[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 31 (Thursday, February 18, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E144]
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, February 18, 2021

  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 inclusive and visionary 
leadership on both sides of the Atlantic.
  In my capacity as Chair and in the leadership of the Commission on 
Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the U.S. Helsinki 
Commission, for over a decade, I have led hearings and other 
initiatives on international election observation, good governance, and 
democratic backsliding 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). Last 
Congress these activities included a hearing series entitled, ``Human 
Rights at Home'', hosting young OSCE parliamentarians in the U.S. 
Congress to discuss how we can strengthen their political inclusion to 
advance peace and security efforts, and commemorating the tenth 
anniversary of the Transatlantic Minority Political Leadership 
Conference and Transatlantic Inclusion Leaders Network that have been 
pivotal in strengthening inclusive and strategic international 
relations over the past decade.
  These activities have identified numerous challenges in western 
leadership and countries--including my own--that are putting our 
democracies and the transatlantic partnership at risk. For instance, a 
2020 Pew Research study found that in 11 of the 57 countries that make 
up the region of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in 
Europe (OSCE), approximately half of those surveyed are dissatisfied 
with the way democracy in their countries is functioning with high 
rates of dissatisfaction in Italy, Greece, and the United States. 
Internal domestic challenges including economic decline, the rise of 
antiestablishment political parties, the weakening of the rule of law, 
increased migration, and heightened security concerns are only some of 
the sources of dissatisfaction. Continuing racial and other disparities 
in wealth, health, employment, education, justice, and other sectors 
have also led citizens and others to question whether democracy 
delivers.
  To renew confidence in the shared values that underpin Western 
democracies and the transatlantic partnership, we need to bolster 
initiatives that restore faith in democratic institutions. This 
includes identifying and strengthening the roles leaders can play in 
ensuring laws are equitable, transparent, and enforced; elections are 
free and fair; and that rights and protections are equally extended to 
all in their constituencies. And our efforts must include those that 
have long been excluded from fully participating in our society.
  As such, the LITE Act establishes an institute to assist Western 
countries in living up to democratic 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, LITE will cultivate inclusive and intergenerational 
solutions to current challenges with the goal of empowering diverse 
individuals across generations with the knowledge, tools, opportunity, 
and access to fully participate in their democracies. In addition, LITE 
will support strategies that reunify communities by assisting leaders 
in building resilience against the exploitation of community grievances 
that can lead to dangerous divisions in our societies.
  The LITE Act therefore complements and provides an essential tool for 
executing President Biden's Executive Orders on racial equity and 
addressing discrimination and plans to reengage with our European 
allies and hold a Democracy Summit.
  I hope you will join me in supporting LITE to strengthen our 
democratic future and the transatlantic partnership.

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