[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8575 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8575
To strengthen the public-private partnerships and policy efforts of the
Department of State to advance women's economic security in South and
Central Asia, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 29, 2026
Ms. Johnson of Texas introduced the following bill; which was referred
to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To strengthen the public-private partnerships and policy efforts of the
Department of State to advance women's economic security in South and
Central Asia, 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.
This Act may be cited as the ``Enhancing Mobilization of Public-
Private Organizations for Women's Economic Rights Act'' or the
``EMPOWER Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Women's full and unfettered political, economic, and
social participation is vital to realizing universal human
rights, global prosperity, peace, and security.
(2) Women's labor force participation, asset ownership, and
economic security are development multipliers, promoting family
financial resilience, community health and development,
children's educational attainment, and poverty reduction, among
other development gains across South and Central Asia.
(3) Women's economic participation and opportunity,
educational attainment, health and survival, and political
empowerment are directly proportional to countries' economic
competitiveness.
(4) Women make up about 33 percent of South Asia's labor
force, among the lowest female labor force participation rates
in the world, yet gender parity in employment could increase
South Asia's Gross Domestic Product by between 19 to 58
percent.
(5) While the percentage varies across the five Central
Asian states, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan also have some of the
lowest female labor force participation rates in the world, at
29.6 percent and 35.9 percent, respectively.
(6) The Women's Councils are consortia of public-private
partnerships between the Department of State and United States
and South Asian businesses, civil society, and universities, to
matchmake technology, networks, expertise, and resources of our
corporate and civil society members to create more impact
together than any entity could alone.
(7) The Women's Councils implement President Trump's
Presidential Memorandum on Promoting Women's Global Development
and Prosperity and the bipartisan Women, Peace, and Security
Act of 2017.
(8) The Women's Councils accelerate women's economic
empowerment in South and Central Asian countries, growing
economies and advancing stability and prosperity for all, at no
cost to American taxpayers.
SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY.
It is the policy of the United States to promote women's economic
security and advancement, including in South and Central Asia, as an
integral part of the broader conduct of United States foreign policy in
the region.
SEC. 4. WOMEN'S COUNCILS AND PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS ADVANCING
WOMEN'S ECONOMIC SECURITY IN SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of State shall maintain and seek to
expand existing women's councils and other public-private partnerships
that--
(1) forge ties between the United States and countries in
South and Central Asia, by catalyzing commitments from the
private sector, civil society, and academia; and
(2) advance women's employment, entrepreneurship and access
to education, such as the United States-Pakistan Women's
Council, the United States-India Alliance for Women's Economic
Empowerment, and the Alliance for Afghan Women's Economic
Resilience.
(b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the
activities authorized under subsection (a) should support--
(1) women's financial inclusion and access;
(2) women's access to mentorship;
(3) women's asset ownership;
(4) incubation and scaling of women-owned startups and
small and medium enterprises;
(5) access to procurement opportunities by women
entrepreneurs;
(6) career-enhancing educational opportunities;
(7) women in science, technology, engineering, the arts and
mathematics;
(8) the care economy; and
(9) addressing legal and social barriers to women's
economic empowerment.
(c) Location.--Activities authorized under this section may be
conducted in the United States, in countries in South and Central Asia,
or in third countries.
SEC. 5. ESTABLISHMENT OF UNIT.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of State shall establish within the
Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs a Unit responsible for
overseeing the public-private partnerships described in section 4(a).
Such Unit shall be led by a Special Advisor for Women's Economic
Security, who shall report to the Assistant Secretary of State for
South and Central Asia.
(b) Special Advisor.--The Special Advisor for Women's Economic
Security shall--
(1) be appointed by the Secretary of State, including from
among existing officials or employees of the Department of
State to serve as the Special Advisor in addition to that
official or employee's existing role; and
(2) have the rank and status of Ambassador.
(c) Designated Point of Contact.--Each United States diplomatic and
consular post the Special Advisor determines relevant shall designate a
point of contact from among the personnel of such post, whose duties
shall include identifying and tracking relevant private sector
commitments with respect to the public-private partnerships overseen by
the Unit established under subsection (a).
SEC. 6. REPORT.
(a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit to the
appropriate congressional committees a report that includes--
(1) a description of the steps taken to implement this Act,
including allocated personnel and funding;
(2) the status of the commitments and partnerships
described in section 4(a); and
(3) economic data on the impact of work of the Unit
authorized by section 5.
(b) Appropriate Congressional Committees Defined.--In this section,
the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' means the following:
(1) The Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of
Representatives.
(2) The Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate.
<all>