[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 157 (Wednesday, September 28, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5340-S5341]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 5873. Mr. MARKEY (for himself and Mr. Young) 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 D of title XII, add the following:
SEC. 1254. COOPERATION WITH THE QUAD.
(a) Sense of Congress on Cooperation With the Quad.--It is
the sense of Congress that--
(1) the United States should reaffirm our commitment to
quadrilateral cooperation among Australia, India, Japan, and
the United States (the ``Quad'') to enhance and implement a
shared vision to meet shared regional challenges and to
promote a free, open, inclusive, resilient, and healthy Indo-
Pacific that is characterized by democracy, rule of law, and
market-driven economic growth, and is free from undue
influence and coercion;
(2) the United States should seek to expand sustained
dialogue and cooperation through the Quad with a range of
partners to support the rule of law, freedom of navigation
and overflight, peaceful resolution of disputes, democratic
values, and territorial integrity, and to uphold peace and
prosperity and strengthen democratic resilience;
(3) the United States should seek to expand avenues of
cooperation with the Quad, including more regular military-
to-military dialogues, joint exercises, and coordinated
policies related to shared interests such as protecting
cyberspace and advancing maritime security;
(4) the pledge from the first-ever Quad leaders meeting on
March 12, 2021, to respond to the economic and health impacts
of COVID-19, including expanding safe, affordable, and
effective vaccine production and equitable access, and to
address shared challenges, including in cyberspace, critical
technologies, counterterrorism, quality infrastructure
investment, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief,
as well as maritime domains, further advances the important
cooperation among Quad nations that is so critical to the
Indo-Pacific region;
(5) building upon their partnership to help finance
1,000,000,000 or more COVID-19 vaccines by the end of 2022
for use in the Indo-Pacific region, the United States
International Development Finance Corporation, the Japan
International Cooperation Agency, and the Japan Bank for
International Cooperation, including through partnerships
with other multilateral development banks, should also
venture to finance development and infrastructure projects in
the Indo-Pacific region that are sustainable and offer a
viable alternative to the investments of the People's
Republic of China in that region under the Belt and Road
Initiative;
(6) in consultation with other Quad countries, the
President should establish clear deliverables for the 3 new
Quad Working Groups established on March 12, 2021, which
are--
(A) the Quad Vaccine Experts Working Group;
(B) the Quad Climate Working Group; and
(C) the Quad Critical and Emerging Technology Working
Group; and
(7) the formation of a Quad Intra-Parliamentary Working
Group could--
(A) sustain and deepen engagement between senior officials
of the Quad countries on a full spectrum of issues; and
(B) be modeled on the successful and long-standing
bilateral intra-parliamentary groups between the United
States and Mexico, Canada, and the United Kingdom, as well as
other formal and informal parliamentary exchanges.
(b) Establishment of Quad Intra-Parliamentary Working
Group.--
(1) Establishment.--Not later than 30 days after the date
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall
seek to enter into negotiations with the Governments of
Japan, Australia, and India (collectively, with the United
States, known as the ``Quad'') with the goal of reaching a
written agreement to establish a Quad Intra-Parliamentary
Working Group for the purpose of acting on the
recommendations of the Quad Working Groups described in
section subsection (a)(6) and to facilitate closer
cooperation on shared interests and values.
(2) United states group.--
(A) In general.--At such time as the governments of the
Quad countries enter into a written agreement described in
paragraph (1), there shall be established a United States
Group, which shall represent the United States at the Quad
Intra-Parliamentary Working Group.
(B) Membership.--
(i) In general.--The United States Group shall be comprised
of not more than 24 Members of Congress.
(ii) Appointment.--Of the Members of Congress appointed to
the United States Group under clause (i)--
(I) half shall be appointed by the President Pro Tempore of
the Senate, based on recommendations of the majority leader
and minority leader of the Senate, from among Members of the
Senate, not less than 4 of whom shall be members of the
Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate (unless the
majority leader and minority leader determine otherwise); and
(II) half shall be appointed by the Speaker of the House of
Representatives from among Members of the House of
Representatives, not less than 4 of whom shall be members of
the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of
Representatives.
(C) Meetings.--
(i) In general.--The United States Group shall seek to meet
not less frequently than annually with representatives and
appropriate staff of the legislatures of Japan, Australia,
and India, and any other country invited by mutual agreement
of the Quad countries.
(ii) Limitation.--A meeting described in clause (i) may be
held--
(I) in the United States;
(II) in another Quad country during periods when Congress
is not in session; or
(III) virtually.
(D) Chairperson and vice chairperson.--
(i) Senate delegation.--The President Pro Tempore of the
Senate shall designate the chairperson or vice chairperson of
the delegation of the United States Group from the Senate
from among members of the Committee on Foreign Relations of
the Senate.
(ii) House delegation.--The Speaker of the House of
Representatives shall designate the chairperson or vice
chairperson of the delegation of the United States Group from
the House of Representatives from among members of the
Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives.
(E) Authorization of appropriations.--
[[Page S5341]]
(i) In general.--There is authorized to be appropriated
$1,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2023 through 2026 for
the United States Group.
(ii) Distribution of appropriations.--
(I) In general.--For each fiscal year for which an
appropriation is made for the United States Group, half of
the amount appropriated shall be available to the delegation
from the Senate and half of the amount shall be available to
the delegation from the House of Representatives.
(II) Method of distribution.--The amounts available to the
delegations of the Senate and the House of Representatives
under subclause (I) shall be disbursed on vouchers to be
approved by the chairperson of the delegation from the Senate
and the chairperson of the delegation from the House of
Representatives, respectively.
(F) Private sources.--The United States Group may accept
gifts or donations of services or property, subject to the
review and approval, as appropriate, of the Committee on
Ethics of the Senate and the Committee on Ethics of the House
of Representatives.
(G) Certification of expenditures.--The certificate of the
chairperson of the delegation from the Senate or the
chairperson of the delegation from the House of
Representatives of the United States Group shall be final and
conclusive upon the accounting officers in the auditing of
the accounts of the United States Group.
(H) Annual report.--The United States Group shall submit to
the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the
Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives
a report for each fiscal year for which an appropriation is
made for the United States Group, which shall include a
description of its expenditures under such appropriation.
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