[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 92 (Wednesday, June 10, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Page S4053]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 1984. Ms. COLLINS submitted an amendment intended to be proposed
to amendment SA 1463 proposed by Mr. McCain to the bill H.R. 1735, to
authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2016 for military activities
of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for
defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military
personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which
was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:
At the end of subtitle F of title XII, add the following:
SEC. 1274. REGIONAL STRATEGY TO ADDRESS THE THREAT POSED BY
BOKO HARAM.
(a) Strategy Required.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State and the
Secretary of Defense shall jointly develop and submit to the
appropriate committees of Congress a regional strategy to
enable the Government of Nigeria and its partners to counter
the regional threat of Boko Haram and assist the Government
of Nigeria and its neighbors to accept and address grievances
of vulnerable populations in areas affected by Boko Haram.
(2) Elements.--At a minimum, the strategy must address the
following elements:
(A) Enhance, pursuant to existing authorities and
restrictions, the institutional capacity, including military
capabilities, of the Government of Nigeria and partner
nations in the region to counter the threat posed by Boko
Haram.
(B) Provide humanitarian support to civilian populations
impacted by Boko Haram's activity.
(C) Consider the provision of further assistance in the
context of the recipient partner nation's actions in support
of human rights and the respect for and implementation of the
rule of law.
(D) Seek to provide appropriate assistance to willing and
capable partner nations to address the underlying societal
factors that contribute to the ability of Boko Haram to
radicalize and recruit individuals, including poverty and the
lack of economic opportunity and access to education, public
health, and infrastructure.
(E) Strengthen the capacity of the civilian police and
judicial system in Nigeria to promote the rule of law,
enhance public safety, and prevent crime, including gender-
based violence, while strengthening accountability measures
to prevent corruption and abuses.
(F) Strengthen the long-term capacity of the Government of
Nigeria to enhance security for schools to protect girls
seeking an education, and to combat gender-based violence and
gender inequality.
(G) Support the adoption of a United Nations Security
Council Resolution authorizing a regional Multi-National
Joint Task Force to counter Boko Haram.
(H) Identify and develop mechanisms for coordinating the
implementation of the strategy with the Government of
Nigeria, regional partners, and other relevant foreign
partners.
(I) Identify the resources required, in an amount not less
than $25,000,000, to achieve the strategy's objectives.
(b) Assessment.--The Director of National Intelligence
shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress an
assessment (in classified form) regarding the willingness and
capability of the Government of Nigeria to implement the
strategy required by subsection (a), including the capability
gaps, if any, of the government and military forces of
Nigeria that would need to be addressed in order to enable
the Government of Nigeria and the governments of its partner
countries in the region to counter the threat of Boko Haram
and to address grievances of vulnerable populations in areas
affected by Boko Haram.
(c) Appropriate Committees of Congress Defined.--In this
section, the term ``appropriate committees of Congress''
means--
(1) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on
Foreign Relations, the Committee on Appropriations, and the
Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate; and
(2) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on
Foreign Affairs, the Committee on Appropriations, and the
Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of
Representatives.
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