[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 48 (Thursday, March 12, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E312]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 INTRODUCTION OF THE LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE FOR TRANSATLANTIC ENGAGEMENT 
                               (LITE) ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 12, 2020

  Mr. HASTINGS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Leadership 
Institute for Transatlantic Engagement (LITE) Act--a bill that will 
create an institute to assist in strengthening ties with our allies, 
protect democratic institutions, and support visionary leadership on 
both sides of the Atlantic.
  In the 116th Congress, under my leadership as chair, the Commission 
on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the U.S. Helsinki 
Commission, has held events on the importance of international election 
observation, good governance, and focused on democratic backsliding in 
particular countries as part of our continued commitment to the 
underlying principles of the Helsinki Final Act adopted by the 57 North 
American, European, and Eurasian countries that make up the region of 
the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
  We identified numerous challenges in western leadership that are 
putting our democracies and the transatlantic partnership at risk, 
including as continuing disparities in wealth, health, employment, 
education, justice, and other sectors that lead citizens to question 
whether democracy can deliver. Common to among these issues is the role 
leaders can play in ensuring laws are equitable, transparent, and 
enforced; elections are free and fair; and laying the groundwork to 
ensure the same protections, rights, and laws, are extended to all in 
their constituencies.
  The LITE Act will establish an institute to assist western 
democracies in living up to these ideals and restoring faith in 
democracy, by equipping transatlantic policymakers with legislative, 
communications, conflict resolution and other leadership tools to 
strengthen democratic institutions in their societies and the 
transatlantic relationship. Given demographic change on both sides of 
the Atlantic, the activities of LITE, as established by this 
legislation, will also include a focus on inclusive and 
intergenerational solutions to current challenges with the goal of 
empowering individuals across generations and from diverse backgrounds 
with the knowledge, tools, opportunity, and access to fully participate 
in their democracies. In addition, LITE will seek to reunify 
communities by assisting leaders with strategies that build resilience 
against the exploitation of community grievances that can lead to 
dangerous divisions in our societies.
  In February, we hosted young parliamentarians from the OSCE region 
here in the U.S. Congress to discuss how we can strengthen their 
political inclusion to advance peace and security efforts. Last year, 
we held hearings featuring European lawmakers, and on global 
leadership, democracy and public diplomacy. These hearings were the 
capstone in a decade of events that began in 2009 whereby the 
Commission has convened U.S. and European policymakers under the banner 
of the Transatlantic Minority Political Leadership Conference and 
Transatlantic Inclusion Leaders Network to support increased political 
representation in western democracies. As we celebrate the tenth 
anniversary of these efforts that have been pivotal in strengthening 
international relations over the past decade, I hope you will join me 
in supporting LITE to further codify leadership exchanges and knowledge 
building between diverse and young transatlantic policy makers as a 
means to sustain our democratic futures.

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