[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1567 Referred in Senate (RFS)]

<DOC>
114th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 1567


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 13, 2016

                                Received

                             July 14, 2016

     Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT


 
  To authorize a comprehensive, strategic approach for United States 
foreign assistance to developing countries to reduce global poverty and 
     hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, promote 
   inclusive, sustainable agricultural-led economic growth, improve 
    nutritional outcomes, especially for women and children, build 
    resilience among vulnerable populations, 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 Food Security Act of 2016''.

SEC. 2. STATEMENT OF POLICY OBJECTIVES; SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    (a) Statement of Policy Objectives.--It is in the national security 
interest of the United States to promote global food security, 
resilience, and nutrition, consistent with national food security 
investment plans, which is reinforced through programs, activities, and 
initiatives that--
            (1) accelerate inclusive, agricultural-led economic growth 
        that reduces global poverty, hunger, and malnutrition, 
        particularly among women and children;
            (2) increase the productivity, incomes, and livelihoods of 
        small-scale producers, especially women, by working across 
        agricultural value chains, enhancing local capacity to manage 
        agricultural resources effectively, and expanding producer 
        access to local and international markets;
            (3) build resilience to food shocks among vulnerable 
        populations and households while reducing reliance upon 
        emergency food assistance;
            (4) create an enabling environment for agricultural growth 
        and investment, including through the promotion of secure and 
        transparent property rights;
            (5) improve the nutritional status of women and children, 
        with a focus on reducing child stunting, including through the 
        promotion of highly nutritious foods, diet diversification, and 
        nutritional behaviors that improve maternal and child health;
            (6) align with and leverage broader United States 
        strategies and investments in trade, economic growth, science 
        and technology, agricultural research and extension, maternal 
        and child health, nutrition, and water, sanitation, and 
        hygiene;
            (7) continue to strengthen partnerships between United 
        States-based universities, including land-grant colleges and 
        universities, and institutions in target countries and 
        communities that build agricultural capacity; and
            (8) ensure the effective use of United States taxpayer 
        dollars to further these objectives.
    (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of the Congress that the 
President, in providing assistance to implement the Global Food 
Security Strategy, should--
            (1) coordinate, through a whole-of-government approach, the 
        efforts of relevant Federal departments and agencies to 
        implement the Global Food Security Strategy;
            (2) seek to fully utilize the unique capabilities of each 
        relevant Federal department and agency while collaborating with 
        and leveraging the contributions of other key stakeholders; and
            (3) utilize open and streamlined solicitations to allow for 
        the participation of a wide range of implementing partners 
        through the most appropriate procurement mechanisms, which may 
        include grants, contracts, cooperative agreements, and other 
        instruments as necessary and appropriate.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Agriculture.--The term ``agriculture'' means crops, 
        livestock, fisheries, and forestries.
            (2) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
        ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
                    (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the 
                Senate;
                    (B) the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and 
                Forestry of the Senate;
                    (C) the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate;
                    (D) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House 
                of Representatives;
                    (E) the Committee on Agriculture of the House of 
                Representatives; and
                    (F) the Committee on Appropriations of the House of 
                Representatives.
            (3) Feed the future innovation labs.--The term ``Feed the 
        Future Innovation Labs'' means research partnerships led by 
        United States universities that advance solutions to reduce 
        global hunger, poverty, and malnutrition.
            (4) Food and nutrition security.--The term ``food and 
        nutrition security'' means access to, and availability, 
        utilization, and stability of, sufficient food to meet caloric 
        and nutritional needs for an active and healthy life.
            (5) Global food security strategy.--The term ``Global Food 
        Security Strategy'' means the strategy developed and 
        implemented pursuant to section 4(a).
            (6) Key stakeholders.--The term ``key stakeholders'' means 
        actors engaged in efforts to advance global food security 
        programs and objectives, including--
                    (A) relevant Federal departments and agencies;
                    (B) national and local governments in target 
                countries;
                    (C) other bilateral donors;
                    (D) international and regional organizations;
                    (E) international, regional, and local financial 
                institutions;
                    (F) international, regional, and local private 
                voluntary, nongovernmental, faith-based, and civil 
                society organizations;
                    (G) the private sector, including agribusinesses 
                and relevant commodities groups;
                    (H) agricultural producers, including farmer 
                organizations, cooperatives, small-scale producers, and 
                women; and
                    (I) agricultural research and academic 
                institutions, including land-grant colleges and 
                universities and extension services.
            (7) Land-grant colleges and universities.--The term ``land-
        grant colleges and universities'' has the meaning given such 
        term in section 1404(13) of the National Agricultural Research, 
        Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103(13)).
            (8) Malnutrition.--The term ``malnutrition'' means poor 
        nutritional status caused by nutritional deficiency or excess.
            (9) Relevant federal departments and agencies.--The term 
        ``relevant Federal departments and agencies'' means the United 
        States Agency for International Development, the Department of 
        Agriculture, the Department of Commerce, the Department of 
        State, the Department of the Treasury, the Millennium Challenge 
        Corporation, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, the 
        Peace Corps, the Office of the United States Trade 
        Representative, the United States African Development 
        Foundation, the United States Geological Survey, and any other 
        department or agency specified by the President for purposes of 
        this section.
            (10) Resilience.--The term ``resilience'' means the ability 
        of people, households, communities, countries, and systems to 
        mitigate, adapt to, and recover from shocks and stresses to 
        food security in a manner that reduces chronic vulnerability 
        and facilitates inclusive growth.
            (11) Small-scale producer.--The term ``small-scale 
        producer'' means farmers, pastoralists, foresters, and fishers 
        that have a low-asset base and limited resources, including 
        land, capital, skills and labor, and, in the case of farmers, 
        typically farm on fewer than 5 hectares of land.
            (12) Sustainable.--The term ``sustainable'' means the 
        ability of a target country, community, implementing partner, 
        or intended beneficiary to maintain, over time, the programs 
        authorized and outcomes achieved pursuant to this Act.
            (13) Target country.--The term ``target country'' means a 
        developing country that is selected to participate in 
        agriculture and nutrition security programs under the Global 
        Food Security Strategy pursuant to the selection criteria 
        described in section 4(a)(2), including criteria such as the 
        potential for agriculture-led economic growth, government 
        commitment to agricultural investment and policy reform, 
        opportunities for partnerships and regional synergies, the 
        level of need, and resource availability.

SEC. 4. COMPREHENSIVE GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY STRATEGY.

    (a) Strategy.--The President shall coordinate the development and 
implementation of a United States whole-of-government strategy to 
accomplish the policy objectives described in section 2(a), which 
shall--
            (1) set specific and measurable goals, benchmarks, 
        timetables, performance metrics, and monitoring and evaluation 
        plans that reflect international best practices relating to 
        transparency, accountability, food and nutrition security, and 
        agriculture-led economic growth, consistent with the policy 
        objectives described in section 2(a);
            (2) establish clear and transparent selection criteria for 
        target countries and communities;
            (3) support and be aligned with country-owned agriculture, 
        nutrition, and food security policy and investment plans 
        developed with input from key stakeholders, as appropriate;
            (4) support inclusive agricultural value chain development, 
        with small-scale producers, especially women, gaining greater 
        access to the inputs, skills, resource management capacity, 
        networking, bargaining power, financing, and market linkages 
        needed to sustain their long-term economic prosperity;
            (5) support improvement of the nutritional status of women 
        and children, particularly during the critical first 1,000-day 
        window until a child reaches 2 years of age and with a focus on 
        reducing child stunting, through nutrition-specific and 
        nutrition-sensitive programs, including related water, 
        sanitation, and hygiene programs;
            (6) facilitate communication and collaboration, as 
        appropriate, among local stakeholders in support of a multi-
        sectoral approach to food and nutrition security, to include 
        analysis of the multiple underlying causes of malnutrition, 
        including lack of access to safe drinking water, sanitation, 
        and hygiene;
            (7) support the long-term success of programs by building 
        the capacity of local organizations and institutions in target 
        countries and communities;
            (8) integrate resilience and nutrition strategies into food 
        security programs, such that chronically vulnerable populations 
        are better able to build safety nets, secure livelihoods, 
        access markets, and access opportunities for longer-term 
        economic growth;
            (9) develop community and producer resilience to natural 
        disasters, emergencies, and natural occurrences that adversely 
        impact agricultural yield;
            (10) harness science, technology, and innovation, including 
        the research and extension activities supported by relevant 
        Federal departments and agencies, including State partners, and 
        Feed the Future Innovation Labs;
            (11) integrate agricultural development activities among 
        food insecure populations living in proximity to designated 
        national parks or wildlife areas into wildlife conservation 
        efforts, as necessary and appropriate;
            (12) leverage resources and expertise through partnerships 
        with the private sector, farm organizations, cooperatives, 
        civil society, faith-based organizations, and agricultural 
        research and academic institutions;
            (13) support collaboration, as appropriate, between United 
        States universities, including land-grant colleges and 
        universities, and public and private institutions in target 
        countries and communities to promote agricultural development 
        and innovation;
            (14) seek to ensure that target countries and communities 
        respect and promote land tenure rights of local communities, 
        particularly those of women and small-scale producers; and
            (15) include criteria and methodologies for graduating 
        target countries and communities from assistance provided to 
        implement the Global Food Security Strategy as such countries 
        and communities meet the progress benchmarks identified 
        pursuant to section 6(b)(4).
    (b) Coordination.--The President shall coordinate, through a whole-
of-government approach, the efforts of relevant Federal departments and 
agencies in the implementation of the Global Food Security Strategy 
by--
            (1) establishing monitoring and evaluation systems, 
        coherence, and coordination across relevant Federal departments 
        and agencies; and
            (2) establishing platforms for regular consultation and 
        collaboration with key stakeholders and the appropriate 
        congressional committees.
    (c) Strategy Submission.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than October 1, 2016, the 
        President, in consultation with the head of each relevant 
        Federal department and agency, shall submit to the appropriate 
        congressional committees the Global Food Security Strategy 
        required under this section that provides a detailed 
        description of how the United States intends to advance the 
        objectives set forth in section 2(a) and the agency-specific 
        plans described in paragraph (2).
            (2) Agency-specific plans.--The Global Food Security 
        Strategy shall include specific implementation plans from each 
        relevant Federal department and agency that describes--
                    (A) the anticipated contributions of the department 
                or agency, including technical, financial, and in-kind 
                contributions, to implement the Global Food Security 
                Strategy; and
                    (B) the efforts of the department or agency to 
                ensure that the activities and programs carried out 
                pursuant to the strategy are designed to achieve 
                maximum impact and long-term sustainability.

SEC. 5. ASSISTANCE TO IMPLEMENT THE GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY STRATEGY.

    (a) Food Shortages.--The President is authorized to carry out 
activities pursuant to section 103, section 103A, title XII of chapter 
2 of part I, and chapter 4 of part II of the Foreign Assistance Act of 
1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151a, 2151a-1, 2220a et seq., and 2346 et seq.) to 
prevent or address food shortages notwithstanding any other provision 
of law.
    (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary of State and the Administrator of the 
United States Agency for International Development $1,000,600,000 for 
fiscal year 2017 to carry out those portions of the Global Food 
Security Strategy that relate to the Department of State and the United 
States Agency for International Development, respectively.
    (c) Monitoring and Evaluation.--The President shall seek to ensure 
that assistance to implement the Global Food Security Strategy is 
provided under established parameters for a rigorous accountability 
system to monitor and evaluate progress and impact of the strategy, 
including by reporting to the appropriate congressional committees and 
the public on an annual basis.

SEC. 6. REPORT.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the 
submission of the Global Food Security Strategy, the President shall 
submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report that 
describes the status of the implementation of the Global Food Security 
Strategy.
    (b) Content.--The report required under subsection (a) shall--
            (1) contain a summary of the Global Food Security Strategy 
        as an appendix;
            (2) identify any substantial changes made in the Global 
        Food Security Strategy during the preceding calendar year;
            (3) describe the progress made in implementing the Global 
        Food Security Strategy;
            (4) identify the indicators used to establish benchmarks 
        and measure results over time, as well as the mechanisms for 
        reporting such results in an open and transparent manner;
            (5) describe related strategies and benchmarks for 
        graduating target countries and communities from assistance 
        provided under the Global Food Security Strategy over time, 
        including by building resilience, reducing risk, and enhancing 
        the sustainability of outcomes from United States investments 
        in agriculture and nutrition security;
            (6) contain a transparent, open, and detailed accounting of 
        expenditures by relevant Federal departments and agencies to 
        implement the Global Food Security Strategy, including, for 
        each Federal department and agency, the statutory source of 
        expenditures, amounts expended, implementing partners, targeted 
        beneficiaries, and activities supported;
            (7) describe how the Global Food Security Strategy 
        leverages other United States food security and development 
        assistance programs on the continuum from emergency food aid 
        through sustainable, agriculture-led economic growth;
            (8) describe the contributions of the Global Food Security 
        Strategy to, and assess the impact of, broader international 
        food and nutrition security assistance programs, including 
        progress in the promotion of land tenure rights, creating 
        economic opportunities for women and small-scale producers, and 
        stimulating agriculture-led economic growth in target countries 
        and communities;
            (9) assess efforts to coordinate United States 
        international food security and nutrition programs, activities, 
        and initiatives with key stakeholders;
            (10) identify any United States legal or regulatory 
        impediments that could obstruct the effective implementation of 
        the programming referred to in paragraphs (7) and (8);
            (11) assess United States Government-facilitated private 
        investment in related sectors and the impact of private sector 
        investment in target countries and communities;
            (12) contain a clear gender analysis of programming, to 
        inform project-level activities, that includes established 
        disaggregated gender indicators to better analyze outcomes for 
        food productivity, income growth, control of assets, equity in 
        access to inputs, jobs and markets, and nutrition; and
            (13) incorporate a plan for regularly reviewing and 
        updating strategies, partnerships, and programs and sharing 
        lessons learned with a wide range of stakeholders, including 
        key stakeholders, in an open, transparent manner.
    (c) Public Availability of Information.--The information referred 
to in subsection (b) shall be made available on the public website of 
the United States Agency for International Development in an open, 
machine readable format, in a timely manner.

SEC. 7. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION REGARDING EFFECT OF GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY 
              STRATEGY ON FOOD AND NUTRITION SECURITY AND EMERGENCY AND 
              NONEMERGENCY FOOD ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS.

    (a) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in the Global Food Security 
Strategy or this Act shall be construed to supersede or otherwise 
affect the authority of the relevant Federal departments and agencies 
to carry out the programs specified in subsection (b) in the manner 
provided in, and subject to the terms and conditions of, those 
programs.
    (b) Covered Programs.--The programs referred to in subsection (a) 
are the following:
            (1) The Food for Peace Act (7 U.S.C. 1691 et seq.).
            (2) The Food for Progress Act of 1985 (7 U.S.C. 1736o).
            (3) Section 416(b) of the Agricultural Act of 1949 (7 
        U.S.C. 1431(b)).
            (4) Section 3206 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act 
        of 2008 (Local and Regional Food Aid Procurement Program; 7 
        U.S.C. 1726c).
            (5) The Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust Act (7 U.S.C. 
        1736f-1).
            (6) Section 3107 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment 
        Act of 2002 (McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and 
        Child Nutrition Program; 7 U.S.C. 1736o-1).
            (7) Any other food and nutrition security and emergency and 
        nonemergency food assistance 


              

        programs administered by the Department of Agriculture.

            Passed the House of Representatives April 12, 2016.

            Attest:

                                                 KAREN L. HAAS,

                                                                 Clerk.