[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4939 Reported in Senate (RS)]

<DOC>





                                                       Calendar No. 713
114th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4939


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 14, 2016

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

                            December 7, 2016

               Reported by Mr. Corker, with an amendment
 [Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed 
                               in italic]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT


 
 To increase engagement with the governments of the Caribbean region, 
the Caribbean diaspora community in the United States, and the private 
 sector and civil society in both the United States and the Caribbean, 
                        and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

<DELETED>SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    This Act may be cited as the ``United States-Caribbean 
Strategic Engagement Act of 2016''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 2. STATEMENT OF POLICY.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    Congress declares that it is the policy of the United 
States to increase engagement with the governments of the Caribbean 
region, the Caribbean diaspora community in the United States, and the 
private sector and civil society in both the United States and the 
Caribbean in a concerted effort to--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) enhance diplomatic relations between the 
        United States and the Caribbean region;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) increase economic cooperation between the 
        United States and the Caribbean region;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) support regional economic, political, and 
        security integration efforts in the Caribbean region;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (4) encourage sustainable economic development and 
        increased regional economic diversification and global 
        competitiveness;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (5) reduce levels of crime and violence, curb the 
        trafficking of illicit drugs, strengthen the rule of law, and 
        improve citizen security;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (6) improve energy security by increasing access 
        to diverse, reliable, affordable, and sustainable 
        power;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (7) advance cooperation on democracy and human 
        rights in the Caribbean region and at multilateral fora; 
        and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (8) continue support for public health advances 
        and cooperation on health concerns and threats to the Caribbean 
        region.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 3. STRATEGY.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of 
this Act, the Secretary of State, in coordination with the 
Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development 
(USAID), shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a 
multi-year strategy for United States engagement with the Caribbean 
region that--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) identifies Department of State and USAID 
        efforts, in coordination with other executive branch agencies, 
        to prioritize United States policy towards the Caribbean 
        region;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) outlines an approach to broaden Department of 
        State and USAID outreach to the Caribbean diaspora community in 
        the United States to promote their involvement and 
        participation in the economic development and citizen security 
        of the Caribbean region;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) outlines an approach to partner with the 
        governments of the Caribbean region to improve citizen 
        security, reduce the trafficking of illicit drugs, strengthen 
        the rule of law, and improve the effectiveness and 
        sustainability of the Caribbean Basin Security 
        Initiative;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (4) establishes a comprehensive, integrated, 
        multi-year strategy to encourage the efforts of the Caribbean 
        region to implement regional and national strategies that 
        improve energy security by increasing access to diverse, 
        reliable, affordable, and sustainable power, including 
        significant renewable energy resources within the Caribbean 
        region such as biomass, geothermal, hydropower, solar, tidal, 
        waste-to-energy, and wind, and by taking advantage of the 
        ongoing energy revolution in the Unites States;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (5) outlines an approach to improve diplomatic 
        engagement with the governments of the Caribbean region, 
        including with respect to key votes on human rights and 
        democracy at the United Nations and the Organization of 
        American States;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (6) develops an approach to assisting Caribbean 
        countries in the diversification of their economies, the 
        reduction of legal, technical, and administrative barriers that 
        prevent the free flow of foreign direct investment and trade to 
        and from each country and within the Caribbean region, and 
        support for the training and employment of youth and citizens 
        in marginalized communities; and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (7) reflects the input of other executive branch 
        agencies, as appropriate.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 4. BRIEFINGS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    The Secretary of State shall provide annual briefings to 
the appropriate congressional committees that review Department of 
State efforts to implement the strategy for United States engagement 
with the Caribbean region in accordance with section 3.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 5. PROGRESS REPORT.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of 
this Act and biennially thereafter for the following 4 years, the 
President shall transmit to the appropriate congressional committees a 
report on progress made toward to implementing the strategy for United 
States engagement with the Caribbean region in accordance with section 
3.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 6. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE REPORT ON CARIBBEAN 
              BASIN SECURITY INITIATIVE.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of 
this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to 
the appropriate congressional committees a report that contains the 
following:</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) An evaluation of the Caribbean Basin Security 
        Initiative (CBSI) and the extent to which the CBSI has met 
        Department of State and USAID benchmarks.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) An accounting of CBSI funding appropriated, 
        obligated, and expended from fiscal year 2010 through fiscal 
        year 2016.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) A breakdown of yearly CBSI assistance provided 
        to each CBSI country.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (4) A description of how CBSI is coordinated with 
        other security assistance programs in the Western Hemisphere, 
        particularly the Merida Initiative and the Central America 
        Regional Security Initiative, and the role of the Department of 
        State's Senior Coordinator for the Citizen Security Initiatives 
        in the Western Hemisphere in such coordination.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (5) A description of all United States security 
        assistance provided to the Caribbean region, exclusive of 
        assistance through CBSI.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (6) Recommendations for legislative and executive 
        action to make CBSI more effective and efficient, as 
        appropriate.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 7. GAO REPORT ON DIPLOMATIC ENGAGEMENT IN THE EASTERN 
              CARIBBEAN.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of 
this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to 
the appropriate congressional committees a report that contains the 
following:</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) An evaluation of United States diplomatic 
        outreach from the United States embassy in Barbados to the 
        countries of Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, St. Kitts and 
        Nevis, St. Lucia and St. Vincent, and the Grenadines.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) A list of visits over the previous 5 years of 
        personnel at the United States embassy in Barbados to the 
        countries of Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, St. Kitts and 
        Nevis, St. Lucia and St. Vincent, and the Grenadines.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) A description of how personnel at the United 
        States embassy in Barbados have engaged with government 
        officials and civil society organizations in Antigua and 
        Barbuda, Dominica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia and St. 
        Vincent, and the Grenadines over the previous 5 
        years.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (4) A description of how personnel at the United 
        States embassy in Grenada have engaged with government 
        officials and civil society organizations over the previous 5 
        years.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 8. REPORTING COST OFFSET.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    Paragraph (4) of section 601(c) of the Foreign Service Act 
of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 4001(c)) is amended in the matter preceding 
subparagraph (A), by striking ``the following:'' and all that follows 
through ``A workforce plan'' and inserting ``a workforce plan'' and 
adjusting the margins accordingly.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 9. DEFINITIONS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    In this Act:</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The 
        term ``appropriate congressional committees'' means the 
        Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives 
        and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) Caribbean region.--The term ``Caribbean 
        region'' means the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative 
        beneficiary countries.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) Security assistance.--The term ``security 
        assistance'' has the meaning given such term in section 502B(b) 
        of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 
        2304(d)).</DELETED>

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``United States-Caribbean Strategic 
Engagement Act of 2016''.

SEC. 2. STATEMENT OF POLICY.

    Congress declares that it is the policy of the United States to 
increase engagement with the governments of the Caribbean region and 
with civil society, including the private sector, in both the United 
States and the Caribbean, in a concerted effort to--
            (1) enhance diplomatic relations between the United States 
        and the Caribbean region;
            (2) increase economic cooperation between the United States 
        and the Caribbean region;
            (3) support regional economic, political, and security 
        integration efforts in the Caribbean region;
            (4) encourage enduring economic development and increased 
        regional economic diversification and global competitiveness;
            (5) reduce levels of crime and violence, curb the 
        trafficking of illicit drugs, strengthen the rule of law, and 
        improve citizen security;
            (6) improve energy security by increasing access to 
        diverse, reliable, and affordable power;
            (7) advance cooperation on democracy and human rights at 
        multilateral fora;
            (8) continue support for public health advances and 
        cooperation on health concerns and threats to the Caribbean 
        region; and
            (9) expand Internet access throughout the region, 
        especially to countries lacking the appropriate infrastructure.

SEC. 3. STRATEGY.

    Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the Secretary of State, in coordination with the Administrator of 
the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), shall 
submit to the appropriate congressional committees a multi-year 
strategy for United States engagement to support the efforts of 
interested nations in the Caribbean region that--
            (1) identifies Department of State and USAID priorities, in 
        coordination with other executive branch agencies, for United 
        States policy towards the Caribbean region;
            (2) outlines an approach to partner with governments of the 
        Caribbean region to improve citizen security, reduce the 
        trafficking of illicit drugs, strengthen the rule of law, and 
        improve the effectiveness and longevity of the Caribbean Basin 
        Security Initiative;
            (3) establishes a comprehensive, integrated, multi-year 
        strategy to encourage efforts of the Caribbean region to 
        implement regional and national strategies that improve energy 
        security, by increasing access to all available sources of 
        energy, including by taking advantage of the indigenous energy 
        sources of the Caribbean and the ongoing energy revolution in 
        the United States;
            (4) outlines an approach to improve diplomatic engagement 
        with the governments of the Caribbean region, including with 
        respect to key votes on human rights and democracy at the 
        United Nations and the Organization of American States;
            (5) Describes how the United States can develop an approach 
        to supporting Caribbean countries in efforts they are willing 
        to undertake with their own resources to diversify their 
        economies;
            (6) describes ways to ensure the active participation of 
        citizens of the Caribbean in existing program and initiatives 
        administered by the Department of State's Bureau of Educational 
        and Cultural Affairs; and
            (7) reflects the input of other executive branch agencies, 
        as appropriate.

SEC. 4. BRIEFINGS.

    The Secretary of State shall offer to the appropriate congressional 
committees annual briefings that review Department of State efforts to 
implement the strategy for United States engagement with the Caribbean 
region in accordance with section 3.

SEC. 5. PROGRESS REPORT.

    Not later than 2 years after the submission of the strategy 
required under section 3, the President shall submit to the appropriate 
congressional committees a report on progress made toward implementing 
the strategy\\.

SEC. 6. REPORTING COST OFFSET.

    Section 601(c)(4) of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 
4001(c)(4)) is amended by striking ``the following:'' and all that 
follows through ``(B) A workforce plan'' and inserting ``a workforce 
plan''.

SEC. 7. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
        ``appropriate congressional committees'' means the Committee on 
        Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the 
        Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate.
            (2) Caribbean region.--The term ``Caribbean region'' means 
        the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative beneficiary countries.
            (3) Security assistance.--The term ``security assistance'' 
        has the meaning given such term in section 502B(d)(2) of the 
        Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2304(d)(2)).
                                                       Calendar No. 713

114th CONGRESS

  2d Session

                               H. R. 4939

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT

 To increase engagement with the governments of the Caribbean region, 
the Caribbean diaspora community in the United States, and the private 
 sector and civil society in both the United States and the Caribbean, 
                        and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                            December 7, 2016

                       Reported with an amendment