I 

108TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1462

To authorize assistance for individuals with disabilities in foreign countries, 

including victims of warfare and civil strife, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 27, 2003

Mr. LANTOS (for himself, Mr. WOLF, Mr. BROWN of Ohio, Mr. SMITH of New 

Jersey, Mr. EVANS, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. PITTS, Mr. BERMAN, Mr. QUINN, 

Mr. WEXLER, Mr. CASE, Mr. CROWLEY, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Ms. WOOLSEY, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Mr. SERRANO, Mr. ACKERMAN, Mr. SCHIFF, 

Mr. OLVER, Mr. HOEFFEL, Ms. MCCOLLUM, and Mr. LANGEVIN) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations 

A BILL

To authorize assistance for individuals with disabilities in 

foreign countries, including victims of warfare and civil 

strife, 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 TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘International Dis5 ability and Victims of Warfare and Civil Strife Assistance 

6 Act of 2003’’. 
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1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE. 

2 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find3 ing: 

4 (1)(A) According to the International Com5 mittee of the Red Cross, there are tens of millions 

6 of landmines in over 60 countries around the world, 

7 and it has estimated that as many as 24,000 people 

8 are maimed or killed each year by landmines, mostly 

9 civilians, resulting in amputations and disabilities of 

10 various kinds. 

11 (B) While the United States Government in12 vests more than $100,000,000 in mine action pro13 grams annually, including funding for mine aware14 ness and demining training programs, only about 

15 ten percent of these funds go to directly aid land16 mine victims. 

17 (C) The Patrick Leahy War Victims Fund, ad18 ministered by the United States Agency for Inter19 national Development, has provided essential pros20 thetics and rehabilitation for landmine and other 

21 war victims in developing countries who are disabled 

22 and has provided long-term sustainable improve23 ments in quality of life for victims of civil strife and 

24 warfare, addressing such issues as barrier-free acces25 sibility, reduction of social stigmatization, and in26 creasing economic opportunities. 
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1 (D) Enhanced coordination is needed among 

2 Federal agencies that carry out assistance programs 

3 in foreign countries for victims of landmines and 

4 other victims of civil strife and warfare to make bet5 ter use of interagency expertise and resources. 

6 (2) According to a review of Poverty and Dis7 ability commissioned by the World Bank, ‘‘disabled 

8 people have lower education and income levels than 

9 the rest of the population. They are more likely to 

10 have incomes below poverty level than the non-dis11 abled population, and they are less likely to have 

12 savings and other assets . . . [t]he links between 

13 poverty and disability go two ways—not only does 

14 disability add to the risk of poverty, but conditions 

15 of poverty add to the risk of disability.’’. 

16 (3) Numerous international human rights con17 ventions and declarations recognize the need to pro18 tect the rights of individuals regardless of their sta19 tus, including those individuals with disabilities, 

20 through the principles of equality and non-discrimi21 nation. 

22 (b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to author23 ize assistance for individuals with disabilities, including 

24 victims of landmines and other victims of civil strife and 

25 warfare. 
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1 SEC. 3. INTERNATIONAL DISABILITIES AND WAR VICTIMS 

2 ASSISTANCE. 

3 The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 

4 et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 134 the fol5 lowing: 

6 ‘‘SEC. 135. INTERNATIONAL DISABILITIES AND WAR VIC7 TIMS ASSISTANCE. 

8 ‘‘(a) AUTHORIZATION.—The President is authorized 

9 to furnish assistance to individuals with disabilities, in10 cluding victims of civil strife and warfare, in foreign coun11 tries. 

12 ‘‘(b) ACTIVITIES.—The programs established pursu13 ant to subsection (a) may include programs, projects, and 

14 activities such as the following: 

15 ‘‘(1) Development of local capacity to provide 

16 medical and rehabilitation services for individuals 

17 with disabilities, including victims of civil strife and 

18 warfare, in foreign countries, such as—

19 ‘‘(A) support for and training of medical 

20 professionals, including surgeons, nurses, and 

21 physical therapists, to provide effective emer22 gency and other medical care and for the devel23 opment of training manuals relating to first aid 

24 and other medical treatment; 

25 ‘‘(B) support for sustainable prosthetic 

26 and orthotic services; and 
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1 ‘‘(C) psychological and social rehabilitation 

2 of such individuals, together with their families 

3 as appropriate, for the reintegration of such in4 dividuals into local communities. 

5 ‘‘(2) Support for policy reform and educational 

6 efforts related to the needs and abilities of individ7 uals with disabilities, including victims of civil strife 

8 and warfare. 

9 ‘‘(3) Coordination of programs established pur10 suant to subsection (a) with existing programs for 

11 individuals with disabilities, including victims of civil 

12 strife and warfare, in foreign countries. 

13 ‘‘(4) Support for establishment of appropriate 

14 entities in foreign countries to coordinate programs, 

15 projects, and activities related to assistance for indi16 viduals with disabilities, including victims of civil 

17 strife and warfare. 

18 ‘‘(5) Support for primary, secondary, and voca19 tional education, public awareness and training pro20 grams and other activities that help prevent war-re21 lated injuries and assist individuals with disabilities, 

22 including victims of civil strife and warfare, with 

23 their reintegration into society and their ability to 

24 make sustained social and economic contributions to 

25 society.
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1 ‘‘(c) PRIORITY.—To the maximum extent feasible, as2 sistance under this section shall be provided through non3 governmental organizations, and, as appropriate, through 

4 governments to establish appropriate norms, standards, 

5 and policies related to rehabilitation and issues affecting 

6 individuals with disabilities, including victims of civil strife 

7 and warfare. 

8 ‘‘(d) FUNDING.—Amounts made available to carry 

9 out the other provisions of this part (including chapter 4 

10 of part II of this Act) and the Support for East European 

11 Democracy (SEED) Act of 1989 are authorized to be 

12 made available to carry out this section and are authorized 

13 to be provided notwithstanding any other provision of 

14 law.’’. 

15 SEC. 4. RESEARCH, PREVENTION, AND ASSISTANCE RE16 LATED TO INTERNATIONAL DISABILITIES 

17 AND LANDMINE AND OTHER WAR VICTIMS. 

18 (a) AUTHORIZATION.—

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and 

20 Human Services, acting through the Director of the 

21 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is au22 thorized—

23 (A) to conduct programs in foreign coun24 tries related to individuals with disabilities, in-
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1 cluding victims of landmines and other victims 

2 of civil strife and warfare; 

3 (B) to provide grants to nongovernmental 

4 organizations for the purpose of carrying out 

5 research, prevention, public awareness and as6 sistance programs in foreign countries related 

7 to individuals with disabilities, including victims 

8 of landmines and other victims of civil strife 

9 and warfare. 

10 (2) APPROVAL OF SECRETARY OF STATE.—Ac11 tivities under programs established pursuant to 

12 paragraph (1) may be carried out in foreign coun13 tries only in coordination with the Administrator of 

14 the United States Agency for International Develop15 ment, and upon approval for such activities in such 

16 countries by the Secretary of State. 

17 (b) ACTIVITIES.—Programs established pursuant to 

18 subsection (a) may include the following activities: 

19 (1) Research on trauma, physical, psychological, 

20 and social rehabilitation, and continuing medical 

21 care related to individuals with disabilities, including 

22 victims of landmines and other victims of civil strife 

23 and warfare, including—
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1 (A) conducting research on psychological 

2 and social factors that lead to successful recov3 ery; 

4 (B) developing, testing, and evaluating 

5 model interventions that reduce post-traumatic 

6 stress and promote health and well-being; 

7 (C) developing basic instruction tools for 

8 initial medical response to traumatic injuries; 

9 and 

10 (D) developing basic instruction manuals 

11 for patients and healthcare providers, including 

12 for emergency and follow-up care, proper ampu13 tation procedures, and reconstructive surgery. 

14 (2) Facilitation of peer support networks for in15 dividuals with disabilities, including victims of land16 mines and other victims of civil strife and warfare, 

17 in foreign countries, including—

18 (A) establishment of organizations at the 

19 local level, administered by such individuals, to 

20 assess and address the physical, psychological, 

21 economic and social rehabilitation and other 

22 needs of such individuals, together with their 

23 families as appropriate, for the purpose of eco24 nomic and social reintegration into local com25 munities; and 
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1 (B) training related to the implementation 

2 of such peer support networks, including train3 ing of outreach workers to assist in the estab4 lishment of organizations such as those de5 scribed in subparagraph (A) and assistance to 

6 facilitate the use of the networks by such indi7 viduals. 

8 (3) Sharing of expertise from limb-loss and dis9 ability research centers in the United States with 

10 similar centers and facilities in war-affected coun11 tries, including promoting increased health for indi12 viduals with limb loss and limb deficiency and epide13 miological research on secondary medical conditions 

14 related to limb loss and limb deficiency. 

15 (4) Developing a database of best practices to 

16 address the needs of the war-related disabled 

17 through comprehensive examination of support ac18 tivities related to such disability and access to med19 ical care and supplies. 

20 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

21 are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of 

22 Health and Human Services to carry out this section such 

23 sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2003 

24 through 2004. 
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1 SEC. 5. EXPERTISE OF THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 

2 AFFAIRS. 

3 The Secretary of Veterans Affairs is authorized—

4 (1) to provide advice and expertise on pros5 thetics, orthotics, physical and psychological rehabili6 tation and treatment, and disability assistance to 

7 other Federal departments and agencies, including 

8 providing for temporary assignment on a non-reim9 bursable basis of appropriate Department of Vet10 erans Affairs personnel, with respect to the imple11 mentation of programs to provide assistance to vic12 tims of landmines and other victims of civil strife 

13 and warfare in foreign countries and landmine re14 search and health-related programs, including pro15 grams established pursuant to section 135 of the 

16 Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (as added by section 

17 3 of this Act) and programs established pursuant to 

18 section 4 of this Act; and 

19 (2) to provide technical assistance to private 

20 voluntary organizations on a reimbursable basis with 

21 respect to the planning, development, operation, and 

22 evaluation of such landmine assistance, research, 

23 and prevention programs.

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