[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 115 (Thursday, July 11, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4691-S4692]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 2355. Mr. SCHATZ submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by 
him to the bill S. 4638, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 
2025 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. 1266. PACIFIC ISLANDS STRATEGIC INFRASTRUCTURE 
                   INITIATIVE.

       (a) In General.--The Secretary of State, in concurrence 
     with the Director of the United States Trade and Development 
     Agency, and in collaboration with the Administrator of the 
     United States Agency for International Development, the 
     Secretary of Transportation, the Chief of Engineers, and the 
     Secretary of Energy, working through the directors of the 
     national laboratories of the Department of Energy, the 
     Secretary of the Treasury, and the Secretary of Defense, 
     shall develop a program to catalyze sustainable, resilient 
     infrastructure throughout the Pacific Islands, including by 
     providing frequent and meaningful technical assistance to 
     inform the needs assessments and planning of Pacific Island 
     countries to protect against threats to critical 
     infrastructure.
       (b) Goals.--The goal of the program established under 
     subsection (a) is to strengthen United States support of 
     Pacific Island countries in assessing--
       (1) existing and forecasted threats to the functionality 
     and safety of infrastructure resulting from sea-level 
     fluctuation, salt water intrusion, extreme weather, or other 
     severe changes in the environment, as well as cyber threats 
     and any other security risks that disrupt essential services 
     or threaten public health;
       (2) the strategies, designs, and engineering techniques for 
     reinforcing or rebuilding failing infrastructure in ways that 
     with withstand and maintain function in light of existing and 
     forecasted threats to community infrastructure;
       (3) the rate and sources of deterioration, structural 
     deficiencies, and most pressing risks to public safety from 
     aging and failing infrastructure;
       (4) priorities for infrastructure improvement, 
     reinforcement, re-engineering, or replacement based on the 
     significance of infrastructure to ensuring public health, 
     safety, and economic growth;
       (5) risks associated with the interconnectedness of supply 
     chains and technology, communications, and financial systems;
       (6) the policy and governance needed to strengthen critical 
     infrastructure resilience,

[[Page S4692]]

     including with respect to infrastructure financing to meet 
     the contemporary needs of Pacific Islanders; and
       (7) the plan for leveraging regional funding mechanisms, 
     including the Pacific Resilience Facility, as well as 
     bilateral assistance and global multilateral financing to 
     coordinate international financial support for infrastructure 
     projects.
       (c) Activities.--To achieve the purpose of the program 
     established under subsection (a), the Secretary is encouraged 
     to consider the following activities:
       (1) Educational and information sharing with Pacific Island 
     countries that helps develop the local capacity of government 
     and civil society leaders to evaluate localized critical 
     infrastructure risks, interdependencies across systems, and 
     risk-mitigation solutions.
       (2) Technology exchanges that provide Pacific Island 
     countries with access to proven, cost-effective solutions for 
     mitigating the risks associated with critical infrastructure 
     vulnerabilities and related interdependencies.
       (3) Financial and budget management and related technical 
     assistance that provide Pacific Island countries with 
     additional capacity to access, manage, and service financing 
     for contemporary infrastructure projects to support the 
     resilience needs of communities in the Pacific Islands.
       (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized 
     to be appropriated for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029 
     $20,000,000 to the United States Trade and Development 
     Agency, to be used in consultation with the Secretary of 
     State, to carry out this section.
                                 ______