[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 157 (Wednesday, September 28, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5252-S5253]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 5771. Mr. RISCH (for himself, Mr. Rounds, and Mr. Van Hollen)
submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to amendment SA 5499
submitted by Mr. Reed (for himself and Mr. Inhofe) and intended to be
proposed to the bill H.R. 7900, to authorize appropriations for fiscal
year 2023 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 F of title XII, add the following:
SEC. 1276. SOMALILAND PARTNERSHIP ACT.
(a) Short Title.--This section may be cited as the
``Somaliland Partnership Act''.
(b) Defined Term.--In this section, the term ``Somaliland''
means the territory that--
(1) received its independence from the United Kingdom on
June 26, 1960, before the creation of the Somali Republic;
(2) has been a self-declared independent and sovereign
state since 1991 that is not internationally recognized; and
(3) exists as a semi-autonomous region of the Federal
Republic of Somalia.
(c) Report on Foreign Assistance and Other Activities in
Somaliland.--
(1) Defined term.--In this subsection, the term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(A) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate; and
(B) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of
Representatives.
(2) Report.--
(A) In general.--Not later than September 30, 2022, and
annually thereafter until the date that is 5 years after the
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State,
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in consultation with the Administrator of the United States
Agency for International Development, shall submit a report
to the appropriate congressional committees that, with
respect to the most recently concluded 12-month period--
(i) describes United States foreign assistance to
Somaliland, including--
(I) the value of such assistance (in United States
dollars);
(II) the source from which such assistance was funded;
(III) the names of the programs through which such
assistance was administered;
(IV) the implementing partners through which such
assistance was provided;
(V) the sponsoring bureau of the United States Government;
and
(VI) if the assistance broadly targeted the Federal
Republic of Somalia, the portion of such assistance that
was--
(aa) explicitly intended to support Somaliland; and
(bb) ultimately employed in Somaliland;
(ii) details the staffing and responsibilities of the
Department of State and the United States Agency for
International Development supporting foreign assistance,
relations, consular services, and security initiatives in
Somaliland, including the location of such personnel (duty
station) and their corresponding bureau;
(iii) provides--
(I) a detailed account of travel to Somaliland by employees
of the Department of State and the United States Agency for
International Development, if any, including the position,
duty station, and trip purpose for each such trip; or
(II) the justification for not traveling to Somaliland if
no such personnel traveled during the reporting period;
(iv) describes consular services provided by the Department
of State for the residents of Somaliland;
(v) discusses the Department of State's Travel Advisory for
Somalia related to the region of Somaliland; and
(vi) if the Travel Advisory for all or part of Somaliland
is identical to the Travel Advisory for other regions of
Somalia, justifies such ranking based on a security
assessment of the region of Somaliland.
(B) Form.--The report required under subparagraph (A) shall
be submitted in unclassified form, but may contain a
classified annex.
(d) Feasibility Study.--
(1) Defined term.--In this subsection, the term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(A) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate;
(B) the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate;
(C) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of
Representatives; and
(D) the Committee on Armed Services of the House of
Representatives.
(2) Feasibility study.--The Secretary of State, in
coordination with the Secretary of Defense, shall conduct a
feasibility study that--
(A) includes coordination with Somaliland security organs;
(B) determines opportunities for collaboration in the
pursuit of United States national security interests in the
Horn of Africa, the Gulf of Aden, and the broader Indo-
Pacific region;
(C) identifies the practicability of improving the
professionalization and capacity of Somaliland security
sector actors; and
(D) identifies the most effective way to conduct and carry
out programs, transactions, and other relations in the City
of Hargeisa on behalf of the United States Government.
(3) Report to congress.--Not later than 180 days after the
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in
coordination with the Secretary of Defense and the heads of
other relevant Federal departments and agencies, shall submit
a classified report to the appropriate congressional
committees that contains the results of the feasibility study
required under paragraph (2), including an assessment of the
extent to which--
(A) opportunities exist for the United States to support
the training of Somaliland's security sector actors with a
specific focus on counterterrorism and border and maritime
security;
(B) Somaliland's security forces were implicated, if any,
in gross violations of human rights during the 3-year period
immediately preceding the date of the enactment of this Act;
(C) the United States has provided or discussed with
officials of Somaliland the provision of training to security
forces, including--
(i) where such training has occurred;
(ii) the extent to which Somaliland security forces have
demonstrated the ability to absorb previous training; and
(iii) the ability of Somaliland security forces to maintain
and appropriately utilize such training, as applicable;
(D) a United States diplomatic and security engagement
partnership with Somaliland would have a strategic impact,
including by protecting the United States and allied maritime
interests in the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and at Somaliland's
Port of Berbera;
(E) Somaliland could--
(i) serve as a maritime gateway in East Africa for the
United States and its allies; and
(ii) counter Iran's presence in the Gulf of Aden and
China's growing regional military presence;
(F) a United States security and defense partnership
could--
(i) bolster cooperation between Somaliland and Taiwan;
(ii) stabilize this semi-autonomous region of Somalia
further as a democratic counterweight to anti-democratic
forces in the greater Horn of Africa region; and
(iii) impact the capacity of the United States to achieve
policy objectives in Somalia, particularly to degrade and
ultimately defeat the terrorist threat posed by Al-Shabaab,
the Islamic State in Somalia (the Somalia-based Islamic State
affiliate), and other terrorist groups operating in Somalia;
(G) the extent to which an improved relationship with
Somaliland could--
(i) support United States policy focused on the Red Sea
corridor, the Indo-Pacific region, and the Horn of Africa;
(ii) improve cooperation on counterterrorism and
intelligence sharing;
(iii) enable cooperation on counter-trafficking, including
the trafficking of humans, wildlife, weapons, and illicit
goods; and
(iv) support trade and development, including how
Somaliland could benefit from Prosper Africa and other
regional trade initiatives.
(4) Form.--The report required under paragraph (3) shall be
submitted in unclassified form, but may contain a classified
annex.
(e) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this Act, including
the reporting requirement under subsection (c) and the
conduct of the feasibility study under subsection (d), may be
construed to convey United States recognition of Somaliland
as an independent state.
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