[Senate Report 112-170]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


                                                       Calendar No. 412
112th Congress                                                   Report
                                 SENATE
 2d Session                                                     112-170

======================================================================



 
INTERNATIONAL PROTECTING GIRLS BY PREVENTING CHILD MARRIAGE ACT OF 2011

                                _______
                                

                  May 23, 2012.--Ordered to be printed

          Mr. Kerry, from the Committee on Foreign Relations,
                        submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                         [To accompany S. 414]

    The Committee on Foreign Relations, having had under 
consideration the bill (S. 414) to protect girls in developing 
countries through the prevention of child marriage, and for 
other purposes, reports favorably thereon and recommends that 
the bill do pass.

                                CONTENTS

                                                                   Page

  I. Purpose..........................................................1
 II. Committee Action.................................................1
III. Discussion.......................................................1
 IV. Cost Estimate....................................................2
  V. Evaluation of Regulatory Impact..................................4
 VI. Changes in Existing Law..........................................4

                               I. PURPOSE

    The purpose of S. 414 is to protect girls in developing 
countries through the prevention of child marriage.

                          II. COMMITTEE ACTION

    Senator Durbin introduced S. 414 on February 17, 2011. On 
February 14, 2012, the committee ordered the bill, without 
amendment, reported favorably by voice vote.

                            III. DISCUSSION

    The stated purpose of S. 414 is to protect girls in 
developing countries through the prevention of child marriage. 
The bill finds that child marriage is a violation of article 16 
of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and its practice 
undermines U.S. investments in foreign assistance to promote 
education and skills building for girls, reduce maternal and 
child mortality, halt the transmission of HIV/AIDS, and prevent 
gender-based violence.
    Through S. 414, the President is authorized to provide 
assistance to prevent the incidence of child marriage in 
developing countries, and to promote the educational, health, 
economic, social, and legal empowerment of girls and women. 
Priority should be given to areas or regions in developing 
countries in which 40 percent or more of girls under the age of 
18 are married. The committee intends for the bill to support 
activities that expand and replicate successful community-based 
programs to prevent the incidence of child marriage and that 
establish pilot projects to prevent child marriage. The bill 
does not authorize any new funds.
    S. 414 requires the President to establish a multi-year 
strategy to prevent child marriage in developing countries, 
which shall be submitted to Congress not later than one year 
after the date of enactment of this Act. Not later than three 
years after the date of enactment of this Act, the President 
shall submit to Congress a report that includes a description 
of the implementation of said strategy, examples of best 
practices or programs to prevent child marriage in developing 
countries, and an assessment of current U.S. funded efforts to 
prevent child marriage in developing countries.
    The committee intends for the President to work with the 
Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development 
to collect data on the incidence of child marriage in countries 
that receive U.S. foreign or development assistance, as well as 
on the impact of the incidence of child marriage and the age at 
marriage on progress in meeting key development goals. Section 
7 of the bill amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to 
include in the annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 
of the Department of State a description of child marriage in 
countries where child marriage is prevalent at rates at or 
above 40 percent in at least one sub-national region.

                            V. COST ESTIMATE

    In accordance with Rule XXVI, paragraph 11(a) of the 
Standing Rules of the Senate, the committee provides this 
estimate of the costs of this legislation prepared by the 
Congressional Budget Office.

                            United States Congress,
                               Congressional Budget Office,
                                      Washington, DC, May 14, 2012.

Hon. John F. Kerry,
Chairman, Committee on Foreign Relations,
U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.

    Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has 
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for S. 414, the 
International Protecting Girls by Preventing Child Marriage Act 
of 2011.
    If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Sunita 
D'Monte.
          Sincerely,
                                      Douglas W. Elmendorf.

cc: Hon. Richard G. Lugar, Ranking Minority Member
                                ------                                


               Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate

                                                      May 14, 2012.

                                 S. 414


International Protecting Girls by Preventing Child Marriage Act of 2011


  AS ORDERED REPORTED BY THE SENATE COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS ON 
                           FEBRUARY 14, 2012

SUMMARY

    S. 414 would authorize the President to provide assistance 
to developing countries to reduce the incidence of child 
marriage and would require him to develop and implement a 
multiyear strategy to prevent such marriages and promote the 
empowerment of girls. CBO estimates that implementing the bill 
would have a discretionary cost of $23 million over the 2013-
2017 period, assuming appropriation of the necessary amounts.
    Pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply to this legislation 
because it would not affect direct spending or revenues.
    S. 414 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) 
and would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal 
governments.

ESTIMATED COST TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

    The estimated budgetary impact of S. 414 is shown in the 
following table. The costs of this legislation fall within 
budget function 150 (international affairs).

                                        Changes in Spending Due to S. 414
                                     By Fiscal Year, in Millions of Dollars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                       2013      2014      2015      2016      2017    2013-2017
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Estimated Authorization Level......................        8         8         8         8         8         40
Estimated Outlays..................................        *         3         6         7         7         23
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: * = LESS THAN $500,000.

BASIS OF ESTIMATE

    For this estimate, CBO assumes that S. 414 will be enacted 
by the end of 2012, that the necessary amounts will be 
appropriated each year, and that outlays will follow historical 
spending patterns for existing programs.
    Based on information from the U.S. Agency for International 
Development about similar programs to prevent child marriage 
and gender-based violence, CBO estimates that the agency would 
require annual appropriations of about $7 million a year for 
assistance to foreign countries to reduce the incidence of 
child marriage. In addition, the agency would require annual 
appropriations of about $600,000 a year to hire three people to 
design and administer the programs, develop the strategy, and 
report to the Congress. Assuming appropriation of the necessary 
amounts, CBO estimates that implementing the bill would cost 
$23 million over the 2013-2017 period. (The remainder of the 
estimated authorization amounts would be spent after 2017.)

PAY-AS-YOU-GO CONSIDERATIONS

    None.

INTERGOVERNMENTAL AND PRIVATE-SECTOR IMPACT

    S. 414 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 
mandates as defined in UMRA and would impose no costs on state, 
local, or tribal governments.

ESTIMATE PREPARED BY

    Federal Costs: Sunita D'Monte
    Impact on State, Local, and Tribal Governments: J'nell L. 
Blanco
    Impact on the Private Sector: Marin Randall

ESTIMATE APPROVED BY

    Theresa Gullo, Deputy Assistant Director for Budget 
Analysis

                   V. EVALUATION OF REGULATORY IMPACT

    Pursuant to Rule XXVI, paragraph 11(b) of the Standing 
Rules of the Senate, the committee has determined that there is 
no regulatory impact as a result of this legislation.

                      VI. CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW

    In compliance with Rule XXVI, paragraph 12 of the Standing 
Rules of the Senate, changes in existing law made by the bill, 
as reported, are shown as follows (existing law proposed to be 
omitted is enclosed in black brackets, new matter is printed in 
italic, existing law in which no change is proposed is shown in 
roman).

Foreign Assistance Act of 1961

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *


    Sec. 116. Human Rights.--(a)

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

    (g) The report required by subsection (d) shall include, 
for each country in which child marriage is prevalent, a 
description of the status of the practice of child marriage in 
such country. In this subsection, the term ``child marriage'' 
means the marriage of a girl or boy, not yet the minimum age 
for marriage stipulated in law or under the age of 18 if no 
such law exists, in the country in which such girl or boy is a 
resident.

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

    Sec. 502A. * * * [Repealed--1996]

    Sec. 502B. Human Rights.--(a)(1) * * *

           *       *       *       *       *       *       *

    (j) The report required by subsection (b) shall include for 
each country in which child marriage is prevalent, a 
description of the status of the practice of child marriage in 
such country. In this subsection, the term ``child marriage'' 
means the marriage of a girl or boy, not yet the minimum age 
for marriage stipulated in law or under the age of 18 if no 
such law exists, in the country in which such girl or boy is a 
resident.

                                  
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