IIB 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 7159 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 10, 2024 

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

AN ACT 

To bolster United States engagement with the Pacific Islands 

region, 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, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Pacific Partnership 

3 Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

5 It is the sense of Congress as follows: 

6 (1) The United States has longstanding and en7 during cultural, historic, economic, strategic, and 

8 people-to-people connections with the Pacific Islands, 

9 based on shared values, cultural histories, common 

10 interests, and a commitment to fostering mutual un11 derstanding and cooperation. 

12 (2) Successive United States administrations 

13 have recognized the critical importance of the Pacific 

14 Islands, to the world in high-level strategic docu15 ments, including the— 

16 (A) 2015 National Security Strategy, 

17 which first declared the rebalance to Asia and 

18 the Pacific, affirmed the United States as a Pa19 cific nation, and paved the way for subsequent 

20 United States engagement with the Pacific Is21 lands; 

22 (B) 2017 National Security Strategy, 

23 which includes a commitment to ‘‘shore up 

24 fragile partner states in the Pacific Islands re25 gion to reduce their vulnerability to economic 

26 fluctuations and natural disasters’’; 


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1 (C) 2019 Indo-Pacific Strategy Report, 

2 which identified the Pacific Islands as ‘‘critical 

3 to United States strategy because of our shared 

4 values, interests, and commitments’’; 

5 (D) 2022 Indo-Pacific Strategy Report, 

6 which recognized the need to engage further 

7 with the Pacific Islands on shared security 

8 goals; and 

9 (E) 2022 Strategy for Pacific Partnership, 

10 which outlined goals and methods for deepening 

11 the United States partnerships with Pacific Is12 land nations. 

13 (3) The United States Government should fur14 ther develop, expand, and support a comprehensive 

15 and multifaceted United States policy for the Pacific 

16 Islands that— 

17 (A) promotes peace, security, and pros18 perity for all countries that respects the sov19 ereignty and political independence of all na20 tions; 

21 (B) preserves the Pacific Ocean as a cor22 ridor for international maritime economic op23 portunities and growth and promotes sustain24 able development; 


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1 (C) supports regional efforts to address 

2 shared challenges, including by strengthening 

3 resilience to natural disasters and stewardship 

4 of natural resources; and 

5 (D) strengthens democratic governance 

6 and the rule of law, and promotes human rights 

7 and the preservation of the region’s cultural 

8 heritages. 

9 (4) The United States should support the vi10 sion, values, and objectives of existing regional mul11 tilateral institutions and frameworks, such as the 

12 Pacific Islands Forum and the Pacific Community. 

13 (5) The United States should work closely with 

14 United States allies and partners with existing rela15 tionships and interests in the Pacific Islands, such 

16 as Australia, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, 

17 and Taiwan, and regional institutions like the Pa18 cific Islands Forum. 

19 SEC. 3. STRATEGY FOR PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP. 

20 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than January 1, 2026, 

21 and again not later than January 1, 2030, the President, 

22 in coordination with the Secretary of State, shall develop 

23 and submit to the appropriate congressional committees 

24 a strategy entitled the ‘‘Strategy for Pacific Partnership’’ 

25 (in this section referred to as the ‘‘Strategy’’). 


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1 (b) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The Strategy shall 

2 include each of the following: 

3 (1) A description of overarching goals for 

4 United States engagement in the Pacific Islands re5 gion, including United States diplomatic posts, de6 fense posture, and economic engagement. 

7 (2) An assessment of threats and pressures to 

8 the Pacific Islands region including those caused by 

9 factors such as— 

10 (A) natural disasters; 

11 (B) illegal, unreported, and unregulated 

12 fishing; 

13 (C) non-United States military presence 

14 and activity; 

15 (D) developmental challenges; 

16 (E) economic coercion and corruption; and 

17 (F) other factors assessed to be causing a 

18 direct risk to the United States national inter19 ests in the Pacific Islands. 

20 (3) A plan to address the threats assessed pur21 suant to paragraph (2). 

22 (4) An analysis of the needs and goals ex23 pressed by governments of the Pacific Islands re24 gion, including at or through multilateral instituVerDate Sep 11 2014 16:07 Sep 11, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7159.RFS H7159

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1 tions, evaluated in light of the United States na2 tional interests. 

3 (5) A plan for the resources necessary for the 

4 United States to meet its goals in the Pacific Islands 

5 region. 

6 (6) Mechanisms, including existing forums, for 

7 coordinating and cooperating on shared goals among 

8 the following, as appropriate: 

9 (A) the governments of Pacific Island 

10 countries; 

11 (B) regional partners in the Pacific Islands 

12 region, including multilateral forums and orga13 nizations, such as the Pacific Islands Forum; 

14 (C) civil society in the Pacific Islands; and 

15 (D) United States subnational govern16 ments in the Pacific. 

17 (c) CONSULTATION.—In developing the Strategy, the 

18 President should consult, as appropriate, with— 

19 (1) relevant United States governmental agen20 cies; 

21 (2) regional organizations, such as the Pacific 

22 Islands Forum, the Pacific Islands Development 

23 Program, the Pacific Community, the Forum Fish24 eries Agency, and the Secretariat of the Pacific Re25 gional Environment Programme; 


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1 (3) the governments of the countries in the Pa2 cific Islands; 

3 (4) civil society stakeholders; 

4 (5) United States allies and partners; and 

5 (6) United States Pacific territories and States. 

6 SEC. 4. EXTENSION OF DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITIES TO THE 

7 PACIFIC ISLANDS FORUM. 

8 The provisions of the International Organizations Im9 munities Act (22 U.S.C. 288 et seq.) may be extended to 

10 the Pacific Islands Forum in the same manner, to the 

11 same extent, and subject to the same conditions as such 

12 provisions may be extended to a public international orga13 nization in which the United States participates pursuant 

14 to any treaty or under the authority of any Act of Con15 gress authorizing such participation or making an appro16 priation for such participation. 

17 SEC. 5. REPORTS ON IMPLEMENTATION. 

18 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 

19 date of submission of a strategy detailed in section 3(a), 

20 the President shall submit to the appropriate congres21 sional committees an implementation report— 

22 (1) with a proposed timeline for implementation 

23 of the strategy described in section 3(a) of this Act; 

24 (2) detailing the assessed number of full-time 

25 equivalent positions and contractors needed to 


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1 achieve the goals laid out in the strategy described 

2 in section 3(a) of this Act; 

3 (3) describing any institutional or structural re4 organizations suggested to help carry out the strat5 egy described in section 3(a) of this Act; and 

6 (4) if necessary, identifying additional funding 

7 needed to support resource levels to carry out the 

8 strategy described in 3(a). 

9 (b) CONSOLIDATION.—A report required by this sub10 section may be consolidated with any other report required 

11 to be submitted by the same Federal official on the same 

12 or similar date as the requirement under this subsection. 

13 SEC. 6. ALLIES AND PARTNERS IN THE PACIFIC ISLANDS 

14 REGION. 

15 (a) IN GENERAL.—The President, in consultation 

16 with the Secretary of State, and the relevant heads of 

17 other Federal departments and agencies, should consult 

18 and coordinate with allies and partners in the Pacific Is19 lands region, including Australia, Japan, New Zealand, 

20 Taiwan, and regional institutions, such as the Pacific Is21 lands Forum, the Pacific Islands Development Program, 

22 the Pacific Community and Secretariat for the Pacific Re23 gional Environment Programme, with respect to programs 

24 to provide assistance to the Pacific Islands, including for 

25 purposes of— 


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1 (1) deconflicting programming; 

2 (2) ensuring that any programming does not 

3 adversely affect the absorptive capacity of the Pa4 cific Islands; 

5 (3) ensuring complementary programs benefit 

6 the Pacific Islands to the maximum extent prac7 ticable; and 

8 (4) ensuring that programming aligns with re9 gional development goals to promote a shared vision 

10 for the future of the Pacific Islands. 

11 (b) FORMAL CONSULTATIVE PROCESS.—The Presi12 dent should establish a formal consultative process with 

13 such regional allies and partners to coordinate with re14 spect to such programs and future-years programming. 

15 SEC. 7. REPORTING. 

16 (a) UPDATES OF CERTAIN REPORTS.—The Secretary 

17 of State, in coordination with the heads of other Federal 

18 departments and agencies as appropriate, shall annually 

19 update the reports listed in subsection (b) to include with20 in the scope of such reports a regional discussion of 

21 transnational crime affecting the Pacific Islands. 

22 (b) REPORTS LISTED.—The reports listed in this 

23 subsection are the following: 


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1 (1) The International Narcotics Control Strat2 egy report required by section 489 of the Foreign 

3 Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2291h). 

4 (2) The Improving International Fisheries Man5 agement report required by section 607 of title VI 

6 of the Fisheries Act of 1995 (16 U.S.C. 1826h). 

7 (3) The Trafficking in Persons report sub8 mitted under section 110 of the Trafficking Victims 

9 Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7107). 

10 SEC. 8. DEFINITIONS. 

11 In this Act: 

12 (1) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT13 TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com14 mittees’’ means— 

15 (A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of 

16 the House of Representatives; and 

17 (B) the Committee on Foreign Relations of 

18 the Senate. 

19 (2) PACIFIC ISLANDS; PACIFIC ISLANDS RE20 GION.—The term ‘‘Pacific Islands’’ and ‘‘Pacific Is21 lands region’’ mean the nations, territories, and 

22 other jurisdictions in the Pacific Ocean within the 


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1 broad groupings of Melanesia, Micronesia, and Poly2 nesia. 

Passed the House of Representatives September 9, 

2024. 

Attest: KEVIN F. MCCUMBER, 

Clerk. 


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