[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 194 (Thursday, November 4, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7874-S7875]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 4345. Mr. RUBIO submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to 
amendment SA 3867 submitted by Mr. Reed and intended to be proposed to 
the bill H.R. 4350, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2022 
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 title XII, add the following:

       Subtitle H--Protecting Central American Women and Children

     SEC. 1291. SHORT TITLE.

       This subtitle may be cited as the ``Central American Women 
     and Children Protection Act of 2021''.

     SEC. 1292. WOMEN AND CHILDREN PROTECTION COMPACTS.

       (a) Authorization to Enter Into Compacts.--The Secretary of 
     State, in coordination with the Administrator of the United 
     States Agency for International Development, is authorized to 
     enter into multi-year,

[[Page S7875]]

     bilateral agreements of not longer than 6 years in duration, 
     developed in conjunction with the governments of El Salvador, 
     Guatemala, and Honduras (referred to in this subtitle as 
     ``Compact Countries''). Such agreements shall be known as 
     Women and Children Protection Compacts (referred to in this 
     subtitle as ``Compacts'').
       (b) Purpose.--Each Compact shall--
       (1) set out the shared goals and objectives of the United 
     States and the government of the Compact Country; and
       (2) be aimed at strengthening the Compact Country's 
     efforts--
       (A) to strengthen criminal justice and civil court systems 
     to protect women and children and serve victims of domestic 
     violence, sexual violence, trafficking, and child 
     exploitation and neglect, and hold perpetrators accountable;
       (B) to secure, create, and sustain safe communities, 
     building on best practices to prevent and deter violence 
     against women and children;
       (C) to ensure that schools are safe and promote the 
     prevention and early detection of domestic abuse against 
     women and children within communities; and
       (D) to enhance security within areas experiencing endemic 
     domestic, gang, gender-based and drug-related or similar 
     criminal violence against women and children.
       (c) Compact Elements.--Each Compact shall--
       (1) establish a 3- to 6-year cooperative strategy and 
     assistance plan for achieving the shared goals and objectives 
     articulated in such Compact;
       (2) be informed by the assessments of--
       (A) the areas within the Compact Country experiencing the 
     highest incidence of violence against women and children;
       (B) the ability of women and children to access protection 
     and obtain effective judicial relief; and
       (C) the judicial capacity to respond to reports within the 
     Compact Country of femicide, sexual and domestic violence, 
     and child exploitation and neglect, and to hold the 
     perpetrators of such criminal acts accountable;
       (3) seek to address the driving forces of violence against 
     women and children, which shall include efforts to break the 
     binding constraints to inclusive economic growth and access 
     to justice;
       (4) identify clear and measurable goals, objectives, and 
     benchmarks under the Compact to detect, deter and respond to 
     violence against women and children;
       (5) set out clear roles, responsibilities, and objectives 
     under the Compact, which shall include a description of the 
     anticipated policy and financial commitments of the central 
     government of the Compact Country;
       (6) seek to leverage and deconflict contributions and 
     complementary programming by other donors;
       (7) include a description of the metrics and indicators to 
     monitor and measure progress toward achieving the goals, 
     objectives, and benchmarks under the Compact, including 
     reductions in the prevalence of femicide, sexual assault, 
     domestic violence, and child abuse and neglect;
       (8) provide for the conduct of an impact evaluation not 
     later than 1 year after the conclusion of the Compact; and
       (9) provide for a full accounting of all funds expended 
     under the Compact, which shall include full audit authority 
     for the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of 
     State, the Office of the Inspector General of the United 
     States Agency for International Development, and the 
     Government Accountability Office, as appropriate.
       (d) Funding Limitation.--Compacts may not provide for any 
     United States assistance to be made available directly to the 
     Government of El Salvador, the Government of Guatemala, or 
     the Government of Honduras.
       (e) Termination or Suspension.--Any Compact may be 
     suspended or terminated, with respect to a country or an 
     entity receiving assistance pursuant to the Compact, if the 
     Secretary of State determines that such country or entity has 
     failed to make sufficient progress towards the goals of the 
     Compact.
       (f) Sunset.--The authority to enter into Compacts under 
     this subtitle shall expire on September 30, 2023.

     SEC. 1293. CONGRESSIONAL NOTIFICATION.

       Not later than 15 days before entering into a Compact with 
     the Government of Guatemala, the Government of Honduras, or 
     the Government of El Salvador, the Secretary of State, in 
     coordination with the Administrator of the United States 
     Agency for International Development, shall submit to the 
     Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate, the Committee 
     on Appropriations of the Senate, the Committee on Foreign 
     Affairs of the House of Representatives, and the Committee on 
     Appropriations of the House of Representatives--
       (1) a copy of the proposed Compact;
       (2) a detailed summary of the cooperative strategy and 
     assistance plan required under section 1292(c); and
       (3) a copy of any annexes, appendices, or implementation 
     plans related to the Compact.

     SEC. 1294. COMPACT PROGRESS REPORTS AND BRIEFINGS.

       (a) Progress Report.--Not later than 1 year after entering 
     into a Compact, and annually during the life of the Compact, 
     the Secretary of State, in coordination with the 
     Administrator of the United States Agency for International 
     Development, shall submit a report to the congressional 
     committees listed in section 1293 that describes the progress 
     made under the Compact.
       (b) Contents.--The report submitted under subsection (a) 
     shall include--
       (1) analysis and information on the overall rates of 
     gender-based violence against women and children in El 
     Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, including by using 
     survivor surveys, regardless of whether or not these acts of 
     violence are reported to government authorities;
       (2) analysis and information on incidences of cases of 
     gender-based violence against women and children reported to 
     the authorities in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, and 
     the percentage of alleged perpetrators investigated, 
     apprehended, prosecuted, and convicted;
       (3) analysis and information on the capacity and resource 
     allocation of child welfare systems in El Salvador, 
     Guatemala, and Honduras to protect unaccompanied children;
       (4) the percentage of reported violence against women and 
     children cases reaching conviction;
       (5) a baseline and percentage changes in women and children 
     victims receiving legal and other social services;
       (6) a baseline and percentage changes in school retention 
     rates;
       (7) a baseline and changes in capacity of police, 
     prosecution service, and courts to combat violence against 
     women and children;
       (8) a baseline and changes in capacity of justice, 
     protection, and other relevant ministries to support 
     survivors of gender-based violence against women and 
     children; and
       (9) independent external evaluation of funded programs, 
     including compliance with terms of the Compacts by El 
     Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, and by the recipients of 
     the assistance.
       (c) Briefing.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State and the 
     Administrator of the United States Agency for International 
     Development shall provide a briefing to the congressional 
     committees listed in section 1293 regarding--
       (1) the data and information collected pursuant to this 
     section; and
       (2) the steps taken to protect and assist victims of 
     domestic violence, sexual violence, trafficking, and child 
     exploitation and neglect.
                                 ______