69–010 

Calendar No. 754 

110TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! SENATE 2d Session 110–342 

EURASIA FOUNDATION ACT 

JUNE 2, 2008.—Ordered to be printed 

Mr. BIDEN, from the Committee on Foreign Relations, 

submitted the following 

R E P O R T 

[To accompany S. 3024] 

The Committee on Foreign Relations, having had under consideration the bill (S. 3024), to authorize grants to the Eurasia Foundation, and for other purposes, reports favorably thereon and recommends that the bill do pass. 

CONTENTS 

Page 

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

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

III. Discussion ....................................................................................................... 1 

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

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

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

I. PURPOSE

The purpose of the Eurasia Foundation Act is to authorize an annual grant to the Eurasia Foundation, thereby maintaining an investment the United States Government has made in the Eurasia 

Foundation and ensure that the Foundation will continue its work 

to promote accountable governance, civil society and private enterprise in the 12 countries of the former Soviet Union. 

II. COMMITTEE ACTION

On May 15, 2008, Senators Biden and Lugar introduced S. 3024, 

the Eurasia Foundation Act. At a business meeting on May 20, 

2008, the committee ordered the bill reported favorably by voice 

vote, without amendment. 

III. DISCUSSION

The region in which the Foundation operates—the nations of the 

former Soviet Union—has major strategic significance for the 

United States and its allies. In recognition of that fact, the U.S. 

Government has already invested roughly $300 million in the work 

of the Foundation since its inception in 1992. Foreign governments 


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and private donors have augmented these funds with an additional 

$80 million. The Foundation has used these resources well, developed a strong network of programs and partners, and amassed an 

admirable record of accomplishment. The Foundation’s activities 

have become particularly important in the face of new efforts by 

authoritarian regimes to subvert the region’s young, and still fragile, democracies. 

Much of the U.S. Government support to the Foundation has 

come through the Freedom Support Act. The Freedom Support Act 

budget, however, has decreased dramatically in recent years, from 

$958 million in fiscal year 2002 to $396 million in fiscal year 2008. 

The Eurasia Foundation Act establishes a regular budget item in 

the budget of the Department of State, akin to that now provided 

to the Asia Foundation under the Asia Foundation Act (P.L. 98– 

164). This will help ensure continuation of the Foundation’s important work to promote transparency, accountability, and civil society 

in the region independent of funding levels for the Freedom Support Act. The legislation also authorizes $15 million for the Eurasia 

Foundation in fiscal year 2009. 

The committee is aware of concerns that the work of the Foundation not overlap with the work of the Asia Foundation. Likewise, 

concerns have been expressed that the Eurasia Foundation not duplicate the efforts of the U.S. Russia Foundation for Economic Advancement and Rule of Law, the successor entity to the U.S. Russia 

Investment Fund. The bill addresses both of these issues. First, the 

bill defines the term ‘‘countries of Eurasia’’ in section 6(b). Second, 

section 2, which sets forth the purposes of the bill, delineates the 

geographic scope for the Foundation’s activities. In this regard, the 

committee notes that section 2(b)(1) authorizes the Foundation to 

work with citizens of the countries of Eurasia ‘‘in their own efforts 

to develop more open, just, and democratic societies.’’ A current 

project of the Foundation provides support for the European Humanities University, which recently relocated from Belarus to Lithuania and provides instruction to Belarusian students there. This 

type of project—assistance to people from the countries of Eurasia 

(but located outside of such countries)—is contemplated by the 

framework of section 2. With regard to the U.S. Russia Foundation, 

section 5(a) of the bill mandates that the Eurasia Foundation and 

the U.S. Russia Foundation enter into a memorandum of understanding (MOU), the purpose of which is to ensure coordination, 

and prevent duplication, in the work of the two Foundations. The 

bill imposes a deadline for conclusion of the MOU in section 5(b). 

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. 


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UNITED STATES CONGRESS, CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE, Washington, DC, May 29, 2008. 

Hon. JOSEPH R. BIDEN, JR., 

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. 3024, the Eurasia Foundation Act. 

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

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

Sincerely, 

PETER R. ORSZAG. 

CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE COST ESTIMATE

May 29, 2008. 

S. 3024 

Eurasia Foundation Act 

AS ORDERED REPORTED BY THE SENATE COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN

RELATIONS ON MAY 20, 2008

S. 3024 would authorize appropriations in 2009 and 2010 for 

grants to the Eurasia Foundation. The foundation is a nonprofit 

corporation based in Washington, D.C., that promotes accountable 

public administration, civil society, and private enterprise in Russia and countries in Central Asia, Eastern Europe, and the South 

Caucasus region. 

The bill would authorize the appropriation of $15 million in 2009 

and such sums as may be necessary in 2010 to carry out the purposes of the foundation. CBO estimates that under the bill the 

foundation would require about $15 million in 2010 and that implementing the legislation would cost $30 million over the 2009–2013 

period, subject to the appropriation of the authorized and estimated 

amounts. 

S. 3024 would encourage the foundation to augment its funding 

from private sources. According to the foundation, it receives private funding worth about $4 million a year (about 20 percent of its 

annual expenditures). Because it is a nongovernmental entity, the 

foundation’s authority to accept and spend gifts does not affect the 

federal budget. Enacting the bill would not affect direct spending 

or revenues. 

S. 3024 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would 

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

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

This estimate was approved by Peter H. Fontaine, Assistant Director for Budget Analysis. 


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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 paragraph 12 of Rule XXVI of the Standing 

Rules of the Senate, the committee notes that no changes to existing law are made by this bill. 

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