[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Con. Res. 24 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]
S.Con.Res.24
Agreed to September 8, 2017
One Hundred Fifteenth Congress
of the
United States of America
AT THE FIRST SESSION
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Tuesday,
the third day of January, two thousand and seventeen
Concurrent Resolution
Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring),
That in the enrollment of the bill H.R. 601, the Clerk of the House
of Representatives shall make the following corrections:
(1) Amend the long title so as to read: ``Making continuing
appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2018, and
for other purposes''.
(2) Insert before the first section 1 immediately following the
enacting clause the following:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Continuing Appropriations Act, 2018
and Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Requirements Act,
2017''.
SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS.
The table of contents for this Act is as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title.
Sec. 2. Table of contents.
Sec. 3. References.
DIVISION A--REINFORCING EDUCATION ACCOUNTABILITY IN DEVELOPMENT ACT
DIVISION B--SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS FOR DISASTER RELIEF REQUIREMENTS
ACT, 2017
DIVISION C--TEMPORARY EXTENSION OF PUBLIC DEBT RELIEF
DIVISION D--CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2018
SEC. 3. REFERENCES.
Except as expressly provided otherwise, any reference to ``this
Act'' contained in any division of this Act shall be treated as
referring only to the provisions of that division.
DIVISION A--REINFORCING EDUCATION ACCOUNTABILITY IN DEVELOPMENT ACT
(3) In section 3, strike subparagraph (B) of section 105(c)(4)
of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as added by such section 3,
and all that follows through the end of such section 3, and insert
the following:
``(B) such assistance can produce a substantial, measurable
impact on children and educational systems; and
``(C) there is the greatest opportunity to reduce childhood
and adolescence exposure to or engagement in violent extremism
or extremist ideologies.''.
(4) Insert after section 3 the following:
SEC. 4. COMPREHENSIVE INTEGRATED UNITED STATES STRATEGY TO PROMOTE
BASIC EDUCATION.
(a) Strategy Required.--Not later than one year after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the President shall submit to the
appropriate congressional committees a comprehensive United States
strategy to be carried out during the following five fiscal years to
promote quality basic education in partner countries by--
(1) seeking to equitably expand access to basic education for
all children, particularly marginalized children and vulnerable
groups; and
(2) measurably improving the quality of basic education and
learning outcomes.
(b) Requirement To Consult.--In developing the strategy required
under subsection (a), the President shall consult with--
(1) the appropriate congressional committees;
(2) relevant Executive branch agencies and officials;
(3) partner country governments; and
(4) local and international nongovernmental organizations,
including faith-based organizations and organizations representing
students, teachers, and parents, and other development partners
engaged in basic education assistance programs in developing
countries.
(c) Public Comment.--The President shall provide an opportunity for
public comment on the strategy required under subsection (a).
(d) Elements.--The strategy required under subsection (a)--
(1) shall be developed and implemented consistent with the
principles set forth in section 105(c) of the Foreign Assistance
Act of 1961, as added by section 3; and
(2) shall seek--
(A) to prioritize assistance provided under this subsection
to countries that are partners of the United States and whose
populations are most in need of improved basic education, as
determined by indicators such as literacy and numeracy rates;
(B) to build the capacity of relevant actors in partner
countries, including in government and in civil society, to
develop and implement national education plans that measurably
improve basic education;
(C) to identify and replicate successful interventions that
improve access to and quality of basic education in conflict
settings and in partner countries;
(D) to project general levels of resources needed to
achieve stated program objectives;
(E) to develop means to track implementation in partner
countries and ensure that such countries are expending
appropriate domestic resources and instituting any relevant
legal, regulatory, or institutional reforms needed to achieve
stated program objectives;
(F) to leverage United States capabilities, including
through technical assistance, training, and research; and
(G) to improve coordination and reduce duplication among
relevant Executive branch agencies and officials, other donors,
multilateral institutions, nongovernmental organizations, and
governments in partner countries.
SEC. 5. IMPROVING COORDINATION AND OVERSIGHT.
(a) Senior Coordinator of United States International Basic
Education Assistance.--There is established within the United States
Agency for International Development a Senior Coordinator of United
States International Basic Education Assistance (referred to in this
section as the ``Senior Coordinator''). The Senior Coordinator shall be
appointed by the President, shall be a current USAID employee serving
in a career or noncareer position in the Senior Executive Service or at
the level of a Deputy Assistant Administrator or higher, and shall
serve concurrently as the Senior Coordinator.
(b) Duties.--
(1) In general.--The Senior Coordinator shall have primary
responsibility for the oversight and coordination of all resources
and activities of the United States Government relating to the
promotion of international basic education programs and activities.
(2) Specific duties.--The Senior Coordinator shall--
(A) facilitate program and policy coordination of
international basic education programs and activities among
relevant Executive branch agencies and officials, partner
governments, multilateral institutions, the private sector, and
nongovernmental and civil society organizations;
(B) develop and revise the strategy required under section
4;
(C) monitor, evaluate, and report on activities undertaken
pursuant to the strategy required under section 4; and
(D) establish due diligence criteria for all recipients of
funds provided by the United States to carry out activities
under this Act and the amendments made by this Act.
(c) Offset.--In order to eliminate duplication of effort and
activities and to offset any costs incurred by the United States Agency
for International Development in appointing the Senior Coordinator
under subsection (a), the President shall, after consulting with
appropriate congressional committees, eliminate a position within the
United States Agency for International Development (unless otherwise
authorized or required by law) that the President determines to be
necessary to fully offset such costs and eliminate duplication.
SEC. 6. MONITORING AND EVALUATION OF PROGRAMS.
The President shall seek to ensure that programs carried out under
the strategy required under section 4 shall--
(1) apply rigorous monitoring and evaluation methodologies to
determine if programs and activities provided under this subsection
accomplish measurable improvements in literacy, numeracy, or other
basic skills development that prepare an individual to be an
active, productive member of society and the workforce;
(2) include methodological guidance in the implementation plan
and support systemic data collection using internationally
comparable indicators, norms, and methodologies, to the extent
practicable and appropriate;
(3) disaggregate all data collected and reported by age,
gender, marital status, disability, and location, to the extent
practicable and appropriate;
(4) include funding for both short- and long-term monitoring
and evaluation to enable assessment of the sustainability and
scalability of assistance programs; and
(5) support the increased use and public availability of
education data for improved decision making, program effectiveness,
and monitoring of global progress.
SEC. 7. TRANSPARENCY AND REPORTING TO CONGRESS.
(a) Annual Report on the Implementation of Strategy.--Not later
than 180 days after the end of each fiscal year during which the
strategy developed pursuant to section 4(a) is carried out, the
President shall--
(1) submit a report to the appropriate congressional committees
that describes the implementation of such strategy; and
(2) make the report described in paragraph (1) available to the
public.
(b) Matters To Be Included.--The report required under subsection
(a) shall include--
(1) a description of the efforts made by relevant Executive
branch agencies and officials to implement the strategy developed
pursuant to section 4, with a particular focus on the activities
carried out under the strategy;
(2) a description of the extent to which each partner country
selected to receive assistance for basic education meets the
priority criteria specified in section 105(c) of the Foreign
Assistance Act, as added by section 3; and
(3) a description of the progress achieved over the reporting
period toward meeting the goals, objectives, benchmarks, and
timeframes specified in the strategy developed pursuant to section
4 at the program level, as developed pursuant to monitoring and
evaluation specified in section 6, with particular emphasis on
whether there are demonstrable student improvements in literacy,
numeracy, or other basic skills development that prepare an
individual to be an active, productive member of society and the
workforce.
(5) In division B, under the heading ``disaster relief fund'',
strike the first ``Provided further'' and insert ``Provided''.
(6) In section 101(c)(1) of division C, strike ``under section
101(a)'' and insert ``under section 101(b)(1)''.
(7) Strike the final section 4 and all that follows through the
end.
Attest:
Secretary of the Senate.
Attest:
Clerk of the House of Representatives.