[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2027 Introduced in House (IH)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2027

  To support stabilization and lasting peace in northeast Nigeria and 
areas affected by Boko Haram through development of a regional strategy 
 to support multilateral efforts to successfully protect civilians and 
eliminate the threat posed by Boko Haram, to support efforts to rescue 
female students abducted in Nigeria on April 14, 2014, as well as other 
kidnapping victims of Boko Haram, and to provide funds for humanitarian 
relief, development programs, transitional justice, and victim support, 
                        and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 23, 2015

Ms. Wilson of Florida introduced the following bill; which was referred 
                  to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To support stabilization and lasting peace in northeast Nigeria and 
areas affected by Boko Haram through development of a regional strategy 
 to support multilateral efforts to successfully protect civilians and 
eliminate the threat posed by Boko Haram, to support efforts to rescue 
female students abducted in Nigeria on April 14, 2014, as well as other 
kidnapping victims of Boko Haram, and to provide funds for humanitarian 
relief, development programs, transitional justice, and victim support, 
                        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 ``Boko Haram Disarmament and Northeast 
Nigeria Recovery Act of 2015''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) On the night of April 14, 2014, 276 female students, 
        most of them between 15 and 18 years old, were abducted by Boko 
        Haram from the Chibok Government Girls Secondary School, a 
        boarding school located in Borno state in the Federal Republic 
        of Nigeria.
            (2) All public secondary schools in Borno state were closed 
        in March 2014 because of increasing attacks by Boko Haram that 
        killed hundreds of students, but the schoolgirls returned to 
        school, despite the potential dangers, determined to pursue 
        their education.
            (3) Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for subsequent 
        kidnappings in the region.
            (4) Boko Haram leaders have threatened to sell the 
        kidnapped schoolgirls into slavery and according to reports, 
        has previously kept female hostages as slaves and committed 
        sexual violence against them.
            (5) Boko Haram seems determined to carry out sophisticated 
        and deadly attacks and to expand its area of operation.
            (6) Boko Haram has targeted schools, mosques, churches, 
        villages, and agricultural centers, as well as government 
        facilities, in hopes of creating an Islamic state in northern 
        Nigeria.
            (7) There are estimates that Boko Haram has killed more 
        than 4,000 people since 2011, and more than 2,000 people this 
        year alone.
            (8) There is a possibility that many of the girls may have 
        been taken into neighboring countries.
            (9) Boko Haram and other terrorist organizations pose a 
        growing threat to United States interests in the region, as 
        well as to broader regional peace and security.
            (10) In an effort to locate the kidnapped schoolgirls, the 
        United States authorized the deployment of up to 80 military 
        personnel to Chad in order to help with intelligence and 
        surveillance.
            (11) The United States military have provided training, 
        equipment, and other support for counter-terrorism units in the 
        Sahel region to combat Al Qaeda affiliates and related groups 
        in Africa.
            (12) Cameroon, Niger, and Chad have deployed troops in an 
        effort to secure their borders against Boko Haram.
            (13) The United States named several individuals linked to 
        Boko Haram as Specially Designated Global Terrorists in 2012 
        and designated Boko Haram as a Foreign Terrorist Organization 
        in November 2013.
            (14) On May 22, 2014, the United Nations Security Council 
        added Boko Haram to the 1267 sanctions list, a list of Al 
        Qaeda-linked terrorist organizations subject to weapons 
        embargoes, travel bans, and asset freezes.
            (15) The Senate and House have both passed resolutions 
        condemning Boko Haram and the abduction of female students by 
        the group from schools in the northeastern province of Borno in 
        the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY.

    It is the policy of the United States to work vigorously for a 
lasting resolution to the conflict in northeast Nigeria and other Boko 
Haram-affected areas by--
            (1) eliminating the threat posed by Boko Haram to civilians 
        and regional stability through political, economic, 
        humanitarian, law enforcement, military, and intelligence 
        support for a comprehensive multilateral effort to protect 
        civilians in affected areas and to defeat and demobilize Boko 
        Haram fighters;
            (2) supporting efforts to rescue those individuals who have 
        been abducted by Boko Haram; and
            (3) further supporting comprehensive reconstruction, 
        transitional justice, development and humanitarian programs, 
        and reconciliation efforts.

SEC. 4. REQUIREMENT OF A REGIONAL STRATEGY FOR DEFEATING BOKO HARAM.

    (a) Requirement for Strategy.--Not later than 90 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall develop and 
submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a regional strategy to 
guide United States support for multilateral efforts to protect 
civilians from attacks by Boko Haram, to eliminate the threat to 
civilians and regional stability posed by Boko Haram, and to enforce 
the rule of law and ensure full humanitarian access in areas affected 
by Boko Haram.
    (b) Content of Strategy.--The strategy should include the 
following:
            (1) A plan to work with Nigeria and other international 
        partners to find Boko Haram's kidnapping victims and liberate 
        them and a viable plan to protect civilians and eliminate the 
        threat posed by Boko Haram.
            (2) An interagency framework to plan, coordinate, and 
        execute all diplomatic, economic, intelligence, development, 
        humanitarian, law enforcement, and military elements of United 
        States policy across the region regarding Boko Haram.
            (3) A framework to evaluate the progress and effectiveness 
        of the United States strategy toward eliminating the threat 
        posed by Boko Haram.
    (c) Form.--The strategy under this section shall be submitted in 
unclassified form, but may include a classified annex.

SEC. 5. HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE FOR AREAS AFFECTED BY BOKO HARAM.

    (a) Authority.--In accordance with section 491 of the Foreign 
Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2292) and section 2 of the Migration 
and Refugee Assistance Act of 1962 (22 U.S.C. 2601), the President is 
authorized to provide humanitarian and development assistance to the 
populations in areas affected by Boko Haram.
    (b) Availability of Amounts.--
            (1) In general.--Amounts equivalent to the funds received 
        by the United States Government pursuant to the final judgment 
        in the case specified in paragraph (2) shall, notwithstanding 
        any other provision of law, be made available to carry out this 
        section.
            (2) Case.--The case referred to in paragraph (1) is United 
        States of America v. All Assets Held in Account Number 
        80020796, in name of Doraville Properties Corporation, at 
        Deutsche Bank International, Limited in Jersey, Channel 
        Islands, and All Interest, Benefits, or Assets Traceable 
        Thereto, et al., Case No. 1:13-cv-01832-JDB (D.D.C.).

SEC. 6. ASSISTANCE FOR RECOVERY AND RECONSTRUCTION IN AREAS AFFECTED BY 
              BOKO HARAM.

    (a) Authority.--It is the sense of Congress that the President 
should support efforts by the people of Boko Haram-affected areas and 
the Governments of Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, and Niger, as security 
conditions permit--
            (1) to assist internally displaced people and returnees in 
        securing durable solutions by spurring economic growth, 
        supporting livelihoods, helping to alleviate poverty, and 
        promoting access to basic services in northeast Nigeria, 
        including education and employment opportunities;
            (2) to enhance the accountability and administrative 
        competency of state and local governance institutions and 
        public agencies in northeast Nigeria with regard to budget 
        management, provision of public goods and services, and related 
        oversight functions;
            (3) to provide all children with a quality basic education 
        while ensuring the safety of students and school faculty;
            (4) to strengthen the operational capacity of the civilian 
        police in Nigeria to enhance public safety, prevent crime and 
        communal and sectarian violence, and deal sensitively with 
        gender-based violence, while strengthening accountability 
        measures to prevent corruption and abuses; and
            (5) to promote programs to address physical harm and 
        psychosocial trauma, including post-traumatic stress disorder.
    (b) Future Year Funding.--It is the sense of Congress that the 
Secretary of State and Administrator of the United States Agency for 
International Development should work with the appropriate committees 
of Congress to increase assistance in future fiscal years to support 
activities described in this section if the Government of Nigeria 
demonstrates a commitment to transparent and accountable reconstruction 
in Boko Haram-affected areas of Nigeria, specifically by--
            (1) increasing oversight activities and reporting to ensure 
        funds used to combat Boko Haram are used efficiently and with 
        minimal waste; and
            (2) committing substantial funds of its own, above and 
        beyond standard budget allocations to state and local 
        governments, for the task of combating Boko Haram and 
        rebuilding those regions affected by Boko Haram attacks.
    (c) Coordination With Other Donor Nations.--The United States 
should work with other donor nations, on a bilateral and multilateral 
basis, to increase contributions for recovery efforts in northeast 
Nigeria and other areas affected by Boko Haram, and strengthen 
accountability mechanisms to ensure the transparent and timely use of 
those funds.
    (d) Termination of Assistance.--It is the sense of Congress that 
the Secretary of State should withhold bilateral assistance to Nigeria 
for the purposes described under this section if the Secretary 
determines that the Government of Nigeria is not committed to 
transparent and accountable reconstruction and reconciliation in the 
Boko Haram-affected areas of Nigeria.

SEC. 7. REPORT.

    (a) Report Required.--Not later than 1 year after the submission of 
the strategy required under section 4, the Secretary of State shall 
prepare and submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report 
on the progress made toward the implementation of the strategy required 
under section 4 and a description and evaluation of the assistance 
provided under this Act toward the policy objectives described in 
section 3.
    (b) Contents.--The report required under section (a) shall 
include--
            (1) a description and evaluation of actions taken toward 
        the implementation of the strategy required under section 4;
            (2) a description of assistance provided under section 5 
        and section 6;
            (3) an evaluation of bilateral assistance provided to 
        Nigeria and associated programs in light of stated policy 
        objectives; and
            (4) a description of amounts of assistance committed, and 
        amounts provided, to Nigeria during the reporting period by the 
        Government of Nigeria, each donor country, and all relevant 
        organizations.

SEC. 8. DEFINITION.

    In this Act, the term ``appropriate committees of Congress'' 
means--
            (1) the Committee on Appropriations and the Committee on 
        Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives; and
            (2) the Committee on Appropriations and the Committee on 
        Foreign Relations of the Senate.
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