[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 96 (Monday, July 8, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5529-S5530]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES REVITALIZATION AND REFORM ACT OF 2013
Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate
proceed to the consideration of Calendar No. 87, S. 793.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
The legislative clerk read as follows:
A bill (S. 793) to support revitalization and reform of the
Organization of American States, and for other purposes.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent that the bill be read a third time
and passed and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid
upon the table, with no intervening action or debate.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The bill (S. 793) was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading,
was read the third time, and passed, as follows:
S. 793
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 ``Organization of American
States Revitalization and Reform Act of 2013''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) The Charter of the Organization of American States
recognizes that--
(A) representative democracy is indispensable for the
stability, peace, and development of the Western Hemisphere;
and
(B) a purpose of the Organization of American States is to
promote and consolidate representative democracy, with due
respect for the principle of nonintervention.
(2) The United States supports the purposes and principles
enshrined in--
(A) the Charter of the Organization of American States;
(B) the Inter-American Democratic Charter; and
(C) the American Declaration on the Rights and Duties of
Man.
(3) The United States supports the Organization of American
States in its efforts with all member states to meet our
commitments under the instruments set forth in paragraph (2).
(4) Congress supports the Organization of American States
as it operates in a manner consistent with the Inter-American
Democratic Charter.
SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY.
It is the policy of the United States--
(1) to promote democracy and the rule of law throughout the
Western Hemisphere;
(2) to promote and protect human rights and fundamental
freedoms in the Western Hemisphere; and
(3) to support the practices, purposes, and principles
expressed in the Charter of the Organization of American
States, the American Declaration on the Rights and Duties of
Man, the Inter-American Democratic Charter, and other
fundamental instruments of democracy.
SEC. 4. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) the Organization of American States (OAS) should be the
primary multi-lateral diplomatic entity for regional dispute
resolution and promotion of democratic governance and
institutions;
(2) the OAS is a valuable platform from which to launch
initiatives aimed to benefit the countries of the Western
Hemisphere;
(3) the Summit of the Americas institution and process
embodies a valuable complement to regional dialogue and
cooperation;
(4) the Summit of the Americas process should be formally
and more effectively integrated into the work of the OAS, the
Inter-American Development Bank, and other Members of the
Joint Summit Working Group, and the OAS should play a central
role in overseeing and managing the Summit process;
(5) the OAS General Assembly and the Summit of the Americas
events should be combined geographically and chronologically
in the years in which they coincide;
(6) to ensure an appropriate balance of priorities, the OAS
should review its core functions no less than annually and
seek opportunities to reduce the number of mandates not
directly related to its core functions;
(7) key OAS strengths lie in strengthening peace and
security, promoting and consolidating representative
democracy, regional dispute resolution, election assistance
and monitoring, fostering economic growth and development
cooperation, facilitating trade, addressing migration,
combating illicit drug trafficking and transnational crime,
and support for the Inter-American Human Rights System;
(8) the core competencies referred to in paragraph (7)
should remain central to the strategic planning process of
the OAS and the consideration of future mandates;
(9) any changes to OAS mandates should be accepted by the
member states only after an analysis is conducted and
formally presented consisting of a calculation of the
financial costs associated with the mandate, an assessment of
the comparative advantage of the OAS in the implementation of
the mandate, and a description of the ways in which the
mandate advances the organization's core mission;
(10) any new mandates should include, in addition to the
analysis described in paragraph (9), an identification of the
source of funding to be used to implement the mandate;
(11) the OAS would benefit from enhanced coordination
between the OAS and the Inter-American Development Bank on
issues that relate to economic development;
(12) the OAS would benefit from standard reporting
requirements for each project and grant agreement; and
(13) the OAS would benefit from effective implementation
of--
(A) transparent and merit-based human resource standards
and processes; and
(B) transparent hiring, firing, and promotion standards and
processes, including
[[Page S5530]]
with respect to factors such as gender and national origin.
SEC. 5. ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES REVITALIZATION AND
REFORM STRATEGY.
(a) Strategy.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall
submit to the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate
and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of
Representatives a multiyear strategy that--
(A) identifies a path toward the adoption of necessary
reforms that prioritize and reinforce the OAS's core
competencies described in section 4(7);
(B) outlines an approach to secure from the OAS effective
adoption of--
(i) a results-based budgeting process in order to
strategically prioritize, and where appropriate, reduce
current and future mandates; and
(ii) transparent hiring, firing, and promotion practices;
and
(C) reflects the inputs and coordination from other
Executive Branch agencies, as appropriate.
(2) Policy priorities and coordination.--The Secretary of
State shall--
(A) carry out diplomatic engagement to build support for
reforms and budgetary burden sharing among OAS member states
and observers;
(B) promote donor coordination among OAS member states; and
(C) help set priorities for the OAS.
(b) Briefings.--The Secretary of State shall offer to the
committees referred to in subsection (a)(1) a quarterly
briefing that--
(1) reviews assessed and voluntary contributions;
(2) analyzes the progress made by the OAS to adopt and
effectively implement a results-based budgeting process in
order to strategically prioritize, and where appropriate,
reduce current and future mandates;
(3) analyzes the progress made by the OAS to adopt and
effectively implement transparent and merit-based human
resource standards and practices and transparent hiring,
firing, and promotion standards and processes, including with
respect to factors such as gender and national origin;
(4) analyzes the progress made by the OAS to adopt and
effectively implement a practice of soliciting member quotas
to be paid on a schedule that will improve the consistency of
its operating budget; and
(5) analyzes the progress made by the OAS to review,
streamline, and prioritize mandates to focus on core missions
and make efficient and effective use of available funding.
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