the Committee on International Relations and 
                the Committee on Appropriations of the House of 
                Representatives; and
                    (B) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the 
                Committee on Appropriations of the Senate.
            (2) Extreme global poverty.--The term ``extreme global 
        poverty'' refers to the conditions in which individuals live on 
        less than $1 per day, adjusted for purchasing power parity in 
        1993 United States dollars, according to World Bank statistics.
            (3) Global poverty.--The term ``global poverty'' refers to 
        the conditions in which individuals live on less than $2 per 
        day, adjusted for purchasing power parity in 1993 United States 
        dollars, according to World Bank statistics.
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