[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,

[[Page S5253]]

     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.
                                 ______