[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 122 (Tuesday, September 17, 2013)]
[House]
[Pages H5567-H5569]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES REVITALIZATION AND REFORM ACT OF 2013
Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill
(S. 793) to support revitalization and reform of the Organization of
American States, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is 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;
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(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) the OAS has historically accepted too many mandates
from its member states, resulting in both lack of clarity on
priorities and loss of institutional focus, which in turn has
reduced the effectiveness of the organization;
(7) 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;
(8) 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, combating illicit drug
trafficking and transnational crime, and support for the
Inter-American Human Rights System;
(9) the core competencies referred to in paragraph (8)
should remain central to the strategic planning process of
the OAS and the consideration of future mandates;
(10) any new 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;
(11) any new mandates should include, in addition to the
analysis described in paragraph (10), an identification of
the source of funding to be used to implement the mandate;
(12) the OAS would benefit from enhanced coordination
between the OAS and the Inter-American Development Bank on
issues that relate to economic development;
(13) the OAS would benefit from standard reporting
requirements for each project and grant agreement;
(14) 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 with respect to factors such as gender
and national origin; and
(15) it is in the interest of the United States, OAS member
states, and a modernized OAS to move toward an assessed fee
structure that assures the financial sustainability of the
organization and establishes, not later than five years after
the date of the enactment of this Act, that no member state
pays more than 50 percent of the organization's assessed
fees.
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(8);
(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;
(C) reflects the inputs and coordination from other
Executive Branch agencies, as appropriate; and
(D) identifies a path toward the adoption of necessary
reforms that would--
(i) lead to an assessed fee structure in which no member
state would pay more than 50 percent of the OAS's assessed
yearly fees; and
(ii) seek to minimize the negative financial impact on the
OAS and its operations.
(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; and
(B) promote donor coordination among OAS member states.
(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.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
California (Mr. Royce) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Meeks) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.
General Leave
Mr. MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to
include extraneous material on this measure in the Record.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from California?
There was no objection.
Mr. MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I yield myself such time as I
may consume to explain that this legislation would require the
Secretary of State to develop a multiyear strategy to bolster the
Organization of American States, OAS as we know it, and improve the
performance and the process for managing the budget and the personnel
at the OAS.
When it was founded in 1948, it was the sole multilateral body in the
Western Hemisphere. As the premier hemispheric organization, the OAS'
key institutional documents--its charter, the American Declaration of
Rights, the Inter-American Democratic Charter--enshrine values that are
the foundation for political systems in the Americas.
Since its founding, the OAS has accepted too many mandates from its
member states, resulting in a loss of international focus, and in turn
has reduced, frankly, the organization's effectiveness. This bill seeks
to push the OAS to refocus on those two core principles of promoting
democratic governance and institutions and resolving regional disputes.
This push comes as other regional bodies are competing with the OAS
for regional influence. There is the Central American System of
Integration, the Union of South American Nations, and the Community of
Latin American and Caribbean States, which includes Cuba but excludes
both the United States and Canada.
Many of these political bodies do not represent our values. Most
exclude the U.S. Many are used by governments in the region to
undermine the U.S., thus undermining U.S. diplomacy in the hemisphere.
In order to maintain the OAS as an influential, positive force and to
defend U.S. engagement, it is important that the U.S. spearhead an
effort to reform the OAS and address its many administrative
challenges.
This bill calls on the administration to develop a strategy that
helps the OAS focus on its core mission, shed nonessential programs,
install a results-based budgeting process, and adopt transparent,
competitive personnel practices.
Additionally, this bill was strengthened in committee to recognize
that it is not politically or financially viable for any OAS member
state, including the United States, to pay more than 50 percent of the
institution's assessed fees.
I reserve the balance of my time, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I rise in strong support of S. 793, as amended.
Mr. Speaker, the OAS remains the premier regional forum for the
countries of the Americas to conduct multilateral business, an
important aspect of U.S. relations with its neighbors.
The bill before us today seeks to support the organization,
particularly with respect to democracy promotion and the protection of
human rights.
The version we are poised to pass today in the House adds an
important provision to the bipartisan Senate bill introduced by the
Senator from New Jersey, Bob Menendez, the chairman of the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee.
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This new provision requires the State Department to examine ways to
ensure that in the future no OAS member state pays more than 50 percent
of the regular budget.
Currently, based on a legacy fee structure from a different era, the
U.S. does pay more than 50 percent, with a series of distorting
results.
A modernized OAS would benefit from a more egalitarian fee structure.
The new provision asks State to lay out a roadmap to achieve such a fee
structure, and hopefully opens up the conversation with our fellow
member states in the OAS in the spirit of consensus and partnership.
I would like to thank Chairman Royce and Ranking Member Engel for
working, truly, again, as we have done and seen time and time again on
the Foreign Affairs Committee, really working in a bipartisan manner on
this bill. We know sometimes it is not easy, but they have managed to
do it. I thank them for that.
I urge my colleagues to support it, and reserve the balance of my
time.
Mr. ROYCE. I would like to thank Mr. Meeks.
Mr. Speaker, at this time, I ask unanimous consent to yield the
balance of my time to the gentlelady from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen)
and that she be able to control that time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from California?
There was no objection.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
I thank our esteemed chairman for this privilege to speak about an
important bill before us.
I would like to commend Senator Bob Menendez, my dear friend from New
Jersey, for introducing this pivotal bill, an important bipartisan
bill, to bring desperately needed reforms to this failed Organization
of American States.
I remain deeply disappointed, Mr. Speaker, that the OAS continues to
fail to live up to the principles of the Inter-American Democratic
Charter. The OAS should be, but is not, an important regional body that
stands up for democratic principles, that promotes the rule of law and
condemns human rights violations.
However, the OAS has strayed. This bill is a positive step forward to
bring it back onto the right path.
Throughout the region, Mr. Speaker, we have seen ALBA nations
continue to ignore their own constitution and deprive their people of
the most basic human rights.
Has the OAS spoken out against the illegitimate elections in
Venezuela? How about the illegitimate elections in Nicaragua? Or what
about the continued human rights abuses against the people of Cuba?
Just this past Sunday, Mr. Speaker, more than 30 pro-democracy
advocates who were peacefully gathering in Cuba were detained and
beaten by agents of the regime--for doing nothing. But the OAS remains
silent on all of these important topics, and in doing so it fails to
hold accountable the authoritarian regimes that oppress millions in our
own hemisphere.
{time} 1730
That is why real and concrete reforms are needed at the OAS. I fully
support this legislation because it strengthens our mission at the OAS,
and it ensures that U.S. taxpayer dollars are used well and no longer
go to waste as they are at the OAS right now.
With that, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. MEEKS. I have no further requests for time and am ready to close,
and so I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, let me just state again about the hard work of Chairman
Royce and Ranking Member Engel and their working in a bipartisan manner
to get this bill done. It's difficult at times when you have different
views on different issues; but I think that, when you have individuals
working together across the aisle who are trying to come up with the
appropriate compromise for an organization that is needed to have the
strength to protect human rights and to make sure there is democracy,
working together to get them on the right track, as Mr. Royce has
indicated, is important. To also have the other body, the Senate,
working with us so it's bicameral is a tremendous effort, I think, on
both sides in trying to make sure that we have an organization in our
hemisphere that is doing the right thing, and we've got to do it on a
continuous basis, being sturdy, being forceful but also being
bipartisan.
Let me just finally say that the manner in which this bill has come
together is the manner in which I wish many bills could come together
on this floor and in working with the other body.
I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back
the balance of my time.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, in closing, I want to thank our esteemed chairman, Mr.
Ed Royce of California, and our committee's ranking member, Mr. Eliot
Engel of New York, for their work on this bipartisan-bicameral effort
to take one step--just the first step--at deep OAS reform.
I want to thank Senator Bob Menendez, the author of the bill, who has
been a longtime supporter and a leader in favor of human rights, the
rule of law and democracy, especially in our hemisphere. All of us and
our committee look forward to working with Senator Menendez and with
all of our Members and the other body, as well, as we move forward to
enact this bill and make sure that we have true, meaningful reforms and
that we endeavor to get the OAS, once again, focused back on their core
mission, which should be and remains promoting democracy and human
rights in the Americas, a mission from which it has strayed far too
often, including up to today.
With that, Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from California (Mr. Royce) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, S. 793, as amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.
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