[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 117 (Thursday, June 25, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S3552]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 2134. Mr. WICKER submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by 
him to the bill S. 4049, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 
2021 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 appropriate place, insert the following:

     SEC. __. ENHANCEMENT OF COMMERCIAL ENGAGEMENT.

       (a) Definitions.--In this section--
       (1) the term ``appropriate committees of Congress'' means--
       (A) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 
     of the Senate;
       (B) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate;
       (C) the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate;
       (D) the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of 
     Representatives;
       (E) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 
     Representatives; and
       (F) the Committee on Armed Services of the House of 
     Representatives; and
       (2) the term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of Commerce.
       (b) Program.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, 
     including any provision of title 5, United States Code, the 
     Secretary may appoint locally-engaged staff in Pacific Island 
     countries for the purpose of promoting increased economic and 
     commercial engagement between the United States and those 
     countries.
       (c) Availability of Funds.--Until September 30, 2024, 
     amounts appropriated to the Secretary under any other 
     provision of law shall be available to carry out subsection 
     (b).
       (d) Report.--Not later than March 15, 2025, the Secretary, 
     in consultation with the Secretary of State and the Secretary 
     of Defense, shall submit to the appropriate committees of 
     Congress a report on the activities of any staff appointed 
     under subsection (b), which shall include--
       (1) an assessment of the commercial results of those 
     activities, including the impact on United States companies 
     and on the economies of the applicable Pacific Island 
     countries;
       (2) an assessment of the impact of those activities with 
     respect to the diplomatic and security interests of the 
     United States;
       (3) recommendations for the future of United States 
     commercial engagement in Pacific Island countries; and
       (4) any other matter that the Secretary determines is 
     appropriate.
       (e) Rule of Construction.--For the purposes of this 
     section, American Samoa shall be considered to be a Pacific 
     Island country.
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