[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 107 (Thursday, July 10, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4434-S4435]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ASSESSING PROGRESS IN HAITI ACT OF 2014
Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate
proceed to Calendar No. 447.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
The bill clerk read as follows:
A bill (S. 1104) to measure the progress of recovery and
development efforts in Haiti following the earthquake of
January 12, 2010, and for other purposes.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill,
which had been reported from the Committee on Foreign Relations with an
amendment to strike all after the enacting clause and insert in lieu
thereof the following:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Assessing Progress in Haiti
Act of 2014''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) On January 12, 2010, a massive earthquake struck near
the Haitian capital city of Port-au-Prince, leaving an
estimated 220,000 people dead, including 103 United States
citizens, 101 United Nations personnel, and nearly 18 percent
of the nation's civil service, as well as 300,000 injured,
115,000 homes destroyed, and 1,500,000 people displaced.
(2) According to the Post Disaster Needs Assessment
conducted by the Government of Haiti, with technical
assistance from the United Nations, the World Bank, the
Inter-American Development Bank, the Economic Commission for
Latin America and the Caribbean, and the European Commission,
an estimated 15 percent of the population was directly
affected by the disaster and related damages and economic
losses totaled $7,804,000,000.
(3) Even before the earthquake, Haiti had some of the
lowest socioeconomic indicators and the second highest rate
of income disparity in the world, conditions that have
further complicated post-earthquake recovery efforts and,
according to the World Bank, have significantly reduced the
prospects of addressing poverty reduction through economic
growth.
(4) According to the World Food Programme, more than
6,700,000 people in Haiti (out of a population of about
10,000,000) are considered food insecure.
(5) In October 2010, an unprecedented outbreak of cholera
in Haiti resulted in over 500,000 reported cases and over
8,000 deaths to date, further straining the capacity of
Haiti's public health sector and increasing the urgency of
resettlement and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH)
efforts.
(6) The international community, led by the United States
and the United Nations, mounted an unprecedented humanitarian
response in Haiti, with donors pledging approximately
$10,400,000,000 for humanitarian relief and recovery efforts,
including debt relief, supplemented by $3,100,000,000 in
private charitable contributions, of which approximately
$6,400,000,000 has been disbursed and an additional
$3,800,000,000 has been committed as of September 30, 2013.
(7) The emergency response of the men and women of the
United States Government, led by the United States Agency for
International Development (USAID) and the United States
Southern Command, as well as of cities, towns, individuals,
businesses, and philanthropic organizations across the United
States, was particularly swift and resolute.
(8) Since 2010, a total of $1,300,000,000 in United States
assistance has been allocated for humanitarian relief and
$2,300,000,000 has been allocated for recovery,
reconstruction, and development assistance in Haiti,
including $1,140,000,000 in emergency appropriations and
$95,000,000 that has been obligated specifically to respond
to the cholera epidemic.
(9) Of the $3,600,000,000 in United States assistance
allocated for Haiti, $651,000,000 was apportioned to USAID to
support an ambitious recovery plan, including the
construction of a power plant to provide electricity for the
new Caracol Industrial Park (CIP) in northern Haiti, a new
port near the CIP, and permanent housing in new settlements
in the Port-au-Prince, St-Marc, and Cap-Haitien areas.
(10) According to a recent report of the Government
Accountability Office, as of June 30, 2013, USAID had
disbursed 31 percent of its reconstruction funds in Haiti,
the port project was 2 years behind schedule and USAID
funding will be insufficient to cover a majority of the
projected costs, the housing project has been reduced by 80
percent, and the sustainability of the power plant, the port,
and the housing projects were all at risk.
(11) GAO further found that Congress has not been provided
with sufficient information to ensure that it is able to
conduct effective oversight at a time when most funding
remains to be disbursed, and specifically recommends that a
periodic reporting mechanism be instituted to fill this
information gap.
(12) Donors have encountered significant challenges in
implementing recovery programs, and nearly 4 years after the
earthquake, an estimated 171,974 people remain displaced in
camps, unemployment remains high, corruption is rampant, land
rights remain elusive, allegations of wage violations are
widespread, the business climate is unfavorable, and
government capacity remains weak.
(13) For Haiti to achieve stability and long term economic
growth, donor assistance will have to be carefully
coordinated with a commitment by the Government of Haiti to
transparency, a market economy, rule of law, and democracy.
(14) The legal environment in Haiti remains a challenge to
achieving the goals supported by the international community.
SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY.
It is the policy of the United States to support the
sustainable rebuilding and development of Haiti in a manner
that--
(1) promotes efforts that are led by and support the people
and Government of Haiti at all levels so that Haitians lead
the course of reconstruction and development of Haiti;
(2) builds the long term capacity of the Government of
Haiti and civil society in Haiti;
(3) reflects the priorities and particular needs of both
women and men so they may participate equally and to their
maximum capacity;
(4) respects and helps restore Haiti's natural resources,
as well as builds community-level resilience to environmental
and weather-related impacts;
(5) provides timely and comprehensive reporting on goals
and progress, as well as transparent post program evaluations
and contracting data;
(6) prioritizes the local procurement of goods and services
in Haiti where appropriate; and
(7) promotes the holding of free, fair, and timely
elections in accordance with democratic principles and the
Haitian Constitution.
SEC. 4. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that transparency,
accountability, democracy, and good governance are integral
factors in any congressional decision regarding United States
assistance, including assistance to Haiti.
SEC. 5. REPORT.
(a) In General.--Not later than December 31, 2014, and
annually thereafter through December 31, 2017, the Secretary
of State shall submit to Congress a report on the status of
post-earthquake recovery and development efforts in Haiti.
(b) Contents.--The report required by subsection (a) shall
include--
(1) a summary of ``Post-Earthquake USG Haiti Strategy:
Toward Renewal and Economic Opportunity'', including any
significant changes to the strategy over the reporting period
and an explanation thereof;
(2) a breakdown of the work that the United States
Government agencies other than USAID and the Department of
State are conducting in the Haiti recovery effort, and the
cost of that assistance;
(3) an assessment of the progress of United States efforts
to advance the objectives of the ``Post-Earthquake USG Haiti
Strategy: Toward Renewal and Economic Opportunity'' produced
by the Department of State, compared to what remains to be
achieved to meet specific goals, including--
(A) a description of any significant changes to the
Strategy over the reporting period and an explanation
thereof;
(B) an assessment of progress, or lack thereof, over the
reporting period toward meeting the goals and objectives,
benchmarks, and timeframes specified in the Strategy,
including--
(i) a description of progress toward designing and
implementing a coordinated and sustainable housing
reconstruction strategy that addresses land ownership, secure
land tenure, water and sanitation, and the unique concerns of
vulnerable populations such as women and children, as well as
neighborhood and community revitalization, housing finance,
and capacity building for the Government of Haiti to
implement an effective housing policy;
(ii) a description of United States Government efforts to
construct and sustain the proposed port, as well as an
assessment of the current projected timeline and cost for
completion; and
(iii) a description of United States Government efforts to
attract and leverage the investments of private sector
partners to the CIP, including by addressing any policy
impediments;
(C) a description of the quantitative and qualitative
indicators used to evaluate the progress toward meeting the
goals and objectives, benchmarks, and timeframes specified in
the Strategy at the program level;
(D) the amounts committed, obligated, and expended on
programs and activities to implement the Strategy, by sector
and by implementing partner at the prime and subprime levels
(in amounts of not less than $25,000); and
(E) a description of the risk mitigation measures put in
place to limit the exposure of United
[[Page S4435]]
States assistance provided under the Strategy to waste,
fraud, and abuse;
(4) a description of measures taken to strengthen, and
United States Government efforts to improve, Haitian
governmental and nongovernmental organizational capacity to
undertake and sustain United States-supported recovery
programs;
(5) as appropriate, a description of United States efforts
to consult and engage with Government of Haiti ministries and
local authorities on the establishment of goals and
timeframes, and on the design and implementation of new
programs under the Post-Earthquake USG Haiti Strategy: Toward
Renewal and Economic Opportunity;
(6) a description of efforts by Haiti's legislative and
executive branches to consult and engage with Haitian civil
society and grassroots organizations on the establishment of
goals and timeframes, and on the design and implementation of
new donor-financed programs, as well as efforts to coordinate
with and engage the Haitian diaspora;
(7) consistent with the Government of Haiti's ratification
of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption, a
description of efforts of the Governments of the United
States and Haiti to strengthen Government of Haiti
institutions established to address corruption, as well as
related efforts to promote public accountability, meet public
outreach and disclosure obligations, and support civil
society participation in anti-corruption efforts;
(8) a description of efforts to leverage public-private
partnerships and increase the involvement of the private
sector in Haiti in recovery and development activities and
coordinate programs with the private sector and other donors;
(9) a description of efforts to address the particular
needs of vulnerable populations, including internally
displaced persons, women, children, orphans, and persons with
disabilities, in the design and implementation of new
programs and infrastructure;
(10) a description of the impact that agriculture and
infrastructure programs are having on the food security,
livelihoods, and land tenure security of smallholder farmers,
particularly women;
(11) a description of mechanisms for communicating the
progress of recovery and development efforts to the people of
Haiti, including a description of efforts to provide
documentation, reporting and procurement information in
Haitian Creole;
(12) a description of the steps the Government of Haiti is
taking to strengthen its capacity to receive individuals who
are removed, excluded, or deported from the United States;
and
(13) an assessment of actions necessary to be taken by the
Government of Haiti to assist in fulfilling the objectives of
the Strategy.
SEC. 6. STRATEGY.
(a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, acting
through the Assistant Secretary of State for Western
Hemisphere Affairs, shall coordinate and transmit to the
Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on
Appropriations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign
Affairs and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of
Representatives a three-year Haiti strategy based on rigorous
assessments that--
(1) identifies and addresses constraints to sustainable,
broad-based economic growth and to the consolidation of
responsive, democratic government institutions;
(2) includes an action plan that outlines policy tools,
technical assistance, and anticipated resources for
addressing the highest-priority constraints to economic
growth and the consolidation of democracy, as well as a
specific description of mechanisms for monitoring and
evaluating progress; and
(3) identifies specific steps and verifiable benchmarks
appropriate to provide direct bilateral assistance to the
Government of Haiti.
(b) Elements.--The strategy required under subsection (a)
should address the following elements:
(1) A plan to engage the Government of Haiti on shared
priorities to build long-term capacity, including the
development of a professional civil service, to assume
increasing responsibility for governance and budgetary
sustainment of governmental institutions.
(2) A plan to assist the Government of Haiti in holding
free, fair and timely elections in accordance with democratic
principles.
(3) Specific goals for future United States support for
efforts to build the capacity of the Government of Haiti,
including to-
(A) reduce corruption;
(B) consolidate the rule of law and an independent
judiciary;
(C) strengthen the civilian police force;
(D) develop sustainable housing, including ensuring
appropriate titling and land ownership rights;
(E) expand port capacity to support economic growth;
(F) attract and leverage the investments of private sector
partners, including to the Caracol Industrial Park;
(G) promote large and small scale agricultural development
in a manner that reduces food insecurity and contributes to
economic growth;
(H) improve access to potable water, expand public
sanitation services, reduce the spread of infectious
diseases, and address public health crises;
(I) restore the natural resources of Haiti, including
enhancing reforestation efforts throughout the country; and
(J) gain access to safe, secure, and affordable supplies of
energy in order to strengthen economic growth and energy
security.
(c) Consultation.--In devising the strategy required under
subsection (a), the Secretary should--
(1) coordinate with all United States Government
departments and agencies carrying out work in Haiti;
(2) consult with the Government of Haiti, including the
National Assembly of Haiti, and representatives of private
and nongovernmental sectors in Haiti; and
(3) consult with relevant multilateral organizations,
multilateral development banks, private sector institutions,
nongovernmental organizations, and foreign governments
present in Haiti.
(d) Briefings.--The Secretary of State, at the request of
the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the
Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives,
shall provide a quarterly briefing that reviews progress of
the implementation of the strategy required under subsection
(a).
Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported
substitute amendment be agreed to.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. REID. I do not know of any further debate on this bill.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. If there is no further debate, the question is
on the engrossment and third reading of the bill.
The bill was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading, was read
the third time, and passed.
The bill (S. 1104), as amended, was passed.
Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the motions 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.
____________________