[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 191 (Tuesday, December 4, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7276-S7277]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 4068. Mr. McCONNELL (for Mr. Gardner) proposed an amendment to the 
bill S. 2736, to develop a long-term strategic vision and a 
comprehensive, multifaceted, and principled United States policy for 
the Indo-Pacific region, and for other purposes; as follows:
       On page 48, in the undesignated matter relating to section 
     410, strike ``and environmental''.
       On page 54, line 13, insert ``the free and reliable flow of 
     information,'' after ``the rule of law,''.
       On page 56, line 11, strike ``(3)'' and insert the 
     following:
       (3) the Committee on Finance of the Senate;
       (4)
       On page 56, line 12, strike ``and''.
       On page 56, line 13, strike ``(4)'' and insert ``(5)''.
       On page 56, line 14, strike the period at the end and 
     insert ``; and''.
       On page 56, between lines 14 and 15, insert the following:
       (6) the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of 
     Representatives.
       On page 57, line 1, insert ``and resiliency'' after 
     ``defense capacity''.
       On page 57, beginning on line 19, strike ``and'' and all 
     that follows through ``(5)'' on line 20, and insert the 
     following:
       (5) to help partner countries strengthen their democratic 
     systems, with a focus on good governance;
       (6) to ensure that the regulatory environments for trade, 
     infrastructure, and investment in partner countries are 
     transparent, open, and free of corruption;
       (7) to encourage responsible natural resource management in 
     partner countries, which is closely associated with economic 
     growth; and
       (8)
       On page 63, line 4, insert ``and religion'' before ``within 
     China''.
       On page 67, line 7, insert ``activities under the United 
     States-ASEAN Trade and Investment Framework Arrangement and'' 
     before ``the United States-ASEAN Connect''.
       On page 68, line 24, strike ``, the Secretary of State'' 
     and insert ``for the following 5 years, the Secretary of 
     State, in consultation with other Federal agencies,''.
       On page 74, beginning on line 6, strike ``undersea warfare 
     and air defense'' and insert ``mobile, survivable, and cost-
     effective''.
       On page 75, line 14, insert ``Executive Order 13551 (50 
     U.S.C. 1701 note; relating to blocking property of certain 
     persons with respect to North Korea),'' after ``in accordance 
     with''.
       On page 75, line 16, strike ``with respect to North 
     Korea''.
       On page 76, line 14, insert ``, in consultation with the 
     Secretary of the Treasury,'' after ``State''.
       On page 76, line 20, insert ``The reporting requirement 
     under this paragraph shall terminate on the date that is 5 
     years after the date of the enactment of this Act.'' after 
     ``person.''
       On page 77, beginning on line 14, strike ``, the Secretary 
     of State, or a designee of the Secretary,'' and insert ``for 
     the following 5 years, the Secretary of State, or a designee 
     of the Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of the 
     Treasury,''.
       On page 86, strike lines 17 through 19 and insert the 
     following:
       (3) to strengthen resilience against cyberattacks, 
     misinformation, and propaganda; and
       (4) to strengthen the resilience of critical 
     infrastructure.
       Beginning on page 86, line 21, strike ``such sums'' and all 
     that follows through page 87, line 3, and insert the 
     following: ``$100,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2019 
     through 2023 to enhance cooperation between the United States 
     and Indo-Pacific nations for the purposes of combatting 
     cybersecurity threats.''.

[[Page S7277]]

       On page 92, line 2, strike ``is authorized'' and insert 
     ``should seek to develop''.
       On page 92, line 9, strike ``for'' and insert ``, including 
     leveling the playing field for American companies competing 
     in''.
       On page 92, line 15, strike ``is encouraged to make'' and 
     insert ``should takes steps to strengthen the''.
       On page 92, line 17, insert ``as'' after ``laws''.
       On page 92, line 22, insert ``for the following 5 years'' 
     after ``after''.
       On page 93, line 7, insert ``to the United States Trade 
     Representative'' after ``appropriated''.
       On page 93, strike lines 13 through 22 and insert the 
     following:
       (1) Strategy.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for the 
     following 5 years, the President shall establish a 
     comprehensive, integrated, multiyear strategy to encourage 
     the efforts of Indo-Pacific countries to implement national 
     power strategies and cooperation with United States energy 
     companies and the Department of Energy national laboratories 
     to develop an appropriate mix of power solutions to provide 
     access to sufficient, reliable, and affordable power in order 
     to reduce poverty, drive economic growth and job creation, 
     and to increase energy security in the Indo-Pacific region.
       On page 93, lines 24 and 25, strike ``such amounts as may 
     be necessary'' and inserting ``$1,000,000 for each of the 
     fiscal years 2019 through 2023''.
       On page 94, strike lines 1 through 20 and insert the 
     following:
       (b) Reliable Energy Partnerships.--It is the sense of 
     Congress that the United States should explore opportunities 
     to partner with the private sector and multilateral 
     institutions, such as the World Bank and the Asian 
     Development Bank, to promote universal access to reliable 
     electricity in the Indo-Pacific region, including Myanmar 
     (historically known as ``Burma'').
       On page 94, line 22, strike ``The Secretary of State'' and 
     insert the following:
       (a) In General.--The Secretary of State
       On page 95, between lines 18 and 19, insert the following:
       (b) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter through 2023, 
     the Secretary of State, in cooperation with the Administrator 
     of the United States Agency for International Development, 
     shall submit a report to Congress that includes--
       (1) a list and evaluation of Lower Mekong Initiative 
     activities since its inception in 2009;
       (2) a strategy for any increased regional engagement and 
     measures of success for the activities described in paragraph 
     (1); and
       (3) an accounting of funds used to execute Lower Mekong 
     Initiative activities.
       On page 98, lines 6 and 7, strike ``as `Not Free', 
     according to the Department of State,'' and insert ``as 
     `Partly Free',''.
       On page 98, line 16, insert ``invasive and omnipresent 
     surveillance,'' after ``detentions''.
       On page 101, line 9, insert ``, after consultation with the 
     Administrator of the United States Agency for International 
     Development,'' after ``Secretary of State''.
       On page 102, line 5, insert ``targeted financial penalties 
     and visa ban'' after ``impose''.
       On page 102, lines 6 and 7, strike ``including targeted 
     financial penalties and visa bans,''.
       Beginning on page 103, strike line 18 and all that follows 
     through page 104, line 11, and insert the following:

     SEC. 410. INDO-PACIFIC HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS.

       (a) Defined Term.--In this section, the term ``human rights 
     defenders'' means individuals, working alone or in groups, 
     who nonviolently advocate for the promotion and protection of 
     universally recognized human rights and fundamental freedoms 
     if the advocacy of such issues may result in the risk of 
     safety or life.
       (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that 
     human rights defenders in the Indo-Pacific region have been 
     facing increased difficulties with the rise of unprecedented 
     crackdowns and conflicts.
       (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized 
     to be appropriated $1,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 
     2019 through 2023 to provide critical assistance to human 
     rights defenders through the Department of State's Human 
     Rights Defenders Fund.
       (d) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter through 2023, 
     the Secretary of State, in cooperation with the Administrator 
     of the United States Agency for International Development, 
     shall submit a report to Congress that includes--
       (1) a list and evaluation of the Human Rights Defenders 
     Fund activities since its inception;
       (2) a strategy for any increased regional engagement and 
     measures of success for the activities described in paragraph 
     (1); and
       (3) an accounting of funds used to execute the Human Rights 
     Defender Fund activities.
       On page 104, lines 14 and 15, strike ``such amounts as may 
     be necessary, for fiscal years 2019 through 2025,'' and 
     insert ``$25,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2019 
     through 2023''.
       At the end of the bill, insert the following:

     SEC. 412. SAVINGS PROVISION.

       Nothing in this Act may be construed as authorizing the use 
     of military force.

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