II 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4811 

To establish a comprehensive, long-term United States strategy and policy 

for the Pacific Islands, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 8, 2022 

Ms. CORTEZ MASTO introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 

referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

A BILL 

To establish a comprehensive, long-term United States strategy and policy for the Pacific Islands, and for other 

purposes. 

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 TITLES; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLES.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘Boosting Long-term U.S. Engagement in the Pacific 

6 Act’’ or ‘‘BLUE Pacific Act’’. 

7 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

8 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short titles; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Findings. 

Sec. 3. Statement of policy. 


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Sec. 4. Definitions. 

Sec. 5. Authority to consolidate reports; form of reports. 

TITLE I—UNITED STATES ENGAGEMENT AND COUNTERING 

TRANSNATIONAL CRIME 

Sec. 101. Diplomatic presence in the Pacific Islands. 

Sec. 102. International Law Enforcement Academy for the Pacific Islands. 

Sec. 103. Security assistance for the Pacific Islands. 

Sec. 104. Countering transnational crime. 

Sec. 105. Coordination with regional allies. 

TITLE II—DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES 

Sec. 201. Trade development with the Pacific Islands. 

Sec. 202. Trade capacity building initiative for the Pacific Islands. 

Sec. 203. Emergency preparedness initiative for the Pacific Islands. 

Sec. 204. Peace Corps in the Pacific Islands. 

Sec. 205. Public health in the Pacific Islands. 

Sec. 206. Education assistance. 

Sec. 207. Climate resilient development in the Pacific Islands. 

Sec. 208. Coordination with other Federal agencies and cooperation and participation of nongovernmental United States entities. 

TITLE III—PROMOTION OF SHARED VALUES 

Sec. 301. Press freedom in the Pacific Islands. 

Sec. 302. United States Agency for Global Media. 

Sec. 303. Gender equality. 

Sec. 304. Pacific Islands Leadership Development Initiative. 

Sec. 305. Civil society engagement and development. 

1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

2 Congress finds the following: 

3 (1) The Pacific Islands— 

4 (A) are home to roughly 10,000,000 resi5 dents, including more than 8,600,000 in Papua 

6 New Guinea, constituting diverse and dynamic 

7 cultures and peoples; 

8 (B) are spread across an expanse of the 

9 Pacific Ocean equivalent to 15 percent of the 

10 Earth’s surface, including the 3 subregions of 

11 Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia; and 


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1 (C) face shared challenges in development 

2 that have distinct local contexts, including cli3 mate change, rising sea levels, geographic dis4 tances from major markets, and vulnerability to 

5 external shocks such as natural disasters. 

6 (2) The United States is a Pacific country with 

7 longstanding ties and shared values and interests 

8 with the Pacific Islands, including through the Com9 pacts of Free Association with the Freely Associated 

10 States, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the 

11 Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of 

12 Palau. 

13 (3) The United States has vital national secu14 rity interests in the Pacific Islands, including— 

15 (A) protecting regional peace and security 

16 that fully respects the sovereignty of all nations; 

17 (B) advancing economic prosperity free 

18 from coercion through trade and sustainable de19 velopment; and 

20 (C) supporting democracy, good govern21 ance, the rule of law, and human rights and 

22 fundamental freedoms. 

23 (4) Successive United States administrations 

24 have recognized the importance of the Pacific region, 


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1 including the Pacific Islands, in high-level strategic 

2 documents, including— 

3 (A) the 2015 United States National Secu4 rity Strategy, which— 

5 (i) first declared the rebalance to Asia 

6 and the Pacific; 

7 (ii) affirmed the United States as a 

8 Pacific nation; and 

9 (iii) paved the way for subsequent 

10 United States engagement with the Pacific 

11 Islands, including several new policies fo12 cused on conservation and resilience to cli13 mate change that were announced in Sep14 tember 2016; 

15 (B) the 2017 United States National Secu16 rity Strategy, which includes a commitment to 

17 ‘‘shore up fragile partner States in the Pacific 

18 Islands region to reduce their vulnerability to 

19 economic fluctuations and natural disasters’’. 

20 (C) the 2019 Indo-Pacific Strategy Report, 

21 which identified the Pacific Islands as ‘‘critical 

22 to U.S. strategy because of our shared values, 

23 interests, and commitments’’ and committed the 

24 United States to ‘‘building capacity and resil25 ience to address maritime security; Illegal, UnVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:56 Sep 10, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4811.IS S4811

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1 reported, and Unregulated fishing; drug traf2 ficking; and resilience to address climate change 

3 and disaster response’’. 

4 (5) The United States has deepened its diplo5 matic engagement with the Pacific Islands through 

6 several recent initiatives, including— 

7 (A) the Pacific Pledge, which provided an 

8 additional $100,000,000 in 2019 and 

9 $200,000,000 in 2020, in addition to approxi10 mately $350,000,000 that the United States 

11 provides annually to the region to support 

12 shared priorities in economic and human devel13 opment, climate change, and more; and 

14 (B) the Small and Less Populous Island 

15 Economies Initiative, which was launched in 

16 March 2021 to strengthen United States col17 laboration with island countries and territories, 

18 including in the Pacific Islands, regarding 

19 COVID–19 economic challenges, long-term eco20 nomic development, climate change, and other 

21 shared interests. 

22 (6) The Boe Declaration on Regional Security, 

23 signed by leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum in 

24 2018, affirmed that climate change ‘‘remains the 

25 single greatest threat to the livelihoods, security, and 


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1 well-being of the peoples of the Pacific’’ and asserted 

2 ‘‘the sovereign right of every Member to conduct its 

3 national affairs free of external interference and co4 ercion’’. 

5 (7) The Asian Development Bank has estimated 

6 that the Pacific Islands region has up to 

7 $2,800,000,000 per year in investment needs 

8 through 2030, in addition to $300,000,000 per year 

9 for climate mitigation and adaptation during the 

10 same period. 

11 (8) The Pacific Islands swiftly enacted effective 

12 policies to prevent and contain the spread of the 

13 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (commonly referred to as 

14 ‘‘COVID–19’’) pandemic to their populations. The 

15 United States has provided more than $130,000,000 

16 in assistance to the Pacific Islands for their 

17 COVID–19 response. However, priorities must be 

18 met to ensure continued success in preventing the 

19 spread of the COVID–19 pandemic, achieving swift 

20 and widespread vaccinations, and pursuing long21 term economic recovery in the Pacific Islands, in22 cluding through— 

23 (A) expanding testing capacity and acquisi24 tion of needed medical supplies, including availVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:29 Sep 09, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4811.IS S4811

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1 able COVID–19 vaccines, and supporting vac2 cination efforts through a reliable supply chain; 

3 (B) planning for lifting of lockdowns and 

4 reopening of economic and social activities; and 

5 (C) mitigating and recovering from the im6 pacts of the COVID–19 pandemic on the health 

7 system and the reliance on food and energy im8 ports and lost tourism revenue and other eco9 nomic and food security damages caused by the 

10 COVID–19 pandemic. 

11 (9) Since 1966, thousands of Peace Corps vol12 unteers have proudly served in the Pacific Islands, 

13 building strong people-to-people relationships and 

14 demonstrating the United States commitment to 

15 peace and development in the region. Before the 

16 COVID–19 pandemic, the Peace Corps maintained a 

17 presence in 4 countries of the Pacific Islands. Peace 

18 Corps volunteers continue to be in high demand in 

19 the Pacific Islands and have been requested across 

20 the region. 

21 SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 

22 It is the policy of the United States— 

23 (1) to develop and commit to a comprehensive, 

24 multifaceted, and principled United States policy in 

25 the Pacific Islands that— 


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1 (A) promotes peace, security, and pros2 perity for all countries through a rules-based 

3 regional order that respects the sovereignty and 

4 political independence of all nations; 

5 (B) preserves the Pacific Ocean as an open 

6 and vibrant corridor for international maritime 

7 trade and promotes trade and sustainable devel8 opment that— 

9 (i) supports inclusive economic growth 

10 and autonomy for all nations; and 

11 (ii) addresses socioeconomic chal12 lenges related to public health, education, 

13 renewable energy, digital connectivity, and 

14 more; 

15 (C) supports regional efforts to address the 

16 challenges posed by climate change, including 

17 by strengthening resilience to natural disasters 

18 and through responsible stewardship of natural 

19 resources; 

20 (D) improves civil society, strengthens 

21 democratic governance and the rule of law, and 

22 promotes human rights and the preservation of 

23 the Pacific Islands region’s unique cultural her24 itages; 


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1 (E) assists the Pacific Islands in pre2 venting and containing the spread of the 

3 COVID–19 pandemic and in pursuing long4 term economic recovery; and 

5 (F) supports existing regional architecture 

6 and international norms; 

7 (2) to support the vision, values, and objectives 

8 of existing regional multilateral institutions and 

9 frameworks, such as the Pacific Islands Forum and 

10 the Pacific Community, including— 

11 (A) the 2014 Framework for Pacific Re12 gionalism; 

13 (B) the 2018 Boe Declaration on Regional 

14 Security; and 

15 (C) the Boe Declaration Action Plan; 

16 (3) to extend and renew the provisions of the 

17 Compacts of Free Association and related United 

18 States law that will expire in 2023, for the Republic 

19 of the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of 

20 Micronesia, and in 2024, for the Republic of Palau, 

21 unless they are extended and renewed; and 

22 (4) to work closely with United States allies 

23 and partners with existing relationships and inter24 ests in the Pacific Islands, including Australia, 


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1 Japan, New Zealand, and Taiwan, in advancing 

2 common goals. 

3 SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 

4 In this Act: 

5 (1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis6 trator’’ means the Administrator of the United 

7 States Agency for International Development. 

8 (2) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT9 TEES.—Except as otherwise provided, the term ‘‘ap10 propriate congressional committees’’ means— 

11 (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations of 

12 the Senate; and 

13 (B) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of 

14 the House of Representatives. 

15 (3) PACIFIC ISLANDS.—The term ‘‘Pacific Is16 lands’’ means the Cook Islands, the Republic of Fiji, 

17 the Republic of Kiribati, the Republic of the Mar18 shall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, 

19 the Republic of Nauru, Niue, the Republic of Palau, 

20 the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, the 

21 Independent State of Samoa, the Solomon Islands, 

22 the Kingdom of Tonga, Tuvalu, and the Republic of 

23 Vanuatu. 

24 (4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

25 the Secretary of State. 


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1 SEC. 5. AUTHORITY TO CONSOLIDATE REPORTS; FORM OF 

2 REPORTS. 

3 (a) AUTHORITY TO CONSOLIDATE REPORTS.—Any 

4 reports required to be submitted to the appropriate con5 gressional committees under this Act that are subject to 

6 deadlines for submission consisting of the same units of 

7 time may be consolidated into a single report that is sub8 mitted to appropriate congressional committees pursuant 

9 to such deadlines and that contains all information re10 quired under such reports. 

11 (b) FORM OF REPORTS.—Each report required under 

12 this Act shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may 

13 contain a classified annex. 

14 TITLE I—UNITED STATES EN15 GAGEMENT AND COUN16 TERING TRANSNATIONAL 

17 CRIME 

18 SEC. 101. DIPLOMATIC PRESENCE IN THE PACIFIC IS19 LANDS. 

20 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con21 gress that— 

22 (1) the strategic importance of the Pacific Is23 lands necessitates an examination of whether United 

24 States diplomatic, economic, and development en25 gagement and presence in the Pacific Islands region 

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1 jectives and meaningful participation in regional fo2 rums; 

3 (2) improving shared understanding of, and 

4 jointly combating the transnational challenges perti5 nent to, the Pacific Islands region with countries of 

6 the Pacific Islands and regional partners, such as 

7 Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and Taiwan, is vi8 tally important to our shared long-term interests of 

9 stability, security, and prosperity; 

10 (3) the United States should seek to participate 

11 in, and support efforts to coordinate, a regional re12 sponse toward maritime security, including 

13 through— 

14 (A) continued United States and Pacific 

15 Islands participation in the Pacific Fusion Cen16 tre in Vanuatu and the Information Fusion 

17 Centre in Singapore; and 

18 (B) robust cooperation with regional allies; 

19 and 

20 (4) the United States Government should com21 mit to sending appropriate levels of representation to 

22 regional events. 

23 (b) REPORT.— 

24 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

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1 nually thereafter for 5 years, the Secretary, in con2 sultation with the Secretary of Commerce and the 

3 Administrator, shall submit a report to the appro4 priate congressional committees regarding the diplo5 matic and development presence of the United 

6 States in the Pacific Islands. 

7 (2) ELEMENTS.—The report required under 

8 paragraph (1) shall include— 

9 (A) a description of the presence, staffing, 

10 programming, and resourcing of operations of 

11 the Department of State, the United States 

12 Agency for International Development, the 

13 United States International Development Fi14 nance Corporation, the Millennium Challenge 

15 Corporation, and the United States Commercial 

16 Service in the Pacific Islands, including pro17 gramming and resourcing not specifically allo18 cated to the Pacific Islands; 

19 (B) a description of the gaps in the pres20 ence described under subparagraph (A), includ21 ing unfilled full-time equivalent positions; 

22 (C) a description of the limitations and 

23 challenges such gaps pose to United States 

24 strategic objectives, including— 


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1 (i) gaps in support of the Pacific Is2 lands due to operations being conducted 

3 from the United States Agency for Inter4 national Development offices in Manila and 

5 Suva; and 

6 (ii) gaps in programming and 

7 resourcing; and 

8 (D) a strategy to expand and elevate such 

9 presence to fill such gaps, including by— 

10 (i) establishing new missions; 

11 (ii) expanding participation in re12 gional forums; and 

13 (iii) elevating United States represen14 tation in regional forums. 

15 (c) AUTHORITY TO ENHANCE DIPLOMATIC AND ECO16 NOMIC ENGAGEMENT.—The Secretary and the Secretary 

17 of Commerce are authorized to hire locally employed staff 

18 in the Pacific Islands for the purpose of promoting in19 creased diplomatic engagement and economic and com20 mercial engagement between the United States and the 

21 Pacific Islands. 

22 (d) REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION STRAT23 EGY.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enact24 ment of this Act, and every 5 years thereafter, the Admin25 istrator shall submit a regional development cooperation 


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1 strategy for the Pacific Islands to the appropriate congres2 sional committees. 

3 SEC. 102. INTERNATIONAL LAW ENFORCEMENT ACADEMY 

4 FOR THE PACIFIC ISLANDS. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall develop and 

6 implement a plan to expand coverage of the International 

7 Law Enforcement Academies (ILEA) program for the Pa8 cific Islands, including by— 

9 (1) expanding coverage of the regional program 

10 located in Bangkok, Thailand to the Pacific Islands; 

11 or 

12 (2) establishing a new regional program for the 

13 Pacific Islands. 

14 (b) ELEMENTS.—The plan required under subsection 

15 (a) shall— 

16 (1) require consultation and coordination with 

17 existing regional law enforcement entities, including 

18 the Pacific Islands Chiefs of Police and civil society, 

19 including entities that focus on human rights and 

20 specialize in victim-centered approaches; and 

21 (2) consider the costs of implementation, effec22 tiveness, and capacity of the Pacific Islands to par23 ticipate in the ILEA program. 

24 (c) BRIEFING.—Not later than 180 days after the 

25 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall brief 


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1 the appropriate congressional committees regarding the 

2 plan developed pursuant to subsection (a). 

3 SEC. 103. SECURITY ASSISTANCE FOR THE PACIFIC IS4 LANDS. 

5 (a) STRATEGY.— 

6 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, with the con7 currence of the Secretary of Defense, and in coordi8 nation with the Secretary of Homeland Security, 

9 shall develop and implement a comprehensive strat10 egy for providing assistance to build the capacity of 

11 local civilian and national security institutions of the 

12 Pacific Islands for purposes of— 

13 (A) enhancing maritime security and mari14 time domain awareness to address challenges 

15 such as illegal, unreported, and unregulated 

16 fishing; 

17 (B) assisting local law enforcement in de18 tecting, preventing, and combating human and 

19 drug trafficking and other forms of 

20 transnational crime; 

21 (C) providing essential services to civilian 

22 populations and responding to humanitarian 

23 challenges caused by natural disasters; 

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1 cilitate cooperation on shared security chal2 lenges; and 

3 (E) expanding information sharing and 

4 working toward operational coordination and 

5 interoperability among Pacific Island maritime 

6 security forces, including through regional fu7 sion centers. 

8 (2) PROGRAMS AND AUTHORITIES DE9 SCRIBED.—The strategy required under paragraph 

10 (1) shall build on the following programs and au11 thorities: 

12 (A) The International Military Education 

13 and Training program. 

14 (B) The Foreign Military Financing pro15 gram. 

16 (C) The Overseas Humanitarian Disaster 

17 and Civic Aid program. 

18 (D) The authority to build the capacity of 

19 foreign security forces under section 333 of title 

20 10, United States Code. 

21 (E) the authority to provide excess defense 

22 articles under section 516 of the Foreign As23 sistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2321j). 

24 (F) The National Guard State Partnership 

25 Program. 


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1 (3) NATIONAL POLICE FORCES AND COAST

2 GUARDS.—The national police forces and coast 

3 guards of the Pacific Islands are eligible to receive 

4 assistance under the programs and authorities de5 scribed in subparagraphs (B), (C), and (E) of para6 graph (2) for purposes of carrying out the strategy 

7 required under this subsection. 

8 (b) ELEMENTS.—The strategy required under sub9 section (a) shall— 

10 (1) seek to preserve peace and regional stability 

11 in the Pacific Islands; and 

12 (2) consider and seek to build upon (without 

13 duplicating) existing assistance provided by United 

14 States allies and partners. 

15 (c) REPORT.— 

16 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

17 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec18 retary shall submit a report that contains the strat19 egy developed pursuant to subsection (a) to— 

20 (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations of 

21 the Senate; 

22 (B) the Committee on Armed Services of 

23 the Senate; 

24 (C) the Committee on Commerce, Science, 

25 and Transportation of the Senate; 


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1 (D) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of 

2 the House of Representatives; 

3 (E) the Committee on Armed Services of 

4 the House of Representatives; and 

5 (F) the Committee on Transportation and 

6 Infrastructure of the House of Representatives. 

7 (2) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The report 

8 required under paragraph (1) shall include— 

9 (A) an assessment of the security chal10 lenges in the Pacific Islands; 

11 (B) an analysis of demonstrated needs of 

12 the Pacific Islands for assistance, including ex13 cess defense, to fulfill such needs; 

14 (C) a review of existing security assistance 

15 programs in the Pacific Islands, including pro16 grams and efforts provided by United States al17 lies and partners; 

18 (D) a plan for training and sustainment 

19 programs with respect to such excess defense 

20 equipment and related materials, including 

21 those with humanitarian and development uses; 

22 (E) a list of militaries, national police 

23 forces, coast guards, and other national security 

24 forces of the Pacific Islands receiving assistance 

25 under the strategy; 


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1 (F) a plan to provide humanitarian assist2 ance and disaster relief, if necessary, through 

3 the Overseas Humanitarian Disaster and Civic 

4 Aid program; 

5 (G) a review of existing cross-border mari6 time law enforcement operations (commonly 

7 known as ‘‘shiprider agreements’’) with the Pa8 cific Islands, including— 

9 (i) an assessment of additional 

10 resourcing needs to enhance operational 

11 capacity; and 

12 (ii) a plan to improve on such pro13 grams and operations; 

14 (H) a review of existing National Guard 

15 State Partnership programs with the Pacific Is16 lands, including— 

17 (i) an assessment of additional oppor18 tunities for leveraging such programs to 

19 address law enforcement, disaster relief 

20 and emergency management, and related 

21 priorities; and 

22 (ii) a plan to expand, as appropriate, 

23 existing and new National Guard State 

24 Partnership Programs in the Pacific Is25 lands region; 


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1 (I) a review of current efforts and progress 

2 in removing unexploded ordnance in the Pacific 

3 Islands, including an assessment of additional 

4 resources needed— 

5 (i) to ensure continued progress with 

6 such efforts; and 

7 (ii) to support coordination with re8 gional efforts and those of United States 

9 allies and partners; 

10 (J) a review of existing regional fusion cen11 ters and other cooperative intelligence sharing 

12 efforts in the Pacific Islands to address mari13 time security, transnational crime, natural dis14 asters, and other security challenges, including 

15 an assessment of opportunities for the United 

16 States to participate in such efforts by allo17 cating staff and supplying resources; 

18 (K) measures to evaluate success for the 

19 strategy; and 

20 (L) a detailed assessment of the level of 

21 appropriations that will be required to achieve 

22 the objectives for the strategy in future years. 

23 SEC. 104. COUNTERING TRANSNATIONAL CRIME. 

24 (a) RATIFICATION OF INTERNATIONAL LEGAL IN25 STRUMENTS.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

2 prioritize efforts to assist the Pacific Islands in rati3 fying and implementing international legal conven4 tions related to transnational crime, including— 

5 (A) the Convention on International Trade 

6 in Endangered Species of Wildlife Fauna and 

7 Flora, done at Washington March 3, 1973 (27 

8 UST 1087; TIAS 8429); 

9 (B) the Agreement on Port State Measures 

10 to Prevent, Deter, and Eliminate Illegal, Unre11 ported, and Unregulated Fishing, done at Rome 

12 November 22, 2009, and entered into force 

13 June 5, 2016; and 

14 (C) relevant protocols supplementing the 

15 United Nations Convention Against 

16 Transnational Organized Crime, done at New 

17 York November 15, 2000, including— 

18 (i) the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, 

19 and Punish Trafficking in Person, Espe20 cially Women and Children (commonly 

21 known as the ‘‘Palermo Protocol’’), entered 

22 into force December 25, 2003; and 

23 (ii) the Protocol Against the Smug24 gling of Migrants by Land, Sea, and Air, 

25 entered into force January 28, 2004. 


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1 (2) BIENNIAL REPORT.—Not later than 180 

2 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and 

3 every 2 years thereafter, as appropriate, the Sec4 retary shall submit a report to the appropriate con5 gressional committees regarding— 

6 (A) the status of the progress of each 

7 country of the Pacific Islands toward ratifying 

8 and implementing international legal conven9 tions related to transnational crime; and 

10 (B) the plans of the United States for as11 sisting countries that have yet to fully ratify 

12 such conventions with their respective ratifica13 tion efforts. 

14 (b) UPDATES OF CERTAIN REPORTS.—The Sec15 retary, in coordination with other Federal agencies, as ap16 propriate, shall identify and update existing reports re17 garding forms of transnational crime affecting the Pacific 

18 Islands, such as— 

19 (1) the International Narcotics Control Strat20 egy Report; 

21 (2) the Improving International Fisheries Man22 agement Report; and 

23 (3) the Trafficking in Persons Report. 

24 (c) ILLEGAL LOGGING AND ASSOCIATED TRADE.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

2 after the date of the enactment of this Act, and an3 nually thereafter, the Secretary, in coordination with 

4 the heads of relevant Federal agencies, shall submit 

5 a report that identifies countries of the Pacific Is6 lands that are countries of concern with respect to 

7 illegal logging and associated trade to— 

8 (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations of 

9 the Senate; 

10 (B) the Committee on Finance of the Sen11 ate; 

12 (C) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of 

13 the House of Representatives; and 

14 (D) the Committee on Ways and Means of 

15 the House of Representatives. 

16 (2) ELEMENTS.—The report required under 

17 paragraph (1) shall include a description of— 

18 (A) the impact illegal logging and associ19 ated trade have had on local communities, good 

20 governance, and biodiversity, including an iden21 tification of those foreign countries that may be 

22 financing or in any other manner supporting il23 legal logging activities; 

24 (B) efforts taken by countries identified 

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1 priate corrective action to mitigate illegal log2 ging, and an evaluation of the progress of those 

3 efforts; and 

4 (C) steps taken by the heads of relevant 

5 Federal agencies to assist the Pacific Islands in 

6 adopting and implementing international meas7 ures comparable to those of the United States, 

8 such as the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 

9 (16 U.S.C. 3371 et seq.), to reduce the impacts 

10 of illicit logging. 

11 (d) ILLEGAL, UNREPORTED, AND UNREGULATED

12 FISHING.—Section 3553 of the National Defense Author13 ization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 (16 U.S.C. 8033) is 

14 amended— 

15 (1) in paragraph (7), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 

16 end; 

17 (2) by redesignating paragraph (8) as para18 graph (9); and 

19 (3) by inserting after paragraph (7) the fol20 lowing: 

21 ‘‘(8) an assessment of gaps or limitations in the 

22 ability of the United States to effectively assist pri23 ority regions and priority flag States relating to 

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1 tional resources necessary to overcome those con2 straints; and’’. 

3 SEC. 105. COORDINATION WITH REGIONAL ALLIES. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall consult and 

5 coordinate with regional allies and partners, including 

6 Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Taiwan, and regional in7 stitutions, such as the Pacific Islands Forum and the Pa8 cific Community, with respect to programs to provide as9 sistance to the Pacific Islands, including programs estab10 lished under this Act, including for purposes of— 

11 (1) deconflicting programming; 

12 (2) ensuring that any programming does not 

13 adversely affect the absorptive capacity of the Pa14 cific Islands; and 

15 (3) ensuring that complementary programs ben16 efit the Pacific Islands to the maximum extent prac17 ticable. 

18 (b) FORMAL CONSULTATIVE PROCESS.—The Sec19 retary shall establish a formal consultative process with 

20 such regional allies and partners to coordinate with re21 spect to such programs and future years programming. 

22 (c) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date 

23 of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the 

24 Secretary shall submit a report to the appropriate congres25 sional committees that includes— 


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1 (1) a review of ongoing efforts, initiatives, and 

2 programs undertaken by regional allies and part3 ners, including multilateral organizations, to advance 

4 priorities identified in this Act; 

5 (2) a review of ongoing efforts, initiatives, and 

6 programs undertaken by non-allied foreign actors 

7 that are viewed as being potentially harmful or in 

8 any way detrimental to 1 or more countries of the 

9 Pacific Islands; 

10 (3) an assessment of United States programs in 

11 the Pacific Islands and their alignment and 

12 complementarity with the efforts of regional allies 

13 and partners referred to in paragraph (1); and 

14 (4) a review of the formal consultative process 

15 required under subsection (b) to summarize engage16 ments held and identify opportunities to improve co17 ordination with regional allies and partners. 

18 TITLE II—DEVELOPMENT 

19 INITIATIVES 

20 SEC. 201. TRADE DEVELOPMENT WITH THE PACIFIC IS21 LANDS. 

22 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con23 gress that the United States should expand bilateral and 

24 multilateral trade with the Pacific Islands to promote so25 cioeconomic development and mutual prosperity. 


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1 (b) STRATEGY.—The United States Trade Rep2 resentative shall develop and implement a strategy to ex3 pand and diversify trade and promote regional develop4 ment with the Pacific Islands, including through negoti5 ating trade and investment framework agreements. 

6 (c) REPORT.— 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

8 after the date of the enactment of this Act, and an9 nually thereafter, the United States Trade Rep10 resentative shall submit a report containing the 

11 strategy developed pursuant to subsection (b) to— 

12 (A) the Committee on Finance of the Sen13 ate; and 

14 (B) the Committee on Ways and Means of 

15 the House of Representatives. 

16 (2) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The report 

17 required under paragraph (1) shall include— 

18 (A) an assessment of the readiness of 

19 countries in the Pacific Islands to enter into en20 hanced trade relationships with the United 

21 States, including with respect to reducing or 

22 eliminating tariff and nontariff barriers inhib23 iting progress towards deepening trade relation24 ships; 


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1 (B) a review of existing regional multilat2 eral and bilateral trade agreements and pref3 erence programs involving the Pacific Islands 

4 and their impacts on regional trade and devel5 opment; and 

6 (C) an identification of opportunities to 

7 work with existing regional frameworks to in8 crease trade and economic integration with the 

9 Pacific Islands. 

10 (d) BRIEFING REQUIRED ON PACIFIC ISLANDS

11 TRADE PREFERENCES.— 

12 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

13 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 

14 United States Trade Representative shall provide a 

15 briefing to the congressional committees referred to 

16 in subsection (c)(1) regarding the use of the Gener17 alized System of Preferences under title V of the 

18 Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2461 et seq.) by the 

19 Pacific Islands. 

20 (2) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The briefing 

21 required under paragraph (1) shall include— 

22 (A) a review of the usage of the General23 ized System of Preferences by the Pacific Is24 lands over the past 20 years, including the 


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1 value and types of goods traded under the pro2 gram; 

3 (B) an analysis of United States trade 

4 with the Pacific Islands covered under the Gen5 eralized System of Preferences compared to 

6 trade with the Pacific Islands not conducted 

7 under any trade preference program; 

8 (C) an assessment of why the Pacific Is9 lands underutilizes the Generalized System of 

10 Preferences in trade with the United States; 

11 and 

12 (D) recommendations for how the United 

13 States Government can further assist the Pa14 cific Islands in utilizing the Generalized System 

15 of Preferences. 

16 (3) UPDATE.—The Trade Representative shall 

17 provide to the appropriate congressional committees 

18 an updated briefing under this subsection not later 

19 than 3 years after the date of the enactment of this 

20 Act. 

21 SEC. 202. TRADE CAPACITY BUILDING INITIATIVE FOR THE 

22 PACIFIC ISLANDS. 

23 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator, in coordina24 tion with the Secretary, the Secretary of the Treasury, the 

25 Secretary of Commerce, and the Chief Executive Officer 


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1 of the United States International Development Finance 

2 Corporation, shall develop and implement a trade capacity 

3 building initiative for the Pacific Islands. 

4 (b) ELEMENTS AND CONDUCT OF INITIATIVE.—The 

5 initiative developed pursuant to subsection (a) shall— 

6 (1) include an initial, public assessment of— 

7 (A) economic opportunities for which 

8 United States businesses, or those of other like9 minded partners, would be competitive; and 

10 (B) legal, economic, governance, 

11 infrastructural, or other hurdles limiting United 

12 States investment in the Pacific Islands; 

13 (2) develop human and institutional capacity 

14 and infrastructure across multiple sectors of econo15 mies, including digital connectivity and cybersecu16 rity; 

17 (3) assist with development and implementation 

18 of regional and international trade agreements, in19 cluding the World Trade Organization’s Agreement 

20 on Trade Facilitation and facilitation of 

21 intraregional trade flows; 

22 (4) support women-owned enterprises and gen23 der equality; and 

24 (5) promote government policies that encourage 

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1 ronmental protection, and business environments 

2 conducive to sustainable and inclusive economic 

3 growth. 

4 (c) UNITED STATES COMMERCIAL SERVICE PRES5 ENCE.—The Secretary of Commerce shall expand the 

6 presence of the United States Commercial Service in the 

7 Pacific Islands and allocate additional Foreign Commer8 cial Service Officers to the Pacific Islands, including by 

9 elevating existing partner posts and establishing new Com10 mercial Service posts and partner posts— 

11 (1) to explore opportunities for United States 

12 private sector investment; 

13 (2)(A) to examine regulations in host countries 

14 in the Pacific Islands that may hinder foreign direct 

15 investment, including regulations related to human 

16 rights, labor rights, and environmental protection; 

17 and 

18 (B) to provide technical assistance when re19 quested by such host countries; and 

20 (3) to report on the commercial and investment 

21 activities of non-allied foreign actors in the Pacific 

22 Islands. 

23 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

24 are authorized to be appropriated $15,000,000 for each 


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1 of the fiscal years 2023 through 2027 to carry out this 

2 section. 

3 SEC. 203. EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS INITIATIVE FOR 

4 THE PACIFIC ISLANDS. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall develop 

6 and implement an initiative to assist the Pacific Islands 

7 in enhancing their preparedness for, and resilience to, nat8 ural disasters and other emergencies. 

9 (b) CONDUCT OF PROGRAM.—The program devel10 oped under this section shall include— 

11 (1) education and training programs on natural 

12 disaster prevention and preparedness for emergency 

13 management professionals in the Pacific Islands, in14 cluding by leveraging the expertise of nonprofit orga15 nizations and institutions of higher education in the 

16 United States; 

17 (2) technical assistance, including through 

18 grants and cooperative agreements for qualified 

19 United States and local nongovernmental organiza20 tions, to enhance early warning systems, emergency 

21 management and preparedness procedures, and post22 disaster relief and recovery; and 

23 (3) coordination of existing disaster mitigation 

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1 cluding by United States allies and partners in the 

2 region. 

3 (c) REPORT.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 

5 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Adminis6 trator shall submit a report regarding the program 

7 developed pursuant to this section to— 

8 (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations of 

9 the Senate; 

10 (B) the Committee on Energy and Natural 

11 Resources of the Senate; 

12 (C) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of 

13 the House of Representatives; and 

14 (D) the Committee on Natural Resources 

15 of the House of Representatives. 

16 (2) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The report 

17 required under paragraph (1) shall include— 

18 (A) an assessment of disaster risks in the 

19 Pacific Islands and existing local and regional 

20 capacity to respond to such risks; 

21 (B) a review of existing efforts by United 

22 States allies and partners to provide assistance 

23 and training for natural disaster preparedness 

24 and emergency management; and 


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1 (C) objectives, means of implementation, 

2 and measures of success for the initiative. 

3 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

4 are authorized to be appropriated $40,000,000 for each 

5 of the fiscal years 2023 through 2027 to carry out this 

6 section. 

7 SEC. 204. PEACE CORPS IN THE PACIFIC ISLANDS. 

8 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con9 gress that— 

10 (1) the presence of the Peace Corps in the Pa11 cific Islands should be expanded by reopening its 

12 programs in as many of the Pacific Islands as pos13 sible, including where it has previously operated but 

14 has suspended operations; 

15 (2) consulting like-minded regional allies and 

16 partners, such as Australia, New Zealand, Japan, 

17 and Taiwan, is crucial for identifying and over18 coming challenges for increased Peace Corps pres19 ence in the Pacific Islands; 

20 (3) the Peace Corps, whose mission is, in part, 

21 to promote world peace and friendship by helping 

22 the people of interested countries in meeting their 

23 need for trained men and women, provides an in24 valuable opportunity to connect the American people 

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1 lands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the 

2 Republic of Palau; and 

3 (4) the Peace Corps should promptly reopen its 

4 programs in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, 

5 the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Repub6 lic of Palau. 

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

8 of the enactment of this Act, the Director of the Peace 

9 Corps shall submit a report to the appropriate congres10 sional committees that includes— 

11 (1) a comparative analysis of the presence of 

12 the Peace Corps in the Pacific Islands region to 

13 other regions of the world, including a cost-benefit 

14 analysis of placement in the Pacific Islands region 

15 versus elsewhere; 

16 (2) an analysis of current impediments to Peace 

17 Corps expansion in the Pacific Islands region; 

18 (3) outcomes of consultations among United 

19 States agencies, and with regional allies and part20 ners, on areas in which cooperation can reduce fac21 tors limiting Peace Corps expansion, particularly 

22 those related to medical transportation and personal 

23 safety; and 

24 (4) a plan and timeline for implementing out25 comes identified under paragraph (3) to facilitate 


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1 the expansion of the Peace Corps presence in the 

2 Pacific Islands region, as appropriate. 

3 SEC. 205. PUBLIC HEALTH IN THE PACIFIC ISLANDS. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator, in coordina5 tion with the Secretary, shall develop and implement a 

6 strategy to assist the Pacific Islands— 

7 (1) to improve public health outcomes; and 

8 (2) to build public health capacity, including in 

9 response to the COVID–19 pandemic. 

10 (b) CONDUCT OF STRATEGY.—The strategy devel11 oped pursuant to subsection (a) shall include— 

12 (1) programming, including grants, cooperative 

13 agreements, and other forms of assistance that the 

14 Administrator determines appropriate, to assist in 

15 building local capacity to address— 

16 (A) maternal and child health; 

17 (B) family planning and reproductive 

18 health; 

19 (C) gender-based violence; 

20 (D) food security and nutrition; 

21 (E) non-communicable diseases; 

22 (F) communicable diseases, including ne23 glected tropical diseases, tuberculosis, HIV/ 

24 AIDS, sexually-transmitted infections, and 


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1 zoonotic and emerging infectious disease 

2 threats; 

3 (G) equitable access to quality, essential, 

4 and affordable health services and quality-as5 sured, safe, effective medical products and their 

6 appropriate use; and 

7 (H) water, sanitation, and hygiene; 

8 (2) technical assistance to strengthen local 

9 health system capacity and resilience in the areas 

10 of— 

11 (A) good leadership and governance; 

12 (B) sustainable financing; 

13 (C) interoperable information systems and 

14 high quality data for decision making; 

15 (D) efficient medical products and supply 

16 chain systems; and 

17 (E) management of human resources for 

18 health, with special attention to increasing 

19 health worker performance, retention, produc20 tivity, number, skill mix, and competency, in21 cluding through exploring opportunities such as 

22 private sector engagement and digital health in23 tegration and access; and 


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1 (3) coordination with existing local and regional 

2 health sector goals, efforts, institutions, and frame3 works. 

4 (c) REPORT.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

6 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Ad7 ministrator shall submit a report to the congres8 sional committees referred to in section 203(c)(1) 

9 that contains the strategy developed pursuant to 

10 subsection (a). 

11 (2) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The report 

12 required under paragraph (1) shall identify— 

13 (A) health care challenges, including health 

14 systems strengthening, immunization, non15 communicable diseases, and gender-based vio16 lence, in the Pacific Islands; 

17 (B) public health challenges and needs re18 lated to the COVID–19 pandemic in the Pacific 

19 Islands; and 

20 (C) objectives, means of implementation, 

21 and measures of success for the strategy. 

22 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

23 are authorized to be appropriated $20,000,000 for each 

24 of the fiscal years 2023 through 2027 to carry out this 

25 section. 


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1 SEC. 206. EDUCATION ASSISTANCE. 

2 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con3 gress that— 

4 (1)(A) promoting basic education in the Pacific 

5 Islands, particularly in traditionally under-served 

6 communities— 

7 (i) advances United States foreign policy 

8 goals; and 

9 (ii) requires a whole of government ap10 proach; and 

11 (B) the United States Government currently 

12 dedicates insufficient resources and attention to as13 sisting with education needs in the region; 

14 (2) the Peace Corps alone is insufficient to 

15 achieve United States objectives of promoting sus16 tainable, quality basic education; and 

17 (3) countries of the Pacific Islands meet the re18 quirements outlined in section 105(c)(4) of the For19 eign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151c). 

20 (b) EDUCATION ASSISTANCE.—The President is au21 thorized to provide assistance under section 105 of the 

22 Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151c) to pro23 mote sustainable, quality basic education in the Pacific Is24 lands by— 

25 (1) supporting national nutrition and health 

26 programs; 


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1 (2) working with partner governments to re2 form policies, improve curricula, strengthen data 

3 systems, train teachers, and provide quality learning 

4 materials; 

5 (3) building new schools and renovating older 

6 facilities to ensure safe places for learning; 

7 (4) providing individuals, particularly at-risk 

8 youth, with relevant education, training, and skills 

9 for meaningful employment; 

10 (5) removing barriers to entering formal edu11 cation for out-of-school individuals, assisting in 

12 keeping them in school, and providing an oppor13 tunity to catch up on schooling for those left behind; 

14 and 

15 (6) promoting teaching and research exchanges 

16 between the Pacific Islands and United States insti17 tutions of higher education. 

18 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

19 are authorized to be appropriated $5,000,000 for each of 

20 the fiscal years 2023 through 2027 to carry out this sec21 tion. 

22 SEC. 207. CLIMATE RESILIENT DEVELOPMENT IN THE PA23 CIFIC ISLANDS. 

24 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con25 gress that— 


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1 (1) the United States Government should lever2 age the full range of authorities and programs avail3 able to assist the Pacific Islands in achieving their 

4 development goals; 

5 (2) United States development assistance 

6 should seek to build on existing public and private 

7 sector investments while creating new opportunities 

8 toward a favorable environment for additional such 

9 investments; and 

10 (3) United States development efforts should be 

11 coordinated with and seek to build on existing ef12 forts by like-minded partners and allies and regional 

13 and international multilateral organizations. 

14 (b) STRATEGY.—The Secretary, in coordination with 

15 the Administrator, the Secretary of the Treasury, and the 

16 Chief Executive Officer of the United States International 

17 Development Finance Corporation, shall develop and im18 plement a strategy— 

19 (1) to invest in and improve critical infrastruc20 ture, including transport connectivity, information 

21 and communications technology, food security, coast22 al zone management, marine and water resource 

23 management, and energy security and access to elec24 tricity in the Pacific Islands, with an emphasis on 

25 climate resiliency and sustainable development; 


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1 (2) to provide technical assistance to assist local 

2 government and civil society leaders assess risks to 

3 local infrastructure, especially those posed by climate 

4 change, consider and implement risk mitigation ef5 forts and policies to strengthen resilience, and evalu6 ate proposed projects and solutions for their efficacy 

7 and sustainability; and 

8 (3) to support investment and improvement in 

9 ecosystem conservation and protection for the long10 term sustainable use of ecosystem services, especially 

11 those that mitigate effects of climate change and 

12 those that support food security and livelihoods. 

13 (c) CONDUCT OF STRATEGY.—The strategy devel14 oped under this section shall be coordinated with like15 minded partners and allies, regional and international 

16 multilateral organizations, and regional frameworks for 

17 development in the Pacific Islands. 

18 (d) INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS.— 

19 The Secretary of the Treasury shall direct the representa20 tives of the United States to the World Bank Group, the 

21 International Monetary Fund, and the Asian Development 

22 Bank to use the voice and vote of the United States to 

23 support climate resilient infrastructure projects in the Pa24 cific Islands. 

25 (e) REPORT.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

2 after the date of the enactment this Act, and annu3 ally thereafter, the Secretary shall submit a report 

4 to the congressional committees referred to in sec5 tion 203(c)(1) regarding foreign infrastructure de6 velopments in the Pacific Islands. 

7 (2) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The report 

8 required under paragraph (1) shall include— 

9 (A) a review of foreign infrastructure de10 velopments in the Pacific Islands by non-United 

11 States allies and partners; 

12 (B) assessments of the environmental im13 pact and sustainability of such developments; 

14 and 

15 (C) an analysis of the financial sustain16 ability of such developments and their impacts 

17 on the debt of host countries in the Pacific Is18 lands. 

19 (f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

20 are authorized to be appropriated $50,000,000 for each 

21 of the fiscal years 2023 through 2027 to carry out this 

22 section. 


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1 SEC. 208. COORDINATION WITH OTHER FEDERAL AGEN2 CIES AND COOPERATION AND PARTICIPA3 TION OF NONGOVERNMENTAL UNITED 

4 STATES ENTITIES. 

5 The Federal officials responsible for carrying out sec6 tions 202, 203, 205, 206, and 207 shall— 

7 (1) coordinate with existing programs and ef8 forts of relevant agencies of the United States Gov9 ernment, especially with regards to the Republic of 

10 the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micro11 nesia, and the Republic of Palau; and 

12 (2) seek the cooperation and participation of 

13 United States private sector, United States non14 governmental organizations, and United States insti15 tutions of higher education. 

16 TITLE III—PROMOTION OF 

17 SHARED VALUES 

18 SEC. 301. PRESS FREEDOM IN THE PACIFIC ISLANDS. 

19 (a) FINDING.—Congress finds that residents of the 

20 Pacific Islands speak 24 official languages and thousands 

21 of indigenous or unofficial local languages. 

22 (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con23 gress that— 

24 (1) the United States should work with allies 

25 and partners, particularly Australia and New Zea26 land, to provide free or low-cost access to national 


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1 news wires so the Pacific Islands have greater access 

2 to raw news feeds; and 

3 (2) it is in the interest of the United States to 

4 work with the Pacific Islands to develop regulations 

5 to address the licensing and operations of foreign 

6 media to build resilience in the media sector to 

7 unsanctioned external influence or interference, 

8 while respecting free expression and cultivating di9 verse media voices. 

10 (c) PRESS FREEDOM ASSISTANCE.—The President is 

11 authorized to provide assistance to promote the dissemina12 tion of free and accurate information in the Pacific Is13 lands, including for— 

14 (1) media capacity building and education, such 

15 as— 

16 (A) providing on-site media training tai17 lored to local needs; 

18 (B) collaborating with local government 

19 and nongovernmental entities to promote media 

20 literacy and integrate media literacy into pri21 mary education curricula in local languages and 

22 dialects to ensure accessibility; and 

23 (C) routinizing funding for professional 

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1 fessionals from the Pacific Islands to the 

2 United States; 

3 (2) strengthening and diversifying broadcast 

4 content tailored to local audiences, including content 

5 broadcast in the local vernacular; and 

6 (3) investing in connectivity infrastructure with 

7 an emphasis on broadcast radio and transmission. 

8 (d) REPORT.— 

9 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

10 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec11 retary shall submit a report to the appropriate con12 gressional committees regarding the implementation 

13 of this section. 

14 (2) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The report 

15 required under paragraph (1) shall include— 

16 (A) an assessment of— 

17 (i) the national laws of the Pacific Is18 lands with respect to foreign investment in 

19 media and related sectors; 

20 (ii) relevant licensing regulations of 

21 the Pacific Islands; and 

22 (iii) governmental restrictions on free 

23 expression that limit the availability of di24 verse media voices in the Pacific Islands; 

25 and 


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1 (B) analyses of covert efforts by foreign 

2 media actors in the Pacific Islands— 

3 (i) to influence, shape, or circumvent 

4 regulations in the media or telecommuni5 cation sectors; and 

6 (ii) to co-opt local media and nar7 ratives. 

8 (e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

9 authorized to be appropriated $2,000,000 for each of the 

10 fiscal years 2023 through 2027 to carry out this section. 

11 SEC. 302. UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR GLOBAL MEDIA. 

12 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Chief Executive Officer of the 

13 United States Agency for Global Media shall develop and 

14 implement a plan to provide expanded media content to 

15 the Pacific Islands and partner with journalists in the Pa16 cific Islands. 

17 (b) BRIEFING REQUIRED.— 

18 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

19 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 

20 Chief Executive Officer shall provide a briefing to 

21 the appropriate congressional committees regarding 

22 the plan developed pursuant to subsection (a). 

23 (2) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The briefing 

24 required under paragraph (1) shall include— 


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1 (A) an assessment of facilities and costs to 

2 expand coverage to the Pacific Islands, includ3 ing options to utilize Voice of America affiliates; 

4 (B) an identification of objectives, means 

5 of implementation, and measures of success for 

6 the plan; and 

7 (C) an assessment on the scope and impact 

8 of media training efforts and people-to-people 

9 engagements organized by other countries for 

10 the Pacific Islands. 

11 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

12 are authorized to be appropriated $2,000,000 for each of 

13 the fiscal years 2023 through 2027 to carry out this sec14 tion. 

15 SEC. 303. GENDER EQUALITY. 

16 (a) STATEMENT OF POLICY.—Congress— 

17 (1) affirms the importance of gender equality 

18 and women’s empowerment to United States policy 

19 in the Pacific Islands; and 

20 (2) recognizes the work of the existing regional 

21 frameworks and platforms on gender equality. 

22 (b) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary and the Adminis23 trator shall— 

24 (1) develop and implement an initiative to en25 courage and support efforts by the Pacific Islands to 


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1 reduce and combat gender-based violence, in coordi2 nation with existing efforts by United States allies 

3 and partners and regional organizations; and 

4 (2) promote gender equality in political, eco5 nomic, social, and cultural development programs in 

6 the Pacific Islands. 

7 SEC. 304. PACIFIC ISLANDS LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT 

8 INITIATIVE. 

9 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con10 gress that routinized people-to-people exchange programs 

11 to bring Pacific Islands religious leaders, journalists, civil 

12 society members, politicians, and others to the United 

13 States strengthens existing relationships and advances 

14 United States interests and shared values in the region. 

15 (b) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall develop and 

16 implement a program to promote educational and profes17 sional development for young adult leaders and profes18 sionals in the Pacific Islands with a demonstrated passion 

19 to contribute to the continued development of the Pacific 

20 Islands. 

21 (c) CONDUCT OF PROGRAM.—The program developed 

22 pursuant to subsection (b) shall be implemented on a rou23 tine basis and may be carried out through— 


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1 (1) grants provided on a competitive basis to 

2 qualified organizations with demonstrated expertise 

3 relating to the Pacific Islands; 

4 (2) grants, in amounts not to exceed $50,000, 

5 provided on a competitive basis to qualified young 

6 leaders from the Pacific Islands for the purpose of 

7 carrying out projects dedicated to the improvement 

8 of their communities in the Pacific Islands; 

9 (3) regional workshops and professional and 

10 academic fellowships; and 

11 (4) people-to-people exchanges. 

12 (d) REPORT.— 

13 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

14 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec15 retary, acting through the Assistant Secretary of 

16 State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, shall 

17 submit a report to the appropriate congressional 

18 committees regarding the exchange programs for the 

19 Pacific Islands region. 

20 (2) ELEMENTS.—The report required under 

21 paragraph (1) shall— 

22 (A) assess the factors constraining the 

23 number and frequency of International Visitor 

24 Leadership Program participants from coun25 tries of the Pacific Islands; 


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1 (B) identify the resources that are nec2 essary to address the factors described in sub3 paragraph (A); and 

4 (C) include a strategy for connecting alum5 ni and participants of the Department of 

6 State’s professional development exchange pro7 grams in East Asia, such as the Young South8 east Asian Leaders Initiative and the Young 

9 Pacific Leaders programs, to enhance inter-re10 gion and intra-region people-to-people ties. 

11 (e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

12 are authorized to be appropriated $10,000,000 for each 

13 of the fiscal years 2023 through 2027 to carry out this 

14 section. 

15 SEC. 305. CIVIL SOCIETY ENGAGEMENT AND DEVELOP16 MENT. 

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall develop 

18 and implement a program to promote the development of 

19 civil society in the Pacific Islands for the purpose of— 

20 (1) strengthening independent media and press 

21 freedom; 

22 (2) empowering citizens to freely organize and 

23 communicate, including through existing and new 

24 civic spaces; 


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1 (3) strengthening rule of law and increasing 

2 government accountability; and 

3 (4) promoting democratic political culture. 

4 (b) CONDUCT OF PROGRAM.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—The program developed pur6 suant to subsection (a) shall be carried out in con7 sultation with local civil society groups in the Pacific 

8 Islands, including civil society groups that represent 

9 or work with traditionally marginalized groups. 

10 (2) ELEMENTS.—The program developed pur11 suant to subsection (a) may be carried out 

12 through— 

13 (A) technical assistance and support, in14 cluding through training and professional and 

15 academic fellowships; 

16 (B) grants provided on a competitive basis 

17 to qualified civil society organizations for the 

18 purpose of carrying out projects and programs 

19 dedicated to the objectives described in sub20 section (a); and 

21 (C) grants provided on a competitive basis 

22 to qualified United States organizations with 

23 demonstrated expertise in civil society develop24 ment and the Pacific Islands. 

25 (c) REPORT.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

2 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Ad3 ministrator shall submit a report to the appropriate 

4 congressional committees regarding the program de5 veloped pursuant to subsection (a). 

6 (2) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The report 

7 required under paragraph (1) shall— 

8 (A) assess the strength and viability of 

9 civil society sectors of the Pacific Islands, in10 cluding legal, organizational capacity, financial, 

11 advocacy, services, infrastructure, and public 

12 image sectors; and 

13 (B) identify the objectives and measures of 

14 success for the program. 

15 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

16 are authorized to be appropriated $5,000,000 for each of 

17 the fiscal years 2023 through 2027 to carry out this sec18 tion. 

Æ 


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