I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 10206 

To support the strengthening of civil society organizations in the Pacific 

Islands, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 21, 2024 

Mr. CASE (for himself, Mr. MOYLAN, Ms. PORTER, Ms. TITUS, Ms. TOKUDA, 

Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI, Mrs. RADEWAGEN, Mr. SABLAN, Mr. SHERMAN, 

Mr. NORCROSS, Mr. GOTTHEIMER, and Mr. VARGAS) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

A BILL 

To support the strengthening of civil society organizations 

in 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 TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Engage the Pacific 

5 Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

7 It is the sense of Congress that— 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
2 

•HR 10206 IH

1 (1) in the Pacific Islands region, civil society 

2 organizations are critical components of overall cohe3 sion and support; 

4 (2) in pursuit of a Pacific-led approach to re5 gional assistance, it is critical that the United States 

6 engage with and support the strengthening of civil 

7 society organizations in the Pacific Islands region, 

8 including faith-based organizations, environmental 

9 organizations, educational organizations, and media 

10 organizations; 

11 (3) in order to maximize the effectiveness of 

12 United States engagement in and support of the Pa13 cific Islands region, the United States must ensure 

14 the dissemination of information both generally and 

15 through civil society organizations; 

16 (4) in order to support a free and open Indo17 Pacific, it is necessary to ‘‘bolster freedom of infor18 mation and expression and combat foreign inter19 ference by supporting investigative journalism, pro20 moting media literacy and pluralistic and inde21 pendent media, and increasing collaboration to ad22 dress threats from information manipulation’’, as 

23 the White House 2022 Indo-Pacific Strategy states; 

24 (5) as stated in the statement released after the 

25 2024 Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting, ‘‘the 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
3 

•HR 10206 IH

1 United States is committed to working with Pacific 

2 Island countries’ governments, likeminded partners, 

3 and the private sector to empower and support Pa4 cific economic resilience’’, and one avenue to achieve 

5 such goals is for the United States to support capac6 ity by Pacific Island countries’ workforces to maxi7 mize the benefits of national investment and busi8 ness opportunities; and 

9 (6) American Spaces, a program of the Depart10 ment of State, including American Corners and 

11 American Centers, contribute to local society and 

12 boost United States presence in the region by facili13 tating United States engagement in collaboration 

14 with civil society organizations where residents can 

15 learn about the United States, engage in English 

16 language learning opportunities, learn about oppor17 tunities to study in the United States, and engage 

18 in various in-person and virtual programming, which 

19 facilitates the relationship between the United States 

20 and the Pacific Islands. 

21 SEC. 3. COMMITTEE ON ENGAGEMENT WITH CIVIL SOCIETY 

22 ORGANIZATIONS IN THE PACIFIC ISLANDS. 

23 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of State, in co24 ordination with the Administrator of the United States 

25 Agency for International Development and the Secretary 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
4 

•HR 10206 IH

1 of Defense, shall establish a committee, to be known as 

2 the ‘‘Committee on Engagement with Civil Society Organi3 zations in the Pacific Islands’’ (referred to in this sub4 section as the ‘‘Committee’’) for the purposes of— 

5 (1) coordinating interagency engagement with 

6 civil society organizations in the Pacific Islands; 

7 (2) coordinating collaboration with United 

8 States partners and allies on engagement with civil 

9 society organizations in the Pacific Islands; and 

10 (3) aligning such engagement with the needs of 

11 the Pacific Islands and the national security prior12 ities of the United States. 

13 (b) STRATEGY.—Not later than 180 days after the 

14 date of the enactment of this Act, the Committee shall 

15 submit to the appropriate congressional committees a 

16 strategy on engagement with civil society organizations in 

17 the Pacific Islands, including— 

18 (1) a review of current efforts across the United 

19 States Government to engage with such organiza20 tions, including the role of such efforts in the deliv21 ery of foreign aid to communities; 

22 (2) a plan for engagement across the United 

23 States Government with such organizations; 

24 (3) an assessment of the importance of engage25 ment by the United States with such organizations 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
5 

•HR 10206 IH

1 and how such engagement aligns with the advance2 ment of Indo-Pacific and Pacific Islands priorities 

3 within the National Security Strategy, Indo-Pacific 

4 Strategy, and Pacific Partnership Strategy; 

5 (4) an analysis of interagency cooperation re6 garding United States engagement with such organi7 zations and specific recommendations for expansion 

8 and improvement of such cooperation; 

9 (5) an analysis of the resources needed to bol10 ster and streamline United States engagement with 

11 such organizations, including any additional statu12 tory authorities or appropriations of funds; 

13 (6) an analysis of any engagement conducted by 

14 a country other than the United States with such or15 ganizations, including engagement that may under16 mine civil society in the Pacific Islands; and 

17 (7) an assessment of opportunities for greater 

18 coordination between the United States and like19 minded partners and allies. 

20 SEC. 4. STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS IN THE PACIFIC IS21 LANDS. 

22 Not later than 180 days after the date of the enact23 ment of this Act, the Secretary, in consultation with the 

24 Administrator of the United States Agency for Inter25 national Development and the Secretary of Defense, shall 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
6 

•HR 10206 IH

1 submit to the appropriate congressional committees a 

2 strategy for strategic communications in the Pacific Is3 lands, including— 

4 (1) a review of such communications, including 

5 United States interagency and multilateral efforts 

6 with like-minded partners; 

7 (2) an assessment of the resources being used 

8 for such communications, including the number of 

9 staff devoted to such communications, the location 

10 of such staff, and the funds appropriated for such 

11 communications; 

12 (3) an assessment of any additional resources 

13 needed for such communications; 

14 (4) an assessment of how United States engage15 ment is being perceived in the Pacific Islands and 

16 how such perception might be improved; 

17 (5) an assessment of how engagement by other 

18 actors is being perceived in the Pacific Islands; and 

19 (6) specific recommendations for the expansion 

20 and improvement of such communications. 

21 SEC. 5. INDO-PACIFIC MEDIA ADVANCEMENT PROGRAM. 

22 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State shall con23 tinue to implement and develop the Indo-Pacific Media 

24 Advancement Program to promote a robust, free media 

25 in the Pacific Islands and strengthen the capacity of 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
7 

•HR 10206 IH

1 media outlets and journalists in the Indo-Pacific region 

2 to develop their business strategies, enhance their ability 

3 to conduct independent journalism, and counter 

4 disinformation. 

5 (b) GOALS.—The goals of the Indo-Pacific Media Ad6 vancement Program shall be to accomplish the following: 

7 (1) Increase the understanding of prevalent 

8 misinformation and disinformation narratives. 

9 (2) Develop the capacity of professional, inde10 pendent media organizations and journalists to de11 velop and implement media sustainability plans, im12 prove business operations, and increase the quality 

13 and quantity of published information and news. 

14 (3) Expand media outlets’ access to resources, 

15 content-sharing agreements, and equipment, so that 

16 such outlets can provide quality content. 

17 (4) Develop the technical and investigative 

18 skills of journalists to conduct pre-bunking, fact19 checking, and debunking to address misinformation 

20 and disinformation. 

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

22 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in 

23 coordination with the heads of other Federal departments 

24 or agencies, as appropriate, shall submit to the appro25 priate congressional committees a report on the Indo-PaVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:58 Nov 26, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H10206.IH H10206

kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
8 

•HR 10206 IH

1 cific Media Advancement Program and the engagement of 

2 the United States with the free media in the Pacific Is3 lands, including the following: 

4 (1) An overview of the media and journalism 

5 landscape in the Pacific Islands. 

6 (2) A review of the efforts and planned efforts 

7 of the United States Government to strengthen free 

8 and independent media in the Pacific Islands, in9 cluding a description of the objectives, means of im10 plementation, and measures of success of the Indo11 Pacific Media Advancement Program. 

12 (3) An assessment of challenges to a free and 

13 open media in the Pacific Islands and to the imple14 mentation of the Indo-Pacific Media Advancement 

15 Program, including strategies to mitigate such chal16 lenges. 

17 (4) An assessment of any additional authorities 

18 or resources necessary for more robust United 

19 States engagement to promote a free media in the 

20 Pacific Islands and greater implementation of the 

21 Indo-Pacific Media Advancement Program. 

22 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

23 are authorized to be appropriated $4,000,000 for each of 

24 the fiscal years 2026 through 2030 to carry out this sec25 tion. 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
9 

•HR 10206 IH

1 SEC. 6. PACIFIC ISLANDS TRADES PROGRAM. 

2 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Administrator of the 

3 United States Agency for International Development shall 

4 establish a program, to be known as the ‘‘Pacific Islands 

5 Training and Resources for Advancement in Development, 

6 Education, and Skills Program’’ or the ‘‘Pacific Islands 

7 TRADES Program’’, to, through scholarships, training 

8 from such agency, and grants to partner organizations, 

9 assist with workforce development in the Pacific Islands 

10 to— 

11 (1) increase the capacity of the local workforce 

12 through medium- and long-term training and tech13 nical assistance in sectors of critical importance to 

14 the Pacific Islands, such as construction, tourism, 

15 boat maintenance, and fisheries; 

16 (2) balance maximizing workforce retention in 

17 the Pacific Islands with any necessary training out18 side of the Pacific Islands, with a focus on avoiding 

19 exacerbating outward labor flows; 

20 (3) keep Pacific priorities in mind by coordi21 nating with like-minded allies and partners and 

22 working with local organizations and governments; 

23 and 

24 (4) provide resources for technical and manage25 ment skills development to adequately prepare the 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
10 

•HR 10206 IH

1 workforce of the Pacific Islands for any potential in2 coming investment. 

3 (b) REPORT.—Not later than one year after the date 

4 of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall sub5 mit to the appropriate congressional committees a report 

6 on the Pacific Islands TRADES Program, including the 

7 following: 

8 (1) A comprehensive overview of such program. 

9 (2) An identification of the office overseeing 

10 such program. 

11 (3) A list of any partner organizations involved 

12 in such program. 

13 (4) A description of the training and workforce 

14 development planned as part of such program. 

15 (5) An assessment of the impact of such pro16 gram. 

17 (6) Any additional resources needed to imple18 ment such program. 

19 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

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

21 of the fiscal years 2026 through 2030 to carry out this 

22 section. 

23 SEC. 7. AMERICAN SPACES IN THE PACIFIC ISLANDS. 

24 Not later than 180 days after the enactment of this 

25 Act, the Secretary of State shall develop and submit to 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
11 

•HR 10206 IH

1 the appropriate congressional committees a report on the 

2 state of and plans for American Spaces in the Pacific Is3 lands, including— 

4 (1) an overview of American Spaces in the Pa5 cific Islands (including American Corners and Amer6 ican Centers), including an assessment of the cur7 rent and historical programming and resources of 

8 American Spaces; 

9 (2) a plan for future American Spaces in Pa10 cific Island countries, including any new develop11 ment or expansion of existing American Spaces, and 

12 a description of any additional resources needed for 

13 such expansion; and 

14 (3) an assessment of the impact of American 

15 Spaces on American foreign policy and national se16 curity interests, including in comparison to the simi17 lar initiatives of other actors. 

18 SEC. 8. DEFINITIONS. 

19 In this Act: 

20 (1) AMERICAN SPACES.—The term ‘‘American 

21 Spaces’’ means public diplomacy facilities operated 

22 or supported by the Department of State that pro23 vide digitally enhanced physical platforms for effec24 tive engagement with foreign audiences in support of 

25 the foreign policy objectives of the United States. 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
12 

•HR 10206 IH

1 (2) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT2 TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com3 mittees’’ means the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

4 and the Committee on Appropriations of the House 

5 of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign 

6 Relations and the Committee on Appropriations of 

7 the Senate. 

8 (3) CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATION.—The term 

9 ‘‘civil society organization’’ means a non-govern10 mental community organization, including any faith11 based organization, media organization, environ12 mental organization, and educational organization. 

13 (3) PACIFIC ISLANDS.—The term ‘‘Pacific Is14 lands’’ means the following: 

15 (A) Niue. 

16 (B) The Cook Islands. 

17 (C) The Federated States of Micronesia. 

18 (D) The Independent State of Papua New 

19 Guinea. 

20 (E) The Independent State of Samoa. 

21 (F) The Kingdom of Tonga. 

22 (G) The Republic of Fiji. 

23 (H) The Republic of Kiribati. 

24 (I) The Republic of the Marshall Islands. 

25 (J) The Republic of Nauru. 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
13 

•HR 10206 IH

1 (K) The Republic of Palau. 

2 (L) The Republic of Vanuatu. 

3 (M) The Solomon Islands. 

4 (N) Tuvalu. 

Æ 


kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB