I 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5586 

To measure the progress of recovery and development efforts in Haiti and 

the strength of democracy and rule of law in the country. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 13, 2020 

Mr. JEFFRIES (for himself, Mrs. WAGNER, Mr. HURD of Texas, Mr. SPANO, 

Ms. CLARKE of New York, Mr. HASTINGS, Ms. WILSON of Florida, Mr. 

WALTZ, and Ms. LEE of California) introduced the following bill; which 

was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

A BILL 

To measure the progress of recovery and development efforts 

in Haiti and the strength of democracy and rule of 

law in the country. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Haiti Development, 

5 Accountability, and Institutional Transparency Initiative 

6 Act’’. 

7 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

8 Congress finds the following: 


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1 (1) On January 12, 2010, a massive earth2 quake struck near the Haitian capital city of Port3 au-Prince, leaving an estimated 220,000 people 

4 dead, including 103 United States citizens, 101 

5 United Nations personnel, and nearly 18 percent of 

6 the nation’s civil service, as well as 300,000 injured, 

7 115,000 homes destroyed, and 1,500,000 people dis8 placed. 

9 (2) The Post Disaster Needs Assessment con10 ducted by the Government of Haiti, the United Na11 tions, the World Bank, the Inter-American Develop12 ment Bank, and others estimated that damage and 

13 economic losses from the January 12, 2010, earth14 quake totaled $7,804,000,000. 

15 (3) The international community, led by the 

16 United States and the United Nations, mounted an 

17 unprecedented humanitarian response to the earth18 quake in Haiti. Through 2018, more than $8 billion 

19 has been disbursed by donors. Since the 2010 earth20 quake, the United States Government has disbursed 

21 more than $4,000,000,000 in recovery and develop22 ment funding. 

23 (4) On October 4, 2016, Hurricane Matthew 

24 struck southwestern Haiti on the Tiburon Peninsula, 

25 causing widespread damage and flooding and leaving 


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1 1.4 million people in need of immediate assistance. 

2 The strongest storm to hit Haiti since Hurricane 

3 Cleo in 1964, 2.1 million people were directly af4 fected by the hurricane. 

5 (5) Recovery efforts continue almost 3 years 

6 after Hurricane Matthew made landfall in 2016. 

7 The World Bank estimates storm-caused losses and 

8 damages valued at 32 percent of 2015 Gross Domes9 tic Product. 

10 (6) Prior to both the earthquake and hurricane, 

11 Haiti registered among the lowest socioeconomic in12 dicators and the second highest rate of income dis13 parity in the world, conditions that have further 

14 complicated disaster recovery and resilience efforts. 

15 (7) In June 2019, World Food Program re16 ported that Haiti has one of the highest levels of 

17 chronic food insecurity in the world with more than 

18 half of its total population chronically food insecure 

19 and 22 percent of children chronically malnourished. 

20 (8) In October 2010, an unprecedented out21 break of cholera in Haiti resulted in over 800,000 

22 reported cases and over 9,000 deaths to date. The 

23 Pan American Health Organization reported in 2018 

24 that the cholera incidence rate in Haiti is 25.5 cases 

25 per 100,000. 


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1 (9) With United States assistance, almost 

2 14,000 jobs have been created, largely in the apparel 

3 industry at the Caracol Industrial Park (in partner4 ship with the Inter-American Development Bank, 

5 the Haitian government, and the private sector) in 

6 northern Haiti. 

7 (10) Evidence suggests that people displaced by 

8 the 2010 earthquake and hurricanes in following 

9 years, especially Hurricane Matthew in 2016, still 

10 face displacement-related vulnerabilities today. 

11 (11) On November 13, 2018, at least 59 people 

12 were shot and killed in the Port-au-Prince neighbor13 hood of La Saline. After months of investigations, 

14 no one has been held responsible for the La Saline 

15 massacre. 

16 (12) Since 2018, tens of thousands of Haitians 

17 have participated in a series of demonstrations de18 manding accountability over government spending of 

19 Petrocaribe resources. In early 2019, the Haitian su20 perior court of auditors released an investigation im21 plicating high-level government officials in the mis22 appropriation of funds. 

23 (13) From August 2018 through February 

24 2019, local human rights organizations reported that 

25 64 Haitian citizens were killed in protests. 


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1 (14) In 2019, according to the Committee to 

2 Protect Journalists, five Haitian journalists have 

3 been shot while covering protests, including one who 

4 was killed. On September 23, 2019, Haitian Senator 

5 Jean Marie Ralph Fe ́thie`re shot Associated Press 

6 photojournalist Chery Dieu-Nalio in the face after he 

7 exited his car and fired multiple shots near a crowd 

8 of people surrounding him. 

9 (15) Economic growth in Haiti is projected to 

10 drop below 1.5 percent this year. Inflation is esti11 mated to be 15 percent and the local currency has 

12 depreciated by 30 percent in the past year. The gov13 ernment and parliament have failed to pass a budget 

14 for two years, preventing the International Monetary 

15 Fund and other multilaterals from disbursing mil16 lions in international assistance. 

17 (16) Midterm elections set for October 2019 did 

18 not take place and will leave President Moise ruling 

19 by decree after two-thirds of the Haitian Senate ex20 pires in January 2020. 

21 SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 

22 It is the policy of the United States to support the 

23 sustainable rebuilding and development of Haiti in a man24 ner that— 


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1 (1) embraces Haitian independence, self-reli2 ance, sovereignty, democratic governance, and effi3 ciency; 

4 (2) promotes efforts that are led by and sup5 port the people and Government of Haiti at all levels 

6 so that Haitians lead the course of reconstruction 

7 and development of Haiti; 

8 (3) encourages and assists the building of long9 term capacity for civil society in Haiti; 

10 (4) fosters collaboration between the Haitian di11 aspora in the United States and the Haitian govern12 ment; 

13 (5) combats impunity and prioritizes delivering 

14 justice to victims of human rights abuses; 

15 (6) ensures the protection and promotion of a 

16 free Haitian press; 

17 (7) respects the sovereignty and individual lib18 erty of Haitian citizens to peacefully demonstrate; 

19 (8) demands increased transparency and 

20 heightens accountability among all branches of gov21 ernment, including through efforts to reduce corrup22 tion and address human rights concerns; 

23 (9) assists and helps build community resilience 

24 to environmental and weather-related impacts; and 


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1 (10) promotes the holding of free, fair, and 

2 timely elections in accordance with democratic prin3 ciples and the Haitian Constitution. 

4 SEC. 4. ACTIONS TO HOLD LA SALINE SHOOTING PER5 PETRATORS AND VIOLATORS OF HUMAN 

6 RIGHTS IN HAITI ACCOUNTABLE. 

7 (a) SECRETARY OF STATE PRIORITIZATION.—The 

8 Secretary of State shall prioritize the protection and pres9 ervation of human rights in Haiti by carrying out the fol10 lowing initiatives: 

11 (1) Fostering strong relationships with inde12 pendent civil society groups focused on monitoring 

13 human rights concerns and promoting democracy in 

14 Haiti. 

15 (2) Collaborating with Haitian government offi16 cials to ensure that human rights violators in Haiti 

17 are held accountable for their actions. 

18 (3) Identifying corrupt public and private sector 

19 officials and violators of human rights in Haiti. 

20 (4) Addressing concerns of perceived impunity 

21 for hostile orchestrators of the La Saline shooting. 

22 (b) STRATEGY.— 

23 (1) ELEMENTS.—Not later than 180 days after 

24 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

25 of State shall submit to the appropriate congresVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:12 Jan 14, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5586.IH H5586

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1 sional committees a detailed summary of the hap2 penings on November 13, 2018, in the Port-au3 Prince neighborhood of La Saline and a strategy for 

4 carrying out the initiatives described in subsection 

5 (a). The strategy shall include— 

6 (A) a breakdown of how the massacre in 

7 La Saline related to mass protests occurring 

8 concurrently in the country; 

9 (B) an analysis of the La Saline shooting 

10 reports authored by the United Nations, the 

11 European Union, and the Government of Haiti; 

12 (C) a detailed description of all known ac13 tors implicated in the shooting; 

14 (D) an overview of efforts taken by the 

15 Haitian government to bring the orchestrators 

16 of the La Saline shooting to justice; and 

17 (E) an assessment of the ensuing treat18 ment and displacement of the La Saline shoot19 ing survivors. 

20 (2) CONSULTATION.—In devising the strategy 

21 required under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall 

22 consult with nongovernmental organizations in Haiti 

23 and the United States. 


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1 (3) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The strategy re2 quired under paragraph (1) shall be made publicly 

3 available on the website of the Department of State. 

4 SEC. 5. ACTIONS TO PROMOTE FREEDOM OF THE PRESS 

5 AND ASSEMBLY IN HAITI. 

6 (a) PRIORITIZATION.—The Secretary of State shall 

7 prioritize the promotion of press and assembly freedoms 

8 as well as the protection of journalists in Haiti by carrying 

9 out the following initiatives: 

10 (1) Advocating for increased protection of the 

11 press and freedom to peacefully assemble in Haiti. 

12 (2) Collaborating with government and non13 government officials to increase security for journal14 ists in Haiti. 

15 (3) Supporting efforts to strengthen access to 

16 information in Haiti. 

17 (4) Ensuring that threats and attacks on jour18 nalists and protestors are fully investigated and per19 petrators are held accountable. 

20 (5) Developing increased protection measures 

21 against police violence. 

22 (b) ASSESSMENT.— 

23 (1) ELEMENTS.—Not later than 180 days after 

24 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

25 of State, shall submit to the appropriate congresVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:12 Jan 14, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5586.IH H5586

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1 sional committees an assessment of press freedom 

2 and the right to assembly in Haiti. The assessment 

3 shall include— 

4 (A) a detailed description of all known at5 tacks on journalists in the past 12 months; 

6 (B) a description of protests in the past 12 

7 months and an assessment of Haitian govern8 ment response to each protest; 

9 (C) a summary of the Haitian govern10 ment’s efforts to increase protection for journal11 ists; and 

12 (D) a description of best practices the 

13 United States embassy can employ to promote 

14 press freedom and the freedom of expression in 

15 Haiti. 

16 (2) CONSULTATION.—In devising the assess17 ment required under subsection (a), the Secretary of 

18 State shall consult with nongovernmental organiza19 tions in Haiti and the United States. 

20 (3) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The assessment re21 quired under paragraph (1) shall be made publicly 

22 available on the website of the Department of State. 


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1 SEC. 6. ACTIONS TO COMBAT CORRUPTION IN HAITI. 

2 (a) PRIORITIZATION.—The Secretary of State shall 

3 prioritize efforts to combat corruption in Haiti by carrying 

4 out the following initiatives: 

5 (1) Identifying government and nongovernment 

6 officials known or alleged to have partaken in cor7 rupt acts. 

8 (2) Supporting the strengthening of a justice 

9 system independent of the executive branch. 

10 (3) Ensuring that both government and non11 government officials are held accountable for corrupt 

12 actions. 

13 (4) Promoting and protecting nongovernment 

14 civil society groups monitoring institutionalized cor15 ruption in Haiti. 

16 (5) Supporting demands for clarity and ac17 countability in the Petrocaribe scandal. 

18 (6) Strengthening institutional transparency 

19 and ensuring that Haitian government officials are 

20 not immune from prosecution. 

21 (b) ASSESSMENT.— 

22 (1) ELEMENTS.—Not later than 180 days after 

23 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

24 of State, in coordination with the Administrator of 

25 the United States Agency for International Develop26 ment, shall submit to the appropriate congressional 


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1 committees an assessment for combating institu2 tional corruption in Haiti. The assessment shall in3 clude— 

4 (A) an overview and detailed history of the 

5 Petrocaribe scandal, including an in-depth de6 scription of former and current officials and 

7 businesses implicated in such scandal and the 

8 Haitian government response; 

9 (B) a description of United States efforts 

10 to consult and engage with Haitian government 

11 officials to address growing allegations of cor12 ruption within the Haitian government; 

13 (C) an assessment of the extent of corrup14 tion, including embezzling state funds, an ac15 count of steps needed to be taken to impose 

16 sanctions pursuant to the Global Magnitsky 

17 Human Rights Accountability Act (22 U.S.C. 

18 2656 note), and a list of government and non19 government officials known or alleged to have 

20 partaken in such corruption; and 

21 (D) a list of United States entities, includ22 ing financial institutions with financial ties to 

23 alleged corrupt actors in Haiti. 

24 (2) CONSULTATION.—In devising the assess25 ment required under subsection (a), the Secretary of 


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1 State shall consult with nongovernmental organiza2 tions in Haiti and the United States. 

3 (3) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The assessment re4 quired under paragraph (1) shall be made publicly 

5 available on the website of the Department of State. 

6 SEC. 7. ACTIONS TO ASSESS POST-EARTHQUAKE AND POST7 HURRICANE RECOVERY AND DEVELOPMENT 

8 EFFORTS IN HAITI. 

9 (a) PRIORITIZATION.—The Secretary of State, in co10 ordination with the Administrator of the United States 

11 Agency for International Development, shall prioritize a 

12 strategy of post-earthquake and post-hurricane recovery 

13 and development efforts in Haiti by carrying out the fol14 lowing initiatives: 

15 (1) Collaborating with the Haitian government 

16 to promote a detail-oriented and transparent devel17 opment plan. 

18 (2) Supporting the strengthening of local insti19 tutions through a post-earthquake and post-hurri20 cane recovery and development planning. 

21 (3) Assessing both the United States and the 

22 international community’s recovery and development 

23 efforts in Haiti over the past 10 years. 

24 (4) Supporting disaster resiliency and recon25 struction efforts. 


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1 (5) Addressing underlying causes of poverty 

2 and inequality by providing health resources, access 

3 to clean water, food security, and shelter. 

4 (6) Identifying and responding to long-term hu5 manitarian needs caused by natural disasters and 

6 extreme poverty. 

7 (b) ASSESSMENT.—Not later than 180 days after the 

8 date of the enactment of this Act and annually thereafter 

9 for two years, Administrator of the United States Agency 

10 for International Development, in coordination with the 

11 Secretary of State, shall submit to the appropriate con12 gressional committees an assessment on best practices to 

13 ensure efficient and transparent earthquake and hurricane 

14 recovery and development efforts in Haiti. The assessment 

15 shall include— 

16 (1) an analysis of the sustainability of United 

17 States-financed projects, including the Caracol In18 dustrial Park and supporting infrastructure; 

19 (2) a breakdown of local procurement by year 

20 and a description of efforts to increase local procure21 ment, including of food aid; 

22 (3) a strategy to assign fixed quantitative and 

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1 ural disaster recovery, resiliency, and sustainable de2 velopment in Haiti; and 

3 (4) a description of United States efforts taken 

4 to assist Haitian pursuits for free and fair demo5 cratic elections. 

6 SEC. 8. DEFINITIONS. 

7 In this Act the term ‘‘appropriate congressional com8 mittees’’ means— 

9 (1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the 

10 Committee on Appropriations of the House of Rep11 resentatives; and 

12 (2) the Committee on Foreign Relations and 

13 the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate. 

Æ 


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