[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.
                                 ______