[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2524 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2524

   To amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to improve access to 
       microenterprise by the very poor, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 13, 2011

   Mr. Smith of New Jersey (for himself and Mr. Rush) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to improve access to 
       microenterprise by the very poor, 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 ``Microenterprise Empowerment and Job 
Creation Act of 2011''.

SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS TO FOREIGN ASSISTANCE ACT OF 1961 TO IMPROVE ACCESS 
              TO MICROENTERPRISE BY THE VERY POOR.

    (a) Findings and Policy.--Section 251 of the Foreign Assistance Act 
of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2211) is amended by adding at the end the following 
new paragraph:
            ``(7) The very poor can utilize microfinance mechanisms and 
        benefit from microenterprise opportunities, but they require 
        innovative approaches that respond to their particular 
        circumstances and needs.''.
    (b) Authorization; Implementation; Targeted Assistance.--
            (1) Authorization.--Section 252(a) of the Foreign 
        Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2211a(a)) is amended--
                    (A) in paragraph (1) to read as follows:
            ``(1) assistance for the purpose of expanding the 
        availability of credit, savings, and other financial services 
        to microfinance and microenterprise clients, particularly those 
        who are unable to access such services through the private 
        sector, and to increase the capacity of such clients to access 
        such services through education, training, and mentoring;'';
                    (B) in paragraph (3), by striking ``and'' at the 
                end;
                    (C) by redesignating paragraph (4) as paragraph 
                (5); and
                    (D) by inserting after paragraph (3) the following 
                new paragraph:
            ``(4) assistance for value chain interventions that--
                    ``(A) benefit primarily the very poor populations;
                    ``(B) is integral to the success of a microfinance 
                or microenterprise project; and
                    ``(C) includes measures to ensure that the value 
                chain that is created or enhanced will be self-
                sustainable upon completion of the intervention; and''.
            (2) Implementation.--Section 252(b)(2) of the Foreign 
        Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2211a(b)(2)) is amended--
                    (A) in subparagraph (B)(ii), by striking 
                ``$25,000,000'' and inserting ``$24,100,000''; and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following new 
                subparagraph:
                    ``(D) Administrative costs.--For purposes of 
                subparagraph (C), the term `administrative costs' does 
                not include the salary and related costs of personnel 
                who train, mentor, monitor, and verify the 
                accountability of groups participating in projects 
                based on an informal savings-led group model.''.
            (3) Targeted assistance.--Section 252 of the Foreign 
        Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2211a) is amended by striking 
        subsection (c) and inserting the following new subsection:
    ``(c) Targeted Assistance.--In carrying out sustainable poverty-
focused programs under subsection (a)--
            ``(1)(A) 50 percent of all microenterprise resources shall 
        be targeted to clients who are very poor; and
            ``(B) clients who receive resources specified in 
        subparagraph (A) shall include individuals who--
                    ``(i) do not have permanent, secure shelter;
                    ``(ii) are living in camps administered by the 
                United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for 
                refugees and internally displaced persons;
                    ``(iii) are victims or potential victims of severe 
                forms of trafficking in persons or are women who are 
                victims of or susceptible to other forms of 
                exploitation and violence; or
                    ``(iv) are widows, orphans, or vulnerable children; 
                and
            ``(2) assistance shall be distributed taking into account 
        country and regional assistance targets established by the 
        Director that are based on the poverty ratios of countries 
        eligible for assistance from the International Development 
        Association.''.
    (c) Report.--Section 258(b) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 
(22 U.S.C. 2214(b)) is amended by adding at the end the following 
paragraphs:
            ``(12) A description of the efforts made to notify new 
        potential program implementers that provide microenterprise 
        opportunities to the very poor, including faith-based and 
        community-based organizations, of assistance available pursuant 
        to section 252(a).
            ``(13) A list of organizations that provided assistance to 
        individuals listed in section 252(c)(1)(B), the amount of 
        assistance provided to each organization, and a description of 
        the microenterprise projects funded through each organization.
            ``(14) The country and regional poverty targets established 
        pursuant to section 252(c)(2), and a comparison as to how 
        assistance pursuant to subsection (a) is being distributed 
        relative to such targets.
            ``(15) In order to ensure compliance with section 253(b)(4) 
        and to increase access by the very poor to microenterprise 
        opportunities, an identification of--
                    ``(A) the poverty assessment tools currently 
                available for identifying the very poor that have been 
                evaluated by the Administrator of the Agency, acting 
                through the Director of the office, during the 
                applicable fiscal year; and
                    ``(B) those tools identified under subparagraph (A) 
                that have been determined to meet the Agency's 
                requirements for accountability and transparency and 
                have been approved for such purpose.''.
    (d) Definitions.--Section 259 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 
(22 U.S.C. 2214a) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (3), by striking ``the Committee on 
        International Relations'' and inserting ``the Committee on 
        Foreign Affairs'';
            (2) by redesignating paragraph (14) as paragraph (15);
            (3) by inserting after paragraph (13) the following new 
        paragraph:
            ``(14) Value chain.--The term `value chain' means all or 
        part of a market system to produce and deliver goods from the 
        extraction of raw materials or production of other inputs to 
        final consumer purchase, including the flow of financing among 
        the value chain actors for the purpose of delivering products 
        to market.''; and
            (4) in subparagraph (B) of paragraph (15) (as 
        redesignated), by striking ``$1'' and inserting ``$1.25''.

SEC. 3. ENHANCED PROCUREMENT POLICIES FOR MICROFINANCE PROGRAMS.

    For the purpose of improving the procurement process for 
microfinance programs, when administering assistance under section 252 
of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2211a), the 
Administrator shall--
            (1) develop a formal past performance system and database 
        for acquisition and assistance instruments to be used in the 
        evaluation of all future competitions for such instruments; and
            (2) develop rules regarding potential organizational 
        conflicts of interest related to the design, evaluation, and 
        audit of programs in relation to the implementation of such 
        programs that apply both to acquisition and assistance 
        instruments.

SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) Grant Assistance.--Section 252 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 
1961 (22 U.S.C. 2211a), as amended by this Act, is further amended by 
adding at the end the following subsection:
    ``(d) Availability of Funds.--Of the amounts authorized to be 
available to carry out this part, the United States Leadership Against 
HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Act of 2003, the FREEDOM Support 
Act, the International Security Assistance Act of 1978, the 
Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954, and the 
Support for East European Democracy (SEED) Act of 1989, including local 
currencies derived from such funds, there are authorized to be 
appropriated $264,930,000 for each of the fiscal years 2012 through 
2016 to carry out this subtitle.''.
    (b) Credit Assistance.--Section 256(f)(1) of the Foreign Assistance 
Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2212(f)(1)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``such sums as may be necessary'' and 
        inserting ``$2,070,000''; and
            (2) by striking ``2005 through 2009'' and inserting ``2012 
        through 2016''.
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