[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3325 Introduced in House (IH)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3325

        To establish the Azores Cooperative Initiative Program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 29, 2015

Mr. Cicilline (for himself, Mr. Costa, Mr. Honda, Mr. Keating, and Mr. 
  McGovern) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                      Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
        To establish the Azores Cooperative Initiative Program.

    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 ``Azores Cooperative Initiative 
Program Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) In 1995, the United States and Portugal negotiated an 
        agreement to institute the Azores Cooperative Initiative 
        Program (ACIP). ACIP replaced an earlier United States lease 
        payment agreement for the use of Lajes Air Force Base on the 
        Island of Terceira in the Azores.
            (2) Seven hundred United States Air Force personnel and 
        their families are stationed at Lajes Air Force Base.
            (3) In exchange for United States access to Lajes Air Force 
        Base, the United States agreed to undertake ``cooperation 
        programs with the Azores'', including in the areas of 
        agriculture, education, tourism, and health.
            (4) However, the Department of Defense ceased funding ACIP 
        because its activities have not been explicitly authorized by 
        law.
            (5) The Government of Portugal and the Azorean people have 
        allowed the United States Air Force presence on the Island, 
        which is an important strategic location for United States 
        security interests.
            (6) There are many vibrant Azorean communities in the 
        United States, including in California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, 
        New Jersey, and Rhode Island, and as a result the relationship 
        between the United States and the Azores remains strong and 
        important, for strategic, diplomatic, and cultural reasons.
            (7) ACIP is a non-defense initiative, and is critically 
        important to the United States relationship with Portugal and 
        the Azores.
            (8) The 65th Air Base Wing is a United States military unit 
        stationed at Lajes Air Force Base, Azores, Portugal, and is 
        currently the only United States military organization in the 
        Azores.
            (9) Lajes Air Force Base supported transiting aircraft 
        during the course of Operations Joint Guard, Deny Flight, 
        Provide Comfort, and Southern Watch.
            (10) Beginning in 1997, large fighter aircraft movements 
        called Air Expeditionary Forces filled the Lajes Air Force Base 
        flightline. Lajes has also hosted B-52 and B-1 bomber aircraft 
        en route from global air missions.
            (11) Lajes Air Force Base has supported many routine North 
        Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) exercises, such as the 
        biennial Northern Viking exercise.
            (12) For Operations Enduring Freedom, Iraq Freedom, New 
        Dawn, and Odyssey Dawn, airmen have been deployed in support of 
        these operations and Lajes Air Force Base hosted aircraft 
        transiting the Azores in support of these missions.
            (13) Lajes Air Force Base is an important strategic 
        location for the United States Armed Forces and NATO, and ACIP 
        helps to support United States strategic interests in the 
        region.

SEC. 3. AUTHORITY TO ESTABLISH AZORES COOPERATIVE INITIATIVE PROGRAM.

    (a) Authority.--The Secretary of State is authorized to establish a 
program, to be known as the ``Azores Cooperative Initiative Program'', 
to provide bilateral cooperation, expertise, and resources to design 
and implement solutions to the provisions of the 1995 United States-
Portugal Agreement on Cooperation and Defense, in areas of science, 
technology, education, environment and agriculture in order to further 
Luso-American relations.
    (b) Activities Supported.--The program shall include the following 
activities:
            (1) Integrated pest management program for horticultural 
        crops in the Azores, Portugal.
            (2) Establishment of aquacultural research in the Azores.
            (3) Sustainable fisheries in the Azores.
            (4) Improvements to the Azores health care system, 
        including epidemiology and control of Leptospirosis in the 
        Azores.
            (5) Geological risk monitoring.
            (6) Tourism promotion.
            (7) Assistance in economic policy analysis.
            (8) Technical cooperation for rural development.
            (9) Export promotion of Azorean products.
            (10) Training exchanges with regard to the activities 
        described in paragraphs (1) through (9).
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