19–010 

Calendar No. 412 

112TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! SENATE 2d Session 112–170 

INTERNATIONAL PROTECTING GIRLS BY PREVENTING 

CHILD MARRIAGE ACT OF 2011 

MAY 23, 2012.—Ordered to be printed 

Mr. KERRY, from the Committee on Foreign Relations, 

submitted the following 

R E P O R T 

[To accompany S. 414] 

The Committee on Foreign Relations, having had under consideration the bill (S. 414) to protect girls in developing countries 

through the prevention of child marriage, 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 S. 414 is to protect girls in developing countries 

through the prevention of child marriage. 

II. COMMITTEE ACTION

Senator Durbin introduced S. 414 on February 17, 2011. On February 14, 2012, the committee ordered the bill, without amendment, reported favorably by voice vote. 

III. DISCUSSION

The stated purpose of S. 414 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. 414, the President is authorized to provide assistance 

to prevent the incidence of child marriage in developing countries, 


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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. 414 requires the President to establish a multi-year strategy 

to prevent child marriage in developing countries, which shall be 

submitted to Congress 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. 

V. 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, May 14, 2012. 

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. 414, the International Protecting Girls by Preventing Child Marriage Act of 2011. 

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 


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CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE COST ESTIMATE

May 14, 2012. 

S. 414 

International Protecting Girls by Preventing Child 

Marriage Act of 2011 

AS ORDERED REPORTED BY THE SENATE COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN

RELATIONS ON FEBRUARY 14, 2012

SUMMARY 

S. 414 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 promote the empowerment of girls. 

CBO estimates that implementing the bill would have a discretionary cost of $23 million over the 2013–2017 period, assuming appropriation of the necessary amounts. 

Pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply to this legislation because 

it would not affect direct spending or revenues. 

S. 414 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. 

ESTIMATED COST TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT 

The estimated budgetary impact of S. 414 is shown in the following table. The costs of this legislation fall within budget function 150 (international affairs). 

Changes in Spending Due to S. 414 

By Fiscal Year, in Millions of Dollars 

2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2013– 

2017 

Estimated Authorization Level ........................... 8 8 8 8 8 40 

Estimated Outlays .............................................. * 3 6 7 7 23 

Note: * = LESS THAN $500,000. 

BASIS OF ESTIMATE 

For this estimate, CBO assumes that S. 414 will be enacted by 

the end of 2012, that the necessary amounts will be appropriated 

each year, and that outlays will follow historical spending patterns 

for existing programs. 

Based on information from the U.S. Agency for International Development about similar programs to prevent child marriage and 

gender-based violence, CBO estimates that the agency would require annual appropriations of about $7 million a year for assistance to foreign countries to reduce the incidence of child marriage. 

In addition, the agency would require annual appropriations of 

about $600,000 a year to hire three people to design and administer the programs, develop the strategy, and report to the Congress. Assuming appropriation of the necessary amounts, CBO estimates that implementing the bill would cost $23 million over the 

2013-2017 period. (The remainder of the estimated authorization 

amounts would be spent after 2017.) 


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PAY-AS-YOU-GO CONSIDERATIONS 

None. 

INTERGOVERNMENTAL AND PRIVATE-SECTOR IMPACT 

S. 414 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates 

as defined in UMRA and would impose no costs on state, local, or 

tribal governments. 

ESTIMATE PREPARED BY 

Federal Costs: Sunita D’Monte 

Impact on State, Local, and Tribal Governments: J’nell L. Blanco 

Impact on the Private Sector: Marin Randall 

ESTIMATE 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, 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 or 

under the age of 18 if no such law exists, in the country in which 

such girl or boy is a resident. 

* * * * * * * 

SEC. 502A. * * * [Repealed—1996] 

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

* * * * * * * 

(j) The report required by subsection (b) shall include for each 

country in which child marriage is prevalent, 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 or 

under the age of 18 if no such law exists, in the country in which 

such girl or boy is a resident. 

Æ 


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