[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 31 (Wednesday, February 15, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S427-S428]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS

      By Mr. CORNYN (for himself, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Grassley, Mr. 
        Rubio, Mr. Hagerty, Mr. Risch, and Mrs. Fischer):
  S. 434. A bill to amend the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, 
as amended, to modify requirements under that Act relating to 
exemptions, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Foreign 
Relations.
  Mr. CORNYN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to print my bill 
for introduction in the Congressional Record. The bill amends the 
Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, as amended, to modify 
requirements under that act relating to exemptions.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                 S. 434

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Preventing Adversary 
     Influence, Disinformation, and Obscured Foreign Financing Act 
     of 2023'' or the ``PAID OFF Act of 2023''.

     SEC. 2. TREATMENT OF EXEMPTIONS UNDER FARA.

       (a) Definition.--Section 1 of the Foreign Agents 
     Registration Act of 1938, as amended (22 U.S.C. 611) is 
     amended by adding at the end the following:
       ``(q) The term `country of concern' means--
       ``(1) the People's Republic of China;
       ``(2) the Russian Federation;
       ``(3) the Islamic Republic of Iran;
       ``(4) the Democratic People's Republic of Korea;
       ``(5) the Republic of Cuba; and
       ``(6) the Syrian Arab Republic.''.
       (b) Exemptions.--Section 3 of the Foreign Agents 
     Registration Act of 1938, as amended (22 U.S.C. 613), is 
     amended, in the matter preceding subsection (a), by inserting 
     ``, except that the exemptions under subsections (d)(1) and 
     (h) shall not apply to any agent of a foreign principal that 
     is a country of concern'' before the colon.
       (c) Sunset.--The amendments made by subsections (a) and (b) 
     shall terminate on October 1, 2026.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mr. DURBIN:
  S. 437. A bill to establish within the Office of Gender Equality and 
Women's Empowerment of the United States Agency for International 
Development a rural mobility program to promote mobility in rural 
communities through access to affordable, fit-for-purpose bicycles, 
provide support to sustainably increase access to rural areas, and for 
other purposes; to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
  Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of 
the bill be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                 S. 437

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Bicycles for Rural African 
     Transport Act''.

     SEC. 2. RURAL MOBILITY PROGRAM IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA.

       (a) Establishment.--
       (1) In general.--The Administrator of the United States 
     Agency for International Development (referred to in this Act 
     as ``USAID'') shall establish, within the Office of Gender 
     Equality and Women's Empowerment, a rural mobility program 
     (referred to in this section as the ``Program'') to carry out 
     the purposes described in paragraph (2), including through 
     grants made to eligible nongovernmental partner 
     organizations, prioritizing those organizations with 
     demonstrated success conducting rural mobility programs in 
     the region to so carry out such purposes.
       (2) Purpose.--The Program shall focus on country-driven 
     projects within sub-Saharan Africa--
       (A) to promote rural communities' access to critical 
     services and opportunities, including education, health care, 
     and livelihood opportunities, through access to affordable, 
     fit-for-purpose bicycles; and
       (B) to provide support to sustainably increase access to 
     critical services, such as education, health care, and 
     livelihood opportunities in rural areas, including through 
     support for rural-based mechanics, access to spare parts, 
     reduction of social and gender-based stigma, and community 
     project management capacity.
       (3) Partnerships.--To the greatest extent practicable, the 
     Program shall partner with existing entities overseas that 
     have successful models for providing access to affordable 
     bicycles to achieve development objectives.
       (4) Authorization of appropriations.--To carry out this 
     section, there is authorized to be appropriated--
       (A) $3,000,000 for fiscal year 2024;
       (B) $3,000,000 for fiscal year 2025;
       (C) $6,000,000 for fiscal year 2026;
       (D) $6,000,000 for fiscal year 2027; and
       (E) $12,000,000 for fiscal year 2028 and for each fiscal 
     year thereafter.
       (b) Report.--
       (1) Prior projects.--Not later than 30 days after the date 
     of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator of USAID 
     shall submit a report to the Committee on Foreign Relations 
     of the Senate, the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate, 
     the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 
     Representatives, and the Committee on Appropriations of the 
     House of Representatives regarding projects carried out by 
     USAID during each of the fiscal years 2020, 2021, 2022, and 
     2023 relating to the purposes described in subsection (a)(2). 
     The report shall--
       (A) identify in which countries USAID embedded rural 
     bicycle mobility into strategies, programs, and projects of 
     USAID;
       (B) describe the mechanisms by which rural bicycle mobility 
     was so embedded;
       (C) specify the number of bicycles distributed each fiscal 
     year;
       (D) assess the outcomes for and impacts on participants in 
     such projects; and

[[Page S428]]

       (E) assess USAID's efforts to disseminate lessons learned 
     from such projects.
       (2) Current projects.--Not later than December 30, 2025, 
     and not later than each December 30 thereafter, the 
     Administrator of USAID shall submit a report to the 
     congressional committees listed in paragraph (1) regarding 
     projects carried out by USAID during the immediately 
     preceding fiscal year. Each such report shall include 
     information relating to the matters described in 
     subparagraphs (A) through (E) of paragraph (1).
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mr. PADILLA (for himself, Ms. Collins, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. 
        King, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Booker, Mrs. Feinstein, 
        Mr. Markey, Ms. Warren, Mr. Peters, Mr. Hickenlooper, Mr. 
        Ossoff, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Wyden, Ms. Baldwin, Ms. Duckworth, 
        Mr. Casey, and Mr. Lujan):
  S. 448. A bill to codify the existing Outdoor Recreation Legacy 
Partnership Program of the National Park Service, and for other 
purposes; to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
  Mr. PADILLA. Madam President, I rise to introduce the bipartisan 
Outdoors for All Act. This legislation would ensure that access to 
local parks and outdoor recreation is equitable and available to all.
  The Outdoors for All Act would codify and strengthen the Outdoor 
Recreation Legacy Partnership Program at the Interior Department, which 
provides grants to build new outdoor recreation spaces, improve 
existing parks, and form connections between underserved, urban 
communities and the outdoors.
  It specifically invests in parks and open spaces in areas where the 
majority of Americans live. Any single urban area or two adjacent urban 
areas with a population of at least 25,000 can qualify for grants, 
which can benefit residents in all 50 States.
  These grants would fund projects in park-poor, urban communities, and 
the bill would require the National Park Service to prioritize projects 
that support underserved communities, provide job-training to youth, 
and leverage resources through public-private partnerships.
  As our cities grow and the effects of climate change intensify, this 
bill will increase equitable access to the many benefits of local 
parks, from job creation, to shade and tree cover, the reduction of the 
urban heat island effect, and clean air.
  Nationwide, 100 million people, including 28 million children, do not 
have a park within a half-mile of home. That is almost one-third of 
America.
  Additionally, in the 100 most populated cities, neighborhoods where 
most residents identify as Black, Latino, American Indian/Alaska 
Native, or Asian American and Pacific Islander have access to an 
average of 44 percent less park acreage than predominantly White 
neighborhoods.
  For example, in Los Angeles, low-income communities and communities 
of color lack equal access to parks--a Los Angeles County survey found 
that Compton reported only 0.6 acres of parkland per 1,000 residents, 
in contrast to Malibu, which has 55.5 acres of parkland per 1,000 
residents.
  This bill would address this staggering inequity in Los Angeles and 
across the country and make equity and justice a key focus of park 
investment and planning.
  I thank Senator Collins for introducing this legislation with me in 
the Senate and Congresswoman Barragan and Congressman Turner for 
leading this effort in the House of Representatives.
  I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass the Outdoors for 
All Act soon as possible.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mr. BRAUN (for himself, Mr. Cruz, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Rubio, Mr. 
        Lankford, Mr. Schmitt, Mr. Tillis, Mr. Hagerty, Mr. Hoeven, Mr. 
        Kennedy, Mr. Boozman, and Mr. Budd):
  S. 459. A bill to amend title 18, United States Code, to provide 
enhanced penalties for convicted murderers who kill or target America's 
public safety officers; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
  Mr. BRAUN. Madam President, Indiana has lost several officers in the 
line of duty in the last 2 years, like Terre Haute Officer Greg Ferency 
and Richmond Officer Seara Burton.
  I would like to say a few words about Elwood Police Officer Noah 
Shahnavaz, who was killed in the line of duty last year in a little 
town in Indiana. He was only 24 years old. He was shot during a routine 
traffic stop by a violent career criminal who should have been behind 
bars. His parents, Laurie and Matt, remembered their son to my office 
with these words:

       All that Noah ever wanted to do is help others. Society has 
     been robbed of the many positive impacts he would have had on 
     our world.

  When a police officer is killed in the line of duty, it sends a shock 
wave through the community, and it is happening in far too many places.
  I decided after his death that I wanted to take the lead in 
reintroducing the Thin Blue Line Act. This bill would make targeting 
police officers an aggravating factor in favor of the maximum sentence. 
It has already passed through the House of Representatives once before. 
We need to do it again in this Congress and get it through the Senate 
as well.
  Supporting our police shouldn't be a partisan issue. This law 
wouldn't apply in every case, but it would make criminals think twice 
before targeting our police. We have to do everything we can to protect 
those who protect us. The one thing we could do to fight back against 
crime is to support those on the frontline. We need to give them the 
resources they need and send a clear message to those who wish to do 
them harm: If you target a police officer, you are going to pay the 
highest price possible.
  We need to get that done.

                          ____________________