[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 123 (Tuesday, July 18, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S3022]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 844. Mr. HAGERTY submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by 
him to the bill S. 2226, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 
2024 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 appropriate place in title XII, insert the 
     following:

     SEC. __. STATEMENT OF POLICY AND ANNUAL REPORT RELATED TO 
                   UNITED STATES-PACIFIC ISLAND PARTNERSHIP.

       (a) Short Title.--This section may be cited as the ``United 
     States-Pacific Island Partnership Empowerment Act''.
       (b) Definitions.--In this section:
       (1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
     ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
       (A) the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on 
     Foreign Relations of the Senate; and
       (B) the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on 
     Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives.
       (2) Excess defense articles.--The term ``excess defense 
     articles'' has the meaning given that term in section 644 of 
     the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2403).
       (3) United states-pacific island partnership.--The term 
     ``United States-Pacific Island Partnership'' means the 
     partnership between the United States and the Cook Islands, 
     the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, 
     Nauru, New Caledonia, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Republic 
     of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, 
     Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and such other states in the Pacific Islands 
     as the President may identify.
       (c) Statement of Policy.--The United States supports 
     expanding and deepening cooperation within the United States-
     Pacific Island Partnership to maintain free, open, and 
     peaceful waterways in the Pacific in which the rights to the 
     freedom of navigation and overflight are recognized and 
     respected, trade flows are unimpeded, and geopolitical 
     competition does not undermine the sovereignty and security 
     of the Pacific Islands.
       (d) Annual Report on Transfer of Excess Defense Articles to 
     Members of the United States-Pacific Island Partnership.--
       (1) Annual report requirement.--Not later than 180 days 
     after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually 
     thereafter for a period of 5 years, the President shall 
     submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report 
     on the transfer of excess defense articles to members of the 
     United States-Pacific Island Partnership.
       (2) Contents of report.--Each report required by paragraph 
     (1) shall include the following:
       (A) An overview of the transfer of excess defense articles 
     to members of the United States-Pacific Island Partnership 
     during the period covered by the report, including the 
     quantity and types of articles transferred.
       (B) A description of the prioritization process used by the 
     Department of Defense to determine the allocation of 
     nonlethal excess defense articles transferred to foreign 
     countries.
       (C) A description of--
       (i) any challenges or constraints encountered in the 
     process for transferring excess defense articles to members 
     of the United States-Pacific Island Partnership; and
       (ii) efforts undertaken to address those challenges or 
     constraints.
       (D) An assessment of the impact of excess defense articles 
     transferred to members of the United States-Pacific Island 
     Partnership on the capacity-building efforts, security 
     cooperation, and interoperability of those members.
       (E) A review of the effectiveness of the transfer of excess 
     defense articles to members of the United States-Pacific 
     Island Partnership in promoting regional stability, maritime 
     security, and the sovereignty and security of the Pacific 
     Islands.
       (3) Formats; public availability.--Each report required by 
     paragraph (1) shall be submitted in both electronic and hard 
     copy formats and made available to the public, consistent 
     with applicable law.
                                 ______