[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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