[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4932 Introduced in House (IH)]
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115th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 4932
To address the disparate impact of climate change on women and support
the efforts of women globally to address climate change, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 5, 2018
Ms. Lee (for herself, Mr. Takano, Mr. Ellison, Ms. Barragan, Ms. Wilson
of Florida, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, Ms. Clark of Massachusetts, Ms.
Velazquez, Mr. Kihuen, Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. McGovern, Mr. Hastings, Ms.
Norton, Mr. Khanna, Mr. Payne, Mrs. Watson Coleman, Mr. Cleaver, Mr.
Johnson of Georgia, Ms. Roybal-Allard, and Ms. McCollum) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs,
and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period
to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the
committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To address the disparate impact of climate change on women and support
the efforts of women globally to address climate change, 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; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Women and Climate
Change Act of 2018''.
(b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is as
follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Findings.
Sec. 3. Definitions.
Sec. 4. Statement of policy.
TITLE I--STRATEGIES, POLICIES, AND PROGRAMS
Sec. 101. Federal Interagency Working Group on Women and Climate
Change.
Sec. 102. Development and implementation of strategy and policies to
prevent and respond to the effects of
climate change on women globally.
TITLE II--OVERSIGHT AND ACCOUNTABILITY
Sec. 201. Senior coordinator for women and climate change.
Sec. 202. Briefing and report.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Women in the United States and around the world are the
linchpin of families and communities and are often the first to
feel the immediate and adverse effects of social,
environmental, and economic stresses on their families and
communities.
(2) The United Nations has recognized, as one of the
central organizing principles for its work, that ``no enduring
solution to society's most threatening social, economic and
political problems can be found without the full participation,
and the full empowerment, of the world's women''.
(3) The United Nations Development Programme 2013 Human
Development Report has found that the number of people living
in extreme poverty could increase by up to 3,000,000,000 by
2050 unless environmental disasters are averted by coordinated
global action.
(4) Climate change is already forcing vulnerable
communities in developing countries to face unprecedented
climate stress, including water scarcity and drought, as well
as severe weather events and floods, which can lead to reduced
agricultural productivity, food insecurity, and increased
disease.
(5) Climate change exacerbates issues of scarcity and lack
of accessibility to primary natural resources, forest
resources, and arable land for food production, thereby
contributing to increased conflict and instability, as well as
the workload and stresses on women farmers, who are estimated
to produce 60 to 80 percent of the food in most developing
countries.
(6) Women will disproportionately face harmful impacts from
climate change, particularly in poor and developing nations
where women regularly assume increased responsibility for
growing the family's food and collecting water, fuel, and other
resources.
(7) Epidemics, such as malaria and zika, are expected to
worsen and spread due to variations in climate, putting women
(especially pregnant mothers and women who hope to become
pregnant) and children without access to prevention and medical
services at risk.
(8) The direct and indirect effects of climate change have
a disproportionate impact on marginalized women such as refugee
and displaced persons, religious or ethnic minorities,
adolescent girls, and women and girls with disabilities and
those who are living with HIV.
(9) Conflict has a disproportionate impact on the most
vulnerable populations including women, and is fueled in the
world's poorest regions by harsher climate, leading to
migration, refugee crises, and conflicts over scarce natural
resources including land and water.
(10) Displaced, refugee, and stateless women and girls face
extreme violence and threats, including--
(A) being forced to exchange sex for food and
humanitarian supplies;
(B) being at increased risk of rape, sexual
exploitation and abuse; and
(C) being at increased risk for HIV, STIs,
unplanned pregnancy, and poor reproductive health.
(11) It is predicted that climate change will lead to
increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather
conditions, precipitating the occurrence of natural disasters
around the globe.
(12) The relocation and death of women, and especially
mothers, as a result of climate-related disasters often has
devastating impacts on social support networks, family ties,
and the coping capacity of families and communities.
(13) The ability of women to adapt to climate change is
constrained by a lack of economic freedoms, property and
inheritance rights, as well as access to financial resources,
education, family planning and reproductive health, and new
tools, equipment, and technology.
(14) Despite a unique capacity and knowledge to promote and
provide for adaptation to climate change, women often have
insufficient resources to undertake such adaptation.
(15) Women are shown to have a multiplier effect by using
their income and resources, when given the necessary tools, to
increase the well-being of their children and families, and
thus play a critical role in reducing food insecurity, poverty,
and socioeconomic effects of climate change.
(16) Women are often underrepresented in the development
and formulation of policy regarding mitigation and adaptation
to climate change, even though they are often in the best
position to provide and consult on adaptive strategies.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the
Committee on Appropriations of the House of
Representatives; and
(B) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the
Committee on Appropriations of the Senate.
(2) Climate change.--The term ``climate change'' means a
change of climate that is attributed directly or indirectly to
human activity and altering the composition of the global
atmosphere.
(3) Developing country.--The term ``developing country''
means those countries classified by the World Bank as having a
low-income or lower-middle-income economy.
(4) Disparate impact.--The term ``disparate impact'' refers
to the historic and ongoing impacts of the pattern and practice
of discrimination in employment, education, housing, banking,
health, and nearly every other aspect of life in the economy,
society, or culture that have an adverse impact on minorities,
women, or other protected groups, regardless of whether such
practices were motivated by discriminatory intent.
(5) Environmental disasters.--The term ``environmental
disasters'' means specific events caused by human activity that
result in seriously negative effects on the environment.
(6) Environmental refugees.--The term ``environmental
refugees'' means people displaced because of environmental
causes, notably land loss and degradation, and natural
disasters, who have left their community or country of origin.
(7) Extreme poverty.--The term ``extreme poverty'' means
having an income level or living standard at a level of extreme
deprivation based on living with income below 50 percent of the
poverty line as established by the individual country at issue,
or below $1.90 per day as determined by the World Bank.
(8) Extreme weather.--The term ``extreme weather'' means
unexpected, unusual, unpredictable, severe, or unseasonal
weather that is at the extremes of the historical distribution
range that has been seen in the past.
(9) Federal agency.--The term ``Federal agency'' means any
executive department, Government corporation, Government-
controlled corporation, or other establishment in the executive
branch of the Government (including the Executive Office of the
President), or any independent regulatory agency.
(10) Food insecurity.--The term ``food insecurity'' means a
lack of consistent access to food.
(11) Most vulnerable communities and populations.--The term
``most vulnerable communities and populations'' means
communities and populations, including women, impoverished
communities, children, people with disabilities, and indigenous
peoples, who are at risk of substantial adverse impacts of
climate change and have limited capacity to respond to such
impacts.
(12) Poverty.--The term ``poverty'' means an income level
and living standard insufficient to meet basic needs.
SEC. 4. STATEMENT OF POLICY.
It is the policy of the United States, in partnership with affected
countries, donor country governments, international financial
institutions, international nongovernmental organizations, and civil
society groups, especially those led by women, to combat the leading
causes of climate change, mitigate the effects of climate change on
women and girls, and elevate the participation of women in policy,
program, and community decision-making processes with respect to
climate change, by--
(1) establishing the Federal Interagency Working Group on
Women and Climate Change, mission of which is to prevent and
respond to the effects of climate change on women globally; and
(2) implementing a coordinated, integrated, evidence-based,
and comprehensive strategy on Women and Climate Change
throughout United States policies in the future.
TITLE I--STRATEGIES, POLICIES, AND PROGRAMS
SEC. 101. FEDERAL INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP ON WOMEN AND CLIMATE
CHANGE.
(a) Establishment.--There is established in the Department of State
a Federal Interagency Working Group on Women and Climate Change, which
shall be chaired by the Senior Coordinator for Women and Climate Change
designated pursuant to section 201. Members of the Working Group shall
be selected by their respective agency heads from the senior ranks of
such agencies. The Working Group shall--
(1) be composed of a senior representative from each of--
(A) the Department of State, including--
(i) the Office of Global Women's Issues;
(ii) the Office of Civil Rights;
(iii) the Bureau of Oceans and
International Environmental and Scientific
Affairs;
(iv) the Bureau of Population, Refugees,
and Migration;
(v) the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights,
and Labor; and
(vi) the Bureau of International
Organization Affairs;
(B) the Agency for International Development;
(C) the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention;
(D) the Environmental Protection Agency;
(E) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration;
(F) the National Institutes of Health;
(G) the National Science Foundation;
(H) the White House Council on Environmental
Quality; and
(I) other members as designated by the Senior
Coordinator;
(2) coordinate and integrate the development of all
policies and activities of the Federal Government across all
agencies relating to--
(A) combating the effects of climate change on
women in the international sphere; and
(B) increasing the Federal Government response and
strategy to fight climate change for the security of
the United States and the international community;
(3) allow each member of the Working Group to act as a
representative for the Working Group within the Federal
department or agency of such member to facilitate
implementation of the Working Group policies within such
department or agency;
(4) ensure that all relevant Federal departments or
agencies comply with appropriate guidelines, policies, and
directives from the Working Group, the Department of State, and
other Federal departments or agencies with responsibilities
relating to climate change;
(5) ensure that Federal departments or agencies, State
governments, and relevant congressional committees, in
consultation with nongovernmental organizations and policy
experts in the field and State and local government officials
who administer or direct policy for programs relating to
climate change and women--
(A) have access to, receive, and appropriately
disseminate best practices in the administration of
programs;
(B) have adequate resources to maximize the public
awareness of such programs;
(C) increase the reach of such programs;
(D) share relevant data; and
(E) issue relevant guidance; and
(6) identify and disseminate best practices for improved
data collection on the part of each agency and department
relevant to the disparate impact of climate change on women,
including in--
(A) unpaid care work;
(B) community advocacy, activism, and
representation;
(C) women and girls' access to education;
(D) access to comprehensive health care, include
reproductive health and rights;
(E) desertification and food insecurity;
(F) community infrastructure, multi-level
Government adaptability, and climate-resilience;
(G) climate and weather-related crisis response
including safety from gender-based violence; and
(H) women's involvement and leadership in the
development of frameworks and policies for climate
resilience.
(b) Consultation Permitted.--The Federal Interagency Working Group
may consult and obtain recommendations from such independent
nongovernmental policy experts, State and local government officials,
independent groups and organizations, or other groups or organizations
as the Senior Coordinator determines will assist in carrying out the
mission of the Office.
(c) Frequency of Meeting.--The Federal Interagency Working Group
shall meet on a quarterly basis to discuss and develop policies,
projects, and programs, and shall meet with the Senior Coordinator for
Women and Climate Change on a monthly basis to report on and discuss
implementation of such policies, projects, and programs.
SEC. 102. DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF STRATEGY AND POLICIES TO
PREVENT AND RESPOND TO THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON
WOMEN GLOBALLY.
(a) Initial Strategy.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Senior Coordinator for Women and Climate
Change and the Ambassador-at-Large for the Office of Global Women's
Issues of the Department of State, in consultation with the Federal
Interagency Working Group, shall develop and submit to the appropriate
congressional committees a United States National and International
Strategy to prevent and respond to the effects of climate change on
women. The strategy shall include--
(1) recognizing the disparate impacts of climate change on
women and the efforts of women globally to address climate
change;
(2) taking effective action to prevent and respond to
climate change and mitigate the effects of climate change on
women around the world, as well as to promoting gender
equality, economic growth, public health, racial justice, and
human rights;
(3) implementing the United Nations Sustainable Development
goals listed in subsection (e), through and beyond 2030, as
part of the strategy to prevent and respond to the effects of
climate change on women globally;
(4) implementing balanced participation of men and women,
especially individuals from the communities most impacted, in
climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts, including in
governance and diplomatic positions within the United States
Government;
(5) working at the local, national, and international
levels, including with individuals, families, and communities,
to prevent and respond to the effects of climate change on
women;
(6) systematically integrating and coordinating efforts to
prevent and respond to the effects of climate change on women
internationally into United States foreign policy and foreign
assistance programs;
(7) investing in research on climate change through
appropriate Federal departments or agencies and funding of
university and independent research groups on the various
causes and effects of climate change;
(8) developing and implementing gender-sensitive frameworks
in policies to address climate change, which account for the
specific impacts of climate change on women;
(9) developing policies to support women who are
particularly vulnerable to climate change impacts to prepare
for, build their resilience, and adapt to such impacts,
including a commitment to increase education and training
opportunities for women to develop local resilience plans to
address the effects of climate change;
(10) developing and investing in programs for the education
and empowerment of women and girls in the United States and
across the global community, including to gather information on
how climate change is affecting their lives and for guidance on
the needs of their families and communities in the face of
climate change, in coordination with the diplomatic missions of
other countries;
(11) consulting with representatives of civil society,
including nongovernmental organizations, faith-based
organizations, multilateral organizations, local and
international civil society groups, and local climate change
organizations and their beneficiaries with demonstrated
experience in preventing and responding to the effects of
climate change on women;
(12) supporting and building local capacity in developing
countries, including with respect to governments at all levels
and nongovernmental organizations (especially women-led), to
prevent and respond to the effects of climate change on women;
(13) developing programs to empower women in communities to
have a voice in the planning, design, implementation, and
evaluation of strategies to address climate change so that
their roles and resources are taken into account;
(14) including women in economic development planning,
policies, and practices that directly improve conditions that
result from climate change;
(15) integrating a gender approach in all policies and
programs in the United States that are globally related to
climate change; and
(16) ensuring that such policies and programs support women
globally to prepare for, build resilience for, and adapt to
climate change.
(b) Updates.--The Senior Coordinator for Women and Climate Change
shall consult with the Federal Interagency Working Group to collect
information and feedback, to update the strategy and programs to
prevent and respond to the effects of climate change on women globally.
(c) Implementation Plan.--Not later than 60 days after the date of
the submission of the strategy under subsection (a), the Senior
Coordinator for Women and Climate Change shall submit to the
appropriate congressional committees an implementation plan and budget
for the strategy.
(d) Assistance and Consultation.--The Senior Coordinator for Women
and Climate Change shall assist and provide consultation to the
Secretary of State in preventing and responding to the effects of
climate change on women globally.
(e) United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Through and Beyond
2030.--The United Nations Sustainable Development goals listed in this
subsection are the following:
(1) Ending poverty in all its forms everywhere.
(2) Ending hunger, achieving food security and improved
nutrition, and promoting sustainable agriculture.
(3) Ensuring healthy lives and promote well-being for all
and at all ages.
(4) Ensuring inclusive, equitable, and quality education
and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all.
(5) Achieving gender equality and empowering all women and
girls.
(6) Ensuring the availability and sustainable management of
water and sanitation for all.
(7) Ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable
and modern energy for all.
(8) Promoting sustained, inclusive, and sustainable
economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent
work for all.
(9) Building resilient infrastructure, promoting inclusive
and sustainable industrialization, and fostering innovation.
(10) Reducing inequality within and among countries.
(11) Making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe,
resilient, and sustainable.
(12) Ensuring sustainable consumption and production
patterns.
(13) Taking urgent action to combat climate change and its
impacts.
(14) Conserving and sustainably using the oceans, seas, and
marine resources for sustainable development.
(15) Protecting, restoring, and promoting sustainable use
of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably managing forests,
combating desertification, and halting and reversing land
degradation and biodiversity loss.
(16) Promoting peaceful and inclusive societies for
sustainable development, providing access to justice for all,
and building effective, accountable and inclusive institutions
at all levels.
(17) Strengthening the means of policy implementation and
revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development.
TITLE II--OVERSIGHT AND ACCOUNTABILITY
SEC. 201. SENIOR COORDINATOR FOR WOMEN AND CLIMATE CHANGE.
(a) Establishment.--The Ambassador-at-Large of the Office of Global
Women's Issues shall designate a current employee serving as a Senior
Advisor, or equivalent role, to serve concurrently as the Senior
Coordinator for Women and Climate Change.
(b) In General.--The Senior Coordinator shall--
(1) direct the activities, policies, programs, and funding
of the Department of State relating to the effects of climate
change on women, including with respect to efforts to prevent
and respond to these effects;
(2) advise the Secretary, the relevant heads of other
Federal departments and independent agencies, and other
entities within the Executive Office of the President,
regarding the establishment of--
(A) policies, goals, objectives, and priorities for
addressing and combating the effects of climate change
on women; and
(B) mechanisms to improve the effectiveness,
coordination, impact, and outcomes of programs relating
to addressing and combating the effects of climate
change on women, in coordination with experts in the
field, nongovernmental organizations, and foreign
governments; and
(3) identify and assist in the resolution of any disputes
that arise between Federal agencies relating to policies and
programs to address and combat the effects of climate change on
women or other matters within the responsibility of the Office.
(c) Oversight.--The Senior Coordinator for Women and Climate Change
shall report to the Ambassador-at-Large for the Office of Global
Women's Issues and the Secretary of State.
SEC. 202. BRIEFING AND REPORT.
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this
Act, and annually thereafter, the Ambassador-at-Large and Senior
Coordinator for Women and Climate Change shall--
(1) brief the appropriate congressional committees on--
(A) the effects of climate change on women; and
(B) the prevention and response strategies,
programming, and associated outcomes with respect to
climate change; and
(2) submit to the appropriate congressional committees an
assessment of human and financial resources necessary to
fulfill the purposes of and carry out this Act.
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