118 S4703 IS: United States-Philippines Partnership Act of 2024
U.S. Senate
2024-07-11
text/xml
EN
Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.
1.Short title; table of contents(a)This Act may be cited as the United States-Philippines Partnership Act of 2024
.(b)The table of contents for this Act is as follows: Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.TITLE I—Economic MeasuresSec. 101. Definitions.Sec. 102. Negotiation of critical minerals agreement with the Philippines.Sec. 103. Prioritization of support by United States International Development Finance Corporation for projects in the Philippines in critical minerals and fossil fuels.Sec. 104. Interagency plan for infrastructure development in the Philippines to support military and disaster recovery operations.TITLE II—Diplomatic measuresSec. 201. Statement of policy regarding China's illegal, coercive, aggressive, and deceptive tactics in the South China Sea.Sec. 202. Multilateral agreement between the United States, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, and Japan.TITLE III—Military measuresSec. 301. United States-Philippines Security Consultative Committee.Sec. 302. Report on domain awareness gaps of the Philippines.Sec. 303. Assessment of and report on improvements in Second Thomas Shoal region of the Philippines.<enum>I</enum><header>Economic Measures</header><section id="idaefcb276162d4c9489b181ff66bd968e"><enum>101.</enum><header>Definitions</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">In this title:</text><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id73701c69ab3b4be0956bdeea34f91642"><enum>(1)</enum><header>Appropriate congressional committees</header><text>The term <term>appropriate congressional committees</term> means—</text><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id350a353a478f4a0699de2b66cc025203"><enum>(A)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">the Committee on Foreign Relations, the Committee on Finance, and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate; and</text></subparagraph><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id20c401150a584d57bb3def61b1167305"><enum>(B)</enum><text>the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on Ways and Means, and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives.</text></subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id4cada9df23d84d4b8dbc08471a978881"><enum>(2)</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Critical mineral</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The term <term>critical mineral</term> has the meaning given that term in section 7002(a) of the Energy Act of 2020 (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/30/1606">30 U.S.C. 1606(a)</external-xref>).</text></paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id5db76bcce2eb4edaafd3129e5448c096"><enum>(3)</enum><header>Foreign entity of concern</header><text>The term <term>foreign entity of concern</term> means an entity organized under the laws of or otherwise subject to the jurisdiction of—</text><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id0232871baf9c4a72a12e7234325e9879"><enum>(A)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">the People's Republic of China;</text></subparagraph><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idfb4531d9352f48bcb2097700a1c8c621"><enum>(B)</enum><text>the Russian Federation; </text></subparagraph><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id42ecdcc16fe3450d89d1bdb7884db31f"><enum>(C)</enum><text>the Islamic Republic of Iran; or</text></subparagraph><subparagraph id="id80196ce759014fb6b873a4f7eac9d3b2"><enum>(D)</enum><text>the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.</text></subparagraph></paragraph></section><section id="ida51809384c9940378e343ec4b8301df1"><enum>102.</enum><header>Negotiation of critical minerals agreement with the Philippines</header><subsection id="id94b42d18bd4b4813bde4c0d8ca37e42e"><enum>(a)</enum><header>In general</header><text>Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall seek to enter into negotiations with the Philippines for an executive agreement relating to critical minerals that—</text><paragraph id="id8959e2dbd79040bb97dd20ecc75f1179"><enum>(1)</enum><text>requires that duties not be imposed on the export of on critical minerals;</text></paragraph><paragraph id="id6d4e425754c843c290ad524057524b00"><enum>(2)</enum><text>provides for domestic measures to address nonmarket policies and practices of other countries affecting trade in critical minerals;</text></paragraph><paragraph id="id418597e27eab430db21ee02e61a2672f"><enum>(3)</enum><text>implements best practices for reviewing investments within the critical mineral sector of the Philippines by foreign entities of concern;</text></paragraph><paragraph id="idabc88f4d0f5f47bda5f6d3042ab403b3"><enum>(4)</enum><text>promotes more efficient methods of extraction of critical minerals that reduces the demand for the extractions of virgin materials;</text></paragraph><paragraph id="id35fae1222d484b1cb56cb145a03160ea"><enum>(5)</enum><text>establishes engagement, information-sharing, and enforcement processes to address concerns relating to the use of forced labor in the critical mineral industry; and</text></paragraph><paragraph id="id47398dc2a198491b9b618d6d98f61947"><enum>(6)</enum><text>promotes the neutrality of employers in the organization and operations of labor organizations.</text></paragraph></subsection><subsection id="idd457e5eedf7c4d378a85b235de3e8985"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Briefings required</header><text>Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, and every 180 days thereafter until an agreement described in subsection (a) enters into force, the Secretary of State, the United States Trade Representative, and the heads of other relevant Federal agencies, shall brief the appropriate congressional committees on progress in negotiating such an agreement.</text></subsection></section><section id="idc5e21715e64e4ebc8bc2403ae99ae028"><enum>103.</enum><header>Prioritization of support by United States International Development Finance Corporation for projects in the Philippines in critical minerals and fossil fuels</header><subsection id="id7b41a9196daa48aaafa1214b92c739cf"><enum>(a)</enum><header>In general</header><text>In providing support under title II of the Better Utilization of Investments Leading to Development Act of 2018 (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/22/9621">22 U.S.C. 9621 et seq.</external-xref>), the United States International Development Finance Corporation (in this section referred to as the <quote>Corporation</quote>) shall prioritize the provision of support to projects in the Philippines in sectors the Government of the Philippines is seeking to develop, including the mining of critical minerals and fossil fuels.</text></subsection><subsection id="idab2f052182ad4da6ae47d6abf4604053"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Report required</header><text>Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter until the date that is 5 years after such date of enactment, the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report that—</text><paragraph id="id349438ba466a4a28b8dac9a7c832b9bd"><enum>(1)</enum><text>lists all the critical mineral and fossil fuel projects in the Philippines for which the Corporation provided support in the one-year period preceding submission of the report;</text></paragraph><paragraph id="idee42a390b20042069feb3c564fd85124"><enum>(2)</enum><text>lists all the applications for support for such projects that the Corporation rejected; and</text></paragraph><paragraph id="id9862d2005a5a4b70a5c0df15c4799eb1"><enum>(3)</enum><text>provides a justification for rejecting such applications.</text></paragraph></subsection></section><section id="id559b7976e8d94056a086f677a3bc6a15"><enum>104.</enum><header>Interagency plan for infrastructure development in the Philippines to support military and disaster recovery operations</header><subsection id="id722b69c971534250aa7a8a778ad47d4c"><enum>(a)</enum><header>In general</header><text>Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall—</text><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id2048f14e4bf14d7e9a36e232fa4995e5"><enum>(1)</enum><text>lead an interagency effort to assess investments of the United States in the Philippines; and</text></paragraph><paragraph id="id8b4e43f41b794817a2ae341c1498b597"><enum>(2)</enum><text>develop a plan for how such investments can better enable efficient transportation during a conflict or other emergency scenario.</text></paragraph></subsection><subsection id="idd123d1cdb43943de94c14952a07b884d"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Identification of infrastructure requiring additional investment</header><text>The plan required by subsection (a)(2) shall—</text><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id944bfeb4a11f40b98813748ecc2156ea"><enum>(1)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">identify—</text><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id9db300b771c3438fa576e0eab2a144d8"><enum>(A)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">infrastructure in the Philippines that the Secretary determines is insufficient to support military and disaster recovery operations; and</text></subparagraph><subparagraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="ida5f882c850444cb5adec9eeab96dee11"><enum>(B)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">any asset that would assist the military of the Philippines in the event of an attack on the Philippines; and </text></subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id1d0b2fd2234c488f80166da749c854e8"><enum>(2)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">assess whether any of such assets require additional investment by the United States to assist the military of the Philippines in the event of an attack.</text></paragraph></subsection><subsection id="idd6010bec8944414ca916e05e76fe36ad"><enum>(c)</enum><header>Identification of additional United States agencies to make investments</header><text>The plan required by subsection (a)(2) shall identify United States Government agencies, such as the Office of Strategic Capital of the Department of Defense, that—</text><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id385051612da84908a3f3509895b43765"><enum>(1)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">are not involved, as of the date of the enactment of this Act, in infrastructure investment in the Philippines; and</text></paragraph><paragraph id="ideee229a2662d4771b66f9a302023cc92" commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline"><enum>(2)</enum><text>could make investments that could assist the Government of the Philippines respond to an attack on the Philippines.</text></paragraph></subsection></section><enum>II</enum><header>Diplomatic measures</header><section id="id56bd365e29414ebc93e62fcb2d764e43"><enum>201.</enum><header>Statement of policy regarding China's illegal, coercive, aggressive, and deceptive tactics in the South China Sea</header><subsection commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id0934e44166e94bd68bedcda93acfffc4"><enum>(a)</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">In general</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">It is the policy of the United States that the actions of the People's Republic of China in the South China Sea constitute illegal, coercive, aggressive, and deceptive (ICAD) tactics.</text></subsection><subsection commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id984753096be547ec93a9311d81d6e2dd"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Sense of Congress</header><text>It is the sense of Congress that the United States Government should describe actions of the People's Republic of China in the South China Sea as ICAD tactics and that doing so would help the diplomatic efforts of the Government of the Philippines.</text></subsection></section><section commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id8db0eeea8d9c4638ad0985d7a8087968"><enum>202.</enum><header>Multilateral agreement between the United States, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, and Japan</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">There is authorized to be appropriated $5,000,000 for the Department of State and the United States Agency for International Development for fiscal year 2025 to support activities related to entering into and implementing a multilateral agreement with the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, and Japan for purposes of responding to actions of the People's Republic of China in the South China Sea.</text></section><enum>III</enum><header>Military measures</header><section id="id575b8199f68046049a10d681ce7ba2d7"><enum>301.</enum><header>United States-Philippines Security Consultative Committee</header><subsection id="idfbfb70c727114bbe85edc0fde4441343"><enum>(a)</enum><header>Establishment</header><text>Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense shall establish a consultative committee (to be known as the <quote>United States-Philippines Security Consultative Committee</quote>) to include the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Defense of the Philippines in the development of a strategy for jointly strengthening the national security and defense institutions of the Philippines and the capacity of such institutions to carry out operations across the Philippines (including inland and maritime areas) relating to—</text><paragraph id="idc3ea996ba5a04630a3830db399d974f8"><enum>(1)</enum><text>counterterrorism and counterinsurgency;</text></paragraph><paragraph id="idd2de3d65122e4df087cf6056730b5c7d"><enum>(2)</enum><text>counternarcotics and countering other forms of illicit trafficking;</text></paragraph><paragraph id="id5613a43e72f24d46868a157d78b7dc81"><enum>(3)</enum><text>cyber defense and prevention of cyber crimes; and</text></paragraph><paragraph id="id138e219c36954864a441f322584a8007"><enum>(4)</enum><text>border and maritime security and air defense.</text></paragraph></subsection><subsection id="idf025653f23b948d890531256bea27839"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Additional elements</header><text>The United States-Philippines Security Consultative Committee shall evaluate—</text><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="idb8833a13cda545d59490d2c050aef42a"><enum>(1)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">existing technologies, equipment, and weapons systems of the national security and defense institutions of the Philippines; and</text></paragraph><paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id96eb87fff48b47158daf18699d35a3fe"><enum>(2)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">the upgrades to such technologies, equipment, and systems necessary to ensure the continued defense of the national sovereignty and national territory of the Philippines.</text></paragraph></subsection><subsection id="ida287f33d6cc34377adbd108ebf506a69"><enum>(c)</enum><header>Bilateral security and defense cooperation</header><text>Not later than 180 days after the establishment of the United States-Philippines Security Consultative Committee, the Secretary of State, in coordination with the Secretary of Defense, may enter into consultations with the Government of Philippines to strengthen existing, or establish new, bilateral security and defense cooperation agreements or lines of effort to address capacity-building and resource needs identified by the consultative committee.</text></subsection><subsection id="id9bd0c9fa1dd24dddba788aeb598906ab"><enum>(d)</enum><header>Briefings</header><paragraph id="id8c6da52452eb4a7880dea95f373b949a"><enum>(1)</enum><header>Consultative committee</header><text>Not later than 30 days after the date on which the United States-Philippines Security Consultative Committee is established, and not later than 15 days after any meeting of the United States-Philippines Security Consultative Committee thereafter, the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense shall, on request by any of the appropriate committees of Congress, jointly brief the appropriate committees of Congress on progress made by the consultative committee.</text></paragraph><paragraph id="id46814c28cc894a7f85f300b51746f591"><enum>(2)</enum><header>Bilateral security and defense cooperation</header><text>Not later than 30 days after the completion of any consultation with the Government of Philippines under subsection (c), the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense shall brief the appropriate committees of Congress on the implementation of agreed upon areas of cooperation or lines of effort.</text></paragraph><paragraph id="id54662c3f5a7744b5b935c6101c17ff80"><enum>(3)</enum><header>Appropriate committees of Congress defined</header><text>In this subsection, the term <term>appropriate committees of Congress</term> means—</text><subparagraph id="id76a08d92cf8f48f6a510ed79aebe4945"><enum>(A)</enum><text>the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate; and</text></subparagraph><subparagraph id="id5ed41ccdef4948d18ee655b1a348b90d"><enum>(B)</enum><text>the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives.</text></subparagraph></paragraph></subsection></section><section commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" section-type="subsequent-section" id="idefc3dd163f174643b1a73d732e2aac85"><enum>302.</enum><header>Report on domain awareness gaps of the Philippines</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to Congress a report on gaps in the domain awareness of the Philippines that may be filled by broader Department of Defense resourcing of new capabilities.</text></section><section commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" section-type="subsequent-section" id="id0837436c844a48ee9cfcaa695dacfb99"><enum>303.</enum><header>Assessment of and report on improvements in Second Thomas Shoal region of the Philippines</header><subsection commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="ide623d5f943cb47b5bd91f7354cf2d9f6"><enum>(a)</enum><header display-inline="yes-display-inline">Assessment</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The Secretary of Defense shall assess the feasibility of improving the force posture of the United States Armed Forces capable of deterring, in cooperation with the military forces of the Philippines, hostile acts against the Philippines with respect to the Second Thomas Shoal, including an assessment of potential funding sources to execute the planning for and design of improvements to the position of the BRP Sierra Madre. The Secretary shall carry out such assessment not later than 180 days after enactment of this Act, and produce a report to Congress on joint efforts between the Department of Defense and the Philippines to harden positions near the Second Thomas Shoal.</text></subsection><subsection commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="id310a6a46f2e6467b957601207bd5ff48"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Report</header><text>Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Congress a report on the assessment carried out under subsection (a) and joint efforts between the Department of Defense and the Philippines to harden positions near the Second Thomas Shoal. </text></subsection></section>