[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4877 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4877

 To amend the Millennium Challenge Act of 2003 to authorize concurrent 
compacts for purposes of regional economic integration and cross-border 
                collaborations, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 17, 2014

 Ms. Bass (for herself, Mr. Connolly, Mr. Cicilline, and Mr. Smith of 
 Washington) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                      Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Millennium Challenge Act of 2003 to authorize concurrent 
compacts for purposes of regional economic integration and cross-border 
                collaborations, 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 ``Millennium Compacts for Regional 
Economic Integration Act'' or ``M-CORE Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) For more than a decade, six of the world's 10 fastest 
        growing economies are located in sub-Saharan Africa.
            (2) Many African nations are landlocked and their economies 
        are isolated and will require greater support to benefit from 
        regional integration of markets, infrastructure, and trade 
        promotion type policies.
            (3) By connecting isolated African economies, there exists 
        the potential to increase investment opportunities and support 
        market-based growth.
            (4) While the African continent has experienced positive 
        economic growth trends, successfully addressing the continent's 
        infrastructure gaps could increase gross domestic product 
        growth by an estimated two percent.
            (5) In recent years, the World Bank has doubled its 
        investment in African regional integration from $1.8 billion to 
        $3.6 billion for projects to address infrastructure 
        deficiencies, unemployment, and poverty reduction.
            (6) African nations, including regional economic bodies, 
        have increasingly realized that a key driver to economic growth 
        must involve greater cross-border collaboration and regional 
        economic integration to address deficiencies in areas such as 
        communications, transport, and energy networks.
            (7) The Millennium Challenge Corporation's compacts have 
        increased access to reliable power, enhanced highway corridors, 
        and upgraded regional trading hubs, thereby promoting economic 
        growth and cross-border engagement between and among African 
        nations.

SEC. 3. PURPOSE.

    This purpose of this Act is to expand the Millennium Challenge 
Corporation's ability to develop compacts with nations, particularly in 
Africa, that promote regional economic integration and cross-border 
collaborations.

SEC. 4. MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE COMPACT.

    (a) Concurrent Compacts.--Section 609 of the Millennium Challenge 
Act of 2003 (22 U.S.C. 7708) is amended--
            (1) by striking the first sentence of subsection (k); and
            (2) by inserting after subsection (k) the following new 
        subsection:
    ``(l) Concurrent Compacts.--In accordance with the requirements of 
this title, an eligible country and the United States may enter into 
and have in effect more than one Compact at any given time, including a 
concurrent Compact for purposes of regional economic integration or 
cross-border collaborations, only if the Board determines that the 
country is making considerable and demonstrable progress in 
implementing the terms of existing Compacts and supplementary 
agreements thereto.''.
    (b) Applicability.--The amendments made by subsection (a) apply 
with respect to Compacts entered into between the United States and an 
eligible country under the Millennium Challenge Act of 2003 before, on, 
or after the date of the enactment of this Act.
    (c) Conforming Amendment.--Section 613(b)(2)(A) of such Act (22 
U.S.C. 7712(b)(2)(A)) is amended by striking ``the'' before ``Compact'' 
and inserting ``any''.
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