[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 11]
[House]
[Pages 14696-14722]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          AFGHANISTAN FREEDOM AND SECURITY SUPPORT ACT OF 2007

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 453 and rule 
XVIII, the Chair declares the House in the Committee of the Whole House 
on the state of the Union for the consideration of the bill, H.R. 2446.

                              {time}  1436


                     In the Committee of the Whole

  Accordingly, the House resolved itself into the Committee of the 
Whole House on the state of the Union for the consideration of the bill 
(H.R. 2446) to reauthorize the Afghanistan Freedom Support Act of 2002, 
and for other purposes, with Mr. Ross in the chair.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to the rule, the bill is considered read the 
first time.
  The gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) and the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) each will control 30 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2446 and 
yield myself as much time as I may consume.
  Mr. Chairman, the Taliban is back, posing not only an insidious 
threat to the people of Afghanistan but to our Nation as well. We 
simply cannot allow a resurgence of the Taliban. If we do, al Qaeda 
will once again be able to use Afghanistan as a state-sponsored 
launching pad for terror.
  And so every schoolhouse door in Afghanistan is a threshold to 
stopping terrorism. Every new power line in Afghanistan is a frontline 
in the war on terror. Every farm in Afghanistan used for legitimate 
crops, instead of opium poppies, is fertile ground for peace.
  So we ought to look at funding Afghanistan as both good foreign 
policy and good domestic policy. Every dollar we invest now translates 
into lives and dollars we save in the future, both in Afghanistan and 
in the United States.
  Our initial efforts, Mr. Chairman, in Afghanistan must be redoubled. 
For that reason, it was my pleasure to join with the ranking Republican 
member

[[Page 14697]]

of the Foreign Affairs Committee, my good friend, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen 
of Florida, in introducing this crucial reauthorization bill, which 
clearly demonstrates our long-term, bipartisan commitment to 
Afghanistan.
  Our job in Afghanistan is not finished, not by a long shot. Yes, the 
Taliban was seemingly purged from that Nation in 2001 and a democratic 
government was established in its place, but we must not have a false 
sense of security.
  The effectiveness and very existence of the Karzai government is 
threatened as we meet here today. As we speak, the volatile southern 
part of Afghanistan is aflame with clashes between NATO coalition 
troops and the reorganized forces of the Taliban. Make no mistake: 
Afghanistan is a brush fire that could ignite easily into an all-out 
conflagration.
  Recently, Mr. Chairman, there has been an alarming return to the 
reign of terror against women in Afghanistan. Just today we learned of 
the slaying of a pioneering advocate of free speech, a courageous woman 
who owned a radio station near Kabul, shot to death in her home. This 
brutal attack shows how difficult the working environment has become 
for journalists, especially for journalists who are women.
  So the Afghans need our help as much as ever. The teetering situation 
there is an echo of the instability just after the United States and 
our allies invaded that country. Security for the people and stability 
of the government are paramount.
  Let me sketch, Mr. Chairman, the basic outline of our bipartisan 
legislation. The first title of the Lantos/Ros-Lehtinen bill provides 
much-needed financial aid for health care, energy development, programs 
for women and girls, assistance to combat corruption, and a crop 
substitution program to curtail the growing of poppy. Under this 
section of our bill, the administration will be required to certify 
whether any senior official in Afghanistan's provincial or local 
government is involved in the illegal narcotics trade and to take 
appropriate action.
  Our bill also requires the President to appoint a coordinator for our 
Afghanistan assistance programs, including counter-narcotics. We 
mandate accountability in the effort to eliminate narcotics corruption.
  Title II of our bill bolsters security and policing in Afghanistan, 
supporting the international security force beyond October, 2007, and 
further training the Afghans. It encourages greater participation from 
countries in the region, and it mandates the creation of special drug 
interdiction teams.
  We must recognize, Mr. Chairman, that security in Afghanistan is 
inextricably intertwined with the fight against the narcotics trade.
  Title III of our bill ensures greater planning and accountability for 
the future of the country, and it fosters regional coordination. A 
structured blueprint for 2008 will be required, with updates as 
necessary. Reporting and evaluation measures will be expanded and 
extended. These are all crucial provisions for meeting benchmarks and 
assessing progress so that Congress can perform the oversight that is 
important to our successful effort in a war-torn country.
  I want to repeat, Mr. Chairman, we will not let Afghanistan fail. The 
world is watching, and it wants to know whether we have the resolve to 
fight the terrorist forces threatening Afghanistan, whether we are 
ready to maintain the country's security and stability.
  Mr. Chairman, the Committee on Foreign Affairs approved our 
bipartisan legislation unanimously. I want to repeat this because it 
indicates the unanimous conviction of the Foreign Affairs Committee, 
reflecting the view of this body and the American people, that 
Afghanistan will be a successful endeavor.
  I want to express my appreciation for the support of not only the 
ranking member, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, but also the chairman and ranking 
member of the Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia, Mr. 
Ackerman and Mr. Pence.
  I urge all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join us in 
strongly supporting this most important piece of legislation.
  Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

                              {time}  1445

  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. I thank the chairman of our committee, Chairman 
Lantos, for his leadership for so long on this issue.
  Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I would like to voice my strong support for the chairman's bill, H.R. 
2446, the Afghanistan Freedom and Security Support Act, and that's the 
key part of what we're talking about today, security support. This 
legislation is the product of the bipartisan cooperation that our 
committee has shown on an issue of critical importance to the United 
States and our allies in the war against Islamic militant extremists.
  Five years ago, our Nation experienced a terrible tragedy, and it led 
our Nation to destroy the al Qaeda safe haven in Afghanistan that the 
brutal Taliban regime had created there. Our focus was to provide a 
safe, stable and secure Afghanistan that would deny global jihadists a 
base of operations to conduct their campaign of terror and destruction 
against our Nation and our critical security interests around the 
world.
  Since then, Afghanistan has taken notable steps to emerge from 
decades of war, of violence, of oppression, toward a prosperous, 
secure, free, democratic nation. Today, over 5 million Afghan children 
are in school, including 2 million girls. This was prohibited under the 
Taliban rule. Hundreds of clinics and new schools are now open to serve 
the population as a result of international efforts. Media, cultural, 
business and political leaders are free to meet to discuss, to 
demonstrate and to guide policies that are transforming their nation 
across all sectors.
  The Afghan economy is growing at an incredible rate, and 
institutional assistance for Afghan economic reconstruction has been 
forthcoming. Most importantly, the Afghanistan people, through their 
active direct participation in the political process, have demonstrated 
their desire to accelerate and ensure the movement of Afghanistan 
toward modern society.
  However, challenges to these and other efforts remain, as Mr. Lantos 
has pointed out. A dramatic increase in illicit opium cultivation is 
financing and strengthening the Taliban and anticoalition activity. 
It's increasing crime and corruption, and it is eroding the authority 
of the central government institutions.
  Afghanistan's ballooning drug trade has succeeded in expanding the 
ranks of the Taliban. It is no coincidence that opium and heroin 
production dramatically increased at the same time that the Taliban-
staged massive counteroffensive, particularly in the south of the 
country.
  The issue of Taliban and al Qaeda resurgence cannot be considered in 
a vacuum. In response, this critical legislation seeks to address the 
current situation in an integrated fashion, to include the confluence 
of the short-term goals to reduce opium activity and related 
corruption, while addressing longer-term developmental goals which have 
an impact on our counterterrorism and our counternarcotics policies and 
objectives.
  In particular, within this critical legislation, we have worked to 
establish the means for developing a long overdue and coherent 
interdepartmental and counternarcotics strategy that addresses the 
deadly and the neglected illicit drug trade and its links to radical 
Islamic terrorism that imperil the future of Afghanistan.
  In February of this year, I, along with some of my other colleagues 
on the Foreign Affairs Committee, wrote to the administration on the 
need for an across-the-board policy change on the illicit drug threat 
fueling the resurgence of the Taliban, the attacks on our coalition 
troops, and official corruption in Afghanistan.
  The bill before us incorporates many of the recommendations that we 
proposed in this letter, and I thank Chairman Lantos for working so 
closely with us. I believe that his bill will

[[Page 14698]]

prompt much-needed changes by mandating the appointment of a high 
level, interdepartmental Afghan coordinator with emphasis on a 
development of a coherent government-wide counter drug policy. This 
includes bringing the U.S. military into the fight, providing 
meaningful support for the drug enforcement administration with an 
emphasis on interdiction and on the extradition of major drug kingpins.
  This legislation also contains limitations on assistance to senior 
Afghan local and provincial government officials who, based on 
evidence, are found to be supporting Islamic terrorist activities or 
narco-traffickers or drug producers or are involved in other criminal 
activities. This important oversight provision will be instrumental in 
assuring that vital U.S. reconstruction assistance is properly 
allocated and utilized.
  I am also pleased that we were able to come to an agreement with 
Chairman Lantos on the extension of draw-down authority for military 
equipment, which promotes greater ability to operate with the 
international security assistance force and other allies in the country 
of Afghanistan.
  In addition, the bill ensures that there will be prevetting of the 
recruits of the Afghan police to help adequately assess the candidates' 
aptitude, professionals skills, integrity and other qualifications for 
law enforcement work before they enter the service. Our efforts in 
Afghanistan, in particular, and our campaign against militant Islamic 
extremists in general must be pursued in a comprehensive manner.
  As illustrated by this critical legislation, it requires an effective 
and unified reconstruction strategy with a unified counternarcotics 
strategy, counterterrorism strategy, and an Afghan government committed 
to fighting and eliminating corruption.
  Only with this comprehensive approach will we accelerate economic 
development and reconstruction, improve the quality of life for 
Afghanistan and address the underlying conditions that fuel extremist 
acts and decisively defeat the jihadist elements that want to once 
again control Afghanistan.
  My daughter-in-law, Lindsay, after serving her military tour in Iraq 
as a marine pilot, is now serving in Afghanistan. We hope that she will 
be back home with us by Thanksgiving. But we thank every brave man and 
woman who is wearing our Nation's uniform in Afghanistan, and we thank 
them for freeing an entire population, and we hope that their 
contributions will always be celebrated in this House.
  This bill before us brings us closer to making sure that Afghanistan 
remains a free country and be without the extremist Islamic elements 
that seek to destroy it.
  Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of our time.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I am very pleased to yield 3 minutes to the 
distinguished chairman of the Armed Services Committee, my good friend 
from Missouri, Ike Skelton.
  Mr. SKELTON. I thank the chairman for allowing me to speak on this 
very important subject.
  Mr. Chairman, for too long, Afghanistan has been the forgotten war. 
Opportunities there have been lost, and progress has been limited. 
Recently, there has been movement in a more positive direction.
  Secretary Gates has been focusing more on Afghanistan and NATO-led 
and U.S. forces achieved some notable successes against the ongoing 
Taliban insurgency this spring. This, of course, is encouraging. I 
commend Secretary Gates for his efforts, and, of course, I commend our 
troops for their tremendous contributions.
  However, over the same time, violence is on the rise in Afghanistan. 
Roadside bombs, suicide attacks are increasing, and the number of 
civilian casualties is, of course, troubling. Opium production is at 
high levels. The authority of the central government remains, of 
course, limited. Corruption and poverty still plague the country. These 
are significant challenges that will not be overcome either easily or 
quickly.
  Lasting security in Afghanistan depends on long-term comprehensive 
efforts that, of course, are well coordinated. It is critical that our 
NATO partners who are there play a central role in this effort in terms 
of both troop contributions, as well as aid.
  Earlier this year, I traveled to Afghanistan with a delegation led by 
Speaker Pelosi. I came away from that trip convinced that the effort in 
Afghanistan is winnable, and I am still optimistic.
  But together with NATO, we must ensure that the Taliban and al Qaeda 
are destroyed and destroyed for good. Afghanistan will never again 
become a terrorist harbor as it once was.
  The House Armed Services Committee, which I am pleased to chair, is 
committed to doing whatever it can to achieve this goal. Our committee 
has held comprehensive hearings on Afghanistan this year.
  Just recently, in the defense bill that we passed, we had provisions 
regarding Afghanistan. This bill not only provides funds for Afghan 
national security forces, but it includes a range of provisions that 
will promote long-term security, as well as robust oversight of 
American activities in that country.
  I am pleased to see that the Afghanistan Freedom Support Act builds 
upon our committee's efforts. This legislation includes many important 
bipartisan provisions that will further advance long-term security in 
Afghanistan.
  I strongly encourage my colleagues to support this. We must build on 
recent gains in that country and seize the moment to establish real 
security there.
  I do support this legislation.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as he may consume 
to Judge Poe of Texas, a great member of our Foreign Affairs Committee.
  Mr. POE. I thank the gentlelady from Florida for yielding time.
  Mr. Chairman, I was a prosecutor and a judge in Texas for 30 years 
total, and I can tell you that I saw the results of poppy and opium 
fields in my courtroom. Opiates make victims out of capable, 
independent citizens, and they turn decent people into monsters, and I 
have seen it with my own eyes. Case after case after case.
  Illicit drugs take complete control of people's lives, and they are 
now strangling the democracy in Afghanistan. Opiates not only poison 
Americans, the poppy trade funds our enemies. The Taliban, or more 
appropriately, those demons in the desert, are getting rich off of the 
poppy fields, and they are using that money against American troops and 
NATO troops.
  They are using their wealth to become more numerous, more organized, 
and more deadly to the military of NATO and the United States. They are 
promoting intolerance and propping up evil and propelling Afghanistan 
really back toward the dark ages to a fundamentalist rule.
  In the 2005 and 2006 growing season, poppy production in Afghanistan 
actually grew to almost 60 percent. That resulted in a net growth of 
almost 50 percent in the production of illicit opium, and all the 
profit from this drug trade lined the pockets of our enemies, the 
Taliban. Those poppy fields are growing like weeds, and they are 
choking Afghanistan's freedom. Also, those narcotics are eventually 
choking the lives out of many Americans addicted to opiates.
  The administration, I know, recognized the importance of 
counternarcotics operations. However, judging from the rapid spread of 
the poppy production in Afghanistan, it's evident that whatever we are 
doing is not working. The time has come for a clear and comprehensive 
and truly wide-reaching counternarcotics strategy in Afghanistan.
  That is why I rise in support of this bill, the Afghanistan Freedom 
and Security Support Act. This bill does numerous things, but it 
specifically provides a comprehensive strategy and a priority to deal 
with the narcotics. It allows the military to give greater logistics 
support to the Drug Enforcement Administration, and, more importantly, 
though, this bill creates a coordinator role that will reach across 
government departments to develop a comprehensive strategy in how to 
deal with this problem.
  Our military is unmatched in its ability to get the job done. Any 
time,

[[Page 14699]]

anywhere. But including enhanced civilian interdiction teams, the fight 
against the drug trade will help our troops get the bad guys, the 
kingpins in Afghanistan, these people that are making money off of the 
drug trade.

                              {time}  1500

  Also, the team will receive support from our military, international 
resources and Afghanistan law enforcement officers. I believe that 
allowing law enforcement to participate in taking down these desert 
kingpins will give the Afghanistan police a sense of ownership over 
their own security and help further train them in counternarcotics 
operation. That could only be a good thing for the citizens of 
Afghanistan.
  Again, Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the administration's commitment to 
taking care of the poppy fields in Afghanistan that fund our enemies, 
but I think we're missing a link somewhere in our strategy. Provisions 
in this bill focus on funding that link, and that's a good start. All 
of our sacrifice and that of our NATO allies and the future of 
Afghanistan depend on establishing a stable and viable democracy in 
that region of the world. That democracy can only thrive amidst a 
legitimate economy. Our troops, our allies, and, most importantly, the 
Afghanistan people deserve a chance to live unfettered and free of the 
rule of kingpins of the drugs and the Taliban.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to 
Congressman Adam Smith, the chairman of the Armed Services Terrorism, 
Unconventional Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee and a valued 
member of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
  Mr. SMITH of Washington. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the leadership 
in both the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Armed 
Services Committee for their efforts to make Afghanistan a top priority 
and to focus on our challenges there. They've done a fabulous job.
  I recently returned, during the last break, from a visit to 
Afghanistan. I am very optimistic about what's going on there but at 
the same time mindful of the effort that it's going to require in the 
years ahead to continue to succeed, and I believe this bill reflects an 
understanding of that required effort.
  The Afghan people are on our side. They support the presence of the 
NATO troops to support the Karzai government. They do not want the 
Taliban to return, and they will fight them and appreciate our help in 
doing this.
  I'm also very impressed with the job our military and the military of 
the NATO alliance is doing there. We have some of the most talented 
folks in our military there doing a fabulous job of fighting the 
Taliban. But as we go forward, there are remaining challenges, 
significant challenges.
  Number one, we have to maintain the military presence. In fact, I 
believe we need more troops and further support to train the Afghan 
army and to fight off the Taliban as they try to resurge in the south 
and throughout the country.
  But overarching all of this is the economic challenge. That is the 
enormous challenge in Afghanistan. It is a country that has never had 
the best economy, and it has also faced 30 years of civil war. Their 
infrastructure is destroyed and needs to be rebuilt. Their ability to 
govern has also been significantly reduced and needs to be rebuilt.
  The Karzai government has the support of the people, but the people 
also want infrastructure. They want electricity, and they want jobs. 
They want alternatives to the poppies, alternatives to that as a way of 
making their living, and we have to give them a long-term commitment to 
show them that we will help. We need that long-term financial 
commitment that is contained in this bill to get them to believe that 
their economy will be strong again. We need to reward their faith in 
the Karzai government, their faith in our ability to defeat the Taliban 
and to build a better future for Afghanistan; and this bill does that.
  So, again, I thank the chairman. I want to thank the ranking member 
as well for putting together this piece of legislation and ask all 
Members of Congress to understand this is a long-term commitment in 
Afghanistan.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Chairman, I'd like to yield such time as he may 
consume to Mr. Pence of Indiana, the ranking member of the Middle East 
and South Asia Subcommittee who has traveled to Afghanistan and closely 
follows the developments there.
  MR. PENCE. Mr. Chairman, I especially want to thank our ranking 
member from Florida for yielding and the distinguished chairman of the 
full committee for their work on this important legislation.
  Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of the Afghanistan Freedom and 
Security Support Act, and I call for its passage. It was reported 
unanimously out of the Foreign Affairs Committee last month. Our action 
today would reauthorize the Afghanistan Freedom Support Act of 2002 
passed 5 years ago this month, just a few short months after our 
invasion of the country that harbored the September 11 attackers.
  Mr. Chairman, there is nearly unanimous agreement in this body that 
the battle currently under way in Afghanistan is in our vital national 
interests, and it is crucial and central to the war on terror. It is 
critical that we adequately resource and support our mission and the 
government and the people of Afghanistan.
  As with any conflict, there are both positive and troubling signs 
today in Afghanistan. Challenges facing us include a resurgent Taliban, 
growing opium trade and slow progress on reconstruction.
  On the positive side, our forces, in conjunction with NATO, are 
waging war on the Taliban, pursuing terrorist nests and providing 
support to the Karzai government. I was able to witness some of the 
early fruits of these efforts firsthand, along with some of my 
colleagues in December of 2004 when I visited. As in Iraq, our troops 
and civilian efforts there are inspiring in difficult and dangerous 
conditions.
  Opium production remains a plague that will haunt this country until 
it is curbed. Tragically, Afghanistan is the world's largest opium 
producer. As Antonio Maria Costa of the United Nations Office on Drugs 
and Crime said last year, and I quote, ``Afghanistan's drug situation 
remains vulnerable to reversal because of mass poverty, lack of 
security, and the fact that the authorities have inadequate control 
over its territory.''
  And that's why this bill is so important. In this legislation, $1.6 
billion per year over the next 3 years are authorized for 
reconstruction and security assistance, specifically a pilot program of 
crop substitution to encourage legitimate alternatives to poppy 
cultivation, as well as an anti-corruption effort.
  This bill also addresses, as has been alluded to by my colleagues, 
the continuing humanitarian needs and offers programs for women and 
children.
  One of the most inspiring experiences of my life, Mr. Chairman, was 
during a visit to an American installation in the mountains of 
Jalalabad where we walked outside of the military base and visited a 
school which, for the first time, had running water, which, for the 
first time, more poignantly, had little girls in the classrooms. It was 
an extraordinary experience as I approached the gates of that school 
surrounded, as I was, by heavily armed American military personnel, 
only to see the children run forward out of the gates, embrace those 
soldiers and greet them, not as the glowering menaces that they might 
appear to a stranger but as friends. And I stood and marveled as the 
soldiers taught me words in their native Afghan tongue to greet the 
children and to be able to speak to them. It was extraordinary.
  This legislation providing for the humanitarian needs and for 
programs for women and girls like those which I saw is truly treasure 
in heaven.
  This legislation also encourages greater cooperation from friendly 
countries in the region, and it requires the President to keep Congress 
informed on the progress of these various issues.
  Mr. Chairman, our success in Afghanistan will require a multi-tracked 
effort on numerous fronts in order for

[[Page 14700]]

the United States to stay on the offensive in the war on terror and to 
stabilize this key ally in our shared struggle. The Afghanistan Freedom 
and Security Support Act is an important and central component in that 
fight, and I urge its strong support from my colleagues on both sides 
of the aisle.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I'm pleased to yield 2 minutes to my 
neighbor in California, a valued member of the Foreign Affairs 
Committee, Ms. Lynn Woolsey.
  Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of the Afghanistan 
Freedom Support Act and to thank the chairman and the ranking member of 
the Foreign Affairs Committee for this bipartisan bill.
  H.R. 2446 provides for reconstruction and reconciliation. It provides 
for the future of Afghan people by supporting women's rights, 
supporting education, agricultural initiatives and civil society 
reform.
  Actually, this bill is doing what we could and what we should do in 
Iraq. It builds a path, a true path to peace. With H.R. 2446, through 
economic political and reconstruction support, we can help rebuild a 
nation. We can provide hope for a safe and prosperous future for 
another nation. And we can also learn from this bill, learn that 
democracy and stability come from international partnerships, not from 
guns, not from bombs.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Chairman, I'm pleased to yield such time as he 
may consume to Mr. Doolittle, of California, a member of the 
Appropriations Committee.
  Mr. DOOLITTLE. Thank you to Ranking Member Ros-Lehtinen and Chairman 
Lantos. I'm very happy to see the strong support for Afghanistan 
manifested here by the statements on the floor and, obviously, by a 
bill like this with unanimous approval out of the committee.
  Mr. Chairman, we had some great initial successes in Afghanistan, and 
those are now threatened by subsequent developments that would be 
absolutely tragic and really intolerable for us to allow any reversals 
to occur. We need to build upon a solid foundation that has been laid, 
and I'd just like to briefly cite what I think the need for this 
legislation is.
  Others have alluded to it as well, but the fact is that remnants of 
the Taliban regime have regrouped and are using increasingly deadly 
tactics, including the introduction of suicide bombings against both 
U.S. and NATO troops, Afghan officials and civilians and international 
and Afghan assistance workers.
  Also, the poppy cultivation and opium production which directly 
support local warlords and sustain and finance insurgents, militias and 
terrorist organizations is increasing at a staggering rate. Indeed, the 
narcotics problem in Afghanistan threatens to overwhelm the entire 
country. More than 500,000 laborers and an unknown number of 
traffickers, warlords, insurgents and officials also participate in and 
benefit from the drug trade.
  The risk for Afghanistan to again devolve into a failed state is 
increasing. The ability of the Taliban and other insurgents to enjoy 
safe haven in Pakistan-controlled areas destabilizes the region and 
adds to the political tension between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
  I'm very encouraged to see that this legislation establishes the 
means for developing a long-overdue and coherent interdepartmental 
counternarcotics strategy that addresses a deadly and neglected illicit 
drug trade and its links to radical Islamist terrorism.
  Mr. Chairman, for all of these reasons, I endorse this bill and 
encourage our Members to support it and pray that it may further 
strengthen our efforts to bring stability and peace to that vital 
region of the world.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I'm very pleased to yield 3 minutes to my 
good friend and distinguished colleague from New York, Mrs. Carolyn 
Maloney, chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Financial Institutions.
  Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Chairman, I thank Chairman Lantos for 
his leadership on this important bill and in so many other areas; and I 
rise in strong support of the Afghan Freedom and Security Support Act.
  The bill includes provisions from legislation that I introduced 
earlier this year, H.R. 937, the Afghan Women Empowerment Act, which 
targets critical assistance to Afghan women and girls. The bill 
authorizes $45 million each year from fiscal year 2008 through fiscal 
year 2010 for programs in Afghanistan that benefit women and girls, as 
well as the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission and the Afghan 
Ministry of Women's Affairs.
  The funding would be directed toward important needs, including 
medical care, education, vocational training, protection from violence 
and civil participation.
  In 2003, I successfully attached, with the leadership and help of 
Chairman Lantos, an amendment to the fiscal year 2004 emergency 
supplemental bill that provided $60 million in funding for Afghan women 
and girls NGOs, including $5 million for the creation of the Afghan 
Independent Human Rights Commission.

                              {time}  1515

  During the past several years, the U.S. has invested in the 
reconstruction and development of Afghanistan, both because it is the 
right thing to do and because it is also critical to our national 
security. However, like many of my colleagues, I am troubled by the 
challenges facing Afghani women. In March, I had the pleasure and on 
other occasions of meeting with Dr. Sima Samar, head of the Afghan 
Independent Human Rights Commission. She says Afghan women are losing 
ground. Many women continue to endure hardships including targeted 
violence, limited mobility, and a high rate of maternal mortality. I am 
also deeply concerned about reports that girls schools continue to be 
targeted for violence, including dozens in this past year.
  Clearly, we have a great deal of more work to do. And by giving women 
access to the skills and opportunities that they need, they will become 
partners in creating Afghanistan's future and we will ensure that women 
will no longer be second class citizens.
  I deeply thank Chairman Lantos and Ranking Member Ros-Lehtinen for 
their leadership in getting this important bill to the floor, and I 
also want to acknowledge Congress Member Abercrombie for his strong 
support for this legislation and his efforts on its behalf, along with 
the Feminist Majority, led by Ellie Smeal.
  This legislation is another critical step in helping Afghan women, 
and I commend the House for passing this legislation today.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to yield such time as he 
may consume to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. McCotter), the House 
Republican policy chairman.
  Mr. McCOTTER. Mr. Chairman, first, I wish to begin by commending the 
work of the chairman and the ranking member for bringing this bill to 
the floor.
  Upon my first visit to Iraq in 2003, I was struck by the centralized 
reconstruction process. I believed it was a mistake, and I came back in 
November of that year and gave a speech on the floor of the House and I 
said that I thought that one of the things that we needed to do was to 
provide the Iraqi people a transactional benefit to undergird the 
transformational change to democracy. This lesson is equally applicable 
in Afghanistan, which is why this bill today is so welcomed, because it 
recognizes that the people of Afghanistan in the provinces, in the 
local levels are where the reconstruction money must really be 
targeted.
  If you think about how the United States evolved into a democracy, we 
began with the family unit and went to the town halls and went to our 
county government level and eventually became States and eventually 
became a strong union. We can expect no more nor no less from the 
people of other nations who are yearning to breathe free and have been 
given the chance to seize the opportunity.
  On a more personal note, having been on my first trip to Afghanistan 
with my colleagues, we had the opportunity to meet with some female 
parliamentarians, and I was struck by two things: The first, and I said 
this to

[[Page 14701]]

them, was that I admired their courage and that there was a part of me 
that envied them. I envy them because here in the United States capital 
we see portraits and we see monuments and we continue to this day to 
hear testaments to the courage and perseverance of our Nation's 
founders.
  And I said that I was so honored to be in the presence of these 
female parliamentarians for in Afghanistan, as they move towards 
democracy, one day there will be testaments and monuments and portraits 
of them hanging on the walls of their own chambers and in the homes of 
their fellow countrymen.
  We promised that day not to forget or forsake them. And today, thanks 
to the leadership of the ranking member and the chairman, we can tell 
those female parliamentarians that we have not forgotten them and that 
we stand with them.
  And, finally, let us not forget when we think about the role of the 
United States, which was conceived in liberty, those female 
parliamentarians were once considered property until they were 
emancipated by the United States of America and the coalition allies.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I am very pleased to yield 4 minutes to my 
good friend from Texas, a distinguished colleague, Sheila Jackson-Lee, 
chairwoman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Transportation 
Security and Infrastructure Protection.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Chairman, allow me to thank my good 
friend the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House for 
his energy and the focused way in which this committee is pursuing its 
business of engaging and improving the relations of the United States 
with those around the world. Let me thank the ranking member as well, 
whom I have worked with on many issues dealing with women and children, 
and I appreciate their collective leadership.
  This bill is an important restatement of what many of us have argued 
for and continue to make the point that the building pieces that we can 
offer to Afghanistan will build a building of peace for decades and 
centuries to come. Frankly, many of us believe that the war on terror 
is seeded in Afghanistan and would like us to find or to be able to 
invest not only as it relates militarily to the concerns of the borders 
between Afghanistan and Pakistan and the rise of the Taliban but to 
seed out, if you will, the bad seeds of terrorism, to make Afghanistan 
the shining star, people desiring and hungering for the water of 
democracy.
  So this legislation, the Afghanistan Freedom and Security Support Act 
of 2007, needs to be reauthorized and has in it a valuable statement 
about the United States' commitment, longevity in its commitment, to 
helping Afghanistan put forward the building blocks of peace. The fact 
that it authorizes $1.7 billion in each of the fiscal years 2008 to 
2010 emphasizes economic and development assistance and as well 
capacity building programs and, as has been mentioned, women and girls 
programs.
  Let me cite, Mr. Chairman, an individual who has really been a sole 
champion on the issue of educating Afghan children. And, of course, I 
am very grateful for your accepting my amendment regarding the refugee 
resettlement in the manager's amendment and look forward to discussing 
my amendment regarding the emphasis on training girls to encourage them 
to finish secondary school, and as well, my amendment regarding the 
safety of women legislators. But I do want to pay tribute to Josanna 
Smith. She is a name that you may not have heard, but she has devised a 
little chalkboard that is able to travel in places where many of us 
couldn't in the high hills of Afghanistan to give to the children that 
many of us see in pictures or have actually visited them, as I have 
done, and giving books to these children, sitting in little circles 
trying to learn.
  This little simple, if you will, chalkboard that ties to it a piece 
of chalk allows children to learn. Josanna has put together a 
foundation where it is almost self-funded. She has been to Afghanistan 
and many places around the world.
  I cite Josanna Smith as an example of the kind of good heartedness of 
Americans who really desire the best for Afghanistan and see it as the 
place where we can, in essence, make the fruits of democracy thrive.
  This legislation acknowledges that the war on terror started first in 
the bowels of this country. It acknowledges the need to address the 
controversy and conflict on the Afghan and Pakistan border. It 
recognizes the rise of the Taliban. And, hopefully, it will 
characterize the foreign policy of this Nation, that is, that we must 
solve the terror in Afghanistan before we begin to completely finish 
the war on terror or at least make the forward step that we need to 
make.
  I look forward to discussing the amendments that will hopefully 
further help women and women legislators take their rightful place in a 
free and open democracy that is safe and secure, and that is the 
country of Afghanistan.
  Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 2446, ``the Afghanistan 
Freedom and Security Support Act of 2007.'' This is an extremely 
important and timely piece of legislation, and I commend the Chairman 
of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Mr. Lantos, for introducing it. In 
the nearly 5 years since the 9/11 attacks, and the subsequent ouster of 
the Taliban and al-Qaeda from Afghanistan, we have made significant 
efforts to secure that nation from the Taliban.
  However, the Taliban continues to pose a very real threat to 
Afghanistan's stability. After enduring decades of violence and 
hardship, the people of Afghanistan continue to live in a climate of 
ongoing turmoil, particularly in the southern regions of the country, 
where there are ongoing and dangerous clashes between coalition-led 
forces and insurgents. Despite our positive efforts, the Taliban has 
been able to reorganize, and continues destabilize the country.
  These unfortunate realities remind us of the need to continue U.S. 
programs in Afghanistan, as well as the necessity of continually 
studying and revising our involvement to ensure that taxpayer dollars 
are being put to the best possible use. If the United States is to 
ensure that Afghanistan is secure and stable in the long run, we must 
address the underlying causes of persistent violence, including the 
still-flourishing opium trade and the nation's lack of infrastructure.
  Education, so long neglected under the Taliban regime, will be a 
vital component of Afghanistan's development. I commend the many 
individuals and groups who have been tirelessly furthering the cause of 
Afghanistan; individuals like Josanna Smith and her organization 
Worldwide Wisdom United, Inc. Ms. Smith's organization has distributed 
thousands of Learning BoardsTM, which are sturdy, hand-held 
chalkboards containing eraser and a supply of chalk. This simple but 
ingenious device can mean the world of difference to a child in 
Afghanistan, opening up a future of economic success and self-
sustainability. I commend Ms. Smith, and other Americans like her, for 
bravely recognizing and addressing this ongoing problem.
  I am proud to have offered two important amendments to this 
legislation, both of which I believe will strengthen this bill and help 
it to achieve its intended purpose. My first amendment states that 
technical assistance should be provided to train national, provincial, 
and local governmental personnel for capacity-building purposes as it 
relates to education, health care, human rights (particularly women's 
rights), and political participation. This amendment also seeks to 
ensure girls complete secondary education so they are prepared and have 
the ability to pursue post-secondary education.
  My second amendment seeks to bolster women's political participation 
by protecting women legislators when they return to the provinces they 
represent. It states that it is the sense of Congress that assistance 
provided to foreign countries and international organizations under 
this provision should be used, in part, to protect these female 
legislators.
  This bill has many other important provisions. Key among these are 
programs to combat narcotics trafficking and rampant corruption. 
Additionally, this bill encourages greater regional cooperation. I 
believe this to be a vital aspect to any effort toward peace in 
Afghanistan, and I strongly encourage regional dialogue and the 
involvement of Afghanistan's neighbors.
  Mr. Chairman, we have a responsibility to Afghanistan. We have 
pledged a commitment to Afghanistan's long-term stability. I believe 
that this bill is essential and urgent, and I strongly urge my 
colleagues to join me in support of it.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I am very pleased to yield 2 minutes to my

[[Page 14702]]

good friend from Connecticut, Congressman Joe Courtney, distinguished 
member of the Committee on Education and Labor.
  Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Chairman, it is an honor to stand in support of the 
Afghan Freedom and Security Support Act.
  Exactly 1 week ago, I was in Afghanistan with a congressional 
delegation from the Armed Services Committee and had the opportunity to 
see firsthand both the progress and challenges that face the people of 
Afghanistan. It is a land of contrasts. On the upside there is a 
healthy political life. President Karzai, who met with our delegation, 
is clearly a dynamic, moderate, engaged leader who has a national 
government which is clearly focused on trying to move the country 
forward. There are clear signs of economic life. The shops were open. 
There was traffic. Schools were being built. Roads are being 
constructed, 16 percent growth of GDP over the last couple of years and 
a clear commitment to strengthening and building the Afghan army and 
police. In fact, our delegation was present at a graduation ceremony 
for the Afghan national police and handed out the diplomas to the young 
cadets who were taking on these important critical duties to 
Afghanistan's future.
  There clearly are challenges, however. The reappearance of the 
narcotics trade; the resurgence of the Taliban; and the challenges in 
the border areas of Pakistan, which our military are fighting very 
bravely every day. Seven soldiers lost their lives the day that we were 
there because of the struggle that is still going on with the Taliban.
  What is clearly needed, and this bill addresses it, is a strong, 
long-term commitment by this country to continue the efforts that have 
been made with our international allies, NATO allies, who were present 
also during our trip. French Marines, Scandinavian troops, Germans who 
are taking responsibility for control of some of the PRTs in the 
different provinces. And, clearly, lastly, most importantly, is the 
economic aid that is so critical to defeating the rise of the narcotics 
trade and defeating the Taliban. As one of the generals stated to us, 
where the roads end, the Taliban begins in Afghanistan.
  Flying from Kabul to Jalalabad, we actually tracked a new road which 
was constructed by Chinese contractors that had heavy truck traffic and 
again showed that there were real opportunities in growth in that area 
which this bill will continue to build upon, and I applaud the chairman 
for his efforts and urge its unanimous passage.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Chairman, I encourage all of my colleagues to 
support this far-reaching bill.
  Mr. Chairman, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, before yielding back, I would like to make 
just a couple of observations.
  It is such a rare pleasure to manage a major bill of international 
significance on a bipartisan basis. Our Nation wins when Congress is 
united. This Congress is united on our policy with respect to 
Afghanistan. Just as importantly, Mr. Chairman, was my privilege some 
years back to point out that Afghanistan is not an American problem; it 
is a problem for the civilized the world. And I called for NATO to take 
over the responsibility in Afghanistan.
  NATO is now the principal operating entity on behalf of freedom and 
democracy in the country of Afghanistan. NATO should be performing this 
function. It is the greatest military alliance in the history of the 
world, and it is my earnest hope that, just as NATO has accepted its 
responsibility in the struggle in Afghanistan, it will do so in other 
troubled parts of the world.
  Mr. HOLT. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of this very 
important legislation.
  During the first 6 months of 2007, this Congress has rightly spent a 
great deal of time debating and trying to reorient our policy in Iraq. 
It's important to remember that one of the chief reasons we need to 
leave Iraq is so that we can win the other war we've been fighting 
since 2001: the war against Al Qaeda and their Taliban allies in 
Afghanistan.
  This bipartisan bill provides additional support for programs as 
diverse as assistance to women and girls, energy development and 
counter-narcotics. It authorizes $6.435 billion for fiscal years 2008 
through 2010, of which $2.145 billion is authorized to be spent in 
fiscal year 2008. Let me comment on a couple of specific provisions 
that I think are particularly important.
  This bill seeks to set standards, create performance metrics, and 
mandate a tightly coordinated interagency strategy for Afghanistan--the 
very kinds of measures that were absent in our effort in Iraq from the 
very beginning. Starting in December 2007 and every 6 months afterwards 
through September 30, 2010, this bill would require the President to 
submit detailed reports to Congress on the political, military, and 
economic progress being made--or not being made--in Afghanistan. It is 
long past time that Congress mandated such benchmarks so that we can 
know what is working in Afghanistan and make adjustments where things 
are not working.
  This bill also mandates the creation of a special envoy to help more 
closely coordinate activities between those governments and the 
International Security Assistance Force in their joint efforts to 
interdict Al Qaeda and Taliban fighters who attempt to use Pakistani 
territory to launch attacks against civilian and military targets in 
Afghanistan. Pakistan's record in this area is at best mixed, and I am 
glad that the committee has recognized the need for our government to 
increase its effort to get both governments to make the borders no-go 
zones for insurgents.
  Finally, this bill recognizes that the Taliban and Al Qaeda are not 
the only enemies of Afghanistan's fledgling democracy. The narcotics 
trade in Afghanistan is producing violence and corruption that 
threatens the people and government of Afghanistan just as much as the 
actions of the terrorists. Indeed, we know that in many cases the 
terrorists are using narco-trafficking to help fund their violent 
campaign to overthrow the Afghan government.
  Weeding out potentially corrupt police who assist the drug lords and 
the terrorists is essential, and this bill would require that future 
assistance to the Afghan National Police include ``vetting procedures 
to adequately assess each Afghan National Police candidate's aptitude, 
professional skills, integrity, and other qualifications that are 
essential to law enforcement work.'' This is exactly the type of 
framework that we have lacked in Iraq to deal with police corruption in 
that country, and so I'm pleased that the committee is including such a 
vetting requirement for Afghan police in this bill.
  Mr. Chairman, I look forward to the day when the people of 
Afghanistan are free of the fear and uncertainty that decades of war 
and civil strife have produced in that ancient country. Let us hasten 
the arrival of that day by reaffirming our partnership with them by 
passing this bill.
  Mr. BARTON of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 
2446, the Afghanistan Freedom and Security Support Act of 2007.
  This bill reauthorizes the Afghanistan Freedom Support Act of 2002, 
which has made a huge impact in the stability and security of a new 
democracy in that country.
  Since 2002, we've seen major reconstruction of schools and 
infrastructure in that country, as well as the birth of a democratic 
nation.
  Reauthorization of this bill is crucial ensuring that Afghanistan 
continues to strengthen its government and that its people start to 
feel safe and secure in a nation that has been riddled with so much 
violence and terrorism.
  H.R. 2446 also makes some important enhancements to the original Act 
by dealing with a rising narcotics problem related to heroine and poppy 
production that is threatening to endanger Afghanistan's security.
  H.R. 2446 also takes a strong step towards building international 
diplomacy and shared responsibility in the region with our allies.
  The Act expresses the sense of Congress that greater humanitarian 
assistance is needed in the country for civilians, that the United 
Nations should play a larger role in assisting the people of 
Afghanistan and also provides means to train military from foreign 
countries to share responsibility in Afghanistan.
  We also set strong benchmarks for accountability in the region by 
requiring more reporting, a better overall strategy for Afghanistan, 
and by pursuing policies that foster regional cooperation.
  This bill will make Afghanistan stronger and more secure while 
securing our own homeland in the fight against global terrorism.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

                              {time}  1530

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The CHAIRMAN. All time for general debate has expired.
  Pursuant to the rule, the bill is considered read for amendment under 
the 5-minute rule.

[[Page 14703]]

  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 2446

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

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

       (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the 
     ``Afghanistan Freedom and Security Support Act of 2007''.
       (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act 
     is as follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Findings.
Sec. 3. Definition.

TITLE I--ECONOMIC AND DEMOCRATIC DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE FOR AFGHANISTAN

Sec. 101. Declaration of policy.
Sec. 102. Purposes of assistance.
Sec. 103. Authorization of assistance.
Sec. 104. Certification and phased-in limitation on economic and 
              democratic development assistance.
Sec. 105. Monitoring and evaluation of assistance.
Sec. 106. Coordination of assistance.
Sec. 107. Pilot program to provide scholarships to Afghan students for 
              public policy internships in the United States.
Sec. 108. Authorization of appropriations.
Sec. 109. Clerical amendment.

   TITLE II--ASSISTANCE FOR A NEW SECURITY FRAMEWORK FOR AFGHANISTAN

 Subtitle A--Amendments to the Afghanistan Freedom Support Act of 2002

Sec. 201. Authorization of assistance.
Sec. 202. Congressional notification requirements.
Sec. 203. Matters relating to the International Security Assistance 
              Force.
Sec. 204. Sunset.

                       Subtitle B--Other Matters

Sec. 211. Counter-narcotics activities in Afghanistan.
Sec. 212. Expansion of international contributions to the security of 
              Afghanistan.
Sec. 213. Training for military personnel of foreign countries that are 
              to be deployed for security operations in Afghanistan.
Sec. 214. Humanitarian assistance for war victims.
Sec. 215. Sense of Congress concerning United Nations mandate in 
              Afghanistan.

                  TITLE III--MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS

Sec. 301. Donor contributions to Afghanistan and reports.
Sec. 302. Report on progress toward security and stability in 
              Afghanistan.
Sec. 303. Comprehensive interagency strategy for long-term security and 
              stability in Afghanistan.
Sec. 304. Special envoy for Afghanistan-Pakistan cooperation.
Sec. 305. Transit through Pakistan of shipments by India in support of 
              reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan.
Sec. 306. Reauthorization of Radio Free Afghanistan.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress makes the following findings:
       (1) Nearly six years after the liberation of Afghanistan 
     from the Taliban, who provided Osama Bin-Laden and Al-Qaeda 
     with a safe haven for planning the attacks of September 11, 
     2001, Afghanistan remains highly unstable and the Government 
     of President Hamid Karzai remains subject to attacks from 
     remnants of the Taliban who have regrouped along with other 
     insurgent groups, including some foreign fighters associated 
     with Al-Qaeda.
       (2) The Government of Afghanistan supports the continued 
     deployment of international forces to supplement its own 
     nascent national security forces, and the North Atlantic 
     Treaty Organization (NATO), which took over international 
     stability operations for the entire country on October 5, 
     2006, must show continued commitment to these operations in 
     order to assist Afghanistan in defeating the growing 
     insurgency in rural areas of Afghanistan.
       (3) The current United States counter-narcotics strategy 
     for Afghanistan has not produced significant results, in part 
     due to a failure to seek out and capture high-level warlords 
     and kingpins who control the flow of illicit narcotics and 
     because sufficient sustainable alternatives have not been 
     provided to Afghan farmers who suffer from a lack of access 
     to microfinance facilities, financial services, and land 
     rights and whose crops are subject to eradication.
       (4) In some cases, the misaligned eradication policy 
     endorsed by the United States Government has led adversely-
     affected Afghan farmers and villagers to support insurgent 
     groups, including the Taliban.
       (5) The violence and instability in Afghanistan is further 
     exacerbated by the flourishing trade in opium and opium-
     related crops, which has reached record levels and which fuel 
     local militias, corrupts the national and local governments, 
     and provides funding for insurgent and terrorist groups.
       (6) The United States and the international community must 
     continue to support Afghanistan both through increased 
     support for its national and local police forces, the Afghan 
     National Army, and Afghan counter-narcotics operations.
       (7) The United States and the international community must 
     also continue to support the growth of the Afghan economy 
     through foreign assistance and other means because 
     Afghanistan remains one of the poorest countries in the world 
     and economic growth is impeded by the lingering remnants of 
     25 years of civil war and occupation and the ongoing 
     instability since December 2001, including the growing 
     illicit drug economy.
       (8) The United States and the international community must 
     also continue to show a long-term commitment to support the 
     promotion of democracy and the protection of human rights in 
     Afghanistan, including increased assistance for the rule of 
     law, freedom of the press, freedom of association, freedom of 
     religion, and other measures of good governance.
       (9) From January 31 to February 1, 2006, the Government of 
     Afghanistan and the international community issued the 
     Afghanistan Compact, which sets forth both the international 
     community's commitment to Afghanistan and Afghanistan's 
     commitment to state-building and reform over the next five 
     years.
       (10) The Afghanistan Compact, which supports the Afghan 
     National Development Strategy, provides a strategy for 
     building an effective, accountable state in Afghanistan, with 
     goals and standards set forth in the Afghanistan Compact for 
     improvements in security, governance, and development, 
     including measures for reducing the narcotics economy, 
     promoting regional cooperation, and making aid more 
     effective. The Afghanistan Compact also established a 
     mechanism to monitor Afghanistan and the international 
     community's adherence to the timelines, goals, and objectives 
     set forth in the document.
       (11) The security of Afghanistan is closely intertwined 
     with those of its regional neighbors and success in 
     Afghanistan, both economic and political, will be dependent 
     on security and stability in the region.
       (12) The recent closure of four refugee camps in Pakistan 
     and the deportation of Afghans from Iran have resulted in 
     over 200,000 Afghan refugees repatriating to Afghanistan who 
     will require urgent humanitarian services.

     SEC. 3. DEFINITION.

       (a) In General.--In this Act, except as otherwise provided, 
     the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' means the 
     Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives 
     and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate.
       (b) Amendment.--Subsection (c) of section 1 of the 
     Afghanistan Freedom Support Act of 2002 (22 U.S.C. 7501 note) 
     is amended to read as follows:
       ``(c) Definitions.--In this Act:
       ``(1) Appropriate congressional committees.--Except as 
     otherwise provided, the term `appropriate congressional 
     committees' means--
       ``(A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on 
     Appropriations of the House of Representatives; and
       ``(B) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee 
     on Appropriations of the Senate.
       ``(2) Government of afghanistan.--The term `Government of 
     Afghanistan' includes--
       ``(A) the government of any political subdivision of 
     Afghanistan; and
       ``(B) any agency or instrumentality of the Government of 
     Afghanistan.
       ``(3) International security assistance force or isaf.--The 
     term `International Security Assistance Force' or `ISAF' 
     means the international security assistance force established 
     to assist in the maintenance of security in Afghanistan 
     pursuant to United Nations Security Council Resolution 1386 
     (2001), as amended by United Nations Security Council 
     Resolutions 1413 (2002), 1444 (2002), 1510 (2003), 1563 
     (2004), 1623 (2005), and 1707 (2006).''.

TITLE I--ECONOMIC AND DEMOCRATIC DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE FOR AFGHANISTAN

     SEC. 101. DECLARATION OF POLICY.

       Section 101 of the Afghanistan Freedom Support Act of 2002 
     (22 U.S.C. 7511) is amended by striking paragraphs (4), (5), 
     and (6) and inserting the following new paragraphs:
       ``(4) While the election of a President and the 
     establishment of a National Parliament for Afghanistan 
     concluded the process begun in December 5, 2001, in Bonn, 
     Germany, the United States needs to continue to work with the 
     Government of Afghanistan and other friendly countries to 
     ensure that Afghanistan's neighboring countries and other 
     countries in the region do not threaten or interfere in one 
     another's sovereignty, territorial integrity, or political 
     independence, including supporting diplomatic initiatives to 
     support this goal for the establishment of an independent and 
     neutral Afghanistan.
       ``(5) The United States must continue to demonstrate a 
     long-term commitment to the people of Afghanistan by 
     sustained assistance and the continued deployment of United 
     States troops in Afghanistan with the support of the 
     Government of Afghanistan as Afghanistan continues on its 
     path toward a broad-based, multi-ethnic, gender-sensitive,

[[Page 14704]]

     and fully representative government in Afghanistan.
       ``(6) To foster stability and democratization and to 
     effectively eliminate the causes of terrorism, the United 
     States and the international community should also support 
     efforts that advance the development of democratic civil 
     authorities and institutions in Afghanistan's neighboring 
     countries and throughout the Central Asia and South Asia 
     regions.
       ``(7) While rampant corruption has impeded development and 
     economic growth in Afghanistan and contributed to insecurity 
     in the country, the United States should support all efforts 
     to fight corruption in all levels of government in 
     Afghanistan and assist in promoting an efficient and 
     effective Government of Afghanistan.''.

     SEC. 102. PURPOSES OF ASSISTANCE.

       Section 102 of the Afghanistan Freedom Support Act of 2002 
     (22 U.S.C. 7512) is amended--
       (1) in paragraph (2), by striking ``the humanitarian 
     crisis'' and inserting ``the continuing humanitarian needs'';
       (2) in paragraph (3)--
       (A) by striking ``heroin, and to'' and inserting ``heroin, 
     to''; and
       (B) by adding at the end before the semicolon the 
     following: ``, and to establish a pilot program to test the 
     effectiveness of a crop substitution combined with an 
     appropriate offset policy and to provide practical 
     information on the measures needed to implement such a policy 
     with the potential of scaling up the pilot program for large-
     scale deployment''; and
       (3) in paragraph (7), by inserting ``, the energy sector'' 
     after ``the agriculture sector''.

     SEC. 103. AUTHORIZATION OF ASSISTANCE.

       (a) Continuing Humanitarian Needs.--Subsection (a)(1) of 
     section 103 of the Afghanistan Freedom Support Act of 2002 
     (22 U.S.C. 7513) is amended--
       (1) in the heading, by striking ``Urgent'' and inserting 
     ``Continuing''; and
       (2) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking 
     ``urgent'' and inserting ``continuing''.
       (b) Counter-Narcotics Efforts.--Subsection (a)(3) of such 
     section is amended--
       (1) in the matter preceding clause (i) of subparagraph 
     (A)--
       (A) by striking ``To assist in'' and inserting ``To assist 
     in the apprehension of individuals who organize, facilitate, 
     and profit from the drug trade,''; and
       (B) by inserting ``, including the destruction of drug 
     laboratories'' after ``heroin production'';
       (2) by redesignating subparagraph (B) as subparagraph (C);
       (3) by inserting after subparagraph (A) the following new 
     subparagraph:
       ``(B) To establish a pilot program to test the 
     effectiveness of a crop substitution combined with an 
     appropriate offset to encourage legitimate alternatives to 
     poppy production for Afghan poppy farmers within an area in 
     which poppy production is prevalent, such as in the Helmand 
     or Nangarhar provinces, by providing--
       ``(i) seeds for alternative crops for which there is 
     internal market demand and in an areas in which there is 
     adequate infrastructure for access to market;
       ``(ii) technical assistance to such Afghan poppy farmers on 
     how to best plant, grow, and harvest the alternative crops 
     utilized; and
       ``(iii) an appropriate offset that would significantly 
     address the difference in income that such Afghan poppy 
     farmers would otherwise earn had they continued to grow and 
     sell poppy.'';
       (4) in subparagraph (C) (as redesignated)--
       (A) by striking ``(B)'' and inserting ``(B)(i)'';
       (B) by striking ``2003 through 2006'' and inserting ``2008 
     through 2010'';
       (C) by striking the last sentence; and
       (D) by adding at the end the following new clauses:
       ``(ii) For each of the fiscal years 2008 through 2010, 
     $10,000,000 is authorized to be appropriated to the President 
     to carry out activities described in subparagraph (B).
       ``(iii) Amounts made available under clauses (i) and (ii) 
     are in addition to amounts otherwise available for such 
     purposes.''; and
       (5) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
       ``(D) Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
     enactment of the Afghanistan Freedom and Security Support Act 
     of 2007, and every 180 days thereafter through the end of 
     fiscal year 2010, the President shall transmit to the 
     appropriate congressional committees a report on the status 
     of the implementation of the activities described in 
     subparagraph (B). The report required by this subparagraph 
     may be included in the report required by section 304 of this 
     Act.''.
       (c) Reestablishment of Food Security, Rehabilitation of the 
     Agriculture Sector, Improvement in Health Conditions, and the 
     Reconstruction of Basic Infrastructure.--Subsection (a)(4) of 
     such section is amended--
       (1) by striking subparagraph (B) and inserting the 
     following new subparagraph:
       ``(B) increased access to credit, savings, and other 
     financial services and to farm management and business 
     advisory services;'';
       (2) by redesignating subparagraphs (K), (L), and (M) as 
     subparagraphs (M), (N), and (O), respectively;
       (3) by inserting after subparagraph (J) the following new 
     subparagraphs:
       ``(K) programs to train medical personnel, including 
     doctors, nurses, physicians' assistants, and midwives;
       ``(L) programs to provide equipment to primary and 
     secondary clinics and hospitals;'';
       (4) in subparagraph (N) (as redesignated), by striking 
     ``and'' at the end;
       (5) in subparagraph (O) (as redesignated), by striking the 
     period at the end and inserting ``; and''; and
       (6) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
       ``(P) rebuilding and constructing rural and urban roads and 
     highways, including secondary and tertiary road systems.''.
       (d) Education, the Rule of Law, Anti-Corruption, and 
     Related Issues.--Subsection (a)(5) of such section is 
     amended--
       (1) in the heading, by inserting ``, anti-corruption'' 
     after ``the rule of law'';
       (2) in subparagraph (B)--
       (A) by striking clause (v);
       (B) by redesignating clauses (vi) through (viii) as clauses 
     (v) through (vii), respectively;
       (C) in clause (vi) (as redesignated), by striking ``and'' 
     at the end;
       (D) in clause (vii) (as redesignated), by striking the 
     period at the end and inserting a semicolon; and
       (E) by adding at the end the following new clauses:
       ``(viii) support for the implementation of the Afghan 
     Action Plan on Transitional Justice, including examination of 
     abuses by all parties as specified by the document with a 
     view to establishing truth, reconciliation, and justice; and
       ``(ix) support for land titling programs and reconciliation 
     of land rights.'';
       (3) by redesignating subparagraphs (C) and (D) as 
     subparagraphs (D) and (E), respectively; and
       (4) by inserting after subparagraph (B) the following new 
     subparagraph:
       ``(C) Anti-corruption assistance.--To combat corruption, 
     improve transparency and accountability, increase the 
     participatory nature of governmental institutions, and 
     promote other forms of good governance and management in all 
     levels of government in Afghanistan, including assistance 
     such as--
       ``(i) providing technical assistance to the Government of 
     Afghanistan to assist in the efforts to ratify the United 
     Nations Convention against Corruption and assistance in 
     creating implementation legislation and a monitoring 
     mechanism to oversee implementation of the United Nations 
     Convention against Corruption;
       ``(ii) supporting the establishment of audit offices, 
     inspectors general offices, third party monitoring of 
     government procurement processes, and anti-corruption 
     agencies;
       ``(iii) promoting legal and judicial reforms that 
     criminalize corruption and law enforcement reforms and 
     development that encourage prosecutions of corruption;
       ``(iv) providing technical assistance to develop a legal 
     framework for commercial transactions that fosters business 
     practices that promote transparent, ethical, and competitive 
     behavior in the economic sector, such as commercial codes 
     that incorporate international standards and protection of 
     core labor standards;
       ``(v) providing training and technical assistance relating 
     to drafting of anti-corruption, privatization, and 
     competitive statutory and administrative codes, and providing 
     technical assistance to Afghan governmental ministries 
     implementing anti-corruption laws and regulations;
       ``(vi) promoting the development of regulations relating to 
     financial disclosure for public officials, political parties, 
     and candidates for public offices;
       ``(vii) supporting transparent budgeting processes and 
     financial management systems; and
       ``(viii) promoting civil society's role in combating 
     corruption.''.
       (e) Assistance to Women and Girls.--Subsection (a)(7) of 
     such section is amended--
       (1) in subparagraph (A), by striking clauses (i) through 
     (xii) and inserting the following new clauses:
       ``(i) to provide equipment, medical supplies, and other 
     assistance to health care facilities for the purpose of 
     reducing maternal and infant mortality and morbidity;
       ``(ii) to expand immunization programs for women and 
     children;
       ``(iii) to establish and expand programs to provide 
     services to women and girls suffering from mental illness 
     problems, such as depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic 
     stress disorder;
       ``(iv) to protect and provide services to vulnerable 
     populations, including widows, orphans, and women head of 
     households;
       ``(v) to develop and implement programs to protect women 
     and girls against sexual and physical abuse, abduction, 
     trafficking, exploitation, and sex discrimination, including 
     emergency shelters for women and girls who face danger from 
     violence;
       ``(vi) to establish primary and secondary schools for girls 
     that include mathematics, science, and languages in their 
     primary curriculum;

[[Page 14705]]

       ``(vii) to expand technical and vocational training 
     programs to enable women to support themselves and their 
     families;
       ``(viii) to maintain and expand adult literacy programs, 
     including economic literacy programs that promote the well-
     being of women and their families;
       ``(ix) to provide special educational opportunities for 
     girls whose schooling was ended by the Taliban and who now 
     face obstacles to participating in the normal education 
     system, such as girls who are now married and girls who are 
     older than the normal age for their classes;
       ``(x) to disseminate information throughout Afghanistan on 
     international standards for human rights, particularly as 
     pertaining to women;
       ``(xi) to provide information and assistance to enable 
     women to exercise property, inheritance, and voting rights, 
     and to ensure equal access to the judicial system;
       ``(xii) to support the work of women-led and local 
     nongovernmental organizations with demonstrated experience in 
     delivering services to women and children in Afghanistan;
       ``(xiii) to monitor and investigate violations against 
     women and to provide legal assistance to women who have 
     suffered violations of their rights;
       ``(xiv) to increase political and civic participation of 
     women in all levels of society, including the criminal 
     justice system;
       ``(xv) to provide information and training related to human 
     rights, particularly as pertaining to women, to military, 
     police, and legal personnel; and
       ``(xvi) to provide assistance to the Ministry of Women's 
     Affairs and the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission 
     for programs to advance the status of women.''; and
       (2) in subparagraph (B), to read as follows:
       ``(B) Availability of funds.--For each of the fiscal years 
     2008 through 2010--
       ``(i) $5,000,000 is authorized to be appropriated to the 
     President to be made available to the Afghan Ministry of 
     Women's Affairs for the administration and conduct of its 
     programs;
       ``(ii) $10,000,000 is authorized to be appropriated to the 
     President to be made available to the Afghan Independent 
     Human Rights Commission for the administration and conduct of 
     its programs; and
       ``(iii) $30,000,000 is authorized to be appropriated to the 
     President for grants to Afghan-led nongovernmental 
     organizations, including Afghan women-led nongovernmental 
     organizations, to support activities including the 
     construction, establishment, and operation of schools for 
     married girls and girls' orphanages, vocational training for 
     women and girls, primary health care clinics for women and 
     children, programs to strengthen Afghan women-led 
     organizations and women's leadership, and to provide monthly 
     financial assistance to widows, orphans, and women head of 
     households.''.
       (f) Assistance for Energy Development and Short-Term Energy 
     Supply.--
       (1) Amendment.--Subsection (a) of such section is amended 
     by adding at the end the following new paragraphs:
       ``(8) Assistance for energy development.--To support the 
     development of local energy sources, new power generation, 
     and energy transportation, including further development of 
     existing hydrological power sources, studies of the utility 
     of geothermal energy, expansion of local natural gas fields 
     for internal consumption and export, and transport of natural 
     gas or other appropriate energy sources to Afghanistan's 
     neighboring countries.
       ``(9) Assistance for short-term energy supply.--
       ``(A) Assistance objectives.--To provide assistance for the 
     supply of short-term energy resources such as diesel to 
     secure the delivery of electricity to major Afghan cities.
       ``(B) Availability of funds.--For each of the fiscal years 
     2008 through 2010, $75,000,000 is authorized to be 
     appropriated to the President to carry out this paragraph.
       ``(C) Relation to other available funds.--Amounts made 
     available under subparagraph (B) are in addition to amounts 
     otherwise available for such purposes.''.
       (2) Sense of congress on opic activities.--It is the sense 
     of Congress that the Overseas Private Investment Corporation 
     should, in accordance with its mandate to foster private 
     investment and enhance the ability of private enterprise to 
     make its full contribution to international development, 
     exercise its authorities under title IV of chapter 2 of part 
     I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2191 et 
     seq.) to further increase efforts to promote and support 
     United States-sponsored private investment in the energy 
     sector in Afghanistan, including--
       (A) issuing loans, guaranties, and insurance, to support 
     energy infrastructure reconstruction and development; and
       (B) undertaking a special initiative that includes--
       (i) sending a needs assessment team to Afghanistan to 
     determine ways in which the Corporation can best support the 
     essential investment required to restore the energy 
     infrastructure in Afghanistan;
       (ii) engaging in an exhaustive outreach program to involve 
     United States business in energy development in Afghanistan 
     and exploring potential new public-private partnerships, 
     supported by the Corporation, which will assist Afghanistan 
     in developing its energy sector; and
       (iii) consulting and coordinating with the Government of 
     Afghanistan and regional governments and international 
     financial institutions to promote private investment in the 
     energy sector.
       (g) Assistance for Capacity-Building.--Subsection (a) of 
     such section, as amended by subsection (f)(1) of this 
     section, is further amended by adding at the end the 
     following new paragraph:
       ``(10) Assistance for capacity-building.--To increase the 
     capacity and improve the sustainability of national, 
     provincial, and local governmental institutions, including 
     assistance such as--
       ``(A) providing technical assistance to all ministries 
     through funding to the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund 
     to improve transparency and ability to respond to the needs 
     of the Afghan people;
       ``(B) promoting the implementation of fiscal and personnel 
     management, including revenue tracking and expenditure 
     systems;
       ``(C) assisting in developing ministry-wide recruitment 
     systems;
       ``(D) creating or improving databases and other human 
     resource information systems;
       ``(E) supporting the expansion of the Afghan National 
     Solidarity Project and other provincial and local-led 
     development projects;
       ``(F) providing training and technical assistance to the 
     Ministry of Finance to better account for funding to the 
     Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund and other funds 
     implemented by the Government of Afghanistan;
       ``(G) supporting the Afghanistan Independent Administrative 
     Reform and Civil Service Commission; and
       ``(H) providing financial and technical assistance to 
     support the Transition Support Strategy for Afghanistan, 
     including the Public Administration Reform project.''.
       (h) Limitation.--Subsection (b)(1) of such section is 
     amended by striking ``adopting a constitution and''.
       (i) Monitoring of Assistance for Afghanistan; Report.--
     Subsection (d)(1)(A) of such section is amended--
       (1) by striking ``Committee on International Relations'' 
     and inserting ``Committee on Foreign Affairs''; and
       (2) by adding at the end the following new sentence: ``The 
     report required by this paragraph may be included in the 
     report required by section 304 of this Act.''.

     SEC. 104. CERTIFICATION AND PHASED-IN LIMITATION ON ECONOMIC 
                   AND DEMOCRATIC DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE.

       Title I of the Afghanistan Freedom Support Act of 2002 (22 
     U.S.C. 7511 et seq.) is amended--
       (1) by redesignating sections 104 through 108 as sections 
     105 through 109, respectively; and
       (2) by inserting after section 103 the following new 
     section:

     ``SEC. 104. CERTIFICATION AND PHASED-IN LIMITATION ON UNITED 
                   STATES ECONOMIC AND DEMOCRATIC DEVELOPMENT 
                   ASSISTANCE FOR AFGHANISTAN.

       ``(a) Certification.--
       ``(1) In general.--Not later than October 1, 2008 and each 
     October 1 thereafter, the President shall transmit to the 
     appropriate congressional committees a certification that 
     contains a determination of whether or not, based upon 
     substantiated and credible evidence, any senior official of 
     the Government of Afghanistan, at the provincial or local 
     levels, is engaged in or benefits from the illicit narcotics 
     trade or is engaged in terrorist or criminal activities, 
     including the names of any such senior officials and the 
     provincial or local governments over which such senior 
     officials exercise authority.
       ``(2) Form.--The certification required by paragraph (1) 
     shall be transmitted in unclassified form, but may contain a 
     classified annex.
       ``(b) Limitation on Assistance.--For fiscal year 2009 and 
     each subsequent fiscal year, assistance authorized under this 
     title or under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 
     2151 et seq.) may not be provided to a provincial or local 
     government of Afghanistan if the President determines and 
     certifies to the appropriate congressional committees 
     pursuant to subsection (a) for such fiscal year that, based 
     upon substantiated and credible evidence, one or more senior 
     officials from such provincial or local government is engaged 
     in or benefits from the narcotics trade or is engaged in 
     terrorist or criminal activities.''.

     SEC. 105. MONITORING AND EVALUATION OF ASSISTANCE.

       Title I of the Afghanistan Freedom Support Act of 2002 (22 
     U.S.C. 7511 et seq.), as amended by section 104 of this Act, 
     is further amended--
       (1) by redesignating sections 105 through 109 (as 
     redesignated) as sections 106 through 110, respectively; and
       (2) by inserting after section 104 the following new 
     section:

     ``SEC. 105. MONITORING AND EVALUATION OF ASSISTANCE.

       ``(a) In General.--The President shall establish and 
     implement a system to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness 
     and efficiency of assistance provided under this title on a

[[Page 14706]]

     program-by-program basis in order to maximize the long-term 
     sustainable development impact of such assistance.
       ``(b) Requirements.--In carrying out subsection (a), the 
     President shall--
       ``(1) establish performance goals for assistance authorized 
     under this title and expresses such goals in an objective and 
     quantifiable form, to the extent practicable;
       ``(2) establish performance indicators to be used in 
     measuring or assessing the achievement of the performance 
     goals described in paragraph (1); and
       ``(3) provide a basis for recommendations for adjustments 
     to assistance authorized under this title to enhance the 
     impact of such assistance.
       ``(c) Assistance To Enhance the Capacity of Afghanistan.--
     In carrying out subsection (a), the President shall provide 
     assistance to enhance the capacity of the Government of 
     Afghanistan to monitor and evaluate programs carried out by 
     the national, provincial, and local governments in 
     Afghanistan in order to maximize the long-term sustainable 
     development impact of such programs.
       ``(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--Of the amounts 
     authorized to be appropriated under section 110 for a fiscal 
     year, not less than 5 percent of such amounts are authorized 
     to be made available to carry out this section for such 
     fiscal year.''.

     SEC. 106. COORDINATION OF ASSISTANCE.

       (a) Congressional Finding.--Congress finds that the 
     coordinator of assistance provided for in section 106 of the 
     Afghanistan Freedom Support Act of 2002 (as redesignated) has 
     not achieved the objectives of an integrated approach to 
     United States assistance programs for Afghanistan.
       (b) Appointment of Coordinator.--Not later than 90 days 
     after the date of the enactment of this Act, the President 
     shall appoint, by and with the advice and consent of the 
     Senate, a coordinator who shall report directly to the 
     President. The coordinator shall not hold any other position 
     within the United States Government and shall have the rank 
     and status of Ambassador.
       (c) Duties of Coordinator.--The coordinator shall be 
     responsible for--
       (1) designing an overall non-military strategy, in 
     coordination with the heads of relevant United States 
     Government departments and agencies, to advance United States 
     interests in Afghanistan, including policy coordination 
     relating to counter-narcotics efforts, reconstruction and 
     development, and activities to equip and train the Afghan 
     National Security Forces;
       (2) ensuring policy coordination among relevant United 
     States Government departments and agencies in carrying out 
     the strategy described in paragraph (1);
       (3) pursuing coordination with other countries and 
     international organizations with respect to assistance for 
     Afghanistan;
       (4) coordinating the implementation and oversight by 
     relevant United States Government departments and agencies 
     for assistance for Afghanistan described in paragraph (1);
       (5) resolving policy disputes among relevant United States 
     Government departments and agencies with respect to United 
     States assistance for Afghanistan described in paragraph (1);
       (6) ensuring policy coordination among relevant United 
     States Government departments and agencies for counter-
     narcotics efforts and coordinating the implementation of such 
     policies, including by facilitating the access of certain 
     departments and agencies to sensitive sites in Afghanistan, 
     where practicable, for the purpose of conducting critical 
     counter-narcotics operations; and
       (7) ensuring coordination among the United States, the 
     Government of Afghanistan, the United Kingdom, and other 
     international partners that are supporting counter-narcotics 
     efforts, reconstruction and development, and activities to 
     equip and train the Afghan National Security Forces in 
     Afghanistan.
       (d) Deputy Coordinators.--The coordinator may appoint up to 
     two deputy coordinators to assist the coordinator with the 
     duties of the coordinator described in subsection (c), 
     including duties relating to counter-narcotics, 
     reconstruction and development, or equipping and training of 
     Afghan National Security Forces. A deputy coordinator shall 
     not hold any other position within the United States 
     Government.
       (e) Repeal.--Section 106 of the Afghanistan Freedom Support 
     Act of 2002 (as redesignated by sections 104 and 105 of this 
     Act), is hereby repealed.

     SEC. 107. PILOT PROGRAM TO PROVIDE SCHOLARSHIPS TO AFGHAN 
                   STUDENTS FOR PUBLIC POLICY INTERNSHIPS IN THE 
                   UNITED STATES.

       Title I of the Afghanistan Freedom Support Act of 2002 (22 
     U.S.C. 7511 et seq.), as amended by sections 104 and 105 of 
     this Act, is further amended by inserting after section 105 
     (as redesignated) the following new section:

     ``SEC. 106. PILOT PROGRAM TO PROVIDE SCHOLARSHIPS TO AFGHAN 
                   STUDENTS FOR PUBLIC POLICY INTERNSHIPS IN THE 
                   UNITED STATES.

       ``(a) Pilot Program Required.--The Secretary of State shall 
     establish a pilot program to provide scholarships to 
     undergraduate and graduate students in Afghanistan for public 
     policy internships in the United States to improve the 
     ability of such students to increase the capacity of the 
     Government of Afghanistan. The pilot program required by this 
     subsection shall be carried out as part of the educational 
     and cultural exchange programs of the Department of State 
     under the authorities of the Mutual Educational and Cultural 
     Exchange Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2451 et seq.).
       ``(b) Scope of Pilot Program.--It is the sense of Congress 
     that 20 students should participate in the pilot program 
     required by subsection (a) for each fiscal year during which 
     the pilot program is in effect.
       ``(c) Period of Pilot Program.--The pilot program required 
     by subsection (a) shall be in effect during each of the 
     fiscal years 2008, 2009, and 2010.''.

     SEC. 108. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       (a) Amendments.--Subsection (a) of section 110 of the 
     Afghanistan Freedom Support Act of 2002 (as redesignated) is 
     amended--
       (1) by striking ``such sums as may be necessary'' and 
     inserting ``$1,600,000,000''; and
       (2) by striking ``2005 and 2006'' and inserting ``2008 
     through 2010''.
       (b) Rule of Construction.--The amendments made by 
     subsection (a) shall not be construed to affect the 
     availability of funds appropriated pursuant to the 
     authorization of appropriations under section 108 of the 
     Afghanistan Freedom Support Act of 2002 (22 U.S.C. 7518) 
     before the date of the enactment of this Act.

     SEC. 109. CLERICAL AMENDMENT.

       The table of contents in section 1(b) of the Afghanistan 
     Freedom Support Act of 2002 (22 U.S.C. 7501 note) is amended 
     by striking the items relating to sections 104 through 108 
     and inserting the following new items:

``Sec. 104. Certification and phased-in limitation on United States 
              economic and democratic development assistance for 
              Afghanistan
``Sec. 105. Monitoring and evaluation of assistance
``Sec. 106. Pilot program to provide scholarships to Afghan students 
              for public policy internships in the United States.
``Sec. 107. Sense of Congress regarding promoting cooperation in opium 
              producing areas.
``Sec. 108. Administrative provisions.
``Sec. 109. Relationship to other authority.
``Sec. 110. Authorization of appropriations.''.

   TITLE II--ASSISTANCE FOR A NEW SECURITY FRAMEWORK FOR AFGHANISTAN

 Subtitle A--Amendments to the Afghanistan Freedom Support Act of 2002

     SEC. 201. AUTHORIZATION OF ASSISTANCE.

       (a) Extension of Drawdown Authority.--Subsection (b) of 
     section 202 of the Afghanistan Freedom Support Act of 2002 
     (22 U.S.C. 7532) is amended by striking ``$550,000,000'' and 
     inserting ``300,000,000 in any fiscal year''.
       (b) Sense of Congress.--Such section is further amended by 
     adding at the end the following new subsection:
       ``(c) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that 
     assistance provided to eligible foreign countries and 
     international organizations under subsection (a) should 
     promote greater interoperability with and among the military 
     forces of the International Security Assistance Force, the 
     United States, and the Government of Afghanistan.''.

     SEC. 202. CONGRESSIONAL NOTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS.

       Subsection (a) of section 205 of the Afghanistan Freedom 
     Support Act of 2002 (22 U.S.C. 7535) is amended by striking 
     ``the Committee on International Relations and the Committee 
     on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the 
     Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on 
     Appropriations of the Senate'' and inserting ``the 
     appropriate congressional committees''.

     SEC. 203. MATTERS RELATING TO THE INTERNATIONAL SECURITY 
                   ASSISTANCE FORCE.

       (a) Implementation of Strategy.--Section 206 of the 
     Afghanistan Freedom Support Act of 2002 (22 U.S.C. 7536) is 
     amended--
       (1) by striking subsection (c); and
       (2) by redesignating subsections (d) and (e) as subsections 
     (c) and (d), respectively.
       (b) Reports on Efforts To Expand International Peacekeeping 
     and Security Operations in Afghanistan.--Subsection (c)(1)(B) 
     of such section (as redesignated) is amended in the first 
     sentence, by striking ``Committee on International 
     Relations'' and inserting ``Committee on Foreign Affairs''.
       (c) Arms Sales Incentive for Cooperating Nations in 
     Afghanistan.--Such section is further amended by adding at 
     the end the following new subsection:
       ``(e) Arms Sales Incentive for Cooperating Nations in 
     Afghanistan.--
       ``(1) In general.--The President is authorized to provide a 
     subsidy of up to five percent of the total acquisition cost 
     of defense articles and defense services sold pursuant to the 
     Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2751 et seq.) to a country 
     if--
       ``(A) the country will use such defense articles and 
     defense services in Afghanistan, or
       ``(B) the country will use defense articles and defense 
     services of comparable quality and quantity in Afghanistan,
     in support of operations in Afghanistan for an extended 
     period of time.

[[Page 14707]]

       ``(2) Definitions.--In this subsection--
       ``(A) the term `defense article' has the meaning given the 
     term in paragraph (3) of section 47 of the Arms Export 
     Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2794 note); and
       ``(B) the term `defense service' has the meaning given the 
     term in paragraph (4) of such section.
       ``(3) Authorization of appropriations.--To carry out this 
     subsection, there are authorized to be appropriated to the 
     President $10,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2008 
     through 2010.''.

     SEC. 204. SUNSET.

       Section 209 of the Afghanistan Freedom Support Act of 2002 
     (22 U.S.C. 7538) is amended by striking ``2006'' and 
     inserting ``2010''.

                       Subtitle B--Other Matters

     SEC. 211. COUNTER-NARCOTICS ACTIVITIES IN AFGHANISTAN.

       (a) Support for Counter-Narcotics Interdiction 
     Operations.--
       (1) In general.--The President, acting through the 
     Secretary of Defense, shall direct the United States Armed 
     Forces to continue to support counter-narcotics interdiction 
     operations in Afghanistan, consistent with ongoing 
     operational activities and the Department of Defense's 
     counter-narcotics strategy for Afghanistan.
       (2) Coordination.--Such operations shall be conducted in 
     coordination with the Government of Afghanistan and in 
     coordination with any support for counter-narcotics 
     interdiction operations provided by the United Kingdom and 
     other appropriate countries.
       (3) Types of activities.--Such operations shall include--
       (A) intelligence, surveillance, and information sharing;
       (B) logistical support, to the extent practicable in light 
     of ongoing operational activities, for interdiction efforts; 
     and
       (C) training and equipping the Afghan National Police, 
     consistent with existing law.
       (b) Special Counter-Narcotics Interdiction Teams.--The 
     President shall enhance existing civilian special counter-
     narcotics interdiction teams and, in addition, such counter-
     narcotics interdiction teams shall, to the extent practicable 
     in light of ongoing operational activities, receive the 
     support described in subsection (a).
       (c) Participation of Foreign Counter-Narcotics Law 
     Enforcement Personnel.--Counter-narcotics law enforcement 
     personnel of NATO and other friendly countries may 
     participate in the formation and operation of the counter-
     narcotics interdiction teams described in subsection (b) or 
     other counter-narcotics operations in Afghanistan that are 
     supported by the United States.
       (d) Vetting of Candidates for the Afghan National Police.--
     The President shall ensure that assistance for the Afghan 
     National Police include vetting procedures to adequately 
     assess each Afghan National Police candidate's aptitude, 
     professional skills, integrity, and other qualifications that 
     are essential to law enforcement work.

     SEC. 212. EXPANSION OF INTERNATIONAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE 
                   SECURITY OF AFGHANISTAN.

       (a) Statement of Policy.--It is the policy of the United 
     States that the President shall encourage the Governments of 
     Pakistan and friendly Arab countries to increase 
     reconstruction assistance to, and diplomatic support for, the 
     Government of Afghanistan.
       (b) Pakistan and Afghanistan Military Cooperation.--The 
     President shall encourage the Governments of Pakistan and 
     Afghanistan to engage in greater military cooperation to 
     promote greater trust and transparency between them, 
     including greater communication and coordination between 
     their respective military, border security, and counter-
     narcotic units operating on both sides of the border between 
     Pakistan and Afghanistan.
       (c) Report.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act, and every six months thereafter until 
     September 30, 2008, the President shall transmit to the 
     appropriate congressional committees a report on the 
     implementation of subsections (a) and (b). The report 
     required by this subsection may be included in the report 
     required by section 304 of the Afghanistan Freedom Support 
     Act of 2002 (as amended by section 302 of this Act).
       (d) Definition.--In this section, the term ``appropriate 
     congressional committees'' means--
       (1) the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on 
     Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives; and
       (2) the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on 
     Foreign Relations of the Senate.

     SEC. 213. TRAINING FOR MILITARY PERSONNEL OF FOREIGN 
                   COUNTRIES THAT ARE TO BE DEPLOYED FOR SECURITY 
                   OPERATIONS IN AFGHANISTAN.

       Chapter 5 of part II of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 
     (22 U.S.C. 2347 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the 
     following new section:

     ``SEC. 550. TRAINING FOR MILITARY PERSONNEL OF FOREIGN 
                   COUNTRIES THAT ARE TO BE DEPLOYED FOR SECURITY 
                   OPERATIONS IN AFGHANISTAN.

       ``(a) Training Authorized.--The President is authorized to 
     furnish training under this chapter for military personnel of 
     foreign countries that are to be deployed for security 
     operations in Afghanistan, particularly in the areas of 
     special operations, counter-insurgency, border security, 
     counter-terrorism, and counter-narcotics.
       ``(b) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this 
     section, there are authorized to be appropriated to the 
     President $10,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2008 
     through 2010. Amounts authorized to be appropriated under 
     this subsection are in addition to amounts otherwise 
     available for such purposes.''.

     SEC. 214. HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE FOR WAR VICTIMS.

       (a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that 
     the President should be commended for and should continue 
     ongoing programs regarding assistance to innocent Afghan 
     individuals or families of Afghan civilians who have suffered 
     a serious loss during military operations conducted by United 
     States forces.
       (b) Report Required.--Not later than 180 days after the 
     date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall 
     transmit to the appropriate congressional committees a report 
     on the feasibility of expanding programs of assistance 
     described in subsection (a) to include--
       (1) the provision of special additional assistance to 
     families of Afghan civilians who were injured or killed 
     during such operations and who were the primary source of 
     income for such families;
       (2) the provision of assistance in excess of $2,500 to 
     families of Afghan civilians described in subsection (a); and
       (3) the provision of other payments that might be required 
     as a result of ongoing military operations in Afghanistan.

     SEC. 215. SENSE OF CONGRESS CONCERNING UNITED NATIONS MANDATE 
                   IN AFGHANISTAN.

       It is the sense of Congress that the United Nations 
     Security Council should expand the United Nations mandate in 
     Afghanistan to--
       (1) authorize international civilian law enforcement 
     missions in Afghanistan as a part of peace operations of the 
     United Nations in Afghanistan;
       (2) authorize the International Security Assistance Force 
     to conduct counter-drug interdiction operations, consistent 
     with ongoing operational activities and as opportunities 
     arise, against the top narcotic traffickers, their 
     operations, and their infrastructure in Afghanistan, with the 
     concurrence of the Government of Afghanistan;
       (3) install effective centralized authority within the 
     United Nations Special Representative for Afghanistan such 
     that the international community's political objectives can 
     be prioritized and communicated directly with the Government 
     of Afghanistan; and
       (4) extend the authorization of the International Security 
     Assistance Force beyond October 13, 2007.

                  TITLE III--MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS

     SEC. 301. DONOR CONTRIBUTIONS TO AFGHANISTAN AND REPORTS.

       Subsection (c)(1) of section 303 of the Afghanistan Freedom 
     Support Act of 2002 (22 U.S.C. 7553) is amended--
       (1) in the first sentence, by striking ``the Committee on 
     Foreign Relations and the Committee on Appropriations of the 
     Senate and the Committee on International Relations and the 
     Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives'' 
     and inserting ``the appropriate congressional committees''; 
     and
       (2) in the second sentence, by striking ``December 31, 
     2004'' and inserting ``December 31, 2010''.

     SEC. 302. REPORT ON PROGRESS TOWARD SECURITY AND STABILITY IN 
                   AFGHANISTAN.

       (a) In General.--Title III of the Afghanistan Freedom 
     Support Act of 2002 (22 U.S.C. 7551 et seq.) is amended by 
     striking section 304 and inserting the following new section:

     ``SEC. 304. REPORT ON PROGRESS TOWARD SECURITY AND STABILITY 
                   IN AFGHANISTAN.

       ``(a) Report Required.--Not later than December 1, 2007, 
     and every six months thereafter until September 30, 2010, the 
     President shall transmit to the appropriate congressional 
     committees a report on a comprehensive set of performance 
     indicators and measures for progress toward security and 
     stability in Afghanistan.
       ``(b) Matters To Be Included.--The report required by 
     subsection (a) shall include the following:
       ``(1) With respect to stability and security in 
     Afghanistan, the following:
       ``(A) Key measures of political stability, including the 
     important political objectives that must be achieved over the 
     next year to ensure that all segments of Afghan society 
     become committed to the elected government in Kabul.
       ``(B) The primary indicators of a stable security 
     environment in Afghanistan, such as the following:
       ``(i) The number of engagements per day by each of the 
     following:

       ``(I) The Afghan forces, United States forces, and other 
     Coalition forces.
       ``(II) ISAF.

       ``(ii) The numbers of trained Afghan security forces, 
     including the Afghan National Army and the Afghan National 
     Police.

[[Page 14708]]

       ``(iii) The trends relating to numbers and types of ethnic 
     and religious-based hostile encounters.
       ``(C) An assessment of the estimated strength of the 
     insurgency in Afghanistan and the extent to which it is 
     composed of non-Afghan fighters, including whether insurgents 
     are obtaining weapons and other military material from 
     outside of Afghanistan and whether the insurgents are based 
     in or use the territory of countries other than Afghanistan.
       ``(D) A description of the extent to which warlords in 
     Afghanistan exercise effective control over personnel, 
     natural resources, infrastructure, villages and towns, and 
     material that should be under the direct sovereign control of 
     the Government of Afghanistan, including--
       ``(i) an identification of each warlord and the extent and 
     means of control that the warlord exercises over personnel, 
     natural resources, infrastructure, villages and towns, and 
     material that should be under the direct sovereign control of 
     the Government of Afghanistan; and
       ``(ii) a description of actions undertaken by the 
     Governments of the United States, Afghanistan, and countries 
     participating in ISAF, individually or collectively, in the 
     previous year to diminish and ultimately eliminate control by 
     each warlord identified under clause (i) over the Afghan 
     resources described in clause (i), and a description of 
     actions that will be undertaken in the coming year.
       ``(E) A description of all militias, tribal forces, and 
     terrorist and insurgent groups operating in Afghanistan, 
     including the number, size, equipment strength, military 
     effectiveness, sources of support, legal status, and efforts 
     to disarm or reintegrate such militias, tribal forces, and 
     terrorist and insurgent groups.
       ``(F) Efforts by ISAF to establish a unified command, 
     unified rules of engagement, information detailing the 
     specific restrictions placed by each country participating in 
     ISAF, or any successor coalition force, on the military 
     activities of its national military personnel within 
     Afghanistan, an assessment of the impact of such restrictions 
     on ISAF's effectiveness, and an assessment of the 
     capabilities of ISAF forces, including any equipment and 
     logistics shortages.
       ``(2) With respect to the training and performance of 
     security forces in Afghanistan, the following:
       ``(A) The training provided to Afghan military and other 
     Ministry of Defense forces and the equipment used by such 
     forces.
       ``(B) Key criteria for assessing the capabilities and 
     readiness of the Afghan National Army and other Ministry of 
     Defense forces, including capability and readiness levels, 
     including recruiting, training, and equipping such forces.
       ``(C) The operational readiness status of the Afghan 
     National Army, including the type, number, size, and 
     organizational structure of Afghan battalions that are--
       ``(i) capable of conducting operations independently;
       ``(ii) capable of conducting operations with the support of 
     United States or Coalition forces or ISAF; or
       ``(iii) not ready to conduct operations.
       ``(D) The rates of recruitment, retention, and absenteeism 
     in the Afghan National Army and the extent to which 
     insurgents have infiltrated such forces.
       ``(E) The training provided to Afghan National Police and 
     other Ministry of Interior forces and the equipment used by 
     such forces.
       ``(F) Key criteria for assessing the capabilities and 
     readiness of the Afghan National Police and other Ministry of 
     Interior forces, including capability and readiness levels, 
     including recruiting, training, and equipping such forces, 
     including--
       ``(i) the number of police recruits that have received 
     classroom or field instruction and the duration of such 
     instruction;
       ``(ii) the number of experienced veteran police officers 
     who have received classroom and field instruction and the 
     duration of such instruction;
       ``(iii) a description of any vetting that police candidates 
     receive, the number of candidates vetted, the number of 
     candidates derived from other entry procedures, and the 
     success rates of those groups of candidates;
       ``(iv) the number of Afghan National Police forces that 
     have received field training by international police trainers 
     and the duration of such training; and
       ``(v) attrition rates and measures of absenteeism and 
     infiltration by insurgents.
       ``(G) The estimated total number of Afghan National Army 
     battalions needed for the Army to perform duties now being 
     undertaken by United States, NATO, or Coalition forces, 
     including securing the borders of Afghanistan and providing 
     adequate levels of law and order throughout Afghanistan.
       ``(H) The effectiveness of the Afghan military and police 
     officer cadres and the chain of command.
       ``(I) The number of United States and Coalition trainers, 
     advisors, and mentors needed to support the Afghan security 
     and associated ministries.
       ``(J) An assessment, in a classified annex if necessary, of 
     United States military requirements, including planned force 
     rotations, through the end of calendar year 2008.
       ``(3) With respect to the economic and political stability 
     of Afghanistan, the following:
       ``(A) An estimate of the annual budget for the Government 
     of Afghanistan for the Afghan fiscal year, including the 
     costs of operating and maintaining the Afghan security 
     forces.
       ``(B) An estimate of the amount of Afghan Government 
     revenue and the amount of international assistance for budget 
     support for the Afghan Government.
       ``(C) An estimate of the amount of funds pledged by all 
     major donors for the calendar year and the amounts committed, 
     obligated, and expended during the reporting period.
       ``(D) An assessment of United States reconstruction 
     assistance programs in Afghanistan, including--
       ``(i) a description of existing efforts to improve the 
     monitoring and evaluation of the reconstruction assistance 
     programs, including from the design of such programs through 
     implementation and eventual transfer to the Government of 
     Afghanistan;
       ``(ii) a description, by project, of ongoing and future 
     reconstruction assistance programs and the amount of funding 
     obligated and expended to carry out such programs, including 
     programs in the security, rule of law, counter-narcotics, 
     power, rural development, education, health, and governance 
     and anti-corruption sectors;
       ``(iii) an analysis of completed reconstruction assistance 
     programs, on a project basis, and a determination of the 
     impact of and the benefits yielded from such programs on 
     Afghanistan and its people;
       ``(iv) a description of ongoing efforts that have improved 
     the employment situation in Afghanistan, including efforts 
     that have created job opportunities and increased private 
     sector development; and
       ``(v) a description of the progress made in implementing 
     all of the elements of the Interim Afghanistan National 
     Development Strategy, including--

       ``(I) the Afghanistan National Solidarity Program; and
       ``(II) the Afghanistan Compact, including a description of 
     the goals and objectives in the Afghanistan Compact that have 
     been achieved.

       ``(E) Key indicators of economic and political development 
     activity that should be considered the most important for 
     determining the prospects of stability in Afghanistan, 
     including--
       ``(i) unemployment levels;
       ``(ii) agricultural production;
       ``(iii) construction of roads, irrigation, and other basic 
     infrastructure;
       ``(iv) education rates, particularly of girls;
       ``(v) electricity rates;
       ``(vi) hunger and poverty levels;
       ``(vii) illiteracy rates;
       ``(viii) maternal and infant mortality rates;
       ``(ix) appropriate measures for the protection of human 
     rights;
       ``(x) appropriate measures for the protection of political 
     and religious freedom and freedom of association;
       ``(xi) access of women to political and civil society 
     participation; and
       ``(xii) appropriate measure for the protection of freedom 
     of the press.
       ``(4) With respect to opium production and counter-
     narcotics activities in Afghanistan, the following:
       ``(A) An estimate of the number of hectares and amount of 
     poppy production for the current year, including by province.
       ``(B) The number of hectares and the amount of poppy 
     destroyed by eradication.
       ``(C) The number of counter-narcotics raids against drug 
     labs, storage facilities, and caches, including the number of 
     narcotics confiscated.
       ``(D) The number of raids against narcotics traffickers and 
     the number of traffickers arrested, prosecuted, convicted, 
     sentenced, and extradited, including high-value targets.
       ``(E) The number of Afghan counter-narcotics forces, 
     including the Afghan National Counter-Narcotics Police, 
     trained and equipped, the attrition rate of such forces, and 
     the number of such forces available for counter-narcotics 
     operations, including an assessment of the number of 
     operations such forces conducted, the outcomes of such 
     operations, and any additional resource needs of such forces.
       ``(F) The number and type of alternative livelihood 
     programs, a description of where such programs have been 
     conducted, and an assessment of the number of hectares 
     planted with poppy in the year following such programs.
       ``(G) The amount and type of NATO and United States 
     assistance provided to Afghan counter-narcotic teams in 
     conducting raids and investigations, including close-air 
     support and helicopter lift, and the number and type of 
     requests for assistance by United States or Afghan counter-
     narcotics teams.
       ``(H) An assessment of Afghan efforts to extradite suspects 
     to the United States and other countries, including--
       ``(i) a list of the persons whose extradition has been 
     requested from Afghanistan, indicating--

       ``(I) those individuals who have been surrendered to the 
     custody of United States authorities;
       ``(II) those individuals who have been detained by the 
     authorities and who are being processed for extradition;

[[Page 14709]]

       ``(III) those individuals who have been detained by the 
     authorities and who are not yet being processed for 
     extradition; and
       ``(IV) those individuals who are at large;

       ``(ii) a determination of whether Afghan Government 
     officials and entities receiving assistance from the United 
     States are making good-faith efforts to ensure the prompt 
     extradition of each of the persons sought by United States 
     authorities; and
       ``(iii) an analysis of any legal obstacles in the laws of 
     Afghanistan regarding prompt extradition of persons sought by 
     United States authorities and the steps taken by authorities 
     of the United States and the authorities of Afghanistan to 
     overcome such obstacles.
       ``(c) Update of Report.--Not later than 90 days after the 
     date of the transmission of each report required by 
     subsection (a), the President shall transmit to the 
     appropriate congressional committees an update of the report, 
     to the extent necessary.
       ``(d) Form.--The report required by subsection (a) shall be 
     transmitted in unclassified form, but may include a 
     classified annex, if necessary.
       ``(e) Definition.--In this section, the term `appropriate 
     congressional committees' means--
       ``(1) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on 
     Appropriations, and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the 
     House of Representatives; and
       ``(2) the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on 
     Appropriations, and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the 
     Senate.''.
       (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents in section 
     1(b) of the Afghanistan Freedom Support Act of 2002 (22 
     U.S.C. 7501 note) is amended by striking the item relating to 
     section 304 and inserting the following new item:

``Sec. 304. Report on progress toward security and stability in 
              Afghanistan.''.

     SEC. 303. COMPREHENSIVE INTERAGENCY STRATEGY FOR LONG-TERM 
                   SECURITY AND STABILITY IN AFGHANISTAN.

       (a) In General.--Section 305 of the Afghanistan Freedom 
     Support Act of 2002 (22 U.S.C. 7555) is amended--
       (1) in subsection (a)(1), by striking ``submit such 
     strategy'' and all that follows and inserting ``submit such 
     strategy to the appropriate congressional committees.'';
       (2) by redesignating subsection (b) as subsection (c); and
       (3) by inserting after subsection (a) the following new 
     subsection:
       ``(b) Comprehensive Interagency Strategy.--
       ``(1) In general.--The President shall formulate a 
     comprehensive interagency strategy for long-term security and 
     stability in Afghanistan which, in addition to the specific 
     and measurable goals specified in subsection (a)(2), shall be 
     composed of the elements specified in paragraph (2).
       ``(2) Elements.--The comprehensive interagency strategy 
     required by paragraph (1) shall contain the following 
     elements:
       ``(A) Reinvigorated reconstruction activities and 
     provincial reconstruction teams.--A comprehensive interagency 
     reconstruction strategy for Afghanistan, including objectives 
     for the strategy, a plan to implement the objectives of the 
     strategy, and a long-term budget to carry out the strategy. 
     The strategy shall--
       ``(i) include a plan to implement all of the elements of 
     the Interim Afghanistan National Development Strategy, 
     including the Afghanistan National Solidarity Program, and 
     the Afghanistan Compact, including a description of the goals 
     and objectives that have yet to be achieved, and the 
     impediments in achieving such goals and objectives;
       ``(ii) include a mechanism for tracking and oversight of 
     the reconstruction funding provided by countries 
     participating in ISAF and other donor countries, 
     international organizations, and international financial 
     entities, including a description of the progress by such 
     parties in fulfilling their pledges of financial, technical, 
     and other assistance;
       ``(iii) include a mechanism for tracking and increasing 
     oversight of the reconstruction programs implemented by the 
     provincial reconstruction teams, including the amount of 
     reconstruction funding spent by such teams, the purpose of 
     such funding, and the evaluation of the success of such 
     programs;
       ``(iv) provide for a mechanism to enhance coordination 
     between the Department of State and the United States Agency 
     for International Development and other relevant departments 
     and agencies of the United States Government in carrying out 
     reconstruction programs, by--

       ``(I) coordinating existing and future efforts in the 
     reconstruction programs carried out by the Department of 
     State and the United States Agency for International 
     Development with the reconstruction programs carried out by 
     other relevant departments and agencies of the United States 
     Government; and
       ``(II) coordinating existing and future efforts needed to 
     achieve enhanced coordination between the Department of State 
     and the United States Agency for International Development 
     and other relevant departments and agencies of the United 
     States Government in the design and implementation of 
     reconstruction programs;

       ``(v) include a plan to enhance monitoring, evaluation, and 
     oversight of reconstruction programs to ensure the effective 
     impact of such programs on Afghanistan and its people;
       ``(vi) provide a plan to identify and implement critical 
     reconstruction programs, by project, including in the areas 
     of security, rule of law, counter-narcotics, power, rural 
     development, education, health, and governance and anti-
     corruption, that will improve the security and economic 
     stability of Afghanistan, and the amount of funding needed to 
     implement such programs;
       ``(vii) include actions to significantly increase 
     contributions from countries participating in ISAF and from 
     other international partners for reconstruction programs, 
     including in the areas of security, rule of law, 
     counternarcotics, power, rural development, education, 
     health, and governance and anti-corruption sectors;
       ``(viii) provide a plan to improve the employment situation 
     in Afghanistan, including a plan to increase job creation 
     opportunities and enhance private sector development in 
     Afghanistan;
       ``(ix) include actions to ensure enhancement of the 
     capacity of the Government of Afghanistan, on all levels, to 
     respond to the needs of its people;
       ``(x) include actions to enhance the design and 
     implementation of programs carried out by the Government of 
     Afghanistan, on all levels, including efforts to increase 
     funding and implementation of reconstruction programs carried 
     out by the National Solidarity Program;
       ``(xi) include a plan to increase significantly the number 
     of Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs), particularly in 
     the southern and eastern regions of Afghanistan by December 
     31, 2009, including a review of the operation of and lessons 
     learned from existing PRTs prior to the preparation of the 
     strategy;
       ``(xii) clarify a single chain of command and operations 
     plans for PRTs, including their relationship with ISAF;
       ``(xiii) increase staffing, particularly staffing of 
     civilian specialists, and increase staff training for PRTs;
       ``(xiv) incorporate measures to improve the effectiveness 
     of PRTs in providing reconstruction and development 
     assistance and in promoting security and stability in their 
     areas of operations, including coordination between PRT 
     civilian elements and ISAF reconstruction goals; and
       ``(xv) include efforts to ensure that a significant amount 
     of the material, financial, and personnel support for the 
     increase in the number of PRTs is provided by foreign 
     sources.
       ``(B) Counter-narcotics strategy.--A comprehensive 
     interagency counter-narcotics strategy for Afghanistan, 
     including objectives for the strategy, a plan to implement 
     the objectives of the strategy, and a long-term budget to 
     carry out the strategy. The strategy shall--
       ``(i) address the five pillars that comprise Afghanistan's 
     counter-narcotics strategy and implementation plan: public 
     information, rural development (alternative livelihoods), 
     elimination and eradication activities, interdiction, and law 
     enforcement and justice reform;
       ``(ii) identify the roles and responsibilities of relevant 
     departments and agencies of the United States Government with 
     respect to the activities described in clause (i);
       ``(iii) include the strategic direction of current and 
     planned activities of the United States relating to counter-
     narcotics efforts in Afghanistan, and shall specifically 
     include a description of steps that have been conducted and 
     planned to--

       ``(I) improve coordination with all relevant departments 
     and agencies of the United States Government;
       ``(II) strengthen significantly the Afghanistan National 
     Counter-Narcotics Police;
       ``(III) build the capacity of the Afghan Government to 
     assume greater responsibility for counter-narcotics related-
     activities;
       ``(IV) strengthen anti-corruption measures that target 
     narcotics producers and traffickers and the individuals 
     influenced by them;
       ``(V) improve counter-narcotics intelligence capabilities;
       ``(VI) strengthen narcotics-related interdiction 
     activities;
       ``(VII) strengthen the capacity of the judicial sector to 
     investigate, prosecute, and penalize narcotics producers and 
     traffickers and government officials benefitting from 
     narcotics-related activities;
       ``(VIII) effectively address any problems with eradication 
     strategies; and
       ``(IX) significantly increase the focus on creating 
     alternative livelihoods for the Afghan people;

       ``(iv) include current and planned actions to involve and 
     coordinate with the United Kingdom and other appropriate 
     international partners in supporting counter-narcotics 
     efforts in Afghanistan.
       ``(C) Sustainability of the afghanistan national security 
     forces.--A comprehensive interagency strategy for building 
     and sustaining the Afghanistan National Security Forces 
     (ANSF), including objectives for

[[Page 14710]]

     the strategy, a plan to implement the objectives of the 
     strategy, and a long-term budget to carry out the strategy. 
     The strategy shall--
       ``(i) include a mechanism for tracking funding, including 
     obligations and expenditures, as well as equipment, training, 
     and services provided for the ANSF by the United States, 
     countries participating in the International Security 
     Assistance Force, and other international partners;
       ``(ii) include actions to build and sustain effective 
     Afghan security institutions with fully-capable leadership 
     and staff, including--

       ``(I) a reformed Ministry of Interior, a fully-established 
     Ministry of Defense, and logistics, intelligence, medical, 
     and recruiting units (ANSF-sustaining institutions);
       ``(II) fully-trained, equipped, and capable ANSF in 
     sufficient numbers;
       ``(III) strong ANSF-readiness assessment tools and metrics;
       ``(IV) a strong core of senior-level ANSF officers;
       ``(V) strong ANSF command, control, and communication 
     between central ANSF headquarters and regions, provinces, and 
     districts;
       ``(VI) a robust mentoring and advising program for the 
     ANSF;
       ``(VII) a strong professional military training and 
     education program for all junior, mid-level, and senior ANSF 
     personnel;
       ``(VIII) effective merit-based salary, rank, promotion, and 
     incentive structures for the ANSF;
       ``(IX) an established code of professional standards for 
     the ANSF;
       ``(X) a mechanism for incorporating lessons learned and 
     best practices into ANSF operations;
       ``(XI) An ANSF personnel accountability system with 
     effective internal discipline procedures and mechanisms;
       ``(XII) a system for addressing ANSF personnel complaints; 
     and
       ``(XIII) a strong record-keeping and accountability system 
     to track ANSF equipment and personnel issues, and other ANSF 
     oversight mechanisms; and

       ``(iii) provide for coordination between all relevant 
     departments and agencies of the United States Government, as 
     well as ISAF countries and other international partners, 
     including on--

       ``(I) funding;
       ``(II) reform and establishment of ANSF-sustaining 
     institutions; and
       ``(III) efforts to ensure that progress on sustaining the 
     ANSF is reinforced with progress in other pillars of the 
     Afghan security sector, particularly progress on building an 
     effective judiciary, curbing production and trafficking of 
     illicit narcotics, and demobilizing, disarming, and 
     reintegrating militia fighters.

       ``(3) Report.--
       ``(A) In general.--Not later than December 1, 2007, the 
     President shall transmit to the appropriate congressional 
     committees an update of the report required by subsection (c) 
     for 2007 that contains the comprehensive interagency strategy 
     required by paragraph (1).
       ``(B) Form.--The report required by subparagraph (A) shall 
     be transmitted in unclassified form, but may include a 
     classified annex, if necessary.''.
       (b) Monitoring.--Subsection (c) of such section (as 
     redesignated) is amended to read as follows:
       ``(c) Updates of Strategy.--
       ``(1) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the 
     submission of the strategy required by subsection (b)(3), and 
     every 90 days thereafter through September 30, 2010, the 
     President shall submit to the appropriate congressional 
     committees an update of the strategy required by subsection 
     (a) and the strategy required by subsection (b), as 
     necessary.
       ``(2) Definition.--In this subsection, the term 
     `appropriate congressional committees' includes the Committee 
     on Armed Services of the House of Representatives and the 
     Committee on Armed Services of the Senate.''.

     SEC. 304. SPECIAL ENVOY FOR AFGHANISTAN-PAKISTAN COOPERATION.

       (a) Statement of Policy.--Congress declares that it is 
     strongly in the national interest of the United States that 
     Afghanistan and Pakistan work together to address common 
     challenges hampering the stability, security, and development 
     of their region and to enhance their cooperation.
       (b) Establishment.--The President is authorized to appoint 
     a special envoy to promote closer cooperation between 
     Afghanistan and Pakistan.
       (c) Appointment.--The special envoy--
       (1) shall be appointed with the advice and consent of the 
     Senate and shall have the rank of Ambassador-at-Large; and
       (2) may be appointed from among individuals who are 
     officials of the Department of State.
       (d) Duties.--
       (1) In general.--The primary responsibility of the special 
     envoy shall be to coordinate United States policy on issues 
     relating to bilateral relations between Afghanistan and 
     Pakistan.
       (2) Advisory role.--The special envoy shall advise the 
     President and the Secretary of State, as appropriate, and, in 
     coordination with the Assistant Secretary of State for South 
     and Central Affairs, shall make recommendations regarding 
     effective strategies and tactics to achieve United States 
     policy objectives to--
       (A) stem cross-border terror activities;
       (B) provide assistance to Afghan refugees who repatriate 
     from Pakistan;
       (C) bolster people-to-people ties and economic cooperation 
     between Afghanistan and Pakistan, including bilateral trade 
     relations; and
       (D) offer comprehensive efforts to support effective 
     counter-narcotics strategies in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

     SEC. 305. TRANSIT THROUGH PAKISTAN OF SHIPMENTS BY INDIA IN 
                   SUPPORT OF RECONSTRUCTION EFFORTS IN 
                   AFGHANISTAN.

       (a) Statement of Policy.--It shall be the policy of the 
     United States to use all appropriate means to encourage 
     Pakistan to permit shipments by India of equipment and 
     material to Afghanistan in support of Indian reconstruction 
     and development projects in Afghanistan to be transported 
     across the territory of Pakistan and to remove any obstacles 
     to such transportation.
       (b) Report.--
       (1) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter until 
     January 1, 2010, the President shall transmit to the 
     appropriate congressional committees a report on actions by 
     Pakistan to permit or impede transit of shipments described 
     in subsection (a). The report required by this subsection may 
     be included in the report required by section 304 of the 
     Afghanistan Freedom Support Act of 2002 (as amended by 
     section 302 of this Act).
       (2) Sunset.--The requirement to transmit the report under 
     paragraph (1) shall cease to apply if the President 
     determines and transmits to the appropriate congressional 
     committees a determination that India no longer needs to make 
     shipments to Afghanistan for the purposes described in 
     subsection (a).

     SEC. 306. REAUTHORIZATION OF RADIO FREE AFGHANISTAN.

       (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
       (1) Since January 30, 2002, RFE/RL, Incorporated (formerly 
     known as Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty) has provided 12 
     hours of daily surrogate broadcasting services through Radio 
     Free Afghanistan in Dari and Pashto languages to the people 
     of Afghanistan.
       (2) Radio Free Afghanistan is the leading broadcaster in 
     Afghanistan with an audience of nearly 60 percent of the 
     adult population.
       (3) It is in the national interest to continue Radio Free 
     Afghanistan's surrogate broadcasts to Afghanistan in order to 
     provide accurate news and information, help give voice to 
     ordinary Afghans, and provide programs on the fundamentals of 
     democracy.
       (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--For each of the 
     fiscal years 2008 through 2010, such sums as may be necessary 
     are authorized to be appropriated to the Broadcasting Board 
     of Governors for grants to support 12 hours of daily 
     surrogate broadcasting services through Radio Free 
     Afghanistan in Dari and Pashto languages to the people of 
     Afghanistan.

  The CHAIRMAN. No amendment to the bill shall be in order except those 
printed in House Report 110-174. Each amendment may be offered only in 
the order printed in the report except amendment No. 11 which may be 
offered at any time, by a Member designated in the report, shall be 
considered read, shall be debatable for the time specified in the 
report, equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an 
opponent, shall not be subject to amendment, and shall not be subject 
to a demand for division of the question.


                 Amendment No. 1 Offered by Mr. Lantos

  The CHAIRMAN. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 1 printed 
in House Report 110-174.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.
  The CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       Amendment No. 1 offered by Mr. Lantos:
       Page 5, line 23, strike ``supports'' and insert ``is 
     supported by''.
       Page 5, line 25, strike ``a strategy'' and insert ``the 
     core framework''.
       Page 6, line 6, insert before the period the following: ``, 
     particularly at the local and provincial levels''.
       Page 12, line 12, strike ``(B)'' and insert ``(C)''.
       Page 12, line 13, strike ``(B)'' and insert ``(C)''.
       Page 12, lines 19 through 25, move the margins of clauses 
     (ii) and (iii) two ems to the left.
       Page 18, line 3, insert ``helping women deliver healthier 
     babies and'' after ``for the purpose of''.
       Page 35, line 11, strike ``300,000,000'' and insert 
     ``$300,000,000''.
       Page 37, line 1, strike ``The President'' and insert 
     ``Pursuant to the authorities of the

[[Page 14711]]

     Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.) or 
     section 23 of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2763), 
     the President''.
       Page 43, line 16, strike ``to conduct'' and insert ``to 
     participate in, to the extent appropriate and practicable,''.
       Page 46, strike lines 1 through 4 and insert the following 
     new subclauses:

       (I) The Afghan forces.
       (II) ISAF.
       (III) Non-ISAF United States forces.
       (IV) Other Coalition forces.

       Page 47, beginning on line 10, strike ``and countries 
     participating in ISAF'' and insert ``countries participating 
     in ISAF, and other Coalition countries''.
       Page 57, line 24, strike ``Affairs'' and insert 
     ``Relations''.
       Page 66, line 9, insert ``and'' after the semicolon.
       Page 70, after line 17, insert the following new 
     subsection:
       (c) Concurrent Submission of Report.--Such section is 
     further amended by adding at the end the following new 
     subsection:
       ``(d) Concurrent Submission of Report.--The strategy 
     required by subsection (b) and any updates of the strategy 
     provided pursuant to subsection (c) shall be submitted 
     concurrently with the report and updates required by section 
     304 of this Act (relating to progress toward security and 
     stability in Afghanistan).''.
       Page 71, line 24, strike ``who repatriate'' and insert ``to 
     ensure orderly and voluntary repatriation''.

  The CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to House Resolution 453, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Lantos) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I am offering this amendment on behalf of 
my distinguished colleague, the ranking Republican member, and myself.
  Our amendment makes a number of technical, clarifying and clerical 
changes to several provisions in this bill as reported by the Committee 
on Foreign Affairs.
  Mr. Chairman, this amendment has been cleared by both the Republican 
and Democratic sides, and I urge all of my colleagues to support it.
  Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Chairman, I rise to claim time in opposition, 
although I am not opposed to the amendment.
  The CHAIRMAN. Without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  There was no objection.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I rise in support of and have no objection to this manager's 
amendment, which contains minor technical and conforming changes. I 
support this amendment's consideration by unanimous consent.
  Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The CHAIRMAN. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos).
  The amendment was agreed to.


                Amendment No. 2 Offered by Mr. Ackerman

  The CHAIRMAN. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 2 printed 
in House Report 110-174.
  Mr. ACKERMAN. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.
  The CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       Amendment No. 2 offered by Mr. Ackerman:
       Page 51, after line 7, insert the following new 
     subparagraph:
       (J) An assessment of the quality of governance in each 
     province in Afghanistan, including an assessment of the 
     following:
       (i) The implementation of the rule of law, including the 
     effects of any lack of such implementation on operations of 
     the Afghan National Army, Afghan National Police, and other 
     Afghan National Security Forces.
       (ii) Whether and to what extent actions by Afghan National 
     Security Forces have led to abuses of human rights and the 
     extent to which such abuses, if any, undermine overall 
     counterinsurgency efforts in such province and Afghanistan as 
     a whole.
       (iii) The ability of courts and the judicial system to 
     provide an effective justice system to support the civil-
     military side of military and police operations.
       Page 51, line 8, strike ``(J)'' and insert ``(K)''.
  The CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to House Resolution 453, the gentleman from 
New York (Mr. Ackerman) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York.
  Mr. ACKERMAN. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  First, I want to congratulate Chairman Lantos and Ranking Member Ros-
Lehtinen for producing an excellent bipartisan bill. The Afghanistan 
Freedom and Security Support Act demonstrates yet again the depth of 
support in the Congress for our efforts in Afghanistan to defeat the 
Taliban and al Qaeda and sends a clear message to the Government of 
Afghanistan and the Afghan people that the United States is committed 
to the success of a stable, free and democratic Afghanistan.
  As the bill also points out, we remain far from that goal, and it is 
not at all certain we will get there. The amendment I am offering today 
concerns a problem that if left unaddressed could undercut all of our 
efforts in Afghanistan, and that is the problem of corruption.
  The Government Accountability Office in a recent report said the 
reform effort in the judicial sector is being ``undermined by systemic 
corruption at key national and provincial justice institutions.'' The 
most recent report in Afghanistan from the U.N. Secretary General noted 
that because corruption influences government appointments, Afghans 
don't trust local government officials and have turned to making deals 
with the Taliban for protection of their property. The same report goes 
on to describe the popular alienation that many Afghans feel towards 
local governments and asserts that this alienation is a key factor in 
support for the insurgency.
  My amendment adds language to section 302 of the bill to ensure that 
the Presidential report required by that section includes an assessment 
of the quality of governments in each province in Afghanistan, focusing 
in particular on the implementation of the rule of law and its impact 
on the operation of Afghan society, security forces and the impact of 
any human rights abuses by Afghan government forces on overall 
counterinsurgency efforts and the ability of the courts and judicial 
system to provide an effective justice system in support of Afghan 
military and police efforts.
  Mr. Chairman, the question of corruption in Afghanistan may seem like 
a small matter when compared with the resurgence of the Taliban and the 
explosion of narcotics trafficking. But I believe for the Taliban to be 
defeated and for the narcotics traffickers to be imprisoned, ordinary 
Afghans must have confidence that their government actually works for 
them. If the citizens of Afghanistan believe otherwise, then they will 
turn to local warlords, drug traffickers and the Taliban for 
protection. Under that scenario, Afghans can look forward to another 
generation of civil conflict.
  I would urge all of our colleagues to support the amendment as well 
as the underlying bill.
  Mr. LANTOS. Will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. ACKERMAN. I would be delighted to yield to the chairman.
  Mr. LANTOS. I want to thank my friend from New York for his very 
thoughtful amendment, and I am extremely pleased to support it.
  Mr. ACKERMAN. I thank the gentleman from California.
  Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the 
amendment.
  The CHAIRMAN. The gentlewoman is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Chairman, the amendment has a noble purpose, to 
enhance congressional oversight on the status of local governance in 
Afghanistan, including adherence to the rule of law, protection of 
human rights and operation of an effective justice system. 
Unfortunately, the amendment lacks specific criteria by which to 
measure these issues. It requires the administration to report, for 
example, on how the lack of implementation of the rule of law affects 
the operations of the Afghan National Army, the police and security 
forces. However, there are numerous factors that comprise the

[[Page 14712]]

rule of law. How would this provision measure implementation of the 
rule of law?
  Without a clear measure, how could any administration then state, 
with any degree of certainty, what effects the absence of such 
implementation had on the operations of Afghan security forces? It goes 
on to ask for an assessment on the ability of the Afghan judicial 
system to support the civil military side of military and police 
operations.
  Again, a noble purpose, but there are no clear definitions, no 
guidelines to determine the information sought. Further, how could we 
establish a clear measure so that the administration can state how the 
actions of the Afghan security forces led to human rights abuses, and 
in turn, how much those abuses undermine counterinsurgency efforts? 
That is an extraordinary, complicated, causal chain, and some direction 
and clarification within the amendment itself, Mr. Chairman, would have 
been most useful.
  We sought modifications to this amendment in an effort to arrive at 
an agreement on the text because I do support what my colleague from 
New York is trying to get at. We want to support the overarching goals 
of this bill, and his amendment is an attempt to do that.
  I will continue to work closely with the gentleman from New York 
regarding his particular amendment to preserve its intent, to make sure 
that it can be effective in its implementation, but as currently 
drafted, I will have to oppose the amendment. I urge my colleagues to 
do the same.
  Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ACKERMAN. Mr. Chairman, despite the fact that this might be a 
complicated and extraordinary and difficult thing for the President to 
do, we have every confidence in the President on this side that he will 
be able to come up at least with some criteria that he at least thinks 
is objective and report in his own language, using his own complicated 
or simplistic criteria, whether or not he thinks corruption is 
prevalent in the various provinces in Afghanistan. We are leaving that 
up to him. And we will fully understand that in any language that he 
presents it to us, it will come from him, and that will be his 
determination.
  Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Chairman, I urge our colleagues to defeat this 
amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. ACKERMAN. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The CHAIRMAN. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Ackerman).
  The amendment was agreed to.


                 Amendment No. 11 Offered by Mr. Souder

  The CHAIRMAN. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 11 printed 
in House Report 110-174.
  Mr. SOUDER. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.
  The CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       Amendment No. 11 offered by Mr. Souder:
       Page 39, line 1, insert ``, including force protection and 
     in extremis support'' after ``logistical support''.

  The CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to House Resolution 453, the gentleman from 
Indiana (Mr. Souder) and a Member opposed each will control 5 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Indiana.
  Mr. SOUDER. Mr. Chairman, it is my intention to withdraw this 
amendment because of the strong opposition of Chairman Skelton and 
Ranking Member Duncan Hunter, but I appreciate the Rules Committee 
making this in order. I believe it is an important step.
  I know I am going to rain a little bit on the general parade here. I 
think this is an important bill, it is an important step, but we have 
oversold the success of Afghanistan. Before my first trip, I knew then 
that our then Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, wanted to separate 
the military effort in Afghanistan from other challenges the country 
faced, just like in Iraq.
  In Afghanistan, the question was heroin. On my first trip there, I 
heard our own soldiers reflect the Pentagon attitude by mocking heroin 
and minimizing its efforts to get rid of it. I attended the briefings 
back here in Washington as the heroin problem began to pass anything 
we've ever seen under the Taliban by a factor of four to five times of 
anything we have ever seen under the Taliban. I asked the question, 
since we had not removed the regional drug lords from office, how many 
of the people who voted in that much heralded election could vote 
against their local drug lords.
  State Department, Defense Department, DIA and CIA disagreed on the 
exact number. The highest was 30 percent, the lowest 20 percent. In 
other words, 70 to 80 percent of the people who voted in that election 
did not have a free vote because we did not remove the regional 
druglords from office, and we let the heroin poppy grow without 
controlling their sources of financing that had penetrated the early 
parts of the government.
  This government has, in fact, started to act, as they attempted to 
assassinate President Karzai, who was clean, and he removed gradually 
some members of his cabinet. But by that time, the heroin, once again, 
four times world record, five times world record, four times world 
record, three times world record, approaching eight to 10 times the 
total cumulative effect that ever happened before the United States 
went into Afghanistan. We had sites that we could not hit because we 
were afraid they were going to shoot down our own planes.
  What do we think they are buying the new IEDs with? What do we think 
they are buying the other equipment with? Of course they are getting it 
from profits from poppy.
  I did a hearing in our subcommittee, because the British had this 
effort, ``Afghanistan: Have the British Counter-Narcotics Efforts Gone 
Wildly?'' On April 1, 2004. This is no new problem. Go arrest the 
druglords. Our military is afraid they are going to get exploded. How 
can you go arrest the drug lords?
  My amendment was simply to say the military needs to support the 
antinarcotics efforts and the DEA to take down these. You can't send 
10, 25 agents out and say go arrest and take down the Helman province. 
When I went with Congressman Hoekstra and Congressman Ruppersberger and 
Congressman Shadegg, the four of us went into the Helman province, 
possibly the only four Members that will ever get there. And when we 
got there in a Blackhawk ride for 45 minutes, heroin as far as the eye 
can see going at a high rate of speed. Dwarfed Columbia. This is an 
incredible problem. The military needs to engage.
  I agree with Chairman Skelton; we don't have enough troops in 
Afghanistan. And that makes it a problematic thing of how to support 
the DEA.

                              {time}  1545

  This bill is a first step. But we need the military engagement and 
support, because you cannot get order, you cannot do alternative crops 
unless you eradicate the heroin and change a little bit of the market 
force. We can't subsidize the difference between other products and 
heroin. It is not possible.
  We can't do those efforts, and INL and the State Department and DEA 
and the other agencies cannot do this without military support. This 
needs to be addressed in the defense bill. It needs to be addressed 
here in conference.
  I hope that the chairman here can do it. I hope Chairman Skelton can 
do it. I hope the administration can do it. But let's understand there 
is no terrorism funding in Afghanistan. There is no insurgency efforts. 
There is no corrupt government if you get rid of the heroin.
  This is a difficult problem. It is multi-faceted. But you need real 
protection, with real guns, with real transport, with real time, saying 
that they are going to give logistical support rather than force 
protection and extremist support, means and effect. For most of the 
time, the DEA agents are on their own, go in. With 10,000 Taliban, good 
luck in taking them

[[Page 14713]]

down. They need more than good luck. They need some help.
  Mr. Chairman, I yield to the chairman of the Foreign Affairs 
Committee, the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos).
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank my friend from Indiana for 
yielding, and I want to thank him for working with the committee. I 
understand the gentleman is going to withdraw his amendment, and I 
thank him for his courtesy.
  I fully support his sentiment that is behind his amendment, and I 
will work with him on this issue as H.R. 2446 goes through the 
legislative process.
  Mr. SOUDER. Mr. Chairman, I thank the distinguished chairman for his 
leadership for the start of this bill. I hope we can really tackle the 
underlying problems.
  Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to withdraw my amendment.
  The CHAIRMAN. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from 
Indiana?
  There was no objection.


                  Amendment No. 3 Offered by Mr. Costa

  The CHAIRMAN. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 3 printed 
in House Report 110-174.
  Mr. COSTA. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.
  The CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       Amendment No. 3 offered by Mr. Costa:
       Page 29, after line 23, insert the following new section 
     (and redesignate subsequent sections and conform the table of 
     contents accordingly):

     SEC. 106. ASSISTANCE TO SUPPORT THE OFFICES OF THE INSPECTOR 
                   GENERAL OF DEPARTMENT OF STATE AND THE UNITED 
                   STATES AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN 
                   AFGHANISTAN.

       (a) Assistance Authorized.--The President shall provide 
     assistance to support the auditing, investigation, and 
     oversight capacity and capability of the Offices of the 
     Inspector General of the Department of State and the United 
     States Agency for International Development in Afghanistan. 
     The Offices of the Inspector General of the Department of 
     State and the United States Agency for International 
     Development are authorized to audit, investigate, and oversee 
     the programs authorized in title I of the Afghanistan Freedom 
     Support Act of 2002 (as amended by this title).
       (b) Requirement for In-Country Presence.--The Offices of 
     the Inspector General of the Department of State and the 
     United States Agency for International Development, after 
     consultation with the Secretary of State and the 
     Administrator for the United States Agency for International 
     Development, shall permanently deploy not less than two staff 
     from each of the Offices of the Inspector General in 
     Afghanistan to carry out this section.
       (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--
       (1) Availability of funds.--Of the amounts authorized to be 
     appropriated under section 110 of the Afghanistan Freedom 
     Support Act of 2002 (as redesignated by this title) for each 
     of the fiscal years 2008 through 2010, not less than 
     $1,500,000 for each such fiscal year is authorized to be made 
     available to the Office of the Inspector General of the 
     Department of State and not less than $3,000,000 for each 
     such fiscal year is authorized to be made available to the 
     Office of the Inspector General of the United States Agency 
     for International Development to carry out this section.
       (2) Relation to other available funds.--Amounts made 
     available under paragraph (1) are in addition to amounts 
     otherwise available for such purposes.

  The CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to House Resolution 453, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Costa) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The chair recognizes the gentleman from California.
  Mr. COSTA. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Chairman, I think from many of the comments that have been made 
here this afternoon regarding the concerns that we have as it relates 
to the situation in Afghanistan, we come with the best of intentions to 
support H.R. 2446, which is the underlying bill, a strong bill; and I 
am, of course, among those who support this measure.
  It affirms the United States' long-term commitment to support 
Afghanistan in the transition that has seen 30 years of civil war, 
violence and occupation by a brutal regime to a stable and prosperous 
democratic state at peace with its neighbors.
  Having said that, though, it is easier said than done, as we all 
know, for Afghanistan faces many challenges. With the amount of funding 
that we have provided to the Afghani people for economic and security 
reasons, I believe that there is increased need to have the sort of 
oversight mechanisms in place to protect this investment, to ensure its 
success and, of course, to always make sure that American taxpayers' 
dollars are well spent.
  My amendment provides this opportunity in two ways: It provides 
oversight that includes the Office of Inspector General at the State 
Department as well as the United States Agency for International 
Development to provide the necessary oversight within this bill that 
many of us believe is necessary.
  The amendment to H.R. 2446 provides such support in two ways: in-
country presence and funding. Without in-country presence and without 
the necessary funding, it won't happen.
  Currently, the staff of the Office of Inspector General of the United 
States AID are performing their duties in Manila. Now, you take out a 
map and Manila is a long ways from Kabul in Afghanistan, which is the 
capital. We need to have on-the-ground knowledge in Afghanistan and 
programs that they are implementing, and they cannot perform those 
duties from Manila, which is thousands of and thousands of miles away.
  Many of us have visited Afghanistan, and we have on-the-ground 
knowledge of what is critical to this war on terrorism. We must 
remember this is where the war on terrorism began, which premeditated 
the attacks on 9/11.
  The amendment mandates that at least two staff members will be 
permanently deployed in Afghanistan in the country. The amendment also 
increases the funding for both the Offices of Inspector General in 
accordance with their own plans to increase staffing over the coming 
years. The Offices of the Inspector General are our watchdog, and they 
provide vital efforts to ensure that money is well spent in 
Afghanistan. We need to ensure that these American taxpayer dollars are 
spent wisely and that waste and corruption, which was mentioned by the 
previous speaker, is kept at bay, to the degree that it is possible.
  In conclusion, let me say, Mr. Chairman, that we had tremendous 
success in South Korea, but we have been there over 50 years and we 
still have 30,000 troops there. The initial two decades in South Korea 
will be, in my opinion, as difficult as it is today in Afghanistan. 
Therefore, we must be prepared to put the proper resources there and to 
stay the course. I strongly support this bill.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. COSTA. I yield to the chairman.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank my friend for his extremely 
thoughtful and very necessary amendment, and I am very pleased to 
support it strongly.
  With billions of dollars being poured into reconstruction and 
development assistance, justifiably so, we have a heavy responsibility 
to the American people to ensure that our taxpayer dollars are being 
spent in the manner in which they were intended.
  As the gentleman knows, we just had a hearing with the Inspector 
General for Afghanistan which was singularly instructive and 
illuminating and highlighted many of the problems in the spending of 
our tax dollars in Afghanistan. This function is the function of the 
Inspectors General at the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for 
International Development.
  Your amendment requires that these officers be permanently deployed 
in Afghanistan, which they are not currently, so that on-the-ground 
assessments can be made in real time and with full continuity. Your 
amendment authorizes additional funds to help ensure that adequate 
resources are allocated to measure the effectiveness of our aid program 
without increasing the cost of this bill.
  Mr. Chairman, I strongly support this amendment and urge all of my 
colleagues to do so as well.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Chairman, I rise to claim time in opposition, 
although I am not opposed to the amendment.
  The CHAIRMAN. Without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for 5 
minutes.

[[Page 14714]]

  There was no objection.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Chairman, this amendment both authorizes and requires oversight 
by the Inspectors General from the State Department and the U.S. Agency 
for International Development, and it does this in two main ways.
  First, it requires the permanent deployment in Afghanistan of at 
least four IG staffers, two each from State and USAID, to audit, to 
investigate and to oversee economic and developmental assistance 
provided in Title I of the Act.
  Secondly, it also earmarks a total of $4.5 million per year for these 
IG activities.
  We all share the goal of ensuring that our investment in 
Afghanistan's economic and democratic development is not squandered. 
Fiscal accountability is always in order, Mr. Chairman. As a proportion 
of the total amounts in the Act, the amount earmarked by this amendment 
is roughly in the ballpark of the amount that USAID usually spends on 
IG activities as compared to its total budget. Furthermore, the 
activities contemplated by this amendment are in keeping with the 
current responsibilities of the State and USAID Inspectors General.
  Solid plans that help maximize the impact of the strategy embodied in 
the underlying bill are to be welcomed. In this spirit, I am pleased to 
support this well-thought-out amendment by the gentleman from 
California; and I also urge my colleagues to support it as well.
  Mr. COSTA. Mr. Chairman, will the gentlewoman yield?
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. I yield to the gentleman from California.
  Mr. COSTA. Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank the gentlewoman, the 
ranking member, and the chairman of the Committee on International 
Relations for their good work on this legislation and for their 
bipartisan effort to provide leadership in our committee and in all the 
hearings that we are holding and in the legislation that we are 
participating in.
  The bipartisan spirit which I think surrounds the committee these 
days is welcomed and is truly a tribute to the chairman and the ranking 
member.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Reclaiming my time, Mr. Chairman, I would also like 
to thank Chairman Lantos as well as his staff for having such a 
wonderful, cooperative spirit and for the working relationship between 
staff and Members.
  I thank the gentleman from California for offering this amendment, 
because it gets at the heart of what we want to do: fiscal 
accountability; making sure that our tax dollars are being used in the 
wisest way, free of corruption, and making sure that we have folks on 
the ground to look at those dollars. We have our precious treasure, our 
men and women in uniform, shedding blood for freedom. Let's make sure 
that American taxpayer dollars are being used in the correct way as 
well.
  Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The CHAIRMAN. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Costa).
  The amendment was agreed to.


            Amendment No. 4 Offered by Mr. Franks of Arizona

  The CHAIRMAN. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 4 printed 
in House Report 110-174.
  Mr. FRANKS of Arizona. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.
  The CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       Amendment No. 4 offered by Mr. Franks of Arizona:
       Page 44, after line 5, insert the following new section 
     (and conform the table of contents accordingly):

     SEC. 2_. REPORT ON THE SALE AND USE OF IRANIAN-MADE WEAPONS 
                   FOR THE TALIBAN IN AFGHANISTAN.

       (a) Congressional Finding.--United States Armed Forces in 
     Afghanistan recently intercepted a shipment of Iranian-made 
     weapons and explosives intended for the Taliban in 
     Afghanistan.
       (b) Report Required.--Not later than 90 days after the date 
     of the enactment of this Act, and every 6 months thereafter, 
     the Secretary of Defense shall transmit to the appropriate 
     congressional committees a report on the current Iranian-made 
     weapons being sold to or used by the Taliban in Afghanistan. 
     The report shall include any evidence of official Iranian 
     Government endorsement of the sale of the Iranian-made 
     weapons.
       (c) Definition.--In this section, the term ``appropriate 
     congressional committees'' means--
       (1) the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on 
     Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives; and
       (2) the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on 
     Foreign Relations of the Senate.
  The CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to House Resolution 453, the gentleman from 
Arizona (Mr. Franks) and a Member opposed each will control 5 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arizona.
  Mr. FRANKS of Arizona. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Chairman, according to Secretary of Defense Gates, Iranian 
weapons have begun to flow into Afghanistan in recent months. We know 
this much for certain. What we do not know is if indeed this is an 
official sanction of the Iranian government.
  However, some in the intelligence community believe that this effort 
is on the part of a branch of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, which 
are responsible for shipping these deadly weapons to the Taliban. If 
this is true, Mr. Chairman, the implications must be realized by this 
Congress, because it means that Shiite Iran is disregarding sectarian 
differences with Sunni Taliban in order to unite with them in an effort 
to undermine U.S. efforts for peace in the nascent democratic 
Afghanistan.
  Mr. Chairman, this means that the nation of Iran is determined to 
back non-state Muslim militants to terrorize countries who desire 
peace, tolerance and stability. We saw them do this last year in 
Lebanon through their proxy Hezbollah against the nation of Israel. We 
now see this happening in Iraq as well.
  There are two major elements, Mr. Chairman, when we consider the 
danger of an enemy to this Nation. We first have to assess their 
intention or the will of an enemy to harm the U.S. or our allies. It is 
clear that the Taliban, Hamas, Hezbollah and groups like them hate 
governments like ours that uphold the rule of law and uphold the effort 
to protect freedom of action, thought and religion. They hate the 
United States because of this, Mr. Chairman. They hate a tolerant 
Europe, they hate the new democratic Afghanistan, they hate pluralistic 
Israel and they hate Lebanon. They have an insidious and determined 
will to tyrannize. They need only the means or the capacity to bring 
that hate to fruition.
  Mr. Chairman, this is the second element. A true threat exists to 
this Nation's freedom when those who are committed to tyranny and to 
disrupt peace are met with the means and the capacity to do so. Iran is 
providing the means to non-state terrorist actors who possess the will 
to use them.

                              {time}  1600

  We must not let this continue. My amendment requires that the 
Secretary of Defense provide Congress with a semiannual report that 
informs us of the Iranian-made weapons being provided to the Taliban, 
and any evidence that the sale is endorsed by the government of Iran.
  Mr. Chairman, it is vital that this body understands the intention of 
Iran because they may some day very soon possess a very frightening 
capacity that threatens the potential future of the world and the peace 
of free people across the world.
  I encourage my colleagues to support this amendment.
  I would now like to yield to the distinguished ranking member of the 
committee, Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  I rise in strong support of the Franks amendment. Since last April, 
two arms shipment from Iran, including mortars, rocket-propelled 
grenades, C-4 explosives and small arms have reportedly

[[Page 14715]]

been intercepted by U.S. and coalition troops.
  Further, a NATO spokesman recently stated that an explosively formed 
projectile, EFP, which resembled the EFPs bearing Iranian manufacturing 
markings that have been found in Iraq, have been recently discovered in 
Kabul. This directly affects the safety and security of our men and 
women serving in Afghanistan. As I pointed out previously, my daughter-
in-law is one of those wearing our Nation's uniform serving in 
Afghanistan. We want to make sure that we protect everyone in that 
country.
  These disturbing developments may indicate that the Iranian regime 
has decided to also undermine the government of Afghanistan and U.S. 
efforts to deny Islamic militants a safe haven in Afghanistan.
  While fighting in Afghanistan has thus far been concentrated near the 
Pakistani border, increased Iranian interference in Afghanistan may 
indicate an attempt to provoke the U.S. and our coalition partners into 
opening a second front. Iran's apparently increasing involvement in 
this central front of the global war against radical jihadists reflects 
the goal of the regime of pursuing regional dominance, spreading 
radical Islam, and counteracting western influence in the region. Such 
a goal is intolerable. As in Iraq, failure in Afghanistan is not an 
option.
  Mr. Chairman, the Afghanistan Freedom and Security Support Act works 
to bolster our efforts, and I support the Franks amendment.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to claim the time 
in opposition to the amendment, although I am not opposed to the 
amendment.
  The Acting CHAIRMAN (Mr. Pomeroy). Without objection, the gentleman 
from California is recognized for 5 minutes.
  There was no objection.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, the Committee on Foreign Affairs has long 
been concerned with events in Iran, including recent media reports of 
weapons crossing into Afghanistan from Iran destined for the Taliban. 
This can create the potential for Iran to contribute to the 
destabilization of Afghanistan, which we simply cannot allow. Congress 
must have up-to-date information on Iran's influence in Afghanistan. 
And I, therefore, welcome the gentleman's amendment in this regard, and 
we are prepared to accept the gentleman's amendment.
  Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIRMAN. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Franks).
  The amendment was agreed to.


          Amendment No. 5 Offered by Ms. Jackson-Lee of Texas

  The Acting CHAIRMAN. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 5 
printed in House Report 110-174.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.
  The Acting CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       Amendment No. 5 offered by Ms. Jackson-Lee of Texas:
       Page 25, line 20, strike ``and''.
       Page 25, line 24, strike the first period, the closing 
     quotation marks, and the second period and insert ``; and''.
       Page 25, after line 24, insert the following new 
     subparagraph:
       ``(I) providing technical assistance to train provincial 
     and local governmental personnel, especially as it relates 
     to--
       ``(i) healthcare;
       ``(ii) political participation;
       ``(iii) human rights, particularly as pertaining to women; 
     and
       ``(iv) education, particularly to encourage girls to 
     complete secondary education so they are prepared and able to 
     attend post-secondary schools.''.

  The Acting CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to House Resolution 453, the 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee) and a Member opposed each will 
control 5 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Texas.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume, and I thank the chairman and the ranking member for their 
leadership on this issue.
  Earlier in the debate I mentioned the concept of building blocks of 
democracy. Frankly, I believe this amendment speaks to the building of 
capacity to ensure that democracy.
  Having first started my elective political career in local 
government, I know that many times we say that is where the rubber hits 
the road.
  The effort of my amendment is to ensure that those who are involved 
in local and State government would have the ability to build capacity 
through technical assistance that will train national, provincial and 
local government personnel for capacity-building purposes.
  In order to govern, you must have information, information on 
education, health care, human rights, and political participation. This 
legislation globally speaks to those issues in a large manner.
  I would like to technically emphasize the one-on-one training and 
influence and information to those who have to govern. The more we can 
do that, the more we can build capacity. And the more of those who are 
in the leadership positions can establish confidence so that when they 
confront the emerging terror of the Taliban or the questioning face of 
a chieftain, they can have the response that this is, in fact, good 
government.
  My amendment also goes to encourage girls in Afghanistan to finish 
secondary school. We realize this bill has a very strong focus on women 
and girls, but there has to be the added measure of incentive, not only 
to the earlier grades, but to say to a young woman that by finishing 
secondary school, you can go on to post-secondary education, building 
the blocks of democracy which would include women who would be enabled 
to be doctors, lawyers, scientists and teachers, building a society in 
Afghanistan that will need not only men but also women.
  May I close by simply saying I point to a picture that points to this 
learning board that I mentioned earlier. These are the kinds of tools 
that would give young people and those without, if you will, various 
equipment to go to school the opportunity to do so. I ask my colleagues 
to support this amendment.
  Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for allowing me to explain my amendment to 
H.R. 2446, the ``Afghanistan Freedom and Security Support Act of 
2007.'' I believe this is an extremely important piece of legislation, 
and I commend the Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Mr. 
Lantos, for introducing it.
  In the nearly 5 years since the 9/11 attacks, and the subsequent 
ouster of the Taliban and al-Qaeda from Afghanistan, we have made 
significant efforts to secure the nation from the Taliban. But we must 
do more; otherwise, a resurgent Taliban will continue to pose a very 
real threat to Afghanistan's stability.
  This bill is an important step toward a more secure Afghanistan, and, 
ultimately, a more stable region. It authorizes $1.7 billion in each of 
fiscal years 2008 through 2010 for economic and development assistance 
and provides additional support for other capacity building programs, 
such as assistance to women and girls ($45 million per annum), energy 
development and counter-narcotics ($75 million per annum). 
Additionally, the bill authorizes funding for counter-narcotics efforts 
and programs to increase the capacity of Afghan national, provincial, 
and local governments, and additional development programs.
  In addition to authorizing assistance to address the continuing 
humanitarian needs, this legislation targets the ongoing opium trade, 
as well as persistent problems of corruption. The bill links these 
various sectors of policy together, integrating security, 
reconstruction, and development concerns with counter-narcotics and 
anti-corruption policies.
  My amendment simply states that technical assistance should be 
provided to train national, provincial, and local governmental 
personnel for capacity-building purposes. In particular, this amendment 
emphasizes the need to build local capacity in the critical fields of 
education, healthcare, human rights, and political participation. My 
amendment will also encourage girls in Afghanistan to finish secondary 
school, providing them with the ability to pursue post-secondary 
education.
  Mr. Chairman, this amendment is born from my strong belief that we 
must take a long-term view toward reconstruction in Afghanistan,

[[Page 14716]]

and, in doing so, we must develop the capacity of Afghanistan's 
citizens. Under the Taliban regime, education, healthcare, human and 
women's rights, and political participation were seriously stunted by 
the government's oppressive policies. These sectors are absolutely 
crucial to the long-term stability and sustainability of Afghanistan.
  My amendment specifically speaks to the need to combat the lingering 
societal barriers that may discourage girls from completing secondary 
education. According to UNICEF's 2005 estimates, 1 million primary 
school age girls in Afghanistan were not enrolled in school, and 
education of girls continues to be undervalued in many communities.
  Girls and women were horribly oppressed under the Taliban, and we 
must take particular care to ensure that the lack of opportunities 
afforded to females under the previous leadership is not carried over 
into the current government. Encouraging girls to complete their 
education would be extremely beneficial for both the women and girls 
themselves, and for Afghan society as a whole.
  Mr. Chairman, we have recognized the shortcomings of Afghanistan's 
infrastructure. Even as we express our commitment to continuing our 
programs in Afghanistan, we must look forward to the day we will 
ultimately leave that country to stand on its own. We must do 
everything we can to ensure that, sooner rather than later, Afghanistan 
will no longer need our ongoing assistance.
  My amendment represents an important step toward that ultimate goal, 
while at the same time serving our short-term goals and increasing the 
effectiveness of the humanitarian programs outlined by this 
legislation.
  To conclude, let me thank Chairman Lantos for his leadership on this 
issue. I am confident that we can work together to craft legislation 
designed to ensure that Afghanistan can recover from the excesses and 
abuses of previous regimes, and become an active and prosperous member 
of the international community. I urge my colleagues to support this 
amendment.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, will the gentlewoman yield?
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. I yield to the gentleman from California.
  Mr. LANTOS. I want to thank my friend from Texas for her thoughtful 
amendment, and I am very pleased to support it.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my 
time.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Chairman, I rise to claim the time in 
opposition, although I am not opposed to the amendment.
  The Acting CHAIRMAN. Without objection, the gentlewoman from Florida 
is recognized for 5 minutes.
  There was no objection.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of the 
amendment offered by the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee) 
stating that technical assistance should be provided to train national, 
provincial and local government personnel for capacity-building 
purposes as it relates to education, health care, human rights, and 
particularly in respect to women and political participation.
  As we have heard this afternoon, Mr. Chairman, under the Taliban's 
brutal regime, their blatant disregard for the lives and the well-being 
of the Afghan people, was perhaps most clearly evident among half of 
their population, the women of Afghanistan. They have been made 
destitute, sick and marginalized. They were banned from receiving any 
education past the age of 8. They were denied proper medical treatment, 
and they were not allowed to work.
  Today, the Afghan people are free with women enjoying the freedoms 
and opportunities previously denied to them under the Taliban. In order 
for our efforts in Afghanistan to be effective, it is critical that we 
continue to provide the Afghan people with the tools and the training 
necessary for the development and sustainability of educational 
institutions, protection of human rights, and implementation of 
political reforms.
  It is imperative that our efforts focus on educating and training the 
officials of the Afghan government at the local level as local 
officials have a better understanding of the needs of their citizens 
and will be better prepared to address those needs.
  This amendment also seeks to ensure that girls complete secondary 
education so they will be better suited to pursue their post-secondary 
education. Without proper education of its women and a society more 
open to women who holding jobs, Afghanistan's political and economic 
development is doomed to failure.
  Providing Afghan girls with proper education will give rise to a new 
generation of confident and educated women with skills to pursue 
careers that will open unprecedented opportunities for them and enhance 
Afghanistan's economic sector. I urge my colleagues to support the 
Jackson-Lee amendment.
  Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlelady for 
her support, I ask my colleagues to support this amendment, and I yield 
back the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIRMAN. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee).
  The amendment was agreed to.


          Amendment No. 6 Offered by Ms. Jackson-Lee of Texas

  The Acting CHAIRMAN. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 6 
printed in House Report 110-174.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.
  The Acting CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       Amendment No. 6 offered by Ms. Jackson-Lee of Texas:
       Page 35, after line 22, insert the following new 
     subsection:
       (c) Additional Sense of Congress.--Such section is further 
     amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
       ``(d) Additional Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of 
     Congress that assistance provided to eligible foreign 
     countries and international organizations under subsection 
     (a) should be used in part to protect women legislators when 
     they return to the provinces that they represent in 
     Afghanistan.''.

  The Acting CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to House Resolution 453, the 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee) and a Member opposed each will 
control 5 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Texas.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  I want to join Chairman Lantos in applauding this legislation as 
being bipartisan, and all of us seemingly speaking from the same 
songbook about the need to build these blocks of democracy, but also to 
enhance the opportunities for women.
  Might I just cite as a need for my amendment a report from the BBC 
that says an international women's rights group says guarantees given 
to Afghan women after the fall of the Taliban in 2001 have not 
translated into real change.
  Another quote from an Afghan woman: ``When I am at home, sometimes I 
feel as though someone is choking me.'' And 57 percent of girls are 
married before the legal age of 16.
  We know that we have made great strides, but there is much more for 
us to do. Former example, a controversial Afghan politician and former 
member of parliament, Jalalai Joya, reported in May 2006 that she was 
forced to sleep in a different house every night as a result of the 
numerous death threats they have received. She has been quoted as 
saying ``women still live under the shadow of the gun. Women are still 
victims of violence.'' Joya was subsequently ousted from parliament 
after she continuously voiced controversial criticisms of her fellow, 
mostly male, lawmakers.
  Raazia Baloch was presented with a broken Kalashnikov firearm upon 
her election to the provincial assembly, which local authorities told 
her was for her protection. Ms. Baloch serves a particularly volatile 
province where, short after her election, an unknown gunman emptied his 
AK-47 into a van leaving the province's women's ministry.
  The unfortunate truth is if these women are going to serve, they are 
going to need our special attention. And I do believe in the 
relationship that the United States has with Afghanistan. The 
leadership of President Karzai, speaking to him directly, I

[[Page 14717]]

know he has a great concern for the viability of women elected 
officials. In fact, might I say that in a direct, one-on-one 
conversation with any number of Afghan women parliamentarians during my 
visit to Afghanistan, talking to them face to face, eye to eye, sister 
to sister, if you will, they made it very clear when they do their work 
in the capital, and they have to go home to their district, just like 
any one of us, they fear for their lives. They are concerned about 
being able to fully represent their constituents by going home and 
coming back safely.
  Might I just quote additionally, a female owner of a radio station 
was shot seven times while she slept at home with her 20-month-old son. 
She is the second female journalist to be murdered in Afghanistan in 
the past week.
  So my amendment is very clear, and it is very straight. It allows us 
through this legislation to make a very pronounced statement, and that 
statement is that it is the sense of this Congress that assistance 
provided to foreign countries and international organizations under 
this provision should be used in part to protect these female 
legislators. I hope this is part of helping us help them build 
democracy.
  Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for allowing me to explain my amendment to 
H.R. 2446, the Afghanistan Freedom and Security Support Act of 2007. I 
believe this is an extremely important piece of legislation, and I 
commend the chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Mr. Lantos, 
for introducing it. In the nearly 5 years since the 9/11 attacks, and 
the subsequent ouster of the Taliban and al-Qaeda from Afghanistan, we 
have made significant efforts to secure the nation from the Taliban; 
however, the Taliban continues to pose a very real threat to 
Afghanistan's stability.
  This bill is an important step towards a more secure Afghanistan, and 
ultimately, a more stable region. It authorizes $1.7 billion in each of 
fiscal years 2008 through 2010 for economic and development assistance 
and provides additional support for other capacity building programs, 
such as assistance to women and girls, $45 million per annum, energy 
development and counter narcotics, $75 million per annum. Additionally, 
the bill authorizes funding for counter-narcotics efforts and programs 
to increase the capacity of Afghan national, provincial, and local 
governments, and additional development programs.
  In addition to authorizing assistance to address the continuing 
humanitarian needs, this legislation targets the ongoing opium trade, 
as well as persistent problems of corruption. The bill links these 
various sectors of policy together, integrating security, 
reconstruction, and development concerns with counter-narcotics and 
anti-corruption policies.
  My amendment addresses the very serious issue of persecution of women 
legislators in Afghanistan. All women, but particularly those who 
demonstrate the courage to become national leaders, continue to face 
intimidation and violence. If we are to encourage political and civic 
participation among women, which I strongly advocate, we must ensure 
that those who bravely venture into the political arena are protected 
when they return home to the districts they represent.
  After many years of oppressive Taliban control, women in Afghanistan 
are now beginning to emerge from the shadows. For the first time in 
recent memory, they now have the opportunity to take an active role in 
their country's political destiny. As a female legislator myself, I 
believe that women should be strongly encouraged to become national 
leaders; I believe their involvement is extremely beneficial to the 
nation.
  And yet, these women face specific dangers as a result of their 
gender. They may be exposed to vile threats and even physical violence. 
For example, controversial Afghan politician and former Member of 
Parliament Malalai Joya reported in May 2006 that she was forced to 
sleep in a different house every night as a result of the numerous 
death threats she received. She has been quoted as saying ``women still 
live under the shadow of the gun. * * * women are still victims of 
violence.'' Joya was subsequently ousted from parliament after she 
continuously voiced controversial criticisms of her fellow, mostly 
male, law-makers.
  In 2006, another legislator, Raazia Baloch, was presented with a 
broken Kalashnikov firearm upon her election to the provincial 
assembly, which local authorities told her was for her protection. Ms. 
Baloch serves a particularly volatile province, where, shortly after 
her election, an unknown gunman emptied his AK-47 into a van leaving 
the province's women's ministry.
  The unfortunate truth is that women's rights are not yet enshrined in 
Afghanistan. Women who venture into other leadership roles are 
threatened as well. Only this morning, Zakia Zaki, the female owner of 
an Afghan radio station, was shot seven times while she slept at home 
with her 20 month-old son. She is the second female journalist to be 
murdered in Afghanistan in the past week.
  This further illustrates the unfortunate truth: Women continue to 
face persecution and abuses, despite the fall of the Taliban. Until we 
have reached a point where the basic rights of women are protected by 
Afghanistan's government and cultural and social institutions, I 
believe that we need to make every effort to ensure that basic rights 
are respected.
  I believe my amendment is absolutely crucial. With residual societal 
barriers against women and girls persisting even under the new 
government, I believe we must make every effort to protect women 
legislators from the persecution and violence they may face in their 
local communities.

                   [From the BBC News, Oct. 31, 2006]

                  No ``Real Change'' for Afghan Women

                            (By Pam O'Toole)

       An international women's rights group says guarantees given 
     to Afghan women after the fall of the Taleban in 2001 have 
     not translated into real change.
       Womankind Worldwide says millions of Afghan women and girls 
     continue to face systematic discrimination and violence in 
     their households and communities.
       The report admits that there have been some legal, civil 
     and constitutional gains for Afghan women.
       But serious challenges remain and need to be addressed 
     urgently, it states.
       These include challenges to women's safety, realisation of 
     civil and political rights and status.
       Womankind Worldwide sent a film crew to Afghanistan to 
     investigate the situation of women there.
       They found a young Afghan woman crying in hospital who said 
     she wanted to die. She was recovering after setting fire to 
     herself.
       Womankind Worldwide says there has been a dramatic rise in 
     cases of self-immolation by Afghan women since 2003.
       It believes many are the result of forced marriages, 
     thought to account for about 60% to 80% of all Afghan 
     marriages.
       57% of girls are married before the legal marriage age of 
     16.
       Domestic violence remains widespread.
       At an Afghan women's shelter, a young woman told the film 
     crew that she came to the shelter to target life's troubles.
       ``I come here so I can ease the pain a little. When I am at 
     home sometimes I feel as though someone is choking me,'' she 
     told the film crew.
       Womankind Worldwide says the Afghan authorities rarely 
     investigate women's complaints of violent attacks.
       Women reporting rape run the risk of being imprisoned for 
     having sexual intercourse outside marriage.
       Although women now hold more than 25% of the seats in the 
     Afghan parliament, female politicians and activists often 
     face intimidation or even violence.
       ``Women who are standing up to defend women's rights are 
     not being protected,'' says Brita Fernandes Schmidt of 
     Womankind Worldwide.
       ``My message, really, to the international community is: 
     you need to address specific security issues for women,'' she 
     says.
       ``Women's rights activists are getting killed, women's NGO 
     workers are getting killed, and that is not going to change 
     unless some drastic action is taken,'' Ms Fernandes 
     continues.
       Womankind Worldwide says the international community needs 
     to fulfil promises made after the fall of the Taleban to help 
     protect Afghan women.
       It says the international community should give women a 
     greater voice in setting the aid and reconstruction agenda.
       Until basic rights are granted to Afghan women in practice 
     as well as on paper, the report says, it could not be said 
     that the status of Afghan women had changed significantly in 
     the past five years.

  I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos).

                              {time}  1615

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank my friend from Texas for 
offering another needed, thoughtful and carefully crafted amendment; 
and I'm very pleased to support it.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. I thank the distinguished gentleman.
  Mr. Chairman, I reserve my time.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Chairman, I rise to claim time in opposition, 
although I am not opposed to this amendment.
  The Acting CHAIRMAN. Without objection, the gentlewoman from Florida 
is recognized for 5 minutes.
  There was no objection.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of this amendment 
offered by our distinguished colleague

[[Page 14718]]

from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee) supporting efforts to bolster women's 
political participation by protecting female legislators when they 
return to the provinces they represent.
  This important amendment includes a sense of Congress stating that 
assistance provided to foreign countries and international 
organizations under this provision should be used in part to protect 
these female legislators.
  It is no secret that Afghan women were brutalized under the Taliban 
rule. They were frequently beaten, raped, kidnapped and killed. They 
had no access to education nor health care and were routinely singled 
out for abuse simply because they were women. They lived in nightmarish 
conditions that few of us could even imagine.
  Five years after the fall of the Taliban, the women of Afghanistan 
are making substantial progress in reclaiming their rightful place in 
society. They are working as doctors, lawyers, teachers, civil servants 
and in numerous other professions.
  These women have overcome unimaginable obstacles, and they deserve 
our ongoing support as they work to build a new democracy. We must 
continue to work to ensure that they are not threatened, nor 
intimidated nor physically harmed by those who seek to bring 
Afghanistan back to the oppressive and brutal times experienced under 
the Taliban regime.
  As part of the work that my daughter-in-law does in her military 
service in Afghanistan, Lindsay encounters many Afghan women and is 
impressed with the great progress they have made in such a brief time. 
Let us not go back in time.
  Women legislators in Afghanistan are currently targets of attacks 
perpetrated by Islamic militant extremists. We must enhance the efforts 
in providing a safe and secure environment for these women to allow 
them to pursue their legislative duties and encourage future 
generations of women to seek leadership positions in Afghan society.
  I urge my colleagues to support this amendment.
  Mr. Chairman, I yield back the remainder of our time.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  I thank the ranking member for her support and eloquent words on this 
issue and as well the chairman of the committee for his support.
  Let me conclude by simply reading the headline of an article: Female 
Afghan and Pakistani Politicians Forced from Office. This is as late as 
Wednesday, May 23, 2007.
  Let me thank my colleagues. I believe my amendment will further 
enhance our goals, and that is to provide opportunities for all of 
those in public life, including women in Afghanistan seeking to build 
the building blocks of democracy, and I ask my colleagues to support my 
amendment.
  Mr. Chairman, I yield back my time.
  The Acting CHAIRMAN. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee).
  The amendment was agreed to.


                  Amendment No. 7 Offered by Mr. Kirk

  The Acting CHAIRMAN. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 7 
printed in House Report 110-174.
  Mr. KIRK. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.
  The Acting CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       Amendment No. 7 offered by Mr. Kirk:
       At the end of title III of the bill (relating to 
     miscellaneous provisions), insert the following new section:

     SEC. 3_. ELIGIBILITY IN CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES FOR AGENCIES OF 
                   THE GOVERNMENTS OF AFGHANISTAN AND PAKISTAN TO 
                   RECEIVE A REWARD UNDER THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE 
                   REWARDS PROGRAM.

       (a) Eligibility.--Subsection (f) of section 36 of the State 
     Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 (22 U.S.C. 2708(f)) 
     is amended--
       (1) by striking ``(f) Ineligibility.--An officer'' and 
     inserting the following:
       ``(f) Ineligibility.--
       ``(1) In general.--An officer'';
       (2) in paragraph (1), as so designated by paragraph (1) of 
     this subsection, by inserting ``, except as provided in 
     paragraph (2),'' before ``of a foreign government''; and
       (3) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
       ``(2) Exception in certain circumstances.--The Secretary 
     may pay a reward to an officer or employee of the government 
     of Afghanistan or Pakistan (or any entity thereof) who, while 
     in the performance of his or her official duties, furnishes 
     information described in such subsection, if the Secretary 
     determines that such payment satisfies the following 
     conditions:
       ``(A) Such payment is appropriate in light of the 
     exceptional or high-profile nature of the information 
     furnished pursuant to such subsection and such information 
     relates in any way to the commission of an act in 
     Afghanistan.
       ``(B) Such payment may aid in furnishing further 
     information described in such subsection.
       ``(C) Such payment is formally requested by such agency.''.
       (b) Conforming Amendment.--Subsection (b) of such section 
     (22 U.S.C. 2708(b)) is amended in the matter preceding 
     paragraph (1) by inserting ``or to any officer or employee of 
     a foreign government in accordance with subsection (f)(2)'' 
     after ``individual''.

  The Acting CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to House Resolution 453, the gentleman 
from Illinois (Mr. Kirk) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Illinois.
  Mr. KIRK. I thank the Chairman.
  I also want to thank my partners in this effort, Chairman Lantos and 
Ranking Member Ros-Lehtinen, because their support for this amendment 
was critical.
  Mr. Chairman, one of the most successful counter-terror programs run 
by the United States is not managed by the Defense Department or the 
CIA. It is the State Department's Rewards for Justice Program run by 
Mrs. Rachel Schindel-Gombis.
  By offering rewards, we have brought a number of criminals to justice 
who killed Americans both here and abroad. One of our proudest 
successes was the program's production of matchbook covers, like this 
one here. Tipped off by a face and a telephone number on a matchbook, a 
Pakistani citizen provided a key tip for the arrest of Mir Amal Kansi, 
the man who murdered two Americans outside the CIA's gate here in 
Virginia. Thanks to this program, Kansi was arrested, extradited, 
convicted and executed for the cold-blooded murders he committed, as 
was the famous al Qaeda terrorist Ramsi Yousef.
  As a congressional staff member, I drafted the amendments to this 
program that first opened this up to the arrest of United Nations war 
criminals, specifically people indicted for war crimes by the tribunals 
for Rwanda and Yugoslavia. The program has helped bring dozens of mass 
murderers to justice, fulfilling some of the highest and best ideals of 
the United States when we promised ``never again'' after liberating the 
Nazi death camps.
  As a Member of Congress, I coauthored the legislation for this 
program that allowed varied rewards and mass media campaigns. I took 
action on this after conducting missions on the Afghan-Pakistan border 
where I learned that tribesmen in that region would not respond as 
strongly to a $100,000 cash award but would respond more strongly to an 
offer of say one kilo of gold or a new motorcycle.
  Using this new authority, the State Department launched an 
unprecedented multilingual campaign that yielded dozens of new 
contracts for the arrest of senior al Qaeda and Taliban leaders.
  One target stands above all, and that is the arrest of Osama bin 
Laden for the murder of 3,000 Americans on September 11, 2001. By many 
accounts, bin Laden and the core leadership of al Qaeda and the Taliban 
are hiding in the frontier autonomous tribal areas of Pakistan or in 
the border provinces of Afghanistan. The Rewards for Justice Program 
has helped to arrest several senior Taliban and al Qaeda leaders but 
not bin Laden or his number two, Ayman Al Zawahiri.
  The amendment before us builds on the extensive legislative tradition 
of this program, bipartisan, effective and flexible, to make it more 
likely that the world's most wanted men pay for the murder of thousands 
of Americans.
  In this amendment, we authorize the State Department to pay rewards 
to anyone in Afghanistan or Pakistan, including government employees, 
if the

[[Page 14719]]

information leads to the arrest of ``exceptionally high-profile'' 
targets.
  Mr. Chairman, the support for Osama bin Laden, like this poster here 
which went out in English as well as many in Urdu and Dari, remains 
high. For us, we need to rely on sometimes the only assets we have in 
this region which are government employees in the service of 
Afghanistan or Pakistan; and if they can provide the information that 
leads to the arrest of Osama bin Laden or Ayman Al Zawahiri, then we 
should gladly pay for this justice.
  Mr. Chairman, I have discussed this amendment with senior officials 
in the White House who expressed their support. I will note the receipt 
of talking points from the State Department bureaucracy received this 
morning that expressed concerns, and my reaction is that the officials 
who authored these points may work for someone, but they do not serve 
the American people. Their points are poorly written and disconnected 
and reflect strongly on a disappointing State Department tradition of 
sometimes serving an obscure academic point but not America's citizens 
or their future security.
  If we can arrest bin Laden, we should. If reward money helps to lead 
to his arrest, we should pay it. This program should be run in the most 
flexible and effective manner possible so that the greatest mass 
murderers in American history should meet their final justice.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. KIRK. I yield to the gentlewoman from Florida, one of my partners 
on this.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the amendment 
offered by the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Kirk).
  The search and the long hunt for Osama bin Laden and other major 
radical Islamic terrorists we want brought to justice in the 
Afghanistan-Pakistan region requires new ideas and new tools for law 
enforcement and those who are involved in this initiative. Mr. Kirk's 
amendment represents such an initiative, by improving our terrorist 
rewards program to reflect the reality of what we face on the ground.
  Our terrorist rewards program has been a valuable and successful 
tool, and I urge my colleagues to adopt the Kirk amendment.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to claim the time 
in opposition to the amendment, although I'm not opposed to the 
amendment.
  The Acting CHAIRMAN. Without objection, the gentleman from California 
is recognized for 5 minutes.
  There was no objection.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  As you well know, a version of this amendment has passed before on 
the floor of this House. I welcome any incentives that help to prevent 
elements of al Qaeda and the Taliban to engage in further international 
terrorist and criminal acts, and I strongly support this amendment in 
the hope that it might lead at long last to the capture of Osama bin 
Laden.
  Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance our time.
  The Acting CHAIRMAN. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Kirk).
  The question was taken; and the Acting Chairman announced that the 
ayes appeared to have it.
  Mr. KIRK. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.
  The Acting CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further 
proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Illinois 
will be postponed.


                Amendment No. 8 Offered by Mr. Kucinich

  The Acting CHAIRMAN. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 8 
printed in House Report 110-174.
  Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.
  The Acting CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       Amendment No. 8 offered by Mr. Kucinich:
       Page 43, after line 6, insert the following new subsection:
       (c) Contribution to Post-Operations Humanitarian Relief 
     Fund.--Of the amount appropriated pursuant to subsection (a) 
     of section 110 of the Afghanistan Freedom Support Act of 2002 
     (as redesignated by title I of this Act), $500,000 for each 
     of the fiscal years 2008 through 2010 shall be available for 
     a United States contribution to the Post-Operations 
     Humanitarian Relief Fund of the International Security 
     Assistance Force.

  The Acting CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to House Resolution 453, the gentleman 
from Ohio (Mr. Kucinich) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Ohio.
  Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  In Afghanistan, as is true of all wars, bombs have missed their 
targets, civilians have been maimed and killed, property's been 
destroyed. Both homes and families have been devastated and literally 
torn apart.
  As the United States seeks to abate terrorists, we must also learn to 
avoid the unintended consequences related to our foreign policy. One 
approach is to accept responsibility when we harm innocent civilians 
and provide compensation for the impact that war has had on civilian 
lives that are accidentally caught in the crossfire.
  The United States has a moral obligation to help the innocent 
civilians of Afghanistan, whose lives have been devastated by war, to 
rebuild their lives and their country. The United States must live up 
to this moral obligation by providing humanitarian assistance for 
innocent victims of war who are harmed by combat operations.
  Currently, the U.S. military has two systems in place that provide 
monetary compensation to civilians who, as a consequence of U.S. 
military action, have been accidentally harmed.
  The Foreign Claims Act provides for the compensation of civilians who 
have been injured, died or whose property's been damaged from noncombat 
activities and negligent or wrongful acts.
  Alternatively, condolence payments can be paid by the U.S. military 
directly to victims, or their survivors, who suffer a physical injury, 
death or property damage in amounts not to exceed $2,500.
  Congress should support the Foreign Claims Act and condolence payment 
systems to the greatest extent possible as this money helps innocent 
people of Afghanistan rebuild their lives.
  Today's bill, the Afghanistan Freedom and Security Support Act of 
2007, seeks to increase the maximum amount of condolence payments; and 
I commend this action and urge the President to heed the intent of 
Congress in this matter.
  There's another avenue for the United States to make major gains. 
Brigadier Richard E. Nugee, chief spokesperson for the North Atlantic 
Treaty Organization, recognized that NATO forces had killed dozens of 
civilians in Afghanistan in 2006, and here's what he had to say. ``The 
single thing that we have done wrong and we are striving extremely hard 
to improve on is'' the unfortunate killing of innocent civilians.
  NATO, realizing their past mistakes and in an effort to advance 
goodwill and allay resentment among Afghans caused by innocent civilian 
casualties, established a post-operations humanitarian relief fund, 
placed under the ISAF's Commander's discretion, to compensate Afghans 
harmed by combat operations.

                              {time}  1630

  This NATO program is alike in its objective to both the Condolence 
Payment system and the Foreign Claims Act. This system is noble in its 
intent.
  I urge the United States to show its commitment to the people of 
Afghanistan, to honor our promise to win their minds and hearts by 
increasing the functionality of the NATO humanitarian assistance 
program for innocent war victims.
  This amendment shows the commitment of the U.S. people to Afghanistan 
by diverting $500,000 to the Post-Operations Humanitarian Relief Fund 
of the U.N. International Security Assistance Force. The international 
fund has received contributions from the Czech Republic, Lithuania, the 
Netherlands and Sweden. By diverting this money the United States is 
sending a message

[[Page 14720]]

to and joining with NATO and the international community to show our 
commitment to the people of Afghanistan.
  The Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict, CIVIC, founded by 
Marla Ruzicka, who worked tirelessly in Afghanistan to win compensation 
for civilian war victims before she was killed by a car bomb in Baghdad 
in 2005, supports that commitment.
  Mr. Chairman, I would like to insert in the Record a letter of 
endorsement from Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict.
                                             Campaign for Innocent


                                          Victims in Conflict,

                                                     June 5, 2007.
     Hon. Tom Lantos,
     House of Representatives,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Chairman: Having recently returned from Kabul, I 
     write in support of H.R. 2446, as offered by Mr. Kucinich on 
     June 5, 2007.
       The civilian death toll in Afghanistan has become alarming, 
     with both sides responsible for civilian casualties. While 
     NATO forces work hard to avoid harming civilians, we know 
     that in war accidents happen and the families of those 
     innocent people killed and injured need--and, frankly, 
     deserve--immediate assistance.
       Several NATO countries recently created the Post-Operations 
     Humanitarian Relief Fund (POHRF)--a compensation war chest 
     under NATO's commander with the potential to give Afghan 
     civilians much needed assistance. However, only four NATO 
     countries have donated and the amount raised is not nearly 
     enough to truly make a difference to the Afghan people.
       As H.R. 2446 requests on page 43, line 7, the United States 
     should lead the way by donating the relatively nominal amount 
     of $500,000 to POHRF. Showing--not merely telling--other NATO 
     countries how to ``win hearts and minds'' demonstrates 
     American leadership and humanity on behalf of innocent 
     Afghans suffering losses.
       NATO's mission in Afghanistan cannot succeed without the 
     trust and support of the Afghan people, as you are seeing 
     with civilian protests and discontent in the headlines. To 
     win that trust, NATO--with the United States leading the 
     way--should dignify civilians harmed by its forces with the 
     help they deserve.
       I hope you will join in urging NATO countries to support 
     POHRF by supporting this amendment ensuring a United States 
     contribution to this important fund. After all, Afghanistan 
     will be won or lost 1 civilian at a time.
           Sincerely,
                                                 Sarah Holewinski,
                                               Executive Director.

  CIVIC states that ``The civilian death toll in Afghanistan has become 
alarming, with both sides responsible for civilian casualties. While 
NATO forces work hard to avoid harming civilians, we know that in war, 
accidents happen and the families of those innocent people are killed 
and injured need--and, frankly deserve--immediate assistance.
  ``NATO's mission in Afghanistan cannot succeed without the trust and 
support of the Afghan people, as you are seeing with civilian protests 
and discontent in the headlines. To win that trust, NATO--with the 
United States leading the way--should dignify civilians harmed by its 
forces with the help they deserve.''
  If the United States truly desires to win the hearts and minds of 
people in Afghanistan, we must consider how the destruction and loss of 
life hurts those who are trying to resurrect their lives and their 
country. While no dollar amount can truly be equated to a human life, 
we can have a substantial impact on the rebuilding of the lives torn 
apart by the war.
  War causes wreckage, pain and suffering for many innocent civilians 
who must endure life in a war zone. It's easy to understand how the 
innocent may become angry or disillusioned with combat forces. As such, 
it's in the interests of the United States to ensure proper levels of 
humanitarian assistance.
  I am urging my colleagues to join me in support of this amendment to 
direct additional and much-needed assistance to the innocent citizens 
of Afghanistan who deserve our help to rebuild their lives and their 
countries.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Chairman, I rise to claim time in opposition to 
this amendment.
  The Acting CHAIRMAN. The gentlewoman from Florida is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. The issue of providing compensation to Afghan 
civilians is one whose efficacy is not questioned. Our brave troops on 
the ground offer such support through the allocation of the Commander's 
Emergency Response Program funding and other avenues that allow U.S. 
forces to compensate civilians for the damage caused due to ongoing 
U.S. operations.
  However, the manner by which my esteemed colleague from Ohio, my good 
friend, Mr. Kucinich, seeks to go about addressing this issue would 
establish an extremely troublesome precedent regarding our operations 
in and our policy toward Afghanistan.
  Simply put, U.S. taxpayer funds, U.S. assistance for Afghanistan, 
should not be used to fund long-term compensation programs under the 
Post-Operations Humanitarian Relief Fund of the International Security 
Assistance Force for damage caused by foreign forces and not U.S. 
forces.
  By contrast, the underlying bill acknowledges ongoing U.S. efforts to 
support war victims affected by U.S. operations and then calls for a 
feasibility study to be conducted in order to assess if there is a need 
to expand U.S. assistance to Afghan civilian war victims.
  The Kucinich amendment, however, seeks to circumvent this necessary 
precursor, essentially prescribing a solution to this problem before 
the diagnosis is received, and, again, seeking to assign U.S. 
responsibility for the actions of others. The United States could work 
diplomatically with participant nations to ensure that they make proper 
and substantially greater contributions to this relief fund.
  However, I find it to be outside of the parameters for the U.S. 
assistance to Afghanistan to cover the international forces where they 
have fallen short, thereby putting the onus on the United States to 
step up financially for damages that we have not created.
  Mr. Chairman, I strongly urge my colleagues to vote against this 
amendment.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, winning the hearts and minds of the Afghan 
people is crucial to our success in Afghanistan.
  This amendment seeks to bolster that support by providing more 
resources to a fund operated by the International Security Assistance 
Force, led by NATO, which seeks to assist those Afghan individuals and 
families who have suffered injuries due to unintended military 
operations.
  Currently, there are a handful of NATO countries who contribute to 
this fund, and it is important for the United States to show leadership 
in this area. With our contribution, other NATO allies will also be 
encouraged to participate.
  Mr. Chairman, I support this amendment and urge my colleagues to do 
so as well.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIRMAN. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Kucinich).
  The question was taken; and the Acting Chairman announced that the 
ayes appeared to have it.
  Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.
  The Acting CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further 
proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Ohio will be 
postponed.


                  Amendment No. 9 Offered by Mr. Terry

  The Acting CHAIRMAN. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 9 
printed in House Report 110-174.
  Mr. TERRY. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.
  The Acting CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       Amendment No. 9 offered by Mr. Terry:
       Page 26, after line 12, insert the following new 
     subsection:
       (j) Priority to U.S. Organizations for Grants To Aid in the 
     Revitalization of Afghanistan.--In awarding grants to 
     nongovernmental organizations to aid in the revitalization of 
     Afghanistan, including to assist the people of Afghanistan to 
     create and sustain quality economic and educational systems, 
     under section 103 of the Afghanistan Freedom Support Act of 
     2002 (as amended by this section), the United States Agency 
     for International Development should give priority to 
     organizations based in the United States that have an 
     established and cost-effective record of developing and 
     administering such programs of assistance in Afghanistan.


[[Page 14721]]


  The Acting CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to House Resolution 453, the gentleman 
from Nebraska (Mr. Terry) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Nebraska.
  Mr. TERRY. Mr. Chairman, I come here today with the common sense and 
hopefully consensus amendment that directs USAID to give priority to 
organizations based in the United States when awarding grants to NGOs 
to rebuild Afghanistan.
  The experience and expertise of U.S. organizations in public 
institutions to rebuild Afghanistan should be utilized and recognized 
by USAID. It's also a fact that when people of Afghanistan see 
Americans helping to rebuild their schools and providing teachers and 
helping their economy, that a true and positive perception of our 
Nation increases.
  My straightforward amendment states that USAID should give priority 
consideration to U.S.-based organizations that have a proven track 
record of assisting young nations like Afghanistan to educate its 
children and teach them skills that will lead to economic growth and 
revitalization.
  The Center for Afghanistan Studies at the University of Nebraska's 
Omaha campus is a great example of a proven institution, experienced 
institution, in providing cost-effective services to Afghanistan, as 
well as other nations, that has experience in administering programs 
within Afghanistan, and teaching the people of Afghanistan, and yet 
were not considered to be a subcontractor with USAID.
  There are undoubtedly many more examples of expertise and assistance 
from United States programs dedicated to the betterment of nations and 
their citizens. It seems only right that USAID give priority to U.S. 
organizations with established records of service and success.
  I urge my colleagues' support.
  Mr. Chairman, I yield to the gentlelady from Florida (Ms. Ros-
Lehtinen), the ranking member.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the amendment 
offered by my distinguished friend from Nebraska (Mr. Terry).
  This important amendment requires the U.S. Agency for International 
Development to give priority in awarding grants to nongovernmental 
organizations, to those based in the United States that have an 
established and cost-effective record in developing and administering 
such programs within Afghanistan.
  In addition, it focuses on organizations that specialize in the 
teaching of the people of Afghanistan how to create and sustain quality 
economic and educational system. In this respect, U.S.-based 
organizations, with a proven track record of accountability and cost-
effectiveness and the development and administration of such programs 
in Afghanistan, should be granted priority in the grant process.
  This amendment is necessary, both as a means of ensuring 
accountability at all levels of the contracting process, and for proper 
oversight by Congress.
  I thank my colleague and friend for introducing this important 
amendment, and I strongly urge its adoption.
  Mr. TERRY. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent to claim the time 
in opposition to the amendment, although I am not opposed to the 
amendment.
  The Acting CHAIRMAN. Without objection, the gentleman from California 
is recognized for 5 minutes.
  There was no objection.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I support the underlying premise of the 
gentleman's amendment that assistance should be provided through 
organizations that have a cost-effective record of administering 
programs in Afghanistan. I am also gratified that the gentleman made 
some modifications to the original version of his amendment.
  As H.R. 2446 reflects, we must continue to assist the Afghan people 
in creating and sustaining economic and development systems for 
themselves. We must continue to endow the Afghan government, Afghan 
organizations and the Afghan people with the necessary know how, 
expertise and resources so they can lead a free, stable and prosperous 
Afghanistan.
  I believe that this amendment strikes the right balance in calling 
for USAID to prioritize organizations that have a cost-effective record 
of administering programs in Afghanistan, while allowing for assistance 
to Afghan entities as well.
  On that basis, the amendment is acceptable to our side.
  Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. TERRY. I thank the chairman for his instructive input, advice, 
counsel and kind words and acceptance of the amendment.
  Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The Acting CHAIRMAN. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Terry).
  The amendment was agreed to.


               Amendment No. 10 Offered by Mr. Van Hollen

  The Acting CHAIRMAN. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 10 
printed in House Report 110-174.
  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.
  The Acting CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       Amendment No. 10 offered by Mr. Van Hollen:
       Page 17, line 17, strike ``and''.
       Page 17, line 19, strike the first period, the closing 
     quotation marks, and the second period and insert ``; and''.
       Page 17, after line 19, insert the following new clause:
       ``(ix) promoting the empowerment of citizens at the local 
     level in the decision-making process, including 
     reconstruction and economic development decisions.''.
       Page 62, beginning on line 16, insert ``, create an 
     environment conducive to Afghan small business development,'' 
     after ``opportunities''.

  The Acting CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to House Resolution 453, the gentleman 
from Maryland (Mr. Van Hollen) and a Member opposed each will control 5 
minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Maryland.
  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Let me begin by congratulating the chairman of the 
Foreign Affairs Committee, Mr. Lantos, and the ranking member, Ms. Ros-
Lehtinen, for their wonderful bipartisan work on this very important 
legislation, which sends a signal that the United States remains fully 
engaged in making sure we have a secure Afghanistan, and that we build 
on what has happened to date and make sure that we continue to have a 
situation that demonstrates a continuing investment by the United 
States.
  I think if you look back over history, we made a big mistake, when we 
disengaged from Afghanistan, after the Soviet withdrawal. We had 
helped, of course, support the Mujahedin, the freedom fighters, that 
was the right thing to do.
  But when the Soviets left Afghanistan, so did we. And that left a 
vacuum that the Taliban exploited, Afghanistan became a failed state, 
al Qaeda found a home there, and we know the rest of the story, the 
terrible attacks of September 11, 2001. Even to this day, we have not 
yet finished the job in Afghanistan in terms of hunting down al Qaeda 
and Osama bin Laden, and essentially destroying the network that caused 
those terrible attacks of September 11, 2001.
  But even as we continue that action, we need to make sure we provide 
for stability in Afghanistan for the longer haul, so we do not create 
another situation where other terrorists can take advantage of a failed 
state.
  That requires we work in partnership with the Afghan government and 
the international community to make a long-term investment in 
Afghanistan's stability. That involves, making sure, that in addition 
to large infrastructure projects and important investments that we 
make, that we also make sure that we empower the Afghan people and make 
sure that they understand that we continue to have a stake and they 
have a stake, obviously, in their future and in building their economy. 
That's what this amendment that I am offering today relates to.

[[Page 14722]]

  According to a recent GAO report, despite the expenditure of billions 
of U.S. dollars, reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan still have 
lacked a strategic focus. I know that is the major thrust of this bill, 
and I, again, want to commend our leadership for putting this important 
piece together.
  As you know, this bill requires, among other things, that the 
President design a comprehensive interagency strategy for long-term 
security and stability. But in addressing these issues, issues that 
will impact heavily on the lives of ordinary Afghan citizens, it's 
essential that we make sure that we leverage one of Afghanistan's 
greatest assets in that decision-making process. That is the Afghan 
people themselves.

                              {time}  1645

  And while it does support local-led development programs such as the 
National Solidarity Project, the bill, I think, would also benefit and 
be strengthened by additional focus on involving the Afghan people at 
the local level in decision making. And that is why I'm proposing this 
amendment that requires the President to include as any part of his 
Afghanistan strategy an emphasis on empowering Afghan citizens in that 
decision making.
  Economic development is a major source of concern, obviously, to the 
Afghan people. The CSIS, the Center for Strategic and International 
Studies, recently released the second in a series of post-conflict 
assessments of progress in Afghanistan and reported that, despite a 
marked improvement in the economy, Afghans continue to suffer from 
unsteady employment and economic insecurity. So this amendment 
addresses those issues. Just, again, emphasizes what I know is the 
overall thrust of this legislation, the importance of making sure we 
include the Afghan people at the grassroots level in decisions that 
affect their future.
  Again, I want to thank the chairman, Mr. Lantos, and the bipartisan 
support this overall effort has had; and I urge the adoption of the 
amendment.
  Mr. LANTOS. Will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. I will be delighted to yield.
  Mr. LANTOS. I want to thank the gentleman for his singularly 
thoughtful and carefully crafted amendment, and I'm very pleased to 
support it.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Chairman, I rise to claim time in opposition, 
although I am not opposed to this amendment.
  The Acting CHAIRMAN. Without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized 
for 5 minutes.
  There was no objection.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the amendment 
offered by my distinguished colleague and my friend, the gentleman from 
Maryland (Mr. Van Hollen).
  This amendment seeks to promote the empowerment of citizens at the 
local level in the decision-making process, including reconstruction 
and economic development.
  One of the key elements necessary to achieve success in Afghanistan 
is enhancing and promoting citizen participation in the reconstruction 
and economic development efforts in that country.
  Citizens making decisions is a critical part in a democratic society, 
and this will enhance Afghanistan's political and economic 
institutions. Local participation, local decision-making will allow the 
Afghan people to take charge of their own lives and make decisions 
based on the needs of their local communities.
  In addition to ensuring security, fighting the illicit illegal 
narcotics trade, related terrorist activities, developing the 
infrastructure for a sustainable democratic central government, the 
economic situation must also improve if Afghans are to have confidence 
in their own future and if they are to build upon the progress they 
have achieved thus far.
  A lack of success in the economic forum has the potential to 
undermine political developments. It could risk demoralizing the 
aspirations of Afghan citizens and could jeopardize their ability to 
actively shape their destiny.
  The United States must work hard to ensure that Afghanistan is never 
again a haven for terrorists, a major source of narcotics, or a source 
of instability or oppression towards its citizens.
  Again, I thank the gentleman from Maryland for introducing this 
important amendment. I strongly urge my colleagues to support it.
  And before I yield the remainder of our time to my good friend and 
our fearless leader, Chairman Lantos, I want to thank the excellent 
staff that has been working on our Republican side with the Democratic 
side on forging this strong bill; and perhaps next time, Mr. Lantos, we 
will come to the floor wearing tie-dyed T-shirts and love beads and 
singing Kumbaya.
  Mr. Chairman, I yield the remainder of our time to Chairman Lantos.
  Mr. LANTOS. As we close discussion and debate, Mr. Chairman, let me 
first express my appreciation to my friend and colleague, the ranking 
Republican member of the committee, for her exceptional leadership on 
this matter. Let me thank all of my Republican and Democratic 
colleagues who have worked so hard on this matter.
  But I particularly want to express my personal thanks to the 
committee staff on both sides, specifically, Matthew Zweig and John 
Mackey on the Republican side of the committee staff, as well as all 
other members of the Republican staff, and on our side, Manpreet Anand, 
Robin Roizman, David Fite and our extraordinary general counsel, David 
Abramowitz.
  We have done good bipartisan work, and I think the Congress did some 
useful work today.
  Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of our time.
  The Acting CHAIRMAN. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Van Hollen).
  The amendment was agreed to.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Chairman, I move that the Committee do now rise.
  The motion was agreed to.
  Accordingly, the Committee rose; and the Speaker pro tempore (Mr. Van 
Hollen) having assumed the chair, Mr. Pomeroy, Acting Chairman of the 
Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union, reported that 
that Committee, having had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2446) to 
reauthorize the Afghanistan Freedom Support Act of 2002, and for other 
purposes, had come to no resolution thereon.

                          ____________________