[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 158 (Thursday, September 29, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5756-S5758]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 6233. Mr. SCHATZ 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 title XII, add the following:

                          Subtitle G--Oceania

     SEC. 1281. DEFINITION OF OCEANIA.

       In this subtitle, except as provided in section 1286, the 
     term ``Oceania'' includes the following:
       (1) Easter Island of Chile.
       (2) Fiji.
       (3) French Polynesia of France.
       (4) Kiribati.
       (5) Nauru.
       (6) New Caledonia of France.
       (7) Nieu of New Zealand.
       (8) Papua New Guinea.
       (9) Samoa.
       (10) Vanuatu.
       (11) The Ashmore and Cartier Islands of Australia.
       (12) The Cook Islands of New Zealand.
       (13) The Coral Islands of Australia.
       (14) The Federated States of Micronesia.
       (15) The Norfolk Island of Australia.
       (16) The Pitcairn Islands of the United Kingdom.
       (17) The Republic of the Marshall Islands.
       (18) The Republic of Palau.
       (19) The Solomon Islands.
       (20) Tokelau of New Zealand.
       (21) Tonga.
       (22) Tuvalu.
       (23) Wallis and Futuna of France.

     SEC. 1282. OCEANIA STRATEGIC ROADMAP.

       (a) Oceania Strategic Roadmap.--Not later than 180 days 
     after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
     State shall submit to the Committee on Foreign Relations of 
     the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House 
     of Representatives a strategic roadmap for strengthening 
     United States engagement with the countries of Oceania, 
     including an analysis of opportunities to cooperate with 
     Australia, New Zealand, and Japan, to address shared concerns 
     and promote shared goals in pursuit of security and 
     resiliency in the countries of Oceania.
       (b) Elements.--The strategic roadmap required by subsection 
     (a) shall include the following:
       (1) A description of United States regional goals and 
     concerns with respect to Oceania and increasing engagement 
     with the countries of Oceania.
       (2) An assessment, based on paragraph (1), of United States 
     regional goals and concerns that are shared by Australia, New 
     Zealand, and Japan, including a review of issues related to 
     anticorruption, maritime and other security issues, 
     environmental protection, fisheries management, economic 
     growth and development, and disaster resilience and 
     preparedness.
       (3) A review of ongoing programs and initiatives by the 
     governments of the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and 
     Japan in pursuit of those shared regional goals and concerns, 
     including with respect to the issues described in paragraph 
     (1).
       (4) A review of ongoing programs and initiatives by 
     regional organizations and other related intergovernmental 
     structures aimed at addressing the issues described in 
     paragraph (1).
       (5) A plan for aligning United States programs and 
     resources in pursuit of those shared regional goals and 
     concerns, as appropriate.
       (6) Recommendations for additional United States 
     authorities, personnel, programs, or resources necessary to 
     execute the strategic roadmap.
       (7) Any other elements the Secretary considers appropriate.

     SEC. 1283. REVIEW OF USAID PROGRAMMING IN OCEANIA.

       (a) In General.--The Secretary of State, in coordination 
     with the Administrator of the United States Agency for 
     International Development (in this section referred to as 
     ``USAID''), should include the Indo-Pacific countries of 
     Oceania in existing strategic planning and multi-sector 
     program evaluation processes, including the Department of 
     State's Integrated Country Strategies and USAID's Country 
     Development Cooperation Strategies, the Joint Strategic Plan, 
     and the Journey to Self-Reliance Country Roadmaps.
       (b) Programmatic Considerations.--Evaluations and 
     considerations for Indo-Pacific countries of Oceania in the 
     program planning and strategic development processes under 
     subsection (a) should include--
       (1) descriptions of the diplomatic and development 
     challenges of the Indo-Pacific countries of Oceania as those 
     challenges relate to the strategic, economic, and 
     humanitarian interests of the United States;

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       (2) reviews of existing Department of State and USAID 
     programs to address the diplomatic and development challenges 
     of those countries evaluated under paragraph (1);
       (3) descriptions of the barriers, if any, to increasing 
     Department of State and USAID programming to Indo-Pacific 
     countries of Oceania, including--
       (A) the relative income level of the Indo-Pacific countries 
     of Oceania relative to other regions where there is high 
     demand for United States foreign assistance to support 
     development needs;
       (B) the relative capacity of the Indo-Pacific countries of 
     Oceania to absorb United States foreign assistance for 
     diplomatic and development needs through partner governments 
     and civil society institutions; and
       (C) any other factor that the Secretary or Administrator 
     determines may constitute a barrier to deploying or 
     increasing United States foreign assistance to the Indo-
     Pacific countries of Oceania;
       (4) assessments of the presence of, degree of international 
     development by, partner country indebtedness to, and 
     political influence of malign foreign governments, such as 
     the Government of the People's Republic of China, and non-
     state actors;
       (5) assessments of new foreign economic assistance 
     modalities that could assist in strengthening United States 
     foreign assistance in the Indo-Pacific countries of Oceania, 
     including the deployment of technical assistance and asset 
     recovery tools to partner governments and civil society 
     institutions to help develop the capacity and expertise 
     necessary to achieve self-sufficiency;
       (6) an evaluation of the existing budget and resource 
     management processes for the Department of State's and 
     USAID's mission and work with respect to its programming in 
     the Indo-Pacific countries of Oceania;
       (7) an explanation of how the Secretary and the 
     Administrator will use existing programming processes, 
     including those with respect to development of an Integrated 
     Country Strategy, Country Development Cooperation Strategy, 
     the Joint Strategic Plan, and the Journey to Self-Reliance 
     Country Roadmaps, to advance the long-term growth, 
     governance, economic development, and resilience of the Indo-
     Pacific countries of Oceania; and
       (8) any recommendations about appropriate budgetary, 
     resource management, and programmatic changes necessary to 
     assist in strengthening United States foreign assistance 
     programming in the Indo-Pacific countries of Oceania.

     SEC. 1284. OCEANIA SECURITY DIALOGUE.

       (a) In General.--Not later than one year after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall brief 
     the appropriate committees of Congress on the feasibility and 
     advisability of establishing a United States-based public-
     private sponsored security dialogue (to be known as the 
     ``Oceania Security Dialogue'') among the countries of Oceania 
     for the purposes of jointly exploring and discussing issues 
     affecting the economic, diplomatic, and national security of 
     the Indo-Pacific countries of Oceania.
       (b) Report Required.--The briefing required by subsection 
     (a) shall, at a minimum, include the following:
       (1) A review of the ability of the Department of State to 
     participate in a public-private sponsored security dialogue.
       (2) An assessment of the potential locations for conducting 
     an Oceania Security Dialogue in the jurisdiction of the 
     United States.
       (3) Consideration of dates for conducting an Oceania 
     Security Dialogue that would maximize participation of 
     representatives from the Indo-Pacific countries of Oceania.
       (4) A review of the funding modalities available to the 
     Department of State to help finance an Oceania Security 
     Dialogue, including grant-making authorities available to the 
     Department of State.
       (5) An assessment of any administrative, statutory, or 
     other legal limitations that would prevent the establishment 
     of an Oceania Security Dialogue with participation and 
     support of the Department of State as described in subsection 
     (a).
       (6) An analysis of how an Oceania Security Dialogue could 
     help to advance the Boe Declaration on Regional Security, 
     including its emphasis on the changing environment as the 
     greatest existential threat to countries of Oceania.
       (7) An evaluation of how an Oceania Security Dialogue could 
     help amplify the issues and work of existing regional 
     structures and organizations dedicated to the security of the 
     Oceania region, such as the Pacific Island Forum and the 
     Pacific Environmental Security Forum.
       (8) An analysis of how an Oceania Security Dialogue would 
     help with implementation of the strategic roadmap required by 
     section 1282 and advance the National Security Strategy of 
     the United States.
       (c) Interagency Consultation.--To the extent practicable, 
     the Secretary of State may consult with the Secretary of 
     Defense and, where appropriate, evaluate the lessons learned 
     of the Regional Centers for Security Studies of the 
     Department of Defense to determine the feasibility and 
     advisability of establishing the Oceania Security Dialogue.
       (d) Appropriate Committees of Congress Defined.--In this 
     section, the term ``appropriate committees of Congress'' 
     means--
       (1) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate;
       (2) the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate;
       (3) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 
     Representatives; and
       (4) the Committee on Armed Services of the House of 
     Representatives.

     SEC. 1285. REPORT ON COUNTERING ILLEGAL, UNREPORTED, AND 
                   UNREGULATED FISHING IN OCEANIA.

       (a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
       (1) many countries of the Oceania region depend on 
     commercial tuna fisheries as a critical component of their 
     economies;
       (2) the Government of the People's Republic of China has 
     used its licensed fishing fleet to exert greater influence in 
     Oceania, but at the same time, its licensed fishing fleet is 
     also a major contributor to illegal, unreported, and 
     unregulated fishing (in this section referred to as ``IUU 
     fishing'') activities;
       (3) the sustainability of Oceania's fisheries is threatened 
     by IUU fishing, which depletes both commercially important 
     fish stocks and non-targeted species that help maintain the 
     integrity of the ocean ecosystem;
       (4) in addition, IUU fishing puts pressure on protected 
     species of marine mammals, sea turtles, and sea birds, which 
     also jeopardizes the integrity of the ocean ecosystem;
       (5) further, because IUU fishing goes unrecorded, the loss 
     of biomass compromises scientists' work to assess and model 
     fishery stocks and advise managers on sustainable catch 
     levels;
       (6) beyond the damage to living marine resources, IUU 
     fishing also contributes directly to illegal activity in the 
     Oceania region, such as food fraud, smuggling, and human 
     trafficking;
       (7) current approaches to IUU fishing enforcement rely on 
     established methods, such as vessel monitoring systems, 
     logbooks maintained by government fisheries enforcement 
     authorities to record the catches landed by fishing vessels, 
     and corroborating data on catches hand-collected by human 
     observer programs;
       (8) such established methods are imperfect because--
       (A) vessels can turn off monitoring systems and unlicensed 
     vessels do not use them; and
       (B) observer coverage is thin and subject to human error 
     and corruption;
       (9) maritime domain awareness technology solutions for 
     vessel monitoring have gained credibility in recent years and 
     include systems such as observing instruments deployed on 
     satellites, crewed and uncrewed air and surface systems, 
     aircraft, and surface vessels, as well as electronic 
     monitoring systems on fishing vessels;
       (10) maritime domain awareness technologies hold the 
     promise of significantly augmenting the current IUU fishing 
     enforcement capacities; and
       (11) maritime domain awareness technologies offer an avenue 
     for addressing key United States national interests, 
     including those interests related to--
       (A) increasing bilateral diplomatic ties with key allies 
     and partners in the Oceania region;
       (B) countering illicit trafficking in arms, narcotics, and 
     human beings associated with IUU fishing;
       (C) advancing security, long-term growth, and development 
     in the Oceania region;
       (D) supporting ocean conservation objectives;
       (E) reducing food insecurity; and
       (F) countering attempts by the Government of the People's 
     Republic of China to grow its influence in the Oceania 
     region.
       (b) Report Required.--
       (1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in 
     consultation with the Administrator of the National Oceanic 
     and Atmospheric Administration, the Commandant of the Coast 
     Guard, and the Secretary of Defense, shall submit to the 
     appropriate congressional committees a report assessing the 
     use of advanced maritime domain awareness technology systems 
     to combat IUU fishing in Oceania.
       (2) Elements.--The report required by paragraph (1) shall 
     include--
       (A) a review of the effectiveness of existing monitoring 
     technologies, including electronic monitoring systems, to 
     combat IUU fishing;
       (B) recommendations for effectively integrating effective 
     monitoring technologies into an Oceania-wide strategy for IUU 
     fishing enforcement;
       (C) an assessment and recommendations for the secure and 
     reliable processing of data from such monitoring 
     technologies, including the security and verification issues;
       (D) the technical and financial capacity of countries of 
     the Oceania region to deploy and maintain large-scale use of 
     maritime domain awareness technological systems for the 
     purposes of combating IUU fishing and supporting fisheries 
     resource management;
       (E) a review of the technical and financial capacity of 
     regional organizations and international structures to 
     support countries of the Oceania region in the deployment and 
     maintenance of large-scale use of maritime domain awareness 
     technology systems for the purposes of combating IUU fishing 
     and supporting fisheries resource management;
       (F) an evaluation of the utility of using foreign 
     assistance, security assistance, and development assistance 
     provided by the United States to countries of the Oceania 
     region to support the large-scale deployment and operations 
     of maritime domain awareness systems to increase maritime 
     security across the region; and

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       (G) an assessment of the role of large-scale deployment and 
     operations of maritime domain awareness systems throughout 
     Oceania to supporting United States economic and national 
     security interests in the Oceania region, including efforts 
     related to countering IUU fishing, improving maritime 
     security, and countering malign foreign influence.
       (3) Appropriate congressional committees defined.--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.

     SEC. 1286. OCEANIA PEACE CORPS PARTNERSHIPS.

       (a) In General.--Not later than one year after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Director of the Peace Corps 
     shall submit to Congress a report on strategies to reasonably 
     and safely expand the number of Peace Corps volunteers in 
     Oceania, with the goals of--
       (1) expanding the presence of the Peace Corps to all 
     currently feasible locations in Oceania; and
       (2) working with regional and international partners of the 
     United States to expand the presence of Peace Corps 
     volunteers in low-income Oceania communities in support of 
     climate resilience initiatives.
       (b) Elements.--The report required by subsection (a) 
     shall--
       (1) assess the factors contributing to the current absence 
     of the Peace Corps and its volunteers in Oceania;
       (2) examine potential remedies that include working with 
     United States Government agencies and regional governments, 
     including governments of United States allies--
       (A) to increase the health infrastructure and medical 
     evacuation capabilities of the countries of Oceania to better 
     support the safety of Peace Corps volunteers while in those 
     countries;
       (B) to address physical safety concerns that have decreased 
     the ability of the Peace Corps to operate in Oceania; and
       (C) to increase transportation infrastructure in the 
     countries of Oceania to better support the travel of Peace 
     Corps volunteers and their access to necessary facilities;
       (3) evaluate the potential to expand the deployment of 
     Peace Corps Response volunteers to help the countries of 
     Oceania address social, economic, and development needs of 
     their communities that require specific professional 
     expertise; and
       (4) explore potential new operational models to address 
     safety and security needs of Peace Corps volunteers in the 
     countries of Oceania, including--
       (A) changes to volunteer deployment durations; and
       (B) scheduled redeployment of volunteers to regional or 
     United States-based healthcare facilities for routine 
     physical and behavioral health evaluation.
       (c) Volunteers in Low-income Oceania Communities.--
       (1) In general.--In examining the potential to expand the 
     presence of Peace Corps volunteers in low-income Oceania 
     communities under subsection (a)(2), the Director of the 
     Peace Corps shall consider the development of initiatives 
     described in paragraph (2).
       (2) Initiatives described.--Initiatives described in this 
     paragraph are volunteer initiatives that help the countries 
     of Oceania address social, economic, and development needs of 
     their communities, including by--
       (A) addressing, through appropriate resilience-based 
     interventions, the vulnerability that communities in Oceania 
     face as result of extreme weather, severe environmental 
     change, and other climate related trends; and
       (B) improving, through smart infrastructure principles, 
     access to transportation and connectivity infrastructure that 
     will help address the economic and social challenges that 
     communities in Oceania confront as a result of poor or 
     nonexistent infrastructure.
       (d) Oceania Defined.--In this section, the term ``Oceania'' 
     includes the following:
       (1) Fiji.
       (2) Kiribati.
       (3) The Republic of the Marshall Islands.
       (4) The Federated States of Micronesia.
       (5) Nauru.
       (6) Palau.
       (7) Papua New Guinea.
       (8) Samoa.
       (9) The Solomon Islands.
       (10) Tonga.
       (11) Tuvalu.
       (12) Vanuatu.
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