[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 21]
[Senate]
[Pages 28811-28827]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS

      By Ms. STABENOW (for herself and Mr. Cochran):
  S. 2270. A bill to include health centers in the list of entities 
eligible for mortgage insurance under the National Housing Act; to the 
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
  Ms. STABENOW. Mr. President, today I am pleased to introduce the 
Community Health Center Capital Investment Act. I also thank my 
colleague, Senator Thad Cochran of Mississippi, for joining me in 
sponsoring this critical legislation. Health centers in both our states 
are committed to serving more people, and our legislation will give 
them a little help to do just that.
  One of our most important investments in our health-care system is 
funding the Community Health Center program. According to the National 
Association of Community Health Centers, health centers provide 
comprehensive primary and preventive care to over 16 million people--
including nearly 7 million uninsured--each year in more than 6,000 
urban and rural communities.
  One of my initial pledges when I first ran for the Senate was to 
increase the number of community health centers in Michigan. Since I 
became a Senator, there are new 15 community health centers or access 
points in Michigan. I am also so pleased to have had the support of so 
many of my colleagues in increasing funding for community health center 
grants. This year, 64 Senators signed the Stabenow-Bond funding 
request, and we were pleased that the Senate Labor-HHS-Education 
Appropriations bill will provide an additional $250 million increase 
for community health centers. This increased funding will help reach 
nearly 2 million people next year.
  But even as we provide assistance to community health centers for 
operations, we cannot forget their capital needs such as renovating 
older buildings, purchasing new equipment, and investing in health 
information technology. But in general, without specific authorization 
in Federal law, health centers cannot use current grant dollars for 
construction, modernization, or expansion of facilities.
  According to NACHC, one out of three health centers currently 
operates in buildings that are 30 years old or older. The average cost 
of a facility project is estimated to be $2.3 million. Many centers 
borrow funds for these purposes at rates that could be, and should be, 
lower.
  Kim Sibilsky, the executive director of the Michigan Primary Care 
Association, wrote me: ``The majority of Michigan's 34 community Health 
Center organizations were founded in the middle and late 1970s, and 
many of their 160 community-based sites are located in facilities that 
require renovation to meet the changing health care needs of their 
communities. More readily available renovation dollars will assist 
Michigan Health Centers in improving access to quality health care for 
Michigan residents.''
  One simple solution would be granting access for community health 
centers to use the facility assistance programs at the Department of 
Housing and Urban Development. If health centers were able to access 
HUD's loan guarantee and mortgage insurance program through the Title 
XI Small Medical Group Facilities Program, they would have an important 
tool with which to address facility concerns.
  The legislation we are introducing today is a small clarification to 
the Title XI Program to ensure that health centers can obtain mortgage 
insurance under the program. But this small change will have a huge 
reward for our safety-net providers. It will allow them to lower the 
interest rate on the money they borrow, and therefore lower the cost of 
the project for the center. This savings will be translated directly to 
increased patient care.
  I ask unanimous consent that a letter of support be printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be placed in 
the Record, as follows:

                                           National Association of


                               Community Health Centers, Inc.,

                                                 October 25, 2007.
     Hon. Debbie Stabenow,
     Hart Senate Office Building,
     Washington, DC
     Hon. Thad Cochran,
     Dirksen Senate Office Building,
     Washington, DC
       Dear Senator Stabenow and Senator Cochran: On behalf of the 
     National Association of Community Health Centers, the 
     advocate voice for our nation's Community, Migrant, Public 
     Housing and Homeless Health Centers and the 16 million 
     patients they serve, I am writing to offer our strong 
     endorsement of your bipartisan legislation the ``Community 
     Health Center Capital Investment Act.''
       America's Health Centers commend you for your leadership in 
     introducing this important legislation to expand access to 
     federal grants for capital improvements in the nation's 1,100 
     federally qualified health centers. As the health care home 
     for 16 million people in more than 6,000 urban and rural 
     locations, health centers provide high quality, comprehensive 
     primary and preventive care for children and adults. Each 
     year as the number of patients served at health centers 
     continues to increase, so will the need for modernization and 
     construction of new health center facilities.
       Your proposal is a significant step forward toward 
     improving access to primary health care across the country. A 
     recent survey in twelve states found that nearly two-thirds 
     of health centers need to expand or modernize their current 
     buildings, while some areas need to construct new facilities 
     to treat the growing number of patients in their communities. 
     Today, health centers have limited access to federal grants 
     for facility improvements and struggle to raise sufficient 
     capital to meet the $2.3 million average cost of facility 
     projects. By ensuring that health centers have access to the 
     Housing and Urban Department's loan guarantee and mortgage 
     insurance program through the Title XI Small Medical Group 
     Facilities Program, health centers will have an important 
     tool to address these facility concerns.
       We greatly applaud your legislation to ensure that the 
     nation's health centers will be

[[Page 28812]]

     authorized to access HUD's loan guarantee and mortgage 
     insurance programs for the construction, modernization and 
     expansion of their facilities. Your leadership on this issue 
     will significantly improve the health and well-being of our 
     nation's medically underserved.
       Again, thank you for your sponsorship of the ``Community 
     Health Center Capital Investment Act.'' America's Health 
     Centers are proud to endorse your legislation and offer their 
     active support in helping to secure its enactment.
           Sincerely,

                                        Craig A. Kennedy, MPH,

                                         Associate Vice President,
                                        Federal and State Affairs.

  Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, community health centers provide care for 
over 15 million patients nationwide each year and are a critical part 
of our country's health care network. Many of these centers operate out 
of buildings that are in need of modernization or expansion. Current 
law limits access to federal funds to community health centers for any 
type of construction, modernization, or expansion. Therefore, the only 
funds available to community health centers for facilities are through 
congressionally directed spending.
  We are introducing a bill today to include community health centers 
as eligible recipients for funding through the Department of Housing 
and Urban Development's Small Medical Group Facilities Program. Under 
this competitive program, community health centers will be able to 
access loan guarantees and mortgage insurance, thus giving them a tool 
to address their facility concerns and by doing so, better serve their 
patients.
  I am pleased to offer this legislation that will help improve access 
to and quality of community health center care.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mr. BIDEN (for himself, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Durbin, and Mrs. 
        Feinstein):
  S. 2274. A bill to amend the Controlled Substances Act to prevent the 
abuse of dextromethorphan, and for other purposes; to the Committee on 
the Judiciary.
  Mr. BIDEN. Mr. President, ``Robotripping,'' ingesting large amounts 
of cough suppressants containing a common over-the-counter ingredient 
called Dextromethorphan, or ``DXM,'' is a dangerous, potentially 
lethal, threat to our Nation's children. That is why today I am 
introducing the Dextromethorphan Abuse Reduction Act of 2007, which 
takes significant steps towards countering this alarming problem.
  DXM is a cough suppressing ingredient found in many over-the-counter 
products. While DXM is safe at the recommended dosage, it can produce a 
hallucinogenic effect similar to that of PCP if ingested in abnormally 
high doses. Because many drugs containing DXM are legal and widely 
available over-the-counter, too many teens have the perception that 
they are not dangerous regardless of the amount ingested. Nothing could 
be further from the truth; overdosing on DXM can cause a rapid 
heartbeat, high blood pressure, seizures, brain damage, elevated body 
temperatures, and even death.
  Recent studies reveal troubling rates of DXM abuse. The number of 
reported cases in California has increased ten-fold since 1999 and 
experts believe that this mirrors national trends. Moreover, the 
Partnership for a Drug-Free America estimates that 2.4 million teens--1 
in 10--got high on over-the-counter cough medicines in 2005. Children 
ages 9 to 17 are the fastest growing group of DXM abusers. Indeed, the 
latest Monitoring the Future survey revealed that nearly 7 percent--or 
one in about every 14--12th graders reported abusing cough or cold 
medicines to get high during the past year. Mr. President, these 
shocking numbers speak for themselves.
  To be certain, this is not the first time we have seen the abuse of 
over-the-counter medications. As you will recall, we spent much of the 
109th Congress debating how to address the dangers posed by 
pseudoephedrine, which can be used to manufacture methamphetamine. We 
passed the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act of 2005, which took the 
important step of moving medications containing pseudoephedrine behind 
the counter and closely regulating their sales. While this move was 
controversial at the time among those who believed it imposed an 
unnecessary inconvenience on law-abiding Americans, it has worked: 
domestic manufacture of methamphetamine has been reduced dramatically 
and there is no indication that people who legitimately need medicines 
containing pseudoephedrine are not receiving them.
  My bill takes two key steps to combat the abuse of medicines 
containing DXM. First, it regulates bulk DXM--the powder that has not 
been combined with any other ingredients--by placing it in Schedule V 
of the Controlled Substances Act. Cough medicine with codeine is also a 
Schedule V substance. This gives DEA the authority to monitor and 
control DXM in its unfinished form. While DXM-containing commercial 
end-products like Robitussin and Coricidin Cough and Cold will not be 
scheduled, the bill requires that any would-be purchaser of a DXM-
containing product be 18 years of age, a move that many grocery stores 
and pharmacies have already voluntarily taken.
  Second, and equally important in my view, the bill infuses 
substantial funding into efforts to raise public awareness about the 
problem of prescription and over-the-counter drug abuse, and it 
establishes coordinated efforts to educate teens and parents about 
medicine abuse. I have always said that tough enforcement efforts must 
be coupled with equally tough prevention and treatment measures. 
Prevention is a key component to solving the problem of rising medicine 
abuse, and my bill provides robust funding for educational television 
advertisements, community awareness and prevention programs, and 
targeted grants made available to local community coalitions to develop 
comprehensive strategies to reverse the rise in medicine abuse in a 
particular community.
  Senators Grassley, Durbin, and Feinstein are original cosponsors of 
the legislation. The bill is also supported by a number of retail 
organizations including the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, 
NACDS, the Consumer Healthcare Products Association, CHPA, and the Food 
Marketing Institute, FMI. The Community Anti-Drug Coalition of America, 
CADCA, and the Partnership for a Drug-Free America also support the 
bill.
  I would like to thank Senators Grassley, Feinstein, and Durbin for 
their support on this and many other important drug issues facing our 
country, and I hope all members of this body will join us in this 
effort and support this bill.
  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I am pleased to join my colleague, 
Senator Biden, in introducing the Dextromethorphan Abuse Reduction Act 
of 2007. As senior members of the U.S. Senate, and as chairman and co-
chairman of the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control, we 
have seen firsthand how trends in drug abuse have changed over the 
years and we have worked to provide effective solutions to the drug 
problem whether the matter is foreign or domestic.
  Together, we have been monitoring the recent reports in the media and 
in the health community detailing new and emerging trends in drug abuse 
among teens. The reports have established that the fastest rising area 
of drug abuse among teens is the abuse of prescription drugs that are 
available in the drug cabinets of parents, family, and friends. These 
reports indicate that there is also a trend among teens to abuse 
nonprescription cough and cold medicines that are available without a 
prescription, over the counter, OTC, at pharmacies and grocery stores 
across the country. These trends highlight a new danger to America's 
youth as these products are readily available and are often times 
perceived to be safe even if used outside their intended use. We cannot 
afford to ignore this trend and need to ensure that we are doing all we 
can to protect our kids. If we don't address this problem now, the use 
of prescription drugs and OTC cough and cold medicines could become 
more

[[Page 28813]]

prevalent than the use of traditional illegal narcotics such as 
marijuana, cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine.
  To illustrate this point, the 2006 University of Michigan annual 
survey of U.S. adolescents found that while illicit drug use among 
teens is down, use and abuse of prescription drugs remains high. This 
includes the abuse of powerful painkillers such as OxyContin and 
Vicodin. Another survey by the Partnership for a Drug Free America 
released just last year also found similar results stating that 1 in 5 
teens admitted to abusing prescription drugs.
  These surveys also included new questions on nonprescription drugs. 
The University of Michigan survey found that nearly 1 in 14 12th grade 
students had used nonprescription drugs to get high. The Partnership 
for a Drug Free America also found that nearly 10 percent of teens have 
abused cold and cough medicines that contain dextromethorphan or DXM, 
the active ingredient in OTC cough suppressants. Taken together, these 
surveys are further evidence that abuse of both prescription and 
nonprescription OTC drugs is more common than abuse of many illicit 
drugs. As such, it is our duty to ensure that the laws on the books are 
adequate to address the new trends in drug abuse.
  Of particular concern to me is the abuse of medicines that are 
available OTC because of how prevalent these products are. Further, 
many parents may not know about the abuse of such products. For 
instance, many parents have never heard of dextromethorphan or DXM and 
are unaware that there is a problem with the abuse of this drug. For 
those unfamiliar, DXM is the main active ingredient in a number of OTC 
products, primarily in cough medicines. DXM is the active ingredient 
and is generally available in two forms, a ``finished dosage form'' and 
an ``unfinished dosage form''. Finished dosage form means a product 
contains DXM and other inactive ingredients that are approved for human 
use, such as cough and cold syrups and pills. Unfinished dosage form 
refers to the raw chemical DXM in any concentrated amount that is not 
in finished dosage form for consumption. Unfinished DXM is generally 
not available at local pharmacies and grocery stores; however, it is 
available over the Internet and finding its way into our communities. 
Because both forms, finished and unfinished, are readily available to 
teens, we need to ensure that reasonable controls are put in place to 
ensure that access to DXM is limited to those who need the products for 
true medicinal purposes.
  So why regulate DXM at all? Aside from the increasing number of teens 
abusing the product, the potential dangers are cause enough. Abuse of 
DXM produces a hallucinogenic effect similar to that of PCP or LSD. To 
get this effect, teens must often ingest large quantities of DXM and 
given the uncertain dosage to reach this hallucinogenic effect, 
overdosing on the product is a real danger. If an overdose occurs, the 
effects can include an irregular heartbeat, elevated blood pressure, 
seizures, brain damage, and even death. In fact, both the Food and Drug 
Administration, FDA, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services 
Administration, SAMSHA, have posted warnings about the abuse of DXM in 
OTC finished dosage form and the unfinished dosage powdered form that 
kids are obtaining over the Internet.
  Because of these dangers that abuse and overdose pose, we are here 
today introducing legislation that will place reasonable restrictions 
on the sale of DXM. The Dextromethorphan Abuse Reduction Act of 2007 
strikes the appropriate balance of regulating access to DXM and 
products that contain DXM for those under 18 years old while making 
sure these products remain available for those who have a legitimate 
medical need.
  First, our legislation will regulate the sale of unfinished DXM by 
placing it on Schedule V of the Controlled Substances Act. This is the 
tier of the controlled substances list that currently regulates other 
forms of cough syrup that contains codeine. As a Schedule V product, 
DXM will be regulated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, DEA, and 
will allow the Attorney General to regulate the sale of unfinished DXM 
over the Internet.
  Second, the legislation provides civil penalties for retailers who 
knowingly or intentionally sell DXM in finished dosage form to an 
individual under the age of 18. This requirement will ensure that 
stores and retailers sell products containing DXM in a responsible 
manner. However, to ensure that retailers are not improperly fined, the 
bill contains an affirmative defense for those who are presented false 
or fraudulent identification. The bill also provides the Attorney 
General the authority to tier the scheduled fines to reduce the 
penalties for retailers who provide an effective employee training 
program.
  Lastly, this legislation provides vital funding to three important 
programs for the prevention of abuse of prescription and 
nonprescription drugs. The legislation authorizes funding to the 
National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign for education to children under 
age 18 about the dangers of prescription and OTC drug abuse. I have 
been an outspoken critic about the National Youth Anti-Drug Media 
Campaign's latest efforts; however, there is a clear need for further 
education to parents and communities across the country about the 
dangers of prescription drug abuse and the abuse of nonprescription 
drugs such as DXM. These funds should help provide an immediate impact 
in informing parents of the danger that can be found in a medicine 
cabinet at home.
  This bill also authorizes funding for the Community Anti-Drug 
Coalitions of America, CADCA, to provide education to children under 18 
about prescription and OTC drug abuse. It also creates a small federal 
grant program under SAMHSA at the Department of Health and Human 
Services to provide communities across the country funding if they 
demonstrate a major prescription or OTC drug problem and have an 
effective strategy to deal with that problem.
  This legislation is part of an ongoing effort to prevent the abuse of 
DXM, along with other nonprescription and prescription drugs. This 
legislation is supported by number of groups including the National 
Association of Chain Drug Stores, NACDS, the Food Marketing Institute, 
FMI, their member organizations, and the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions 
of America among others. I urge my colleagues to support this important 
legislation and help prevent the abuse of prescription and OTC drugs.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mrs. FEINSTEIN:
  S. 2275. A bill to prohibit the manufacture, sale, or distribution in 
commerce of certain children's products and child care articles that 
contain phthalates, and for other purposes; to the Committee on 
Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I rise to introduce legislation to ban 
the use of phthalates in toys.
  This legislation will ban the use of six types of phthalates in toys, 
which are linked to birth defects. Phthalates are plasticizing 
chemicals used in a variety of everyday products, including cosmetics, 
nail polish, paint, and shower curtains. Alarmingly, they are used in a 
variety of children's toys, such as rubber ducks, teething rings, and 
bath toys.
  This legislation will ban the manufacture, sale or distributions of 
toys and childcare articles that contain more than .1 percent of DEHP, 
DBP, or BBP.
  It will also ban the manufacture, sale, or distribution of toys and 
childcare articles for use by children 3 years old or younger that 
contain more than .1 percent of DINP, DIDP, or DnOP.
  It clearly states that phthalates cannot be replaced with other 
dangerous chemicals identified by the Environmental Protection Agency 
as carcinogens, possible carcinogens, or chemicals that cause 
reproductive or developmental harm.
  Phthalates are used in a variety of PVC, polyvinyl chloride, plastic 
products to make them soft and pliable. Phthalates are not chemically 
bonded to PVC molecules. When a child places a plastic toy with 
phthalates into his or her mouth, these phthalates leach out of the 
plastic product and into the child's system.

[[Page 28814]]

  Phthalates are found in many common children's toys: rubber ducks, 
soft bath books, teethers, and even dolls. In 2006, the San Francisco 
Chronicle sent 16 common children's toys to a Chicago lab for testing 
to see if they exceeded the .1 percent limit proposed in this 
legislation. The results should alarm parents everywhere. One teether 
contained a phthalate at five times the proposed limit. A rubber duck 
sold at Walgreens had 13 times the proposed limit of DEHP, a 
carcinogenic phthalate. The face of a popular doll contained double the 
proposed phthalate limit.
  While the science is still evolving, we know that exposure to 
phthalates can cause serious long-term health effects. Phthalates 
interfere with the natural functioning of the hormone system, and can 
cause reproductive abnormalities, many resulting from low levels of 
testosterone.
  In 2005, Dr. Shanna Swan of the University of Rochester School of 
Medicine found that pregnant women with high levels of phthalates in 
their urine were more likely to give birth to boys with a birth defect 
that is a key indicator of low testosterone levels.
  Men with high phthalate levels have lower sperm counts and damaged 
sperm DNA.
  Phthalate exposure has also been linked to premature birth and the 
early onset of puberty. They may be a factor in some cancers.
  Young children, whose bodies are still growing and developing, are 
particularly vulnerable when exposed to phthalates in the toys around 
them.
  In the face of this troubling science, at least 14 other nations have 
acted to ban or restrict the use of phthalates in children's products. 
Examples include: the European Union's ban, upon which this legislation 
is modeled, has been in effect since 2006; the Argentina Ministry of 
Health imposed a ban in 1999; and Japan banned toys containing DEHP and 
DINP intended to be put in the mouth of children up to the age of 6.
  My home State of California recently became the first state to ban 
phthalates in toys and other products intended for children. California 
parents will now know that the toys they give their children are not 
placing them at risk for serious health problems.
  It is time for the rest of the country to follow the lead of 
California, the European Union, and other nations. Without action, the 
U.S. risks becoming a dumping ground for phthalate laden toys that 
cannot legally be sold elsewhere. American children deserve better.
  Opponents of this ban will argue that we cannot safely replace 
phthalates, and that these replacements could place children at an even 
greater risk. The experience in the European Union certainly suggests 
otherwise.
  Facing the phthalate ban, European manufacturers began to develop 
alternatives. Danisco, a Danish company, has introduced a phthalate 
alternative that has been approved for use in both the U.S. and the 
European Union.
  Manufacturers have found ways to make safe, phthalate free toys for 
European Union children, and there is no reason that they should not do 
the same for American children.
  There is much we do not know about the chemicals that surround us. 
Evidence is demonstrating that phthalates are posing a risk to 
children. I strongly believe that products not known to be safe should 
not be in the hands and mouths of children.
  I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and to provide all 
American children with the same safe toys available in Europe and 
California.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be 
printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                S. 2275

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

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Children's Chemical Risk 
     Reduction Act of 2007''.

     SEC. 2. BAN ON CERTAIN PRODUCTS CONTAINING PHTHALATES.

       (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
       (1) phthalates are a class of chemicals used in polyvinyl 
     chloride (PVC) plastic to improve flexibility and in 
     cosmetics to bind fragrance to the product and are used in 
     many products intended for use by young children, including, 
     teethers, toys, and soft plastic books; and
       (2) there is extensive scientific literature reporting the 
     hormone-disrupting effects of phthalates and substantial 
     evidence of phthalates found in humans at levels associated 
     with adverse effects.
       (b) Banned Hazardous Substance.--Effective January 1, 2009, 
     any children's product or child care article that contains a 
     phthalate shall be treated as a banned hazardous substance 
     under the Federal Hazardous Substances Act (15 U.S.C. 1261 et 
     seq.) and the prohibitions contained in section 4 of such Act 
     shall apply to such product or article.
       (c) Prohibition on Use of Certain Alternatives to 
     Phthalates in Children's Products and Child Care Articles.--
       (1) In general.--If a manufacturer modifies a children's 
     product or child care article that contains a phthalate to 
     comply with the ban under subsection (b), such manufacturer 
     shall--
       (A) use an alternative to phthalates that is the least 
     toxic; and
       (B) not use any of the prohibited alternatives to 
     phthalates described in paragraph (2).
       (2) Prohibited alternatives to phthalates.--The prohibited 
     alternatives to phthalates described in this paragraph are 
     the following:
       (A) Carcinogens rated by the Environmental Protection 
     Agency as Group A, Group B, or Group C carcinogens.
       (B) Substances described in the List of Chemicals Evaluated 
     for Carcinogenic Potential of the Environmental Protection 
     Agency as follows:
       (i) Known to be human carcinogens.
       (ii) Likely to be human carcinogens.
       (iii) Suggestive of being human carcinogens.
       (C) Reproductive toxicants identified by the Environmental 
     Protection Agency that cause any of the following:
       (i) Birth defects.
       (ii) Reproductive harm.
       (iii) Developmental harm.
       (d) Definitions.--As used in this Act--
       (1) the term ``children's product'' means a toy or any 
     other product designed or intended by the manufacturer for 
     use by a child;
       (2) the term ``child care article'' means all products 
     designed or intended by the manufacturer to facilitate sleep, 
     relaxation, or the feeding of children, or to help children 
     with sucking or teething; and
       (3) the term ``children's product or child care article 
     that contains a phthalate'' means--
       (A) a children's product or a child care article any part 
     of which contains any combination of di-(2-ethylhexyl) 
     phthalate (DEHP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP), or benzyl butyl 
     phthalate (BBP) in concentrations exceeding 0.1 percent; and
       (B) a children's product or a child care article intended 
     for use by a child less than 3 years of age that--
       (i) can be placed in a child's mouth; and
       (ii)(I) contains any combination of diisononyl phthalate 
     (DINP), diisodecyl phthalate (DIDP), or di-n-octyl phthalate 
     (DnOP), in concentrations exceeding 0.1 percent; or
       (II) contains any combination of di-(2-ethylhexyl) 
     phthalate (DEHP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP), benzyl butyl 
     phthalate (BBP), diisononyl phthalate (DINP), diisodecyl 
     phthalate (DIDP), or di-n-octyl phthalate (DnOP), in 
     concentrations exceeding 0.1 percent.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mr. DODD (for himself, Mr. Voinovich, and Mr. Warner):
  S. 2276. A bill to enhance United States competitiveness in 
aeronautics, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation.
  Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Aeronautics 
Competitiveness Act of 2007 with my colleagues, Senators Voinovich and 
Warner.
  Since the Wright brothers first flew at Kill Devil Hills, aeronautics 
has been an iconic American industry. The ability to fly is no less 
remarkable because it has now become commonplace; and in fact, that a 
flight across the country is now routine is a wonder in itself. Very 
few advances have had the national and global impact of the progress of 
aeronautics, and at the core of those advances has been a robust 
tradition of American ingenuity and production.
  The challenges in aeronautics continue to shift. The air traffic 
control system is under strain, and my colleagues on the Commerce 
Committee have worked diligently this year to chart the path for a 
complete overhaul of the system. There are environmental pressures the 
industry has not faced

[[Page 28815]]

before, including pressure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. At the 
same time, new sectors of the business, including light jets, show the 
potential for astonishing growth. All of these challenges require 
significant technology advances, and a significant investment in 
research.
  We find ourselves at a crossroads. The European Union has written a 
report entitled ``European Aeronautics: A Vision for 2020.'' I can 
summarize the vision: it is to supplant the U.S. as the global leader 
in aeronautics in the next 13 years. Toward that goal, the E.U. is 
investing about $860 million per year at today's exchange rates in a 
research fund for aeronautics and ``sustainable surface transport.'' 
With the investments of individual countries, the total research 
spending on civil aeronautics is closer to $4.5 billion. In contrast, 
this year's budget for NASA aeronautics research will be on the order 
of $550 million. Aeronautics is the first ``A'' in NASA, but receives 
less than one-thirtieth of the funds.
  The aeronautics industry is part of the fabric of American life, and 
has the highest trade surplus of any industry, at $52 billion last 
year. But U.S. preeminence is far from assured. This is why I am proud 
to introduce a bill that will help to ensure the future competitiveness 
of U.S. aeronautics. It increases the authorization level for NASA 
aeronautics programs by 20 percent per year for the first 2 years, with 
a smaller increase in the third year. It creates a more transparent and 
inclusive process for stakeholder input into research priorities, and 
encourages NASA to take selected technologies farther along from basic 
research towards development. And it invests in the workforce by 
providing for scholarships for graduate students at NASA and the FAA, 
and creating a program modeled on the Independent Research and 
Development program.
  I believe the future is bright for this vital industry, and I 
strongly feel that we should be unwilling to cede leadership to anyone 
in this area, no matter how determined they may be. I urge my 
colleagues to support this bill to preserve the leading role of U.S. 
aeronautics.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mr. DURBIN (for himself, Mr. Obama, and Mr. Schumer):
  S. 2278. A bill to improve the prevention, detection, and treatment 
of community and health care-associated infections (CHAI), with a focus 
on antibiotic-resistant bacteria; to the Committee on Health, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, we have seen an increasing amount of 
attention on the growing problem of community and hospital-associated 
methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, infections. The 
CDC estimates that in 2005 in the U.S., 94,000 people developed an 
invasive drug-resistant staph infection. Out of 94,000 infections, 
researchers found that more than half were acquired in the health care 
system--people who had recently had surgery or were on kidney dialysis, 
for example. Nearly 19,000 Americans die, often needlessly, from these 
infections every year. This is more than the number of people who died 
from HIV/AIDS, homicide, emphysema, or Parkinson's.
  The infections impact not only our civilian families but also our 
military families. CDC worked with the Army in 2003 to look at an 
outbreak of serious infections among soldiers. Between March and 
October 2003, they discovered that 145 American soldiers had been 
infected with another drug-resistant bacteria, Acinetobacter baumannii-
calcoaceticus complex, or ABC. This outbreak of drug-resistant wound 
infections among soldiers in Iraq appears to have come from the U.S. 
military hospitals where they were treated, not the battlefield.
  Hospitals are taking active steps to identify and control infections, 
but keep in mind that about half of the infections that end up being 
treated in a hospital were actually picked up in the community. Schools 
in Connecticut, Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, and Kentucky 
have had to close to help contain the spread of an infection. School 
officials in Mississippi, New Hampshire, and Virginia reported student 
deaths within the past month from bacteria, while officials in at least 
four other States reported cases of students being infected. Most 
recently, a 12-year-old in Brooklyn died from a community-aquired staph 
infection.
  In the State of Illinois, cases of the drug-resistant staph infection 
closed schools in Aurora and Joliet. Other cases were confirmed in the 
Indian Prairie School District in the Aurora Naperville area. Two 
suburban Catholic elementary schools outside of Chicago were closed for 
heavy-duty cleaning after school leaders discovered each of the student 
bodies had a case of a drug-resistant staph infection.
  States are taking important steps to control staph infection. The 
State of Illinois has taken aggressive steps to identify the infection 
before it grows out of control. Illinois is the first State to require 
testing of all high-risk hospital patients and isolation of those who 
carry the bacteria called MRSA. Twenty-two States have passed laws that 
will give their residents important information about hospital 
infections. Nineteen States have laws that require public reporting of 
infection rates.
  States are actively pursuing the options that the CDC recommends for 
communities and hospitals to help fight the spread of drug-resistant 
bugs. It is time for the Federal Government to follow suit.
  Today, I introduce the Community and Healthcare Associated Infections 
Reduction Act of 2007. This legislation builds on what hospitals are 
already doing and what infectious disease experts and Government 
agencies agree is critical to reducing the emergence of these 
infections.
  My colleagues, Senator Obama and Senator Schumer, and I introduced 
this bill because we believe we have a national responsibility to 
improve the prevention, detection, and treatment of community and 
health care-associated infections. To do so, we need to tackle the 
problem from all sides.
  We need better data to understand the problem at hand. The bill 
requires hospitals to report infection rates to the Federal Government, 
which we will then use to target high risk areas, identify hospitals 
that are doing a good job of controlling infections, and do a better 
job of communicating what we know to hospitals and health departments 
around the country. With better data, researchers will learn more about 
how to treat and, ideally, how to prevent these dangerous infections.
  But, reporting is not enough. We need comprehensive infection control 
programs. The bill commissions an updated, comprehensive look at best 
practices for hospitals on infection control to provide hospitals the 
tools they need to best address these infections.
  The bill also requires the Secretary to conduct a feasibility study 
on the creation of a Federal payment system to acknowledge and reward 
hospitals that are preventing these infections. Would this system work 
and is it what hospitals need? Hospital workers, doctors, and nurses do 
their very best to protect patients from infection. What more can be 
done to reward hospitals that are keeping infection rates low?
  In addition, the bill addresses the growing impact of these 
infections--inside and outside the hospital. A new public health 
campaign will increase awareness in the public and educate people about 
reducing and preventing infections, especially in schools, locker 
rooms, playgrounds--the areas where we know bacteria can thrive. 
Finally, the bill calls for greater coordination of and greater 
emphasis on research at the Federal level. There are promising 
approaches to the control of infectious disease--for example, some 
investigators are looking at the use of bacteria-resistant surfaces in 
hospitals and other settings.
  In a Nation as rich as ours, with the best health care professionals 
in the world, we don't expect people to come into a health care setting 
with a broken bone and then go home with a dangerous infection. Our 
health care system is safe and high quality, and I think we can only 
improve on that

[[Page 28816]]

with a stronger emphasis on prevention, reporting and research. Our 
patients need it, our families deserve it, and everyone of us wants it.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be 
printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
placed in the Record, as follows:

                                S. 2278

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

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Community and Healthcare-
     Associated Infections Reduction Act of 2007''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress makes the following findings:
       (1) Effective antibiotics have transformed the practice of 
     medicine and saved millions of lives, but the emergence and 
     spread of antibiotic-resistant bacterial pathogens poses a 
     significant threat to patient and public health.
       (2) Although many antibiotic-resistant infections occur 
     most frequently among individuals in hospitals and other 
     healthcare facilities, they also affect otherwise healthy 
     individuals in the community.
       (3) According to the Centers for Disease Control and 
     Prevention (referred to in this Act as the ``CDC''), 
     healthcare-associated infections (referred to in this Act as 
     ``HAI'') are one of the top 10 leading causes of death in the 
     United States.
       (4) In American hospitals alone, HAI account for an 
     estimated 1,700,000 infections and 99,000 associated deaths 
     each year. In 70 percent of these deaths, the bacteria are 
     resistant to at least one commonly used antibiotic.
       (5) Dr. John Jernigan, Chief of Interventions and 
     Evaluations at the CDC, estimates that HAI in hospitals 
     result in up to $27,500,000,000 in additional healthcare 
     costs annually. The growing problem of antibiotic resistance, 
     which affects the most common and least expensive antibiotics 
     first, also shifts utilization toward more expensive 
     antibiotics.
       (6) Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (referred 
     to in this Act as ``MRSA''), one of the most dangerous forms 
     of antibiotic-resistant staph infections, highlights the 
     magnitude of the problem. A recent study by the CDC estimates 
     that nearly 95,000 people became infected with invasive MRSA 
     in 2005 in the United States, resulting in 19,000 deaths, 
     more than the number who died from HIV/AIDS, Parkinson's 
     disease, emphysema, or homicide. A vast majority (85 percent) 
     of these infections were associated with healthcare 
     treatment.
       (7) MRSA also affects individuals outside the healthcare 
     setting and in the community. Recent weeks have seen an 
     increase by health and education officials in reported staph 
     infection outbreaks, including antibiotic-resistant strains. 
     These infections have occurred in New York, Kentucky, 
     Virginia, Maryland, Illinois, Ohio, North Carolina, Florida, 
     and the District of Columbia.
       (8) The problem of antibiotic-resistant infections is not 
     limited to MRSA. High levels of resistance in enterococci, 
     Klebsiella pneumonia, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and E. coli 
     have also been reported.
       (9) Antibiotic-resistant infections have been discovered in 
     troops coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan. A CDC study 
     showed that between March and October 2003, 145 United States 
     service members at military treatment facilities were 
     infected or colonized with a multidrug-resistant gram-
     negative bacterium called Acinetobacter baumannii. The most 
     likely source of this outbreak was bacteria within deployed 
     field hospitals.
       (10) Despite this significant public health threat, 
     information on community and healthcare-associated infections 
     (referred to in this Act as ``CHAI'') is incomplete and 
     unreliable. Policymakers, healthcare providers, and 
     individual consumers have little information about hospital 
     infection rates, making it difficult to diagnose the scope of 
     the problem and evaluate current infection prevention 
     efforts, and assess potential remedies.

     SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the 
     Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid 
     Services.
       (2) AHRQ.--The term ``AHRQ'' means the Agency for 
     Healthcare Research and Quality.
       (3) CHAI.--The term ``CHAI'' means community and 
     healthcare-associated infections.
       (4) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of 
     the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, unless 
     otherwise specifically designated.
       (5) HAI.--The term ``HAI'' means healthcare-associated 
     infections, which are infections that patients acquire during 
     the course of receiving treatment for other conditions within 
     a healthcare setting.
       (6) Hospital.--The term ``hospital'' means a subsection (d) 
     hospital (as defined in section 1886(d)(1)(B) of the Social 
     Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395ww(d)(1)(B))).
       (7) Interagency working group.--The term ``interagency 
     working group'' means the interagency working group on 
     community and healthcare-associated infections established 
     under section 9.
       (8) MRSA.--The term ``MRSA'' means Methicillin-resistant 
     Staphylococcus aureus.
       (9) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
     of Health and Human Services.

     SEC. 4. COMMUNITY AND HEALTHCARE-ASSOCIATED INFECTION CONTROL 
                   PROGRAM.

       (a) Establishment of Best Practices Guidelines for 
     Infection Control.--
       (1) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, AHRQ in collaboration with CDC shall 
     develop best-practices guidelines for internal infection 
     control plans to prevent, detect, control, and treat CHAI at 
     hospitals.
       (2) Requirements.--In carrying out paragraph (1), AHRQ 
     shall--
       (A) establish a set of best practices with supporting 
     justification of their appropriateness and effectiveness 
     based on nationally-recognized or evidence-based standards, 
     which practices may include--
       (i) the establishment of an infection control oversight 
     committee; and
       (ii) the establishment of measures for the prevention, 
     detection, control, and treatment of CHAI, such as--

       (I) staff training and education on CHAI prevention and 
     control, including the monitoring and strict enforcement of 
     hand hygiene procedures;
       (II) a system to identify, designate, and manage patients 
     known to be colonized or infected with CHAI, including 
     diagnostic surveillance processes and policies, procedures 
     and protocols for staff who may have had potential exposure 
     to a patient or resident known to be colonized or infected 
     with a CHAI, and an outreach process for notifying a 
     receiving healthcare facility of any patient known to be 
     colonized or infected with CHAI prior to transfer of such 
     patient within or between facilities;
       (III) the development and implementation of an infection 
     control intervention protocol that may include active 
     detection and isolation procedures, the alternation of the 
     physical plan of a hospital, the appropriate use of anti-
     microbial agents, and other infection control precautions for 
     general surveillance of infected or colonized patients;

       (B) work in collaboration with other agencies and 
     organizations whose area of expertise is the identification, 
     treatment, and prevention of infectious disease;
       (C) publish proposed guidelines for internal infection 
     control plans;
       (D) provide for a comment period of not less than 90 days; 
     and
       (E) establish final guidelines, taking into consideration 
     any comment received under subparagraph (D).
       (b) Consultation of Best Practices Guidelines.--The 
     Administrator shall consult best practices guidelines in 
     evaluating hospitals infection control plans as a condition 
     of participation in the Medicare program.
       (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--For the purpose of 
     carrying out this section, there is authorized to be 
     appropriated such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal 
     years 2008 through 2012.

     SEC. 5. COLLECTION, REPORTING, AND COMPILATION OF COMMUNITY 
                   AND HEALTHCARE-ASSOCIATED INFECTION DATA.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 120 days after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, hospitals shall report information 
     about CHAI to the CDC National Healthcare Safety Network 
     (NHSN), which shall be used by the CDC to develop a national 
     database of infection rates in hospitals. With respect to 
     reporting such information, the following shall apply:
       (1) Hospitals shall meet data reporting standards as 
     required by the NHSN, including timeframes, case-finding 
     techniques, submission formats, infection definitions and 
     other relevant terms, methodology for surveillance of 
     infections, risk-adjustment techniques, or other 
     specifications necessary to render the incoming data valid, 
     consistent, compatible, and manageable.
       (2) Hospitals shall submit data that allows the CDC to 
     distinguish between--
       (A) infections that are present in patients upon their 
     admission to the hospital;
       (B) infections that occur during a patient's hospital stay; 
     and
       (C) infections caused by multiple drug resistant organisms 
     and nondrug resistant organisms.
       (3) The CDC shall have the authority to make such orders, 
     findings, rules, and regulations as necessary to ensure that 
     hospitals accurately and timely track and report data.
       (b) Consultation.--The CDC shall review and revise NHSN 
     standards as appropriate, working in consultation with the 
     Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, AHRQ, and national 
     organizations engaged in healthcare quality measurement and 
     reporting.
       (c) Data Harmonization.--The Director shall work in 
     collaboration with the Administrator to support the 
     harmonization of data for purposes of developing a national 
     database of infections rates in hospitals and other purposes 
     determined to be appropriate.
       (d) Dissemination of Data.--Not later than 1 year after the 
     date of enactment of

[[Page 28817]]

     this Act, subject to the confidentiality of patient records, 
     the CDC shall--
       (1) make data available to interested researchers;
       (2) make data available to interested State Health 
     Departments;
       (3) produce useful and accessible reports for the public to 
     allow for comparisons of HAI rates across hospitals; and
       (4) use data to assist hospitals in evaluating and 
     formulating best practices strategies to reduce infection 
     rates.
       (e) Privacy of Data.--Notwithstanding any other provision 
     of Federal, State, or local law, the infection data collected 
     pursuant to this Act shall be privileged and shall not be--
       (1) subject to admission as evidence or other disclosure in 
     any Federal, State, or local civil or administrative 
     proceeding; and
       (2) subject to use in a State or local disciplinary 
     proceeding against a hospital or provider.
       (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--For the purpose of 
     carrying out this section, there is authorized to be 
     appropriated such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal 
     years 2008 through 2012.

     SEC. 6. QUALITY IMPROVEMENT PAYMENT PROGRAM.

       (a) Pay for Performance Initiatives Report.--Not later than 
     90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
     Administrator shall submit to Congress a report studying the 
     feasibility of reducing HAI rates through a Quality 
     Improvement Payment Program.
       (b) Program.--The report under subsection (a) shall 
     consider such factors as--
       (1) patient demographics, such as--
       (A) the median income of patients;
       (B) percentage of minority patients; and
       (C) disease condition;
       (2) hospital characteristics, such as--
       (A) median income;
       (B) population density of the hospital zip code locale;
       (C) university affiliation; and
       (D) hospital size as indicated by the number of beds; and
       (3) other factors as determined to be appropriate by the 
     Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
       (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--For the purpose of 
     carrying out this section, there is authorized to be 
     appropriated such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal 
     years 2008 through 2012.

     SEC. 7. PUBLIC AWARENESS CAMPAIGN.

       (a) In General.--The Director shall award grants to States 
     for the purpose of enabling the States to carry out public 
     awareness campaigns to provide public education and increase 
     awareness with respect to the issue of reducing, preventing, 
     detecting, and controlling CHAI.
       (b) Requirements.--To be eligible for a grant under 
     subsection (a), a State shall provide assurances to the 
     Secretary that the State campaign to be conducted under the 
     grant shall--
       (1) provide information on the prevention and control of 
     CHAI, including appropriate antibiotic use, causes and 
     symptoms, and management, treatment and reduction methods, in 
     healthcare settings and non-healthcare settings;
       (2) provide information to healthcare providers and the 
     public, including schools, non-profit organizations, and 
     private-sector entities; and
       (3) work with members of the community to promote awareness 
     and education, including hospitals, school health centers, 
     schools, local governments, doctors' offices, prisons, jails, 
     and other public- and private-sector entities.
       (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--For the purpose of 
     carrying out this section, there is authorized to be 
     appropriated such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal 
     years 2008 through 2012.

     SEC. 8. EXPANSION AND COORDINATION OF ACTIVITIES OF THE 
                   NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH REGARDING 
                   COMMUNITY AND HEALTHCARE-ASSOCIATED INFECTIONS.

       (a) Community and Healthcare-Associated Infections 
     Initiative Through the National Institutes of Health.--
       (1) Expansion and intensification of activities.--
       (A) In general.--The Director of National Institutes of 
     Health (referred to in this section as the ``Director''), in 
     coordination with the directors of the other national 
     research institutes (as appropriate), may expand and 
     intensify programs of the National Institutes of Health with 
     respect to research and related activities concerning CHAI.
       (B) Coordination.--The directors referred to in paragraph 
     (1) may jointly coordinate the programs referred to in such 
     paragraph and consult with additional Federal officials, 
     voluntary health associations, medical professional 
     societies, and private entities, as appropriate.
       (2) Planning grants and contracts for innovative research 
     in chai.--
       (A) In general.--In carrying out subsection (a)(1) the 
     Director may award planning grants or contracts for the 
     establishment of new research programs, or the enhancement of 
     existing research programs, that focus on CHAI.
       (B) Research.--In awarding planning grants or contracts 
     under paragraph (1), the Director may give priority to--
       (i) collaborative partnerships, which may include academic 
     institutions, private sector entities, or nonprofit 
     organizations with a focus on infectious disease science, 
     medicine, public health, veterinary medicine, or other 
     discipline impacting or influenced by emerging infectious 
     diseases;
       (ii) research on the most effective copper-based 
     applications to stem infections in military and civilian 
     healthcare facilities; and
       (iii) research on new rapid diagnostic techniques for 
     antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
       (b) Report.--Not later than 6 months after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in collaboration with 
     the Director, the Commissioner of Food and Drugs, and the 
     Director of the National Institutes of Health, shall prepare 
     and submit to the appropriate committees of the Congress a 
     report that describes the obstacles to anti-infective, 
     especially antibacterial, drug research and development. Such 
     report shall--
       (1) identify, in concurrence with infectious disease 
     clinicians and appropriate professional associations, the 
     infectious pathogens that are (or are likely to become) a 
     significant threat to public health because of drug 
     resistance or other factors;
       (2) identify those incentives that may already exist 
     through Federal programs, such as Orphan Product designation, 
     including an explanation of how such programs would apply to 
     infectious diseases and in particular resistant bacterial 
     infections;
       (3) recommend strategies to publicize current incentives 
     available to encourage anti-infective, especially 
     antibacterial, drug research and development;
       (4) recommend additional regulatory and legislative 
     solutions to stimulate appropriate anti-infective, especially 
     antibacterial, drug research and development;
       (5) update the progress made in response to the ``Public 
     Health Action Plan to Combat Antimicrobial Resistance'' to 
     include a narrative summary of activities in addition to 
     tables provided in existing progress reports, highlighting 
     where gaps remain as well as obstacles to future progress; 
     and
       (6) recommend strategies to strengthen the Federal response 
     to antimicrobial resistance, as outlined in the Action Plan, 
     in particular additional actions needed to address remaining 
     gaps or obstacles to progress in implementing the Plan, as 
     well as Federal funding needs.
       (c) Public Information.--The coordinating committee shall 
     make readily available to the public information concerning 
     the research, education, and other activities relating to 
     CHAI, that are conducted or supported by the National 
     Institutes of Health.
       (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized 
     to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for each of 
     fiscal years 2008 through 2012 to carry out this section.

     SEC. 9. INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP ON COMMUNITY AND 
                   HEALTHCARE-ASSOCIATED INFECTIONS.

       (a) Establishment.--The Secretary, in coordination with the 
     Administrator, shall establish an interagency working group 
     on CHAI to consider issues relating to the reduction and 
     prevention of these infections.
       (b) Membership.--The interagency working group shall be 
     composed of a representative from each Federal agency 
     (appointed by the head of each such agency) that has 
     jurisdiction over, or is affected by, CHAI including--
       (1) the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services;
       (2) the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention;
       (3) the Health Resources and Services Administration;
       (4) the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality;
       (5) the Food and Drug Administration;
       (6) the National Institutes of Health;
       (7) the Department of Agriculture;
       (8) the Department of Defense;
       (9) the Department of Veterans Affairs;
       (10) the Environmental Protection Agency; and
       (11) such other Federal agencies as determined appropriate.
       (c) Duties.--The interagency working group shall--
       (1) work in collaboration with the Interagency Task Force 
     on Anti-microbial Resistance;
       (2) facilitate communication and partnership on infection 
     prevention and quality health-related projects and policies;
       (3) serve as a centralized mechanism to coordinate a 
     national effort--
       (A) to discuss and evaluate evidence and knowledge on 
     infection prevention;
       (B) to determine the range of effective, feasible, and 
     comprehensive actions to improve healthcare quality related 
     to CHAI; and
       (C) to examine and better address the growing impact of 
     CHAI in communities throughout the United States;
       (4) coordinate plans to communicate research results 
     relating to CHAI prevention and control to enable reporting 
     and outreach activities to produce more useful and timely 
     information;
       (5) consider and determine the feasibility of establishing 
     an active surveillance program involving other entities (such 
     as athletic teams or correctional facilities) for the purpose 
     of identifying those individuals in the community that are 
     colonized and at

[[Page 28818]]

     risk of susceptibility to and transmission of bacteria;
       (6) develop an appropriate research agenda for Federal 
     agencies;
       (7) develop recommendations regarding evidence-based best 
     practices, model programs, effective guidelines, and other 
     strategies for promoting CHAI prevention and control;
       (8) monitor Federal progress in meeting specific CHAI 
     prevention and control promotion goals; and
       (9) not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of 
     this Act, submit to Congress a report that describes the 
     appropriateness and effectiveness of best practices 
     guidelines developed by the Centers for Disease Control and 
     Prevention for infection control plans.
       (d) Meetings.--
       (1) In general.--The interagency working group shall meet 
     at least 6 times each year.
       (2) Annual conference.--The Secretary shall sponsor an 
     annual conference on CHAI prevention, detection, and control 
     to enhance coordination and share best practices in CHAI data 
     collection, analysis, and reporting.
       (e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized 
     to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out 
     this section.

     SEC. 10. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE REPORT ON COMMUNITY 
                   AND HEALTHCARE-ASSOCIATED INFECTIONS.

       Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of the 
     Act, the Government Accountability Office shall submit to 
     Congress a report on the impact of this Act on--
       (1) the prevalence of CHAI; and
       (2) the quality and availability of data about CHAI.

     SEC. 11. PREEMPTION.

       Nothing in this Act shall be construed to preempt existing 
     State laws, except to the extent that such State laws would 
     result in the establishment of duplicative or conflicting 
     surveillance or reporting requirements.
                                 ______
                                 
      By Mr. BIDEN (for himself and Mr. Lugar):
  S. 2279. A bill to combat international violence against women and 
girls; to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
  Mr. BIDEN. Mr. President, one in three women worldwide will 
experience gender-based violence in her lifetime. In some countries, 
that's true for 70 percent of women. No country is immune. From 
trafficking of women in Eastern Europe to ``honor'' killings in Jordan 
to rape being used as a brutal weapon of war in Darfur and the Congo, 
violence against women and girls crosses all borders and affects women 
in all social groups, religions and socio-economic classes.
  Around the globe, women and girls face domestic violence, rape, 
forced or child marriage, so-called ``honor'' killings, dowry-related 
murder, human trafficking, and female genital mutilation. The United 
Nations estimates that at least 5,000 ``honor'' killings take place 
each year around the world and more than 130,000,000 girls and young 
women worldwide have been subjected to genital mutilation. A 2006 
United Nations Report found that at least 102 member states had no 
specific laws on domestic violence. The statistics are staggering.
  Not surprisingly, violence against women and girls has a profound 
impact on the health and development of countries worldwide. Violence 
breeds poverty. It impedes economic development because it can prevent 
girls from going to school, or stop women from holding jobs or 
inheriting property, or shut down access to critical health care for 
themselves and their children. We can't eradicate poverty and disease 
unless we prevent and respond to the violence women face in their own 
homes and communities. We cannot truly empower women to become active 
in civic life and promote peace, prosperity and democracy unless they 
personally are free from fear of violence.
  Violence against women is a global health crisis, not just because so 
many women and girls are injured and die as a result, but also because 
inequality and violence interfere with current efforts to combat the 
HIV/AIDS pandemic. Forced sex increases vulnerability to HIV/AIDS 
transmission, in part, because condoms are not likely to be used. In 
sub-Saharan Africa alone, women account for close to three-quarters of 
those living with HIV/AIDS between the ages 18 and 24.
  The picture is grim, and can be discouraging. But the good news is 
that local and international organizations are working in communities 
around the world with courage, sensitivity and great success to help 
women overcome violence at home, in school and at work. But they need 
our help.
  We've made tremendous progress in reducing violence against women 
here in the United States since we passed the Violence Against Women 
Act, VAWA, in 1994. That important work continues. But we cannot ignore 
the devastation wrought by violence in every corner of the globe. Now 
is the time to turn our attention to women in other parts of the 
world--women whose lives are devastated by poverty, political and civic 
exclusion, disease, and violence. Gender-based violence contributes to 
the poverty, inequality and instability that threaten peace. Addressing 
it isn't just moral; it is also smart.
  So today, during this final week of Domestic Violence Awareness 
Month, I am introducing with my good friend from Indiana, Senator 
Lugar, the International Violence Against Women Act. This 
groundbreaking, bipartisan legislation would integrate efforts to end 
gender-based violence into all existing, appropriate U.S. foreign 
assistance programs.
  The International Violence Against Women Act has three main 
components. First, the bill reorganizes and rejuvenates the gender-
related efforts of the State Department by creating one central 
office--the ``Office for Women's Global Initiatives'', directed by a 
Senate-confirmed Ambassador who reports directly to the Secretary. The 
Coordinator of the Office or Women's Global Initiatives, the 
``Coordinator'', will be charged with monitoring, coordinating, and 
organizing all U.S. resources, programs and aid abroad that deals with 
women's issues, including gender-based violence. Additionally, my bill 
creates a new Office of Women's Global Development at the United States 
Agency for International Development, also to be directed by a Senate-
confirmed nominee. The Director will be responsible for addressing 
gender-based violence and integrating gender into U.S. government 
assistance programs. The Director will work closely with the 
Coordinator and the Secretary of State to implement the provisions of 
the IVAWA legislation.
  Under the current organizational scheme, projects addressing violence 
against women, either primarily or tangentially, are spread throughout 
the State Department and USAID without a central inventory, game plan 
or leader. My bill will raise the profile of women's issues generally 
at the State Department, and ensure that gender-based violence programs 
are building on past successes, leveraging core competencies and 
working in conjunction with other initiatives.
  Second, the International Violence Against Women Act mandates 
creation of a 5-year, comprehensive strategy, with coordinated 
programming, to prevent and respond to violence against women in 10 to 
20 targeted countries. The act creates a dedicated funding stream of 
$175 million a year to support programs dealing with violence against 
women in five areas: the criminal and civil justice system--everything 
from drafting laws on domestic violence, to enhancing women's access to 
property and inheritance rights, to reforming police practices--health 
care, girls' access to education and school safety, women's access to 
employment and financial resources, and public awareness campaigns that 
change social norms.
  I know from my experience in Delaware that coordinating community 
responses in towns and cities has made all the difference in fighting 
domestic violence and rape. I applied those same principles of 
coordination and joint programming to the International Violence 
Against Women Act. International experts agree on the necessity of a 
multi-disciplinary approach that brings governments and nongovernmental 
organizations to the table to create sustainable infrastructure. To be 
clear, the International Violence Against Women Act is not asking 
countries to reinvent the wheel. At every step our strategy will lead 
to coordination of efforts to have the greatest possible impact. This 
type of effective, cost-efficient, gender-based violence

[[Page 28819]]

programming already exists and is taking place in pockets all around 
the globe. We have the blueprints; my Act would provide the momentum 
and support for a full-scale international priority.
  Finally, as the recent reports from the Congo make tragically clear, 
in situations of humanitarian crises, conflict and post-conflict 
operations, women and girls are vulnerable to horrific acts of 
violence. Reports of refugee women being raped while collecting 
firewood, soldiers sexually abusing girls in exchange for token food 
items, or women subjected to unimaginable brutality and torture as a 
tactic of war are shocking in number and inhumanity. The Act requires 
training, reporting mechanisms and other measures for those who are 
working directly with or protecting refugees and other vulnerable 
populations. The act also requires that the State Department identify 
``critical outbreaks'' in which violence against women and girls is 
being used as a weapon of intimidation and abuse in armed conflict or 
war, or is escalating in an environment of impunity, and to take 
emergency measures to respond to the outbreaks.
  The issue of violence against women and girls is complex and our 
legislation is a bold and ambitious plan. There are limitations on the 
United States' power to ``fix'' a problem that is so widespread. We are 
mindful that no country has a perfect record or all the answers. Yet 
Congress has a long and proud history of tackling complex international 
problems, most recently the devastating epidemic of HIV/AIDS and the 
insidious crime of human trafficking.
  I did not approach this legislation lightly. Over the past months, 
I've solicited information from every relevant office in the State 
Department, USAID and the Department of Justice that works on the 
issues of women's rights and gender-based violence abroad. I asked for 
input and information from the United Nations secretariat, and many of 
its subsidiary agencies who are working to prevent and respond to 
gender-based violence internationally in various capacities. And most 
importantly, the International Violence Against Women Act was drafted 
with the insight and expertise of over 100 nongovernmental 
organizations and 40 women's groups around the globe, including 
American Refugee Committee, Amnesty International, CARE, Christian 
Children's Fund, Family Violence Prevention Fund, Global AIDS Alliance, 
Human Rights Watch, Inter-Agency Gender Working Group, IGWAG, 
International Rescue Committee, International Justice Mission, Women's 
Edge Coalition, Vital Voices Global Partnership and many others. I 
thank all of them for their invaluable assistance and perseverance as 
this bill came together.
  Former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said ``Violence 
against women is perhaps the most shameful human rights violation. And 
it is perhaps the most pervasive. It knows no boundaries of geography, 
culture or wealth. As long as it continues, we cannot claim to be 
making real progress towards equity, development and peace.'' I could 
not agree more. My International Violence Against Women Act marshals 
together, for the first time, coordinated American resources, good will 
and leadership to address this global issue. I believe the time is now 
for the U.S. to get actively engaged in the fight for women's lives and 
girls' futures.
  Over the past 30 years, the understanding of human rights and 
violence against women has metamorphosed. A State's responsibility to 
protect women from violence has evolved--what was once seen largely as 
a private, family or cultural matter is now understood by the 
international community as a violation of basic human rights. Violence 
against women is a legal wrong. It cannot be excused or justified or 
ignored. It is an engrained social norm but one that we can dismantle 
over time--one woman at a time--with patience, creativity and sustained 
political will. The International Violence Against Women Act is the 
first step.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill and 
a section-by-section analysis be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be placed in 
the Record, as follows:

                                S. 2279

       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 
     ``International Violence Against Women 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. Statement of policy.
Sec. 4. Definitions.

               TITLE I--COORDINATION AND POLICY PLANNING

Sec. 101. Official positions and institutional changes.
Sec. 102. Policy and programs.
Sec. 103. Inclusion of information on violence against women and girls 
              in human rights reports.

                       TITLE II--OTHER PROVISIONS

Sec. 201. Amendments to Foreign Service Act of 1980.
Sec. 202. Support for multilateral efforts to end violence against 
              women and girls.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress makes the following findings:
       (1) Violence against women and girls is rooted in multiple 
     causes and takes many forms, including physical, sexual, and 
     psychological. It affects all countries, social groups, 
     ethnicities, religions, and socioeconomic classes and is a 
     global health, economic development, and human rights problem 
     of epidemic proportions.
       (2) According to the World Health Organization--
       (A) approximately 1 in 3 of the women in the world will 
     experience violence in her lifetime, with rates of up to 70 
     percent in some countries; and
       (B) 1 in 5 of the women in the world will be the victim of 
     rape or attempted rape in her lifetime.
       (3) According to the 2006 United Nations Secretary-
     General's report entitled Ending Violence Against Women, 102 
     member states have no specific laws on domestic violence.
       (4) Women and girls face many different types of gender-
     based violence, including forced or child marriage, so-called 
     ``honor killings'', dowry-related murder, human trafficking, 
     and female genital mutilation. The United Nations estimates 
     that at least 5,000 so-called ``honor killings'' take place 
     each year around the world and that more than 130,000,000 
     girls and young women worldwide have been subjected to female 
     genital mutilation.
       (5) The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief 2006 
     Report on Gender-Based Violence and HIV/AIDS reports that 
     violence against women is a public health and development 
     problem that significantly increases susceptibility to HIV/
     AIDS. A United Nations study on the global AIDS epidemic 
     found that in sub-Saharan Africa, women who are 15 to 24 
     years old can be infected at rates that are up to 6 times 
     higher than men of the same age.
       (6) Recent studies in Africa indicate that between 16 and 
     47 percent of girls in primary and secondary school report 
     sexual abuse or harassment by male teachers or classmates. 
     Girls who experience sexual violence at school are also more 
     likely to experience unintended pregnancies or become 
     infected with sexually transmitted infections, including HIV/
     AIDS.
       (7) Rape and sexual assault are weapons of war used to 
     torture, intimidate, and terrorize women and communities. 
     Amnesty International reports that women have suffered from 
     sexual violence during conflicts in Rwanda, the former 
     Yugoslavia, Sierra Leone, and most recently in the Democratic 
     Republic of the Congo, where women have suffered from brutal 
     and systematic sexual assaults.
       (8) Displaced, refugee, and stateless women and girls in 
     humanitarian emergencies, conflict settings, and natural 
     disasters face extreme violence and threats because of power 
     inequities, including being forced to exchange sex for food 
     and humanitarian supplies, and being at increased risk of 
     rape, sexual exploitation, and abuse.
       (9) According to the United States Agency for International 
     Development (USAID)--
       (A) 70 percent of the 1,300,000,000 people living in 
     poverty in the world are women and children;
       (B) \2/3\ of the 876,000,000 illiterate adults in the world 
     are women;
       (C) \2/3\ of the 125,000,000 school-aged children who are 
     not in school are girls;
       (D) more than \3/4\ of the 27,000,000 refugees in the world 
     are women and children; and
       (E) 1,600 women die unnecessarily every day during 
     pregnancy and childbirth.
       (10) In 2003, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on 
     Violence Against Women concluded that violence against women 
     violates the basic human rights of women, results in 
     ``devastating consequences for women who

[[Page 28820]]

     experience it, traumatic impact on those who witness it, de-
     legitimization of States that fail to prevent it and the 
     impoverishment of entire societies that tolerate it.''.
       (11) Violence against women is an impediment to the health, 
     opportunity, and development of women and their societies. 
     According to an October 2006 study of the United Nations 
     Secretary General entitled Ending Violence Against Women, 
     ``Violence against women impoverishes women, their families, 
     communities and nations. It lowers economic production, 
     drains resources from public services and employers, and 
     reduces human capital formation.''.
       (12) The World Bank recognizes that women's health, 
     education, and economic opportunities directly impact the 
     development and well being of their families and their 
     societies. A 2001 World Bank Report, entitled Engendering 
     Development, reports that greater gender equality leads to 
     improved nutrition, lower child mortality, less government 
     corruption, higher productivity, and reduced HIV infection 
     rates.
       (13) Increased access to economic opportunities is crucial 
     to the prevention of and response to domestic and sexual 
     violence. Both microfinance-based interventions and increased 
     asset control have been shown to reduce levels of intimate 
     partner violence in addition to providing economic 
     independence for survivors.
       (14) Campaigns to change social norms, including community 
     organizing, media campaigns, and efforts to engage and 
     educate men and boys, have been shown to change attitudes 
     that condone and tolerate violence against women and girls 
     and reduce violence and abuse.

     SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY.

       It is the policy of the United States--
       (1) to promote women's political, economic, educational, 
     social, cultural, civil, and human rights and opportunities 
     throughout the world;
       (2) to condemn and combat violence against women and girls, 
     and to promote and assist other governments in preventing and 
     responding to such violence;
       (3) to promote ending violence against women and girls 
     around the world, whether the abuse is committed directly by 
     a foreign government, is implicitly committed by such 
     government through hostile laws or de jure mandates to 
     disenfranchise women, or is committed by private actors and 
     the government fails to address the abuse;
       (4) to encourage foreign governments to enact and implement 
     effective legal reform to combat violence against women and 
     girls, and to encourage access to justice, true 
     accountability for abusers, and meaningful redress and 
     support for victims;
       (5) to systematically integrate and coordinate efforts to 
     prevent and respond to violence against women and girls into 
     United States foreign policy and foreign assistance programs, 
     and to expand implementation of effective practices and 
     programs;
       (6) to fully implement the comprehensive international 
     strategy set forth in section 300G of the Foreign Assistance 
     Act of 1961, as added by this Act, which provides assistance 
     to eligible countries to reduce and prevent gender-based 
     violence with coordinated efforts in the criminal justice, 
     health, education, and economic sectors;
       (7) to support and build capacity of indigenous 
     nongovernmental organizations that are working to prevent and 
     respond to violence against women and girls, particularly 
     women's nongovernmental organizations, and to support and 
     encourage United States organizations working in partnership 
     with such nongovernmental organizations;
       (8) to prevent and respond to violence against women and 
     girls through multisectoral methods, working at individual, 
     family, community, local, national, and international levels 
     and incorporating service, prevention, training, and advocacy 
     activities and economic, education, health, legal, and 
     protective intervention services;
       (9) to coordinate activities with recipient country 
     governments, as appropriate, and with other bilateral, 
     multilateral, nongovernmental, and private sector actors 
     active in the relevant sector and country;
       (10) to foster international and regional cooperation with 
     an aim towards defining regional strategies, as appropriate, 
     for preventing and responding to violence against women and 
     girls, and exchanging data and successful strategies;
       (11) to work through international organizations of which 
     the United States is a member, including the United Nations 
     and its specialized agencies, funds and programs to 
     encourage, promote, and advocate for stronger efforts and 
     policies to prevent and end violence against women and girls;
       (12) to enhance training and other programs to prevent and 
     respond to violence against women and girls in humanitarian 
     relief, conflict, and post-conflict operations;
       (13) to enhance training by United States personnel of 
     professional foreign military and police forces and judicial 
     officials to include specific and thorough instruction on 
     preventing and responding to violence against women and 
     girls;
       (14) to press for the implementation of policies and 
     practices in global peace and security efforts, including 
     United Nations peacekeeping and policing operations, that 
     prevent and respond to violence against women and girls and 
     hold personnel accountable for the full implementation of 
     these policies and practices.

     SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) Violence against women and girls.--The term ``violence 
     against women and girls''--
       (A) means any act of gender-based violence against women or 
     girls committed because of their gender that results in, or 
     is likely to result in, physical, sexual, or psychological 
     harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, 
     coercion, or arbitrary deprivations of liberty, whether 
     occurring in public or private life; and
       (B) includes--
       (i) physical, sexual, and psychological violence occurring 
     in the family, including battering, sexual abuse of female 
     children in the household, dowry-related violence, marital 
     rape, female genital mutilation and other traditional 
     practices harmful to women, nonspousal violence, and violence 
     related to exploitation;
       (ii) physical, sexual, and psychological violence occurring 
     within the general community, including rape, sexual abuse, 
     sexual harassment and intimidation at work, in educational 
     institutions and elsewhere, trafficking in women, and forced 
     prostitution; and
       (iii) physical, sexual, and psychological violence 
     perpetrated or condoned by the state, wherever it occurs.
       (2) Eligible countries.--The term ``eligible countries'' 
     means countries that are not classified as high-income 
     countries in the most recent edition of the World Development 
     Report for Reconstruction and Development published by the 
     International Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

               TITLE I--COORDINATION AND POLICY PLANNING

     SEC. 101. OFFICIAL POSITIONS AND INSTITUTIONAL CHANGES.

       Chapter 2 of part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 
     (22 U.S.C. 2166 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the 
     following:

 ``TITLE XIII--INTERNATIONAL PREVENTION OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND 
                                 GIRLS

     ``SEC. 300A. VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS DEFINED.

       ``In this title, the term `violence against women and 
     girls' has the meaning given that term in section 5 of the 
     International Violence Against Women Act of 2007.

       ``Subtitle A--Official Positions and Institutional Changes

     ``SEC. 300B. OFFICE OF WOMEN'S GLOBAL INITIATIVES.

       ``(a) Establishment.--There is established in the Office of 
     the Secretary of State in the Department of State, the Office 
     of Women's Global Initiatives. The office shall be headed by 
     the Coordinator of the Office of Women's Global Initiatives 
     (referred to in this title as the `Coordinator'), who shall 
     be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and 
     consent of the Senate. The Coordinator shall report directly 
     to the Secretary and shall have the rank and status of 
     Ambassador at Large.
       ``(b) Purpose.--The Office of Women's Global Initiatives 
     shall be the sole office coordinating all efforts of the 
     United States Government regarding international women's 
     issues and is intended to replace the Office of International 
     Women's Issues in the Office of the Under Secretary for 
     Democracy and Global Affairs in the Department of State.
       ``(c) Duties.--The Coordinator shall have the following 
     responsibilities:
       ``(1) In general.--The Coordinator shall--
       ``(A) design, oversee, and coordinate activities and 
     programs of the United States Government relating to 
     international women's issues; and
       ``(B) direct United States Government resources to--
       ``(i) prevent and respond to violence against women and 
     girls throughout the world; and
       ``(ii) develop the comprehensive international strategy 
     described in section 300G to reduce violence against women 
     and girls.
       ``(2) Principal advisor.--The Coordinator shall serve as 
     the principal advisor to the Secretary of State regarding 
     foreign policy matters relating to women, including violence 
     against women and girls.
       ``(3) Coordinating role.--The Coordinator shall--
       ``(A) oversee and coordinate all resources and activities 
     of the United State Government to combat violence against 
     women and girls internationally, including developing 
     strategies for the integration of efforts to prevent and 
     respond to gender-based violence into United States 
     assistance programs;
       ``(B) coordinate all policies, programs, and funding 
     related to violence against women and girls internationally 
     of the Department of State, including--
       ``(i) the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration;
       ``(ii) the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor;
       ``(iii) the Bureau for International Narcotics and Law 
     Enforcement Affairs;
       ``(iv) the Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs;

[[Page 28821]]

       ``(v) the Bureau of Political Military Affairs;
       ``(vi) the Bureau of International Organizations Affairs;
       ``(vii) the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs;
       ``(viii) the Foreign Service Institute;
       ``(ix) the Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and 
     Stabilization;
       ``(x) the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in 
     Persons;
       ``(xi) the Office of the United States Global AIDS 
     Coordinator; and
       ``(xii) all regional bureaus and offices;
       ``(C) coordinate all policies, programs, and funding 
     related to violence against women and girls internationally 
     in the Department of Justice, the Department of Labor, the 
     Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of 
     Defense, and the Department of Homeland Security;
       ``(D) coordinate all policies, programs, and funding 
     relating to violence against women and girls internationally 
     in the United States Agency for International Development 
     (USAID), including the Women's Global Development Office;
       ``(E) monitor and evaluate all such gender-based violence 
     programs administered by the entities listed in subparagraphs 
     (B) through (D), as necessary;
       ``(F) coordinate all policies, programs, and funding of the 
     Millennium Challenge Corporation relating to violence against 
     women and girls internationally;
       ``(G) design, integrate, and, as appropriate, implement 
     policies, programs, and activities related to women's health, 
     education, economic development, legal reform, social norm 
     changes, women's human rights, and protection of women in 
     humanitarian crises, including those identified pursuant to 
     section 300G(c); and
       ``(H) encourage departments listed in subparagraph (C) to 
     create agency-specific programmatic guidelines on addressing 
     violence against women and girls internationally and monitor 
     implementation of those guidelines.
       ``(4) Diplomatic representation.--Subject to the direction 
     of the President and the Secretary of State, the Coordinator 
     is authorized to represent the United States in matters 
     relevant to violence against women and girls internationally 
     in--
       ``(A) contacts with foreign governments, nongovernmental 
     organizations, the United Nations and its specialized 
     agencies, and other international organizations of which the 
     United States is a member; and
       ``(B) multilateral conferences and meetings relevant to 
     violence against women and girls.
       ``(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized 
     to be appropriated $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2008 
     through 2012, under the heading `Diplomatic and Consular 
     Programs', to carry out activities under this section. Funds 
     appropriated pursuant to this subsection shall be under the 
     direct control of the Coordinator.

     ``SEC. 300C. WOMEN'S GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT OFFICE.

       ``(a) Establishment.--There is established, within the 
     United States Agency for International Development, the 
     Office of Women's Global Development. The Office of Women's 
     Global Development shall be headed by the Director of Women's 
     Global Development (referred to in this title as the 
     `Director'), who shall be appointed by the President, by and 
     with the advice and consent of the Senate. The Director shall 
     report directly to the Administrator of the United States 
     Agency for International Development and shall consult 
     regularly with the Coordinator of the Office of Women's 
     Global Initiatives.
       ``(b) Purpose.--The Office of Women's Global Development 
     shall be the sole office coordinating all efforts of the 
     United States Agency for International Development (USAID) 
     regarding international women's issues and is intended to 
     replace the Office of Women in Development in USAID in 
     existence on the date of the enactment of this title.
       ``(c) Duties.--
       ``(1) In general.--The Director shall--
       ``(A) integrate gender into all policies, programs, and 
     activities of the United States Agency for International 
     Development to improve the status of women, increase 
     opportunities for women, and support the overall development 
     goals of United States programs and assistance;
       ``(B) ensure that efforts to prevent and respond to 
     violence against women and girls are integrated into United 
     States Government foreign assistance programs at the 
     strategic planning and country operational plan levels; and
       ``(C) monitor the manner in which such activities are 
     integrated, programmed, and implemented in each country plan.
       ``(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized 
     to be appropriated $15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2008 
     through 2012 to carry out activities and collaboration 
     related to preventing and responding to gender-based 
     violence. Funds appropriated pursuant to this subsection 
     shall be under the direct control of the Director. Such funds 
     are in addition to amounts otherwise available for such 
     purposes.

     ``SEC. 300D. ADVISORY COMMISSION ON INTERNATIONAL VIOLENCE 
                   AGAINST WOMEN.

       ``(a) Establishment.--There is established within the 
     Department of State an Advisory Commission on International 
     Violence Against Women (in this section referred to as the 
     `Advisory Commission').
       ``(b) Membership.--
       ``(1) Appointment.--The Advisory Commission shall be 
     composed of--
       ``(A) the Coordinator of Women's Global Initiatives, who 
     shall serve as chair, and the Director of the Women's Global 
     Development Office, both of whom shall serve ex officio as 
     nonvoting members of the Advisory Commission;
       ``(B) 8 members appointed by the Secretary of State who are 
     not officers or employees of the Federal Government;
       ``(C) 3 members appointed by the President pro tempore of 
     the Senate on the joint recommendation of the Majority and 
     Minority Leaders of the Senate; and
       ``(D) 3 members appointed by the Speaker of the House of 
     Representatives on the joint recommendation of the Majority 
     and Minority Leaders of the House of Representatives.
       ``(2) Selection.--Members of the Advisory Commission shall 
     be selected from among--
       ``(A) distinguished individuals noted for their knowledge 
     and experience in fields relevant to the issue of 
     international violence against women and girls, including 
     foreign affairs, human rights, and international law;
       ``(B) representatives of nongovernmental organizations and 
     other institutions having knowledge and expertise related to 
     violence against women and girls; and
       ``(C) academics representative of the various scholarly 
     approaches to the issue of international violence against 
     women and girls.
       ``(3) Time of appointment.--The appointments required under 
     paragraph (1) shall be made not later than 120 days after the 
     date of the enactment of this title.
       ``(4) Terms.--The term of each member appointed to the 
     Advisory Commission shall be 3 years. Members shall be 
     eligible for reappointment to a second term.
       ``(c) Duties.--The Advisory Commission shall--
       ``(1) annually make recommendations to the Secretary of 
     State regarding best practices to prevent and respond to 
     violence against women and girls internationally and the 
     effective integration of such practices into the foreign 
     policy of the United States, including assistance 
     programming; and
       ``(2) consult with members of the United States Government 
     and with private groups and individuals on the prevention and 
     response to international violence against women and girls.
       ``(d) Hearings.--In carrying out this section, the Advisory 
     Commission may conduct such hearings, sit and at such times 
     and places, take such testimony, and receive such evidence, 
     as the Advisory Commission considers appropriate.
       ``(e) Funding.--Members of the Advisory Commission shall be 
     allowed travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of 
     subsistence at rates authorized for employees of agencies 
     under subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, United States 
     Code, while away from their homes or regular places of 
     business in the performance of duties for the Advisory 
     Commission.
       ``(f) Report of the Advisory Commission.--Not later than 
     May 1 of each year, the Advisory Commission shall submit a 
     report to the President, the Secretary of State, the 
     Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate, and the 
     Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives 
     that sets forth its findings and recommendations for United 
     States policy and programs.
       ``(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized 
     to be appropriated $300,000 for each of the fiscal years 2008 
     through 2012 to carry out this section.''.

     SEC. 102. POLICY AND PROGRAMS.

       Chapter 2 of part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 
     (22 U.S.C. 2166 et seq.), as amended by section 101, is 
     further amended by adding at the end the following:

                   ``Subtitle B--Policy and Programs

     ``SEC. 300G. COMPREHENSIVE INTERNATIONAL STRATEGY TO REDUCE 
                   AND PREVENT VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS.

       ``(a) Development and Implementation of Strategy.--Not 
     later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this 
     title, the President, with the assistance of the Coordinator 
     of Women's Global Initiatives and Director of Women's Global 
     Development, shall develop and commence implementation of a 
     comprehensive, 5-year international strategy to prevent and 
     respond to violence against women and girls internationally, 
     and shall submit it to the Committee on Foreign Relations of 
     the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House 
     of Representatives.
       ``(b) Collaboration.--In developing the strategy under 
     subsection (a), the President, with the assistance of the 
     Coordinator, shall consult with--
       ``(1) the Secretary of State, including the offices and 
     bureaus listed in section 300B(b)(3)(B), other executive 
     agencies listed in section 300B(b)(3)(C), United States aid 
     agencies and offices as listed in section 300B(b)(3)(D), the 
     Millennium Challenge Corporation listed in section 
     300B(b)(3)(E), and Interagency Task Force to Monitor and 
     Combat Trafficking; and

[[Page 28822]]

       ``(2) nongovernmental organizations with demonstrated 
     expertise working on violence against women and girls, 
     women's health, or women's empowerment issues 
     internationally.
       ``(c) Content.--The strategy developed under subsection (a) 
     shall--
       ``(1) identify between 10 and 20 eligible countries that 
     are geographically, ethnically, and culturally diverse, and 
     have severe levels of violence against women and girls;
       ``(2) describe the nature and extent of violence against 
     women and girls in each country;
       ``(3) identify how and to what extent the violence against 
     women and girls in each country is negatively affecting goals 
     of improving the health, education, economic, democracy and 
     civic participation, criminal justice, and internally 
     displaced persons and refugee management sectors in such 
     country and its region;
       ``(4) assess the efforts of the government in each country 
     to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls 
     and assess the potential capacity of each country to manage 2 
     or more of the gender violence-based program activities 
     identified under subsection (d);
       ``(5)(A) describe the programs to be undertaken in 
     cooperation with the governments of each country in specific 
     areas for progress in preventing and responding to violence 
     against women and girls;
       ``(B) identify resources to help implement programs; and
       ``(C) encourage development of national action plans;
       ``(6) for each country, identify 2 or more of the program 
     activities listed in subsection (d) and describe how the 
     selected programs will prevent and respond to the problem of 
     violence against women and girls, including--
       ``(A) increasing legal and judicial protections;
       ``(B) enhancing the capacity of the health sector to 
     respond to such violence;
       ``(C) increasing opportunities for women and girls in 
     education and economic development; or
       ``(D) promoting societal awareness and changing social 
     norms;
       ``(7) include, as appropriate, strategies designed to 
     accommodate the needs of stateless, internally displaced, 
     refugee, or religious or ethnic minority women and girls;
       ``(8) project general levels of resources needed on an 
     annual basis to achieve the stated objective in each country, 
     taking into account activities and funding provided by other 
     donor country governments and other multilateral institutions 
     and leveraging private sector resources;
       ``(9) include potential coordination with existing 
     programs, initiatives, and expertise on preventing and 
     responding to violence against women and girls that exist 
     within nongovernmental organizations, including in-country, 
     civil society organizations, particularly women's 
     organizations and community-based groups;
       ``(10) identify the Federal departments and agencies 
     involved in the execution of the relevant program activities; 
     and
       ``(11) describe the monitoring and evaluation mechanisms 
     established for each country and how they will be used to 
     assess overall progress in preventing and responding to 
     violence against women and girls.
       ``(d) Program Activities Supported.--Assistance provided 
     under this section shall be used to carry out, in each of the 
     countries identified in the strategy required pursuant to 
     subsection (a), 2 or more of the following program 
     activities:
       ``(1) Increasing legal and judicial protections by--
       ``(A) supporting programs that strengthen a coordinated 
     community response to violence against women and girls, 
     including through coordination between judges, police, 
     prosecutors, and legal advocates to enhance prospects for 
     perpetrator accountability;
       ``(B) supporting efforts and providing resources to provide 
     training and technical assistance to police, prosecutors, 
     forensic physicians, lawyers, corrections officers, judges, 
     and judicial officials, and where appropriate, to nonlawyer 
     advocates and traditional community authorities on violence 
     against women and girls;
       ``(C) supporting efforts to reform and revise criminal and 
     civil laws to prohibit violence against women and girls and 
     create accountability for perpetrators;
       ``(D) enhancing the capacity of the justice sector, 
     including keeping official records of all complaints, 
     collecting and safeguarding evidence, systematizing and 
     tracking data on cases of violence against women and girls, 
     and undertaking investigations and evidence gathering 
     expeditiously;
       ``(E) helping women and girls who are victims of violence 
     gain access to the justice sector and supporting them 
     throughout the legal process, including establishing victim 
     and witness units for courts and promoting support for 
     survivor services, including hotlines and shelters;
       ``(F) promoting civil remedies in cases of domestic 
     violence that--
       ``(i) prioritize victim safety and confidentiality and 
     offender accountability;
       ``(ii) grant women and children restraining, protection, or 
     removal orders with appropriate criminal sanctions for 
     violations against perpetrators of violence;
       ``(iii) strengthen and promote women's custodial rights 
     over children and protect children; and
       ``(iv) grant courts authority to provide specific relief 
     pursuant to a restraining or removal order, including 
     restitution, spousal maintenance, child support, payment of 
     debt, or return or equitable distribution of property;
       ``(G) reducing the incidence of violence against women and 
     girls committed by government officials by developing 
     confidential mechanisms for reporting violence against women 
     and girls committed by government officials and institutions 
     and developing laws to punish the perpetrators and remove 
     immunity from state officials;
       ``(H) promoting broader legal protection for women and 
     girls against all forms of violence against women and girls, 
     such as female infanticide and female genital mutilation, and 
     practices that are associated with higher rates of violence 
     against women and girls, such as child and forced marriage; 
     and
       ``(I) increasing the number of women advocates trained to 
     respond to violence against women and girls at police 
     stations, including the creation of domestic violence units 
     and increasing the number of women police.
       ``(2) Carrying out health care initiatives, including--
       ``(A) promoting the integration of programs to prevent and 
     respond to violence against women and girls into existing 
     programs addressing child survival, women's health, family 
     planning, mental health, and HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and 
     treatment;
       ``(B) training of health care providers, including 
     traditional birth attendants, on methods to safely and 
     confidentially assess women and girls seeking health services 
     for intimate partner, family, and sexual violence;
       ``(C) developing and enforcing national and operational 
     women's health, children's health, and HIV/AIDS policies that 
     prevent and respond to violence against women and girls, with 
     accompanying resources, including through cooperative efforts 
     with ministries of health;
       ``(D) developing information gathering systems within the 
     health care sector that, consistent with safety and 
     confidentiality concerns, collect and compile data on the 
     type of violence experienced by women and girls, access to 
     care, age of victims, and relationship of victims to 
     perpetrators;
       ``(E) working with governments to develop partnerships with 
     civil society organizations to create referral networks 
     systems for psychosocial, legal, economic, or other support 
     services; and
       ``(F) integrating screening and assessment for gender-based 
     violence into HIV/AIDS programming and other health 
     programming into all country operation plans, and increasing 
     women's access to information, strategies, and services to 
     protect themselves from HIV/AIDS.
       ``(3) Conducting public awareness programs to change social 
     norms and attitudes, including--
       ``(A) supporting women survivors of violence to educate 
     their communities on the impacts of violence;
       ``(B) engaging men, including faith and traditional 
     leaders;
       ``(C) providing funding and programmatic support for mass 
     media social change campaigns; and
       ``(D) supporting community efforts to change attitudes 
     about harmful traditional practices, including child 
     marriage, female genital mutilation, and so-called `honor 
     killings'.
       ``(4) Improving economic opportunities for women and girls, 
     including--
       ``(A) supporting programs to help women meet their economic 
     needs and to increase their economic opportunities, in both 
     rural and urban areas, including through support for--
       ``(i) the establishment and development of businesses 
     (micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises) through access 
     to financial and nonfinancial services; and
       ``(ii) education, literacy, and numeracy programs, 
     leadership development and job skills training, especially in 
     nontraditional fields and expected growth sectors;
       ``(B) supporting programs to help increase property rights, 
     social security, and home ownership and land tenure security 
     for women by--
       ``(i) promoting equitable extension of property and 
     inheritance rights, particularly rights to familial and 
     marital property;
       ``(ii) promoting legal literacy, including among faith and 
     traditional leaders, about women's property rights; and
       ``(iii) helping women to make land claims and protecting 
     women's existing claims and advocating for equitable land 
     titling and registration for women, including safeguards for 
     women title-holders in the case of domestic violence 
     disputes;
       ``(C) integrating activities to prevent and respond to 
     violence against women and girls into existing economic 
     opportunity programs by--
       ``(i) integrating education on violence against women and 
     girls into women's microfinance, microenterprise, and job 
     skills training programs; and

[[Page 28823]]

       ``(ii) training providers of economic opportunity services 
     and programs in sensitivity to violence against women and 
     girls; and
       ``(D) addressing violence against women and girls in the 
     workplace.
       ``(5) Improving educational opportunities for women and 
     girls, including--
       ``(A) supporting efforts and providing resources to provide 
     training for all teachers and school administrators on 
     school-related violence, in particular increasing awareness 
     of violence against women and girls, and to improve 
     reporting, referral, and implementation of codes of conduct;
       ``(B) working to ensure the safety of girls during their 
     travel to and from school and on school grounds;
       ``(C) including programs for girls and boys on the 
     unacceptability of violence against women and girls; and
       ``(D) conducting national and baseline surveys to collect 
     data on school-related violence against women and girls.

     ``SEC. 300H. ASSISTANCE TO REDUCE INTERNATIONAL VIOLENCE 
                   AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS INTERNATIONALLY.

       ``(a) Coordinating Existing Aid Programs.--The Coordinator 
     of the Women's Global Initiatives, working with the Director 
     of the Office of Women's Global Development, shall ensure 
     that existing programs, contracts, grants, agreements, and 
     foreign assistance under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 
     (22 U.S.C. 2166 et seq.), the Migration and Refugee 
     Assistance Act of 1962 (22 U.S.C. 2601 et seq.), the 
     Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7101 et 
     seq.), the United States Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, 
     Tuberculosis and Malaria Act of 2003 (22 U.S.C. 7601 et 
     seq.), the Support for East European Democracy (SEED) Act of 
     1989 (22 U.S.C. 5401 et seq.), the FREEDOM Support Act (22 
     U.S.C. 5851 et seq.), and other Acts authorizing foreign 
     assistance incorporate, as applicable, measures to prevent 
     and respond to violence against women and girls.
       ``(b) Authority.--To implement and execute the 
     comprehensive international strategy developed pursuant to 
     section 300G, the President is authorized to provide 
     assistance to nongovernmental organizations, multilateral 
     institutions, and foreign countries for program activities 
     described in section 300G(d).
       ``(c) Allocate New Funding.--The Coordinator of the Office 
     of Women's Global Initiatives is authorized to allocate funds 
     to implement and execute the comprehensive international 
     strategy developed pursuant to section 300G.
       ``(d) Use of Funds.--Any funds made available under this 
     section to nongovernmental organizations must be designated 
     to organizations that have demonstrated expertise regarding 
     violence against women and girls internationally, or that are 
     in partnership with such organizations and that have 
     demonstrated capabilities or expertise in a particular 
     program activity described in subsection 300G(d).
       ``(e) Grants to Women's Nongovernmental Organizations and 
     Community-Based Organizations.--Not less than 10 percent of 
     the funds awarded in a fiscal year under this section shall 
     be awarded to women's nongovernmental organizations and 
     community-based organizations.
       ``(f) Award Process.--Funds awarded under this section 
     shall be provided through an open, competitive, and 
     transparent process where possible.
       ``(g) Conditions.--Entities receiving funds awarded through 
     the grant program established under this section--
       ``(1) should include the collection of data and the 
     evaluation of program effectiveness;
       ``(2) should be responsible for developing and reporting on 
     outcomes related to preventing and responding to violence 
     against women and girls;
       ``(3) should gather input from women's nongovernmental 
     organizations or community-based organizations, including 
     organizations with expertise in preventing and responding to 
     violence against women and girls; and
       ``(4) shall consider the safety of women and girls as a 
     primary concern in deciding how to design, implement, 
     monitor, and evaluate programs.
       ``(h) Authorization of Appropriations.--
       ``(1) In general.--There is authorized to be appropriated 
     to the Office of Women's Global Initiatives $175,000,000 for 
     each of the fiscal years 2008 through 2012 to carry out this 
     section and section 300G.
       ``(2) Availability of funds.--Amounts appropriated pursuant 
     to paragraph (1) shall remain available until expended.
       ``(3) Nonsupplantation.--Funds authorized and appropriated 
     under this Act shall supplement, not supplant, existing funds 
     otherwise available for activities under this title.

     ``SEC. 300I. ANNUAL REPORT ON UNITED STATES EFFORTS TO END 
                   INTERNATIONAL VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS.

       ``(a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the 
     submission of the comprehensive international strategy 
     developed under section 300G, and annually thereafter, the 
     Secretary of State, assisted by the Coordinator of Women's 
     Global Initiatives, shall submit to Congress a report to be 
     entitled the `Report on International Violence Against Women 
     and Girls'.
       ``(b) Content.--The report required under subsection (a) 
     shall include the following:
       ``(1) The goals and objectives of the comprehensive 
     international strategy developed under section 300G(a).
       ``(2) The specific criteria used to determine the 
     effectiveness of the strategy.
       ``(3) A description of the coordination of all United 
     States Government resources and international activities to 
     prevent and respond to the problem of violence against women 
     and girls, including--
       ``(A) an identification of the Federal agencies involved;
       ``(B) a description of the coordination between Federal 
     agencies and departments, including those acting in the 
     eligible countries; and
       ``(C) a description of the coordination with non-United 
     States Government entities, including the governments of 
     eligible countries, multilateral organizations and 
     institutions, and nongovernmental organizations.
       ``(4) A description of the relationship between efforts to 
     prevent and respond to violence against women and girls 
     internationally and other United States assistance strategies 
     in developing countries and diplomatic relationships.
       ``(5) A description of efforts to include gender-based 
     violence in United States diplomatic and peacemaking 
     initiatives.
       ``(6) A description of any significant efforts by bilateral 
     and multilateral donors in support of preventing and 
     responding to international violence against women and girls.
       ``(7) A description of the implementation of the agency-
     specific guidelines described in section 300B(d)(3)(H).
       ``(8) A description of the activities of, and funding 
     provided for programs that prevent and respond to violence 
     against women and girls in humanitarian relief, conflict and 
     post-conflict operations, including violence perpetrated by 
     humanitarian workers.
       ``(9) A description of United States training of foreign 
     military and police forces, judicial officials, and 
     humanitarian relief grantees to prevent and respond to 
     violence against women and girls.
       ``(10) A description of data collection efforts conducted 
     under this title.
       ``(11) Identification of all contractors, subcontractors, 
     grantees, and subgrantees receiving United States funds for 
     preventing and responding to violence against women and 
     girls.
       ``(12) Recommendations related to best practices, effective 
     strategies, and suggested improvements to enhance the impact 
     of efforts to prevent and respond to violence against women 
     and girls.
       ``(13) A description of efforts to evaluate the 
     accountability and efficacy of the programs funded pursuant 
     to section 300H(g).
       ``(14) A compilation of the descriptions on the nature and 
     extent of violence against women and girls included in the 
     annual Human Rights Reports required under section 116(d) of 
     the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended by this Act.
       ``(15) The identification of countries or regions with 
     critical outbreaks of violence against women and girls 
     described in subsection 300L(h), including--
       ``(A) an analysis of the situations, including the factors 
     driving the violence, the role of government, militia, rebel, 
     or other armed forces in the violence; and
       ``(B) an analysis of United States and other multilateral, 
     bilateral, or governmental efforts to prevent or respond to 
     the violence, assist survivors, or hold the perpetrators 
     accountable.
       ``(16) A description of United States resources that are 
     being used--
       ``(A) to assist in efforts to prevent or respond to the 
     critical outbreaks of violence described in section 300L(h);
       ``(B) assist survivors of such violence;
       ``(C) hold perpetrators accountable for such violence; and
       ``(D) encourage all parties to the armed conflict to 
     protect women and girls from violence.
       ``(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are 
     authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of State to 
     meet the reporting requirements under this section--
       ``(1) $2,500,000 for fiscal year 2008; and
       ``(2) $500,000 for each of the fiscal years 2009 through 
     2012.

     ``SEC. 300J. DATA COLLECTION.

       ``(a) In General.--The Coordinator of Women's Global 
     Initiatives, assisted by the Administrator of the United 
     States Agency for International Development and the Director 
     of the Women in Development Office, shall be responsible for 
     researching, collecting, monitoring, and evaluating data 
     related to efforts to prevent and respond to violence against 
     women and girls internationally.
       ``(b) Use of Funds.--Funds made available under this 
     section may be used for the following purposes:
       ``(1) To collect and analyze data on the scope and extent 
     of all forms of violence against women and girls, including 
     under-documented forms of violence and violence against 
     marginalized groups. This work may include original research 
     or analysis of existing data sets.
       ``(2) To help governments of countries systematically 
     collect and analyze data on violence against women and girls, 
     including both national surveys and data collected by service 
     providers.

[[Page 28824]]

       ``(3) To use internationally comparable indicators, norms, 
     and methodologies for measuring the scope, prevalence, and 
     incidence of violence against women and girls.
       ``(4) To include data on violence against women and girls 
     in national and international data collection efforts, 
     including those administered and funded by the United States 
     Agency for International Development, the Millennium 
     Challenge Corporation, and the Centers for Disease Control 
     and Prevention.
       ``(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized 
     to be appropriated $20,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 
     2008 through 2012 to carry out the activities under this 
     section.

     ``SEC. 300K. ENHANCING UNITED STATES TRAINING OF FOREIGN 
                   MILITARY AND POLICE FORCES ON VIOLENCE AGAINST 
                   WOMEN AND GIRLS.

       ``(a) Purpose.--The purpose of this section is to ensure 
     that United States programs to train foreign military and 
     police forces and judicial officials include instruction on 
     preventing and responding to violence against women and girls 
     internationally.
       ``(b) Covered Programs.--The programs covered under this 
     section include--
       ``(1) activities authorized under the Foreign Assistance 
     Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.); and
       ``(2) activities under section 1206 of the National Defense 
     Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006 (Public Law 109-163; 
     119 Stat. 3456) to build the capacity of foreign military and 
     police forces to conduct counterterrorist operations or 
     support military and stability operations in which the United 
     States is participating.
       ``(c) Authorization.--The Secretary of State and the 
     Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Coordinator of 
     Women's Global Initiatives, shall--
       ``(1) incorporate training on how to prevent and respond to 
     violence against women and girls into the basic training 
     curricula of foreign military and police forces and judicial 
     officials; and
       ``(2) ensure that United States assistance to units 
     involved in regional or multilateral peacekeeping operations 
     includes training on preventing and responding to violence 
     against women and girls internationally.
       ``(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized 
     to be appropriated $8,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 
     2008 through 2012 to carry out the activities under this 
     section.

     ``SEC. 300L. ADDRESSING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS IN 
                   HUMANITARIAN RELIEF, PEACEKEEPING, CONFLICT, 
                   AND POST-CONFLICT OPERATIONS.

       ``(a) Definitions.--In this section, the term `Inter-Agency 
     Standing Committee' means the committee established in 
     response to United Nations General Assembly Resolution 46/182 
     (1991).
       ``(b) Activities of the Department of State the United 
     States Agency for International Development.--The Secretary 
     of State and the Administrator of the United States Agency 
     for International Development shall--
       ``(1) in consultation with the Coordinator of Women's 
     Global Initiatives, provide assistance to programs that 
     prevent and respond to violence against women and girls in 
     all humanitarian relief, conflict, and post-conflict 
     operations, including--
       ``(A) building the capacity of nongovernmental 
     organizations to address the special protection needs of 
     women and children affected by humanitarian, conflict, or 
     post-conflict operations;
       ``(B) supporting local and international nongovernmental 
     initiatives to prevent, detect, and report violence against 
     women and girls;
       ``(C) conducting protection and security assessments for 
     refugees and internally displaced persons in camps or in 
     communities to improve the design and security of camps, with 
     special emphasis on the security of women and girls;
       ``(D) supporting efforts to reintegrate survivors of a 
     humanitarian relief, conflict, or post-conflict operation 
     through education, psychosocial assistance, trauma 
     counseling, family and community reinsertion and 
     reunification, and medical assistance; and
       ``(E) providing legal services for women and girls who are 
     victims of violence during a humanitarian relief, conflict or 
     post-conflict operation, including the collection of evidence 
     for war crime tribunals and advocacy for legal reform; and
       ``(2) require that all grantees deployed in humanitarian 
     relief, conflict, and post-conflict operations--
       ``(A) comply with the Inter-Agency Standing Committee's Six 
     Core Principles Relating to Sexual Exploitation and Abuse;
       ``(B) train all humanitarian workers in preventing and 
     responding to violence against women and girls, including in 
     the use of mechanisms to report violence against women and 
     girls;
       ``(C) conduct appropriate public outreach to make known to 
     the host community the mechanisms to report violence against 
     women and girls; and
       ``(D) promptly and appropriately respond to reports of 
     violence against women and girls and treat survivors in 
     accordance with best practices regarding confidentiality.
       ``(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--
       ``(1) In general.--There is authorized to be appropriated 
     to the Department of State and the United States Agency for 
     International Development $40,000,000 for each of the fiscal 
     years 2008 through 2010 for programs described in subsection 
     (b)(1) that prevent and respond to violence against women and 
     girls in humanitarian relief, conflict, and post-conflict 
     operations, in addition to amounts otherwise available for 
     such purposes.
       ``(2) Funding not at expense of other humanitarian 
     programs.--Any amounts appropriated pursuant to paragraph (1) 
     may not be provided at the expense of other humanitarian 
     programs.
       ``(d) Activities of the United States Agency for 
     International Development.--The Administrator of the United 
     States Agency for International Development, in consultation 
     with the Coordinator of Women's Global Initiatives, shall 
     designate and deploy, as appropriate, protection officers as 
     an integral part of Disaster Assistance Response Teams to 
     ensure that programs to prevent and address violence against 
     women and girls are integrated into humanitarian relief, 
     conflict, and post-conflict operations.
       ``(e) Activities of the Department of State.--Not later 
     than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this title, 
     the Secretary of State shall submit a report to Congress on 
     efforts to--
       ``(1) require that all private military contracting firms 
     hired by the Department of State for humanitarian relief, 
     conflict, and post-conflict operations--
       ``(A) demonstrate a commitment to expanding the number and 
     roles of women in such operations;
       ``(B) train all contractors who will be deployed to 
     humanitarian relief, conflict, or post-conflict operations in 
     preventing and responding to violence against women and 
     girls. including in the use of mechanisms to report violence 
     against women and girls;
       ``(C) conduct appropriate public outreach to make known to 
     the host community the mechanisms to report violence against 
     women and girls; and
       ``(D) promptly and appropriately respond to reports of 
     violence against women and girls and treat survivors in 
     accordance with best practices regarding confidentiality; and
       ``(2) assist women and girls formally involved in, or 
     associated with, fighting forces as part of any multilateral 
     or bilateral Disarmament, Demobilization, Rehabilitation and 
     Reintegration efforts by providing--
       ``(A) protection and suitable separate facilities for women 
     and girls in demobilization and transit centers;
       ``(B) equitable reintegration activities and opportunities 
     to women and girls, including access to schooling, vocational 
     training, employment, and childcare; and
       ``(C) essential medical care and psychosocial support for 
     women and girls who are victims of gender-based violence.
       ``(f) Activities of the Department of Defense.--The 
     Secretary of Defense shall--
       ``(1) in consultation with the Coordinator of Women's 
     Global Initiatives and the Director of the Office of Military 
     Affairs of the Bureau of Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian 
     Assistance of the United States Agency for International 
     Development, provide training in preventing and responding to 
     violence against civilian women and girls to all United 
     States military personnel, military contractors, military 
     observers, and military police forces who will be deployed to 
     humanitarian relief, conflict, and post-conflict operations;
       ``(2) in consultation with the Coordinator of Women's 
     Global Initiatives and the Director of the Office of Military 
     Affairs of the Bureau of Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian 
     Assistance, establish mechanisms for reporting incidences of 
     violence against civilian women and girls by United States 
     military personnel, military contractors, military observers, 
     and police forces participating in humanitarian relief, 
     peacekeeping, and post-conflict operations; and
       ``(3) establish appropriate public outreach to notify the 
     civilian population of the mechanisms for reporting 
     incidences of violence against civilian women and girls by 
     United States military personnel, military contractors, 
     military observers, and police forces.
       ``(g) Addressing Violence Against Civilian Women and Girls 
     by United Nations Peacekeepers.--
       ``(1) Department of state activities.--The Secretary of 
     State shall encourage member states of the United Nations--
       ``(A) to support expanding the number and roles of female 
     officers in all United Nations peacekeeping missions, whether 
     as military forces, civilian police, or military observers; 
     and
       ``(B) to routinely put forward the names of qualified 
     female candidates for senior United Nations military and 
     civilian management positions, particularly for overseas 
     missions.
       ``(2) Sense of congress regarding actions of united nations 
     peacekeepers.--It is the sense of Congress that the 
     Secretary-General of the United Nations should continue to 
     strengthen the existing ability of the United Nations 
     Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the Department of 
     Field Support to prevent and respond to violence against 
     women and girls by United Nations military and civilian 
     personnel by--

[[Page 28825]]

       ``(A) requiring that troop contributing countries properly 
     train all soldiers on the United Nations guidelines regarding 
     appropriate conduct towards civilians, in particular those 
     guidelines that address violence against women and girls, 
     before participation in United Nations peacekeeping missions;
       ``(B) supporting the expansion of the role and number of 
     female officers in all United Nations peacekeeping missions, 
     whether as military forces, civilian police, or military 
     observers;
       ``(C) strongly encouraging all United Nations member states 
     to routinely put forward the names of qualified female 
     candidates for senior United Nations military and civilian 
     management positions, particularly for overseas missions;
       ``(D) ensuring appropriate mechanisms are in place for 
     individuals to safely bring allegations of violence against 
     women and girls to the attention of United Nations 
     peacekeeping mission commanders and the United Nations Office 
     of Internal Oversight;
       ``(E) ensuring the capability and capacity for the United 
     Nations Office of Internal Oversight to investigate all 
     credible allegations of violence against women and girls 
     timely and efficiently, and in a manner that protects the 
     whistleblower;
       ``(F) improving informational programs for all United 
     Nations personnel on their responsibility to prevent violence 
     against women and girls and not to engage in acts of violence 
     against women and girls;
       ``(G) demanding that troop contributing countries--
       ``(i) thoroughly investigate allegations of their nationals 
     engaging in violence against women and girls while serving on 
     United Nations peacekeeping missions; and
       ``(ii) punish those found guilty of such misconduct; and
       ``(H) continuing to permanently exclude individuals found 
     to have engaged in violence against women and girls as well 
     as troop contingent commanders and civilian managerial 
     personnel complicit in such behavior, from participating in 
     future United Nations peacekeeping missions.
       ``(h) Emergency Measures for Critical Outbreaks of Violence 
     During Conflict or Post-Conflict Operations.--
       ``(1) Emergency response to critical outbreaks.--The 
     Secretary of State, in consultation with the Coordinator of 
     Women's Global Initiatives, the Director of National 
     Intelligence, and the Secretary of Defense, shall identify 
     and take emergency measures to respond to critical outbreaks 
     of violence against women and girls in situations of armed 
     conflict when it is determined that the violence is being 
     used as a weapon of intimidation and abuse.
       ``(2) Determination.--Violence against women and girls 
     shall be determined to be a `critical outbreak' if--
       ``(A) a United States Government report, allied government 
     information, or credible non-governmental or media accounts 
     depict a widespread pattern of violence against women or 
     girls, particularly rape and other forms of sexual abuse, 
     that is escalating in the number of victims or brutality of 
     attacks and that takes place in an environment of relative 
     impunity; or
       ``(B) escalating violence against women or girls is part of 
     an organized campaign by governmental or rebel forces or 
     militias.
       ``(3) Emergency measures.--Not later than 180 days after 
     the identification of a critical outbreak, the Secretary of 
     State, in consultation with the Coordinator of Women's Global 
     Initiatives, the Director of National Intelligence, and the 
     Secretary of Defense, shall develop emergency measures to 
     respond to the outbreak identified under paragraph (1).
       ``(4) Consultation.--In developing emergency measures under 
     paragraph (1), the Secretary of State, with the assistance of 
     the Coordinator, shall consult with--
       ``(A) nongovernmental organizations with demonstrated 
     expertise working on preventing and addressing systematic 
     violence against women and girls as a weapon of intimidation 
     and abuse in situations of conflict and war; and
       ``(B) international organizations, such as the United 
     Nations and its subsidiary funds, agencies, and programs, 
     which are preventing and addressing systematic violence 
     against women and girls as a weapon of intimidation and abuse 
     in situations of conflict and war.
       ``(5) Content.--The emergency measures developed under 
     paragraph (1) shall include a description of--
       ``(A) the bilateral and multilateral diplomatic efforts 
     that the Secretary of State will take to address the critical 
     outbreak, including--
       ``(i) efforts with the government in which the violence is 
     occurring, governments of the region in which the violence is 
     occurring, and other allied governments; and
       ``(ii) efforts in international fora, such as the United 
     Nations and its subsidiary agencies, funds and programs, 
     including in the United Nations Security Council, as 
     appropriate; and
       ``(B) the efforts by the United States Government to--
       ``(i) protect women and girls at risk in a critical 
     outbreak region;
       ``(ii) urge all parties to the armed conflict to protect 
     women and girls; and
       ``(iii) facilitate the prosecution of those responsible for 
     the violence in a critical outbreak area.
       ``(6) Notice.--The Secretary of State shall notify Congress 
     of efforts to respond to critical outbreaks, including a 
     description of the bilateral and multilateral diplomatic 
     efforts of the Department of State.
       ``(i) Authorization of Appropriations.--In addition to 
     amounts authorized to be appropriated under subsection (c), 
     there is authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 
     necessary for emergency measures, including the expansion of 
     reporting mechanisms and programs, for each critical outbreak 
     of violence identified under this section.''.

     SEC. 103. INCLUSION OF INFORMATION ON VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN 
                   AND GIRLS IN HUMAN RIGHTS REPORTS.

       Section 116(d) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 
     U.S.C. 2151n(d)) is amended--
       (1) in paragraph (10), by striking ``; and'' and inserting 
     a semicolon;
       (2) in paragraph (11)(C), by striking the period at the end 
     and inserting ``; and''; and
       (3) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(12) wherever applicable, the nature and extent of 
     violence against women and girls.''.

                       TITLE II--OTHER PROVISIONS

     SEC. 201. AMENDMENTS TO FOREIGN SERVICE ACT OF 1980.

       (a) Performance Pay.--Section 405 of the Foreign Service 
     Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 3965) is amended by adding at the end 
     the following:
       ``(f) Promotion of Human Rights.--Service in the promotion 
     of internationally recognized human rights, including 
     preventing and responding to violence against women and 
     girls, shall serve as a basis for the award of performance 
     pay.''.
       (b) Foreign Service Awards.--Section 614 of the Foreign 
     Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 4013) is amended by inserting 
     ``and preventing and responding to violence against women and 
     girls'' after ``religion''.
       (c) Foreign Service Training.--Chapter 2 of title I of the 
     Foreign Service Act of 1980 is amended by adding at the end 
     the following:

     ``SEC. 212. TRAINING FOR FOREIGN SERVICE OFFICERS.

       ``The Secretary of State, assisted by the Coordinator of 
     Women's Global Initiatives, shall include, as part of the 
     standard training provided for officers of the Service 
     (including chiefs of mission), instruction on international 
     violence against women and girls, including domestic and 
     sexual violence against women and girls in humanitarian 
     relief, conflict, and post-conflict operations.''.

     SEC. 202. SUPPORT FOR MULTILATERAL EFFORTS TO END VIOLENCE 
                   AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS.

       There is authorized to be appropriated to the International 
     Organizations and Programs Account $5,000,000 for each of 
     fiscal years 2008 through 2012 to support the United Nations 
     Development Fund for Women Trust Fund in Support of Actions 
     to Eliminate Violence Against Women.

Section-by-Section Summary of the International Violence Against Women 
                              Act of 2007

       Sec. 1. Short Title.
       Sec. 2. Table of Contents.
       Sec. 3. Findings.--This section details the magnitude of 
     the problem of violence against women and girls in families, 
     communities, and countries around the world.
       Sec. 4. Statement of Policy.--This section states that it 
     is U.S. policy to promote women's political, economic, 
     educational, social, cultural, civil, and human rights and 
     opportunities throughout the world and to prevent and respond 
     to violence against women and girls.
       Sec. 5. Definitions.--This section defines ``violence 
     against women as ``any act of gender-based violence against 
     women or girls committed because of their gender that results 
     in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual, or 
     psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats 
     of such acts, coercion, or arbitrary deprivations of liberty, 
     whether occurring in public or private life.'' (Identical to 
     the widely-used, internationally-accepted definition.)


               Title I: Coordination and Policy Planning

       Sec. 101. Official Positions and Institutional Changes.--
     This section amends chapter 2, part I of the Foreign 
     Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2166 et seq) by adding the 
     following new title: ``Title XIII--International Prevention 
     of Violence Against Women and Girls''.
       Sec. 300A. Violence Against Women and Girls Defined.--
     ``Violence against women'' is defined in section 5 of the 
     International Violence Against Women Act of 2007.


        Subtitle A--Official Positions and Institutional Changes

       Sec. 300B. Office of Women's Global Initiatives.--This 
     section establishes an ``Office of Women's Global 
     Initiatives'' in the immediate office of the Secretary of 
     State. The Coordinator of the Office of Women's Global 
     Initiatives (the ``Coordinator'') will be appointed by the 
     President with the advice and consent of the Senate and with 
     the rank and status of Ambassador at Large. The Coordinator 
     will design, oversee, and coordinate activities of the U.S. 
     Government related to international women's issues, including 
     violence against women and girls, and will develop the 
     comprehensive international strategy as provided in this 
     bill. The Coordinator

[[Page 28826]]

     will integrate efforts to reduce violence against women into 
     existing U.S. Government assistance programs; allocate new 
     funding to new programs; design, integrate, and implement new 
     programs; and monitor and evaluate all programs. This section 
     authorizes the appropriation of $15,000,000 for each of the 
     fiscal years 2008-2012 to perform these office functions.
       Sec. 300C. Women's Global Development Office.--This section 
     establishes the Office of Women's Global Development within 
     the United States Agency for International Development 
     (USAID). The head of the office will be the Director of 
     Women's Global Development (the ``Director''), who will be 
     appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the 
     Senate and will report directly to the Administrator. The 
     Director will consult regularly with the Coordinator of the 
     Office of Women's Global Initiatives. The Director will 
     integrate gender into USAID programs and activities and will 
     ensure that efforts to prevent and respond to violence 
     against women and girls are integrated into U.S. Government 
     assistance programs. This section authorizes the 
     appropriation of $15,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 
     2008-2012 to perform these office functions.
       Sec. 300D. Advisory Commission on International Violence 
     Against Women and Girls.--This section establishes an 
     Advisory Commission on International Violence Against Women 
     in the Department of State. The Advisory Commission will be 
     composed of the Coordinator of Women's Global Initiatives, 
     the Director of the Women's Global Development Office, eight 
     members appointed by the President, three members appointed 
     by the President pro tempore of the Senate, and three members 
     appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives. 
     Members will have expertise in the issue of violence against 
     women and girls internationally and will include 
     representatives of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and 
     academics. This section authorizes the appropriation of 
     $300,000 for each of fiscal years 2008-2012 to carry out the 
     Commission's activities.
       Sec. 102. Policy and Programs.--This section adds the new 
     subtitle: ``Subtitle B--Policy and Programs''.
       Sec. 300G. Comprehensive International Strategy to Reduce 
     and Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls.--This section 
     mandates the President, with the assistance of the 
     Coordinator of Women's Global Initiatives and the Director of 
     the Women's Global Development Office, within one year of the 
     enactment of the Act, to submit to Congress a 5-year, 
     comprehensive strategy to combat violence against women 
     internationally.
       The strategy will identify 10-20 low to middle income 
     countries that have severe levels of gender-based violence. 
     The strategy will describe the violence problems in each 
     country and how the domestic and/or sexual violence is 
     preventing sustainable progress in meeting humanitarian and/
     or development goals. The strategy will assess each country's 
     capacity for change and the necessary collaboration. For each 
     country, the strategy will describe two or more new programs 
     that will be implemented to address the gender-based 
     violence. The strategy will explain the coordination with 
     existing country programs, experts and organizations and will 
     identify what U.S. government agencies will be involved for 
     each country initiative. Finally, the strategy mandates 
     monitoring, assessment and accountability mechanisms for each 
     country's programs.
       As mentioned, the strategy will designate two or more 
     programs to be implemented in each of the selected countries. 
     This section sets forth a menu of possible, new gender-based 
     violence program activities within five different sectors--
     legal reform and judicial protection, health care 
     initiatives, public awareness campaigns, economic 
     improvements and increasing educational opportunities.
       Sec. 300H. Assistance to Reduce Violence Against Women and 
     Girls Internationally.--This section authorizes the 
     Coordinator to incorporate measures combating violence 
     against women into existing acts and government legislation. 
     It gives the Coordinator authority to provide annually $175 
     million of new funding to federal agencies, NGOs, community-
     based organizations, foreign governments, and multilateral 
     institutions seeking to prevent and to reduce violence 
     against women through the activities described in the 
     international strategy.
       Sec. 300I. Annual Report on International Violence Against 
     Women and Girls.--This section determines that, not more than 
     one year after the enactment of this Act, the Secretary, with 
     the assistance of the Coordinator and the Director, will 
     submit an annual report to Congress on the U.S. progress to 
     end international violence against women and girls. The 
     report will incorporate the comprehensive international 
     strategy and detail the progress of the grant programs, the 
     collaboration with multinational organizations, the training 
     administered to humanitarian and military forces on gender-
     based violence, and the status of best practices developed to 
     address the violence. This section authorizes the 
     appropriation of $2,500,000 for the year 2008 and $500,000 
     for each of fiscal years 2009-2012 to generate the report.
       Sec. 300J. Data Collection, Research, Monitoring, and 
     Evaluation.--This section states that the Coordinator, with 
     the assistance of the Administrator of USAID and the Director 
     of the Women's Global Development Office, is responsible for 
     researching, collecting, monitoring, and evaluating data on 
     the effectiveness of programs designed as part of the global 
     strategy to address violence against women and girls. Funds 
     will be used to conduct national surveys and original 
     research, and to monitor the effectiveness of new and 
     existing programs. This section authorizes the appropriation 
     of $20,000,000 to carry out the activities listed.
       Sec. 300K. Enhancing United States Training of Foreign 
     Military and Police Forces on Violence Against Women and 
     Girls.--This section mandates that the Secretary of State and 
     the Secretary of Defense report to Congress on efforts to 
     incorporate instruction on preventing and responding to 
     violence against women and girls in all basic training 
     curricula of foreign military and police forces and judicial 
     officials, and that such training shall be a component of all 
     U.S. assistance to regional or multilateral peacekeeping 
     units. Under this section, $8,000,000 is authorized for each 
     of fiscal years 2008-2012 to carry out such training 
     activities.
       Sec. 300L. Addressing Violence Against Women and Girls in 
     Humanitarian Relief, Peacekeeping, Conflict, and Post-
     Conflict Operations.--This section increases the ability of 
     the United States Agency for International Development, the 
     Department of State and the Department of Defense to prevent 
     and address violence against women and girls in humanitarian 
     relief, peacekeeping, conflict and post-conflict operations.
       Programs and grantee training.--Under this section, the 
     Secretary of State and Administrator of USAID shall include 
     programs to prevent and respond to violence against women and 
     girls in all humanitarian relief, conflict, and post-conflict 
     operations under their authority. There is authorized to be 
     appropriated $40,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2008-2012 
     to carry out such activities.
       The Secretary of State and Administrator of USAID shall 
     also require that all grantees that are deployed in such 
     operations comply with the Inter-Agency Standing Committee 
     Guidelines for Gender-Based Violence, and train all 
     humanitarian workers in preventing and responding to violence 
     against women and girls. Such training shall include the use 
     of mechanisms to report violence against women and girls. 
     Grantees shall be required to conduct public outreach 
     campaigns to make known to the host community the mechanisms 
     to report incidents of violence against women and girls, 
     promptly respond to reports of such violence, and treat 
     survivors confidentially.
       Disaster Assistance Response Teams (DARTS).--This section 
     also mandates that the Administrator of USAID deploy, as 
     appropriate, protection officers as part of Disaster 
     Assistance Response Teams (DART) to implement programs to 
     prevent and address violence against women and girls.
       State Department Report on Private Military Contractors and 
     DDR efforts.--Under this section, the Secretary of State is 
     required to submit a report outlining the Department's 
     efforts to require that all private military contracting 
     firms hired for humanitarian relief, conflict, and post-
     conflict operations demonstrate a commitment to expanding the 
     number and role of women, and train all contractors in 
     preventing and responding to violence against women and 
     girls, including in the use of mechanisms to report such 
     violence.
       The report shall also include information on the 
     Department's efforts to establish programs to assist women 
     and girls as part of any multilateral or bilateral 
     Disarmament, Demobilization, Rehabilitation and Reintegration 
     [DDRR] programs.
       Emergency Measures to respond to violence in Armed 
     Conflict.--This section requires the Secretary of State to 
     take emergency measures to identify and respond to ``critical 
     outbreaks'' of violence against women and girls being used as 
     a weapon of intimidation and abuse in situations of conflict 
     and war, and shall notify Congress with a description, 
     including bilateral and multilateral efforts with the 
     government in which the violence is occurring, and 
     governments of the surrounding region.
       Department of Defense Training.--This section requires the 
     Secretary of Defense to provide training in preventing and 
     responding to violence against civilian women and girls to 
     all United States military personnel and contractors who will 
     be deployed to humanitarian relief, conflict, and post-
     conflict operations. The training must include mechanisms for 
     reporting incidences of violence, as well as public outreach 
     to make known to the civilian population the mechanisms.
       Sense of the Senate Concerning U.N. Peacekeepers.--This 
     section expresses the Sense of the Senate that the UN 
     Secretary General should strengthen the United Nations' 
     capability to prevent and respond to violence against 
     civilian women and girls by United Nations Peacekeepers.
       Sec. 104. Inclusion of Information on Violence Against 
     Women and Girls in Human Rights Reports.--This section amends 
     Section 116(d) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 
     U.S.C. 2151n) to include a description

[[Page 28827]]

     of the nature and extent of violence against women in the 
     Department of State's annual Human Rights Report.


                       Title II: Other Provisions

       Sec. 201. Amendments to Foreign Service Act of 1980.--This 
     section amends Section 405 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 
     (22 U.S.C. 3965) to provide that service in the promotion of 
     human rights, including the rights of women and girls, will 
     serve as a basis for performance pay.
       Sec. 212. Training for Foreign Service Officers.--This 
     section amends Chapter 2 of title I of the Foreign Service 
     Act of 1980 to provide for training for foreign service 
     officers on international violence against women.
       Sec. 202. Support For Multilateral Efforts to End Violence 
     Against Women and Girls.--This section authorizes the 
     appropriation of $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2008-
     2012 to the United Nations Development Fund for Women 
     (UNIFEM) Trust Fund in Support of Actions to Eliminate 
     Violence Against Women.

                          ____________________