99–010 

Calendar No. 637 

111TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! SENATE 2d Session 111–344 

INTERNATIONAL PROTECTING GIRLS BY PREVENTING 

CHILD MARRIAGE ACT OF 2010 

OCTOBER 26 (legislative day, OCTOBER 1), 2010.—Ordered to be printed 

Filed, under authority of the order of the Senate of Septemer 29, 2010 

Mr. KERRY, from the Committee on Foreign Relations, 

submitted the following 

R E P O R T 

[To accompany S. 987] 

The Committee on Foreign Relations, having had under consideration the bill (S. 987) to protect girls in developing countries 

through the prevention of child marriage, and for other purposes, 

reports favorably thereon with an amendment and recommends 

that the bill (as amended) do pass. 

CONTENTS 

Page 

I. Purpose ........................................................................................................... 1 

II. Committee Action .......................................................................................... 1 

III. Discussion ....................................................................................................... 2 

IV. Cost Estimate ................................................................................................. 2 

V. Evaluation of Regulatory Impact .................................................................. 4 

VI. Changes in Existing Law .............................................................................. 4 

I. PURPOSE

The purpose of S. 987 is to protect girls in developing countries 

through the prevention of child marriage. 

II. COMMITTEE ACTION

Senator Durbin introduced S. 987 on May 6, 2009. On September 

21, 2010, the committee ordered the bill, amended in the nature of 

a substitute, reported favorably by voice vote. Changes in the substitute included merging section 5 on assistance to prevent the incidence of childhood marriage in developing countries with section 6 

on the strategy to prevent child marriage in developing countries; 

modifying the deadlines for implementation of the multi-year strategy and for submission of the report to Congress detailing the implementation of said strategy; and removing section 9 on the authorization of appropriations for such sums as may be necessary for 

fiscal years 2010 through 2014. 


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III. DISCUSSION

The stated purpose of S. 987 is to protect girls in developing 

countries through the prevention of child marriage. The bill finds 

that child marriage is a violation of article 16 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and its practice undermines U.S. investments in foreign assistance to promote education and skills building for girls, reduce maternal and child mortality, halt the transmission of HIV/AIDS, and prevent gender-based violence. 

Through S. 987, the President is authorized to provide assistance 

to prevent the incidence of child marriage in developing countries, 

and to promote the educational, health, economic, social, and legal 

empowerment of girls and women. Priority should be given to areas 

or regions in developing countries in which 40 percent or more of 

girls under the age of 18 are married. The committee intends for 

the bill to support activities that expand and replicate successful 

community-based programs to prevent the incidence of child marriage and that establish pilot projects to prevent child marriage. 

The bill does not authorize any new funds. 

S. 987 requires the President to establish a multi-year strategy 

to prevent child marriage in developing countries, which shall be 

implemented not later than one year after the date of enactment 

of this Act. Not later than three years after the date of enactment 

of this Act, the President shall submit to Congress a report that includes a description of the implementation of said strategy, examples of best practices or programs to prevent child marriage in developing countries, and an assessment of current U.S. funded efforts to prevent child marriage in developing countries. 

The committee intends for the President to work with the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development to 

collect data on the incidence of child marriage in countries that receive U.S. foreign or development assistance, as well as on the impact of the incidence of child marriage and the age at marriage on 

progress in meeting key development goals. Section 7 of the bill 

amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to include in the annual 

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices of the Department of 

State a description of child marriage in countries where child marriage is prevalent at rates at or above 40 percent in at least one 

sub-national region. 

IV. COST ESTIMATE

In accordance with Rule XXVI, paragraph 11(a) of the Standing 

Rules of the Senate, the committee provides this estimate of the 

costs of this legislation prepared by the Congressional Budget Office. 

UNITED STATES CONGRESS, CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE, Washington, DC, October 7, 2010. 

Hon. JOHN F. KERRY, 

Chairman, Committee on Foreign Relations, 

U.S. Senate, Washington, DC. 

DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: The Congressional Budget Office has prepared the enclosed cost estimate for S. 987, the International Protecting Girls by Preventing Child Marriage Act of 2010. 


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If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be pleased 

to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Sunita D’Monte. 

Sincerely, 

DOUGLAS W. ELMENDORF. 

cc: Hon. RICHARD G. LUGAR, Ranking Minority Member 

CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE COST ESTIMATE

October 7, 2010. 

S. 987 

International Protecting Girls by Preventing Child 

Marriage Act of 2010 

AS ORDERED REPORTED BY THE SENATE COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN

RELATIONS ON SEPTEMBER 21, 2010

S. 987 would authorize the President to provide assistance to developing countries to reduce the incidence of child marriage and 

would require him to develop and implement a multiyear strategy 

to prevent such marriages and to promote the empowerment of 

girls. CBO estimates that implementing the bill would cost $67 

million over the 2011–2015 period, assuming appropriation of the 

necessary amounts. Enacting S. 987 would not affect direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply 

to this legislation. 

S. 987 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates 

as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) and 

would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal governments. 

The estimated budgetary impact of S. 987 is shown in the following table. The costs of this legislation fall within budget function 150 (international affairs). For this estimate, CBO assumes 

that the estimated authorizations will be appropriated each fiscal 

year and that outlays will follow historical spending patterns for 

similar and existing programs. 

Changes in Spending Due to S. 987 

By Fiscal Year, in Millions of Dollars 

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2011– 

2015 

Estimated Authorization Level ............................ 21 21 21 22 22 108 

Estimated Outlays ............................................... 1 10 16 19 20 67 

Note: Components do not sum to totals because of rounding. 

The bill would require the President to target assistance to countries that have rates of child marriage exceeding 40 percent and to 

replicate or expand successful efforts to prevent child marriages. 

According to the International Center for Research on Women, 21 

countries—mostly in Africa—have rates of child marriage that are 

at least that high. Based on information from the U.S. Agency for 

International Development on current programs to prevent child 

marriage, CBO estimates that the agency would require annual appropriations of $1 million per country to implement similar or expanded programs in the 21 high-priority countries, for a total of 


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$21 million in 2011 and $107 million over the 2011–2015 period. 

Assuming appropriation of the necessary amounts, CBO estimates 

that implementing the bill would cost $66 million over the 2011– 

2015 period. (The remainder would be spent after 2015.) 

CBO estimates that the administrative costs of implementing the 

bill’s requirements to develop and carry out a multiyear strategy 

to prevent child marriage and to submit reports to the Congress 

would cost less than $500,000 each year and would total $1 million 

over the 2011–2015 period, assuming the availability of appropriated funds. 

The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Sunita D’Monte. The 

estimate was approved by Theresa Gullo, Deputy Assistant Director for Budget Analysis. 

V. EVALUATION OF REGULATORY IMPACT

Pursuant to Rule XXVI, paragraph 11(b) of the Standing Rules 

of the Senate, the committee has determined that there is no regulatory impact as a result of this legislation. 

VI. CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW

In compliance with Rule XXVI, paragraph 12 of the Standing 

Rules of the Senate, changes in existing law made by the bill, as 

reported, are shown as follows (existing law proposed to be omitted 

is enclosed in black brackets, new matter is printed in italic, existing law in which no change is proposed is shown in roman). 

Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 

* * * * * * * 

SEC. 116. HUMAN RIGHTS.—(a) 

* * * * * * * 

(g) The report required by subsection (d) shall include for each 

country in which child marriage is prevalent at rates at or above 

40 percent in at least one subnational region, a description of the 

status of the practice of child marriage in such country. In this subsection, the term ‘‘child marriage’’ means the marriage of a girl or 

boy, not yet the minimum age for marriage stipulated in law in the 

country in which such girl or boy is a resident. 

* * * * * * * 

SEC. 502A. * * * [Repealed—1996] 

SEC. 502B. HUMAN RIGHTS.—(a)(1) * * * 

* * * * * * * 

(i) The report required by subsection (d) shall include for each 

country in which child marriage is prevalent at rates at or above 

40 percent in at least one subnational region, a description of the 

status of the practice of child marriage in such country. In this subsection, the term ‘‘child marriage’’ means the marriage of a girl or 

boy, not yet the minimum age for marriage stipulated in law in the 

country in which such girl or boy is a resident. 

Æ 


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