[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 194 (Thursday, November 4, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S7985]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 4485. Mr. RISCH 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 subtitle E of title XII, add the following:
SEC. 1253. INFRASTRUCTURE TRANSACTION AND ASSISTANCE NETWORK.
(a) Authority.--The Secretary of State is authorized to
establish an initiative, to be known as the ``Infrastructure
Transaction and Assistance Network'', under which the
Secretary of State, in consultation with other relevant
Federal agencies, including those represented on the Global
Infrastructure Coordinating Committee, may carry out various
programs to advance the development of sustainable,
transparent, and high-quality infrastructure in the Indo-
Pacific region by--
(1) strengthening capacity-building programs to improve
project evaluation processes, regulatory and procurement
environments, and project preparation capacity of countries
that are partners of the United States in such development;
(2) providing transaction advisory services and project
preparation assistance to support sustainable infrastructure;
and
(3) coordinating the provision of United States assistance
for the development of infrastructure, including
infrastructure that utilizes United States-manufactured goods
and services, and catalyzing investment led by the private
sector.
(b) Transaction Advisory Fund.--As part of the
``Infrastructure Transaction and Assistance Network''
described under subsection (a), the Secretary of State is
authorized to provide support, including through the
Transaction Advisory Fund, for advisory services to help
boost the capacity of partner countries to evaluate contracts
and assess the financial and environmental impacts of
potential infrastructure projects, including through
providing services such as--
(1) legal services;
(2) project preparation and feasibility studies;
(3) debt sustainability analyses;
(4) bid or proposal evaluation; and
(5) other services relevant to advancing the development of
sustainable, transparent, and high-quality infrastructure.
(c) Strategic Infrastructure Fund.--
(1) In general.--As part of the ``Infrastructure
Transaction and Assistance Network'' described under
subsection (a), the Secretary of State is authorized to
provide support, including through the Strategic
Infrastructure Fund, for technical assistance, project
preparation, pipeline development, and other infrastructure
project support.
(2) Joint infrastructure projects.--Funds authorized for
the Strategic Infrastructure Fund should be used in
coordination with the Department of Defense, the
International Development Finance Corporation, like-minded
donor partners, and multilateral banks, as appropriate, to
support joint infrastructure projects in the Indo-Pacific
region.
(3) Strategic infrastructure projects.--Funds authorized
for the Strategic Infrastructure Fund should be used to
support strategic infrastructure projects that are in the
national security interest of the United States and
vulnerable to strategic competitors.
(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized
to be appropriated, for each of fiscal years 2022 to 2026,
$75,000,000 to the Infrastructure Transaction and Assistance
Network, of which $20,000,000 is to be provided for the
Transaction Advisory Fund.
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