Girls Count Act of 2015

Summary: Girls Count Act of 2015 Authorizes the Secretary of State and the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development to: (1) support programs that will contribute to improved civil registration and vital statistics systems with a focus on birth registration; and (2) support programs that build the capacity of developing countries' national and local legal and policy frameworks to prevent discrimination against girls in gaining passport access and help increase property rights, social security, land tenure, economic opportunities, and inheritance rights for women.  Authorizes the Secretary and the Administrator to cooperate with multilateral organizations and private sector and civil society organizations to promote such programs.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Girls Count Act of 2015''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) According to the United States Census Bureau's 2013 
        international figures, 1 person in 12--or close to 900,000,000 
        people--is a girl or young woman age 10 through 24.
            (2) The Census Bureau's data also asserts that young people 
        are the fastest growing segment of the population in developing 
        countries.
            (3) Even though most countries do have birth registration 
        laws, four out of ten babies born in 2012 were not registered 
        worldwide. Moreover, an estimated 36 percent of children under 
        the age of five worldwide (about 230 million children) do not 
        possess a birth certificate.
            (4) A nationally recognized proof of birth system is 
        important to determining a child's citizenship, nationality, 
        place of birth, parentage, and age. Without such a system, a 
        passport, driver's license, or other identification card is 
        difficult to obtain. The lack of such documentation can prevent 
        girls and women from officially participating in and 
        benefitting from the formal economic, legal, and political 
        sectors in their countries.
            (5) The lack of birth registration among girls worldwide is 
        particularly concerning as it can exacerbate the 
        disproportionate vulnerability of women to trafficking, child 
        marriage, and lack of access to health and education services.
            (6) A lack of birth registration among women and girls can 
        also aggravate what, in many places, amounts to an already 
        reduced ability to seek employment, participate in civil 
        society, or purchase or inherit land and other assets.
            (7) Girls undertake much of the domestic labor needed for 
        poor families to survive: carrying water, harvesting crops, 
        tending livestock, caring for younger children, and doing 
        chores.
            (8) Accurate assessments of access to education, poverty 
        levels, and overall census activities are hampered by the lack 
        of official information on women and girls. Without this 
        rudimentary information, assessments of foreign assistance and 
        domestic social welfare programs are difficult to gauge
            (9) To help ensure that women and girls are considered in 
        United States foreign assistance policies and programs, that 
        their needs are addressed in the design, implementation, and 
        evaluation of foreign assistance programs, and that women and 
        girls have the opportunity to succeed, it is important that 
        girls be counted and have access to birth certificates and 
        other official documentation.

SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY.

    It is the policy of the United States to--
            (1) encourage countries to support the rule of law and 
        ensure girls and boys of all ages are able to fully participate 
        in society, including by providing birth certifications and 
        other official documentation;
            (2) enhance training and capacity-building in key 
        developing countries, local nongovernmental organizations, and 
        other civil society organizations, including faith-based 
        organizations and organizations representing children and 
        families in the design, implementation, and monitoring of 
        programs under this Act, to effectively address the needs of 
        birth registries in countries where girls are systematically 
        undercounted; and
            (3) incorporate into the design, implementation, and 
        evaluation of policies and programs measures to evaluate the 
        impact that such policies and programs have on girls.

SEC. 4. UNITED STATES ASSISTANCE TO SUPPORT COUNTING OF GIRLS IN THE 
              DEVELOPING WORLD.

    (a) Authorization.--The Secretary and the Administrator are 
authorized to prioritize and advance ongoing efforts to--
            (1) support programs that will contribute to improved and 
        sustainable Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Systems 
        (CRVS) with a focus on birth registration;
            (2) support programs that build the capacity of developing 
        countries' national and local legal and policy frameworks to 
        prevent discrimination against girls in gaining access to birth 
        certificates, particularly where this may help prevent 
        exploitation, violence, and other abuse; and
            (3) support programs and key ministries, including programs 
        and ministries relating to interior, youth, and education, to 
        help increase property rights, social security, home ownership, 
        land tenure security, inheritance rights, access to education, 
        and economic and entrepreneurial opportunities, particularly 
        for women and girls.
    (b) Coordination With Multilateral Organizations.--The Secretary 
and the Administrator are authorized to coordinate with the World Bank, 
relevant United Nations agencies and programs, and other relevant 
organizations to encourage and work with countries to enact, implement, 
and enforce laws that specifically collect data on girls and establish 
registration programs to ensure girls are appropriately counted and 
have the opportunity to be active participants in the social, legal, 
and political sectors of society in their countries.
    (c) Coordination With Private Sector and Civil Society 
Organizations.--The Secretary and the Administrator are authorized to 
work with the United States, international, and local private sector 
and civil society organizations, including faith-based organizations, 
to advocate for the registration and documentation of all girls and 
boys in developing countries, in order to help prevent exploitation, 
violence, and other abuses and to help provide economic and social 
opportunities.

SEC. 5. REPORT.

    The Secretary and the Administrator shall include in relevant 
evaluations and reports to Congress the following information:
            (1) To the extent practicable, a breakdown of United States 
        foreign assistance beneficiaries by age, gender, marital 
        status, location, and school enrollment status.
            (2) A description, as appropriate, of how United States 
        foreign assistance benefits girls.
            (3) Specific information, as appropriate, on programs that 
        address the particular needs of girls.

SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the 
        Administrator of the United States Agency for International 
        Development.
            (2) Foreign assistance.--The term ``foreign assistance'' 
        has the meaning given the term in section 634(b) of the Foreign 
        Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2394(b)).
            (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of State.

SEC. 7. SUNSET.

    This Act shall expire on the date that is 5 years after the date of 
the enactment of this Act.