113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 1104 

AN ACT 

To measure the progress of recovery and development efforts 

in Haiti following the earthquake of January 12, 2010, 

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 ‘‘Assessing Progress in 

3 Haiti Act of 2014’’. 

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

5 Congress makes the following findings: 

6 (1) On January 12, 2010, a massive earth7 quake struck near the Haitian capital city of Port8 au-Prince, leaving an estimated 220,000 people 

9 dead, including 103 United States citizens, 101 

10 United Nations personnel, and nearly 18 percent of 

11 the nation’s civil service, as well as 300,000 injured, 

12 115,000 homes destroyed, and 1,500,000 people dis13 placed. 

14 (2) According to the Post Disaster Needs As15 sessment conducted by the Government of Haiti, 

16 with technical assistance from the United Nations, 

17 the World Bank, the Inter-American Development 

18 Bank, the Economic Commission for Latin America 

19 and the Caribbean, and the European Commission, 

20 an estimated 15 percent of the population was di21 rectly affected by the disaster and related damages 

22 and economic losses totaled $7,804,000,000. 

23 (3) Even before the earthquake, Haiti had some 

24 of the lowest socioeconomic indicators and the sec25 ond highest rate of income disparity in the world, 

26 conditions that have further complicated post-earth-
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1 quake recovery efforts and, according to the World 

2 Bank, have significantly reduced the prospects of ad3 dressing poverty reduction through economic growth. 

4 (4) According to the World Food Programme, 

5 more than 6,700,000 people in Haiti (out of a popu6 lation of about 10,000,000) are considered food inse7 cure. 

8 (5) In October 2010, an unprecedented out9 break of cholera in Haiti resulted in over 500,000 

10 reported cases and over 8,000 deaths to date, fur11 ther straining the capacity of Haiti’s public health 

12 sector and increasing the urgency of resettlement 

13 and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) efforts. 

14 (6) The international community, led by the 

15 United States and the United Nations, mounted an 

16 unprecedented humanitarian response in Haiti, with 

17 donors pledging approximately $10,400,000,000 for 

18 humanitarian relief and recovery efforts, including 

19 debt relief, supplemented by $3,100,000,000 in pri20 vate charitable contributions, of which approximately 

21 $6,400,000,000 has been disbursed and an addi22 tional $3,800,000,000 has been committed as of 

23 September 30, 2013. 

24 (7) The emergency response of the men and 

25 women of the United States Government, led by the 
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1 United States Agency for International Development 

2 (USAID) and the United States Southern Com3 mand, as well as of cities, towns, individuals, busi4 nesses, and philanthropic organizations across the 

5 United States, was particularly swift and resolute. 

6 (8) Since 2010, a total of $1,300,000,000 in 

7 United States assistance has been allocated for hu8 manitarian relief and $2,300,000,000 has been allo9 cated for recovery, reconstruction, and development 

10 assistance in Haiti, including $1,140,000,000 in 

11 emergency appropriations and $95,000,000 that has 

12 been obligated specifically to respond to the cholera 

13 epidemic. 

14 (9) Of the $3,600,000,000 in United States as15 sistance allocated for Haiti, $651,000,000 was ap16 portioned to USAID to support an ambitious recov17 ery plan, including the construction of a power plant 

18 to provide electricity for the new Caracol Industrial 

19 Park (CIP) in northern Haiti, a new port near the 

20 CIP, and permanent housing in new settlements in 

21 the Port-au-Prince, St-Marc, and Cap-Haı ̈tien areas. 

22 (10) According to a recent report of the Gov23 ernment Accountability Office, as of June 30, 2013, 

24 USAID had disbursed 31 percent of its reconstruc25 tion funds in Haiti, the port project was 2 years be-
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1 hind schedule and USAID funding will be insuffi2 cient to cover a majority of the projected costs, the 

3 housing project has been reduced by 80 percent, and 

4 the sustainability of the power plant, the port, and 

5 the housing projects were all at risk. 

6 (11) GAO further found that Congress has not 

7 been provided with sufficient information to ensure 

8 that it is able to conduct effective oversight at a 

9 time when most funding remains to be disbursed, 

10 and specifically recommends that a periodic report11 ing mechanism be instituted to fill this information 

12 gap. 

13 (12) Donors have encountered significant chal14 lenges in implementing recovery programs, and near15 ly 4 years after the earthquake, an estimated 

16 171,974 people remain displaced in camps, unem17 ployment remains high, corruption is rampant, land 

18 rights remain elusive, allegations of wage violations 

19 are widespread, the business climate is unfavorable, 

20 and government capacity remains weak. 

21 (13) For Haiti to achieve stability and long 

22 term economic growth, donor assistance will have to 

23 be carefully coordinated with a commitment by the 

24 Government of Haiti to transparency, a market 

25 economy, rule of law, and democracy. 
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1 (14) The legal environment in Haiti remains a 

2 challenge to achieving the goals supported by the 

3 international community. 

4 SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 

5 It is the policy of the United States to support the 

6 sustainable rebuilding and development of Haiti in a man7 ner that— 

8 (1) promotes efforts that are led by and sup9 port the people and Government of Haiti at all levels 

10 so that Haitians lead the course of reconstruction 

11 and development of Haiti; 

12 (2) builds the long term capacity of the Govern13 ment of Haiti and civil society in Haiti; 

14 (3) reflects the priorities and particular needs 

15 of both women and men so they may participate 

16 equally and to their maximum capacity; 

17 (4) respects and helps restore Haiti’s natural 

18 resources, as well as builds community-level resil19 ience to environmental and weather-related impacts; 

20 (5) provides timely and comprehensive reporting 

21 on goals and progress, as well as transparent post 

22 program evaluations and contracting data; 

23 (6) prioritizes the local procurement of goods 

24 and services in Haiti where appropriate; and 
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1 (7) promotes the holding of free, fair, and time2 ly elections in accordance with democratic principles 

3 and the Haitian Constitution. 

4 SEC. 4. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

5 It is the sense of Congress that transparency, ac6 countability, democracy, and good governance are integral 

7 factors in any congressional decision regarding United 

8 States assistance, including assistance to Haiti. 

9 SEC. 5. REPORT. 

10 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than December 31, 

11 2014, and annually thereafter through December 31, 

12 2017, the Secretary of State shall submit to Congress a 

13 report on the status of post-earthquake recovery and de14 velopment efforts in Haiti. 

15 (b) CONTENTS.—The report required by subsection 

16 (a) shall include— 

17 (1) a summary of ‘‘Post-Earthquake USG Haiti 

18 Strategy: Toward Renewal and Economic Oppor19 tunity’’, including any significant changes to the 

20 strategy over the reporting period and an expla21 nation thereof; 

22 (2) a breakdown of the work that the United 

23 States Government agencies other than USAID and 

24 the Department of State are conducting in the Haiti 

25 recovery effort, and the cost of that assistance; 
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1 (3) an assessment of the progress of United 

2 States efforts to advance the objectives of the ‘‘Post3 Earthquake USG Haiti Strategy: Toward Renewal 

4 and Economic Opportunity’’ produced by the De5 partment of State, compared to what remains to be 

6 achieved to meet specific goals, including— 

7 (A) a description of any significant 

8 changes to the Strategy over the reporting pe9 riod and an explanation thereof; 

10 (B) an assessment of progress, or lack 

11 thereof, over the reporting period toward meet12 ing the goals and objectives, benchmarks, and 

13 timeframes specified in the Strategy, includ14 ing— 

15 (i) a description of progress toward 

16 designing and implementing a coordinated 

17 and sustainable housing reconstruction 

18 strategy that addresses land ownership, se19 cure land tenure, water and sanitation, 

20 and the unique concerns of vulnerable pop21 ulations such as women and children, as 

22 well as neighborhood and community revi23 talization, housing finance, and capacity 

24 building for the Government of Haiti to 

25 implement an effective housing policy; 
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1 (ii) a description of United States 

2 Government efforts to construct and sus3 tain the proposed port, as well as an as4 sessment of the current projected timeline 

5 and cost for completion; and 

6 (iii) a description of United States 

7 Government efforts to attract and leverage 

8 the investments of private sector partners 

9 to the CIP, including by addressing any 

10 policy impediments; 

11 (C) a description of the quantitative and 

12 qualitative indicators used to evaluate the 

13 progress toward meeting the goals and objec14 tives, benchmarks, and timeframes specified in 

15 the Strategy at the program level; 

16 (D) the amounts committed, obligated, and 

17 expended on programs and activities to imple18 ment the Strategy, by sector and by imple19 menting partner at the prime and subprime lev20 els (in amounts of not less than $25,000); and 

21 (E) a description of the risk mitigation 

22 measures put in place to limit the exposure of 

23 United States assistance provided under the 

24 Strategy to waste, fraud, and abuse; 
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1 (4) a description of measures taken to strength2 en, and United States Government efforts to im3 prove, Haitian governmental and nongovernmental 

4 organizational capacity to undertake and sustain 

5 United States-supported recovery programs; 

6 (5) as appropriate, a description of United 

7 States efforts to consult and engage with Govern8 ment of Haiti ministries and local authorities on the 

9 establishment of goals and timeframes, and on the 

10 design and implementation of new programs under 

11 the Post-Earthquake USG Haiti Strategy: Toward 

12 Renewal and Economic Opportunity; 

13 (6) a description of efforts by Haiti’s legislative 

14 and executive branches to consult and engage with 

15 Haitian civil society and grassroots organizations on 

16 the establishment of goals and timeframes, and on 

17 the design and implementation of new donor-fi18 nanced programs, as well as efforts to coordinate 

19 with and engage the Haitian diaspora; 

20 (7) consistent with the Government of Haiti’s 

21 ratification of the United Nations Convention 

22 Against Corruption, a description of efforts of the 

23 Governments of the United States and Haiti to 

24 strengthen Government of Haiti institutions estab25 lished to address corruption, as well as related ef-
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1 forts to promote public accountability, meet public 

2 outreach and disclosure obligations, and support civil 

3 society participation in anti-corruption efforts; 

4 (8) a description of efforts to leverage public5 private partnerships and increase the involvement of 

6 the private sector in Haiti in recovery and develop7 ment activities and coordinate programs with the 

8 private sector and other donors; 

9 (9) a description of efforts to address the par10 ticular needs of vulnerable populations, including in11 ternally displaced persons, women, children, or12 phans, and persons with disabilities, in the design 

13 and implementation of new programs and infrastruc14 ture; 

15 (10) a description of the impact that agri16 culture and infrastructure programs are having on 

17 the food security, livelihoods, and land tenure secu18 rity of smallholder farmers, particularly women; 

19 (11) a description of mechanisms for commu20 nicating the progress of recovery and development 

21 efforts to the people of Haiti, including a description 

22 of efforts to provide documentation, reporting and 

23 procurement information in Haitian Creole; 

24 (12) a description of the steps the Government 

25 of Haiti is taking to strengthen its capacity to re-
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1 ceive individuals who are removed, excluded, or de2 ported from the United States; and 

3 (13) an assessment of actions necessary to be 

4 taken by the Government of Haiti to assist in ful5 filling the objectives of the Strategy. 

6 SEC. 6. STRATEGY. 

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

8 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, 

9 acting through the Assistant Secretary of State for West10 ern Hemisphere Affairs, shall coordinate and transmit to 

11 the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee 

12 on Appropriations of the Senate and the Committee on 

13 Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Appropriations of 

14 the House of Representatives a three-year Haiti strategy 

15 based on rigorous assessments that— 

16 (1) identifies and addresses constraints to sus17 tainable, broad-based economic growth and to the 

18 consolidation of responsive, democratic government 

19 institutions; 

20 (2) includes an action plan that outlines policy 

21 tools, technical assistance, and anticipated resources 

22 for addressing the highest-priority constraints to 

23 economic growth and the consolidation of democracy, 

24 as well as a specific description of mechanisms for 

25 monitoring and evaluating progress; and 
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1 (3) identifies specific steps and verifiable bench2 marks appropriate to provide direct bilateral assist3 ance to the Government of Haiti. 

4 (b) ELEMENTS.—The strategy required under sub5 section (a) should address the following elements: 

6 (1) A plan to engage the Government of Haiti 

7 on shared priorities to build long-term capacity, in8 cluding the development of a professional civil serv9 ice, to assume increasing responsibility for govern10 ance and budgetary sustainment of governmental in11 stitutions. 

12 (2) A plan to assist the Government of Haiti in 

13 holding free, fair and timely elections in accordance 

14 with democratic principles. 

15 (3) Specific goals for future United States sup16 port for efforts to build the capacity of the Govern17 ment of Haiti, including to– 

18 (A) reduce corruption; 

19 (B) consolidate the rule of law and an 

20 independent judiciary; 

21 (C) strengthen the civilian police force; 

22 (D) develop sustainable housing, including 

23 ensuring appropriate titling and land ownership 

24 rights; 
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1 (E) expand port capacity to support eco2 nomic growth; 

3 (F) attract and leverage the investments of 

4 private sector partners, including to the Caracol 

5 Industrial Park; 

6 (G) promote large and small scale agricul7 tural development in a manner that reduces 

8 food insecurity and contributes to economic 

9 growth; 

10 (H) improve access to potable water, ex11 pand public sanitation services, reduce the 

12 spread of infectious diseases, and address public 

13 health crises; 

14 (I) restore the natural resources of Haiti, 

15 including enhancing reforestation efforts 

16 throughout the country; and 

17 (J) gain access to safe, secure, and afford18 able supplies of energy in order to strengthen 

19 economic growth and energy security. 

20 (c) CONSULTATION.—In devising the strategy re21 quired under subsection (a), the Secretary should— 

22 (1) coordinate with all United States Govern23 ment departments and agencies carrying out work in 

24 Haiti; 
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1 (2) consult with the Government of Haiti, in2 cluding the National Assembly of Haiti, and rep3 resentatives of private and nongovernmental sectors 

4 in Haiti; and 

5 (3) consult with relevant multilateral organiza6 tions, multilateral development banks, private sector 

7 institutions, nongovernmental organizations, and for8 eign governments present in Haiti. 

9 (d) BRIEFINGS.—The Secretary of State, at the re10 quest of the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate 

11 and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 

12 Representatives, shall provide a quarterly briefing that re13 views progress of the implementation of the strategy re14 quired under subsection (a). 

Passed the Senate July 10, 2014. 

Attest: 

Secretary. 
113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 1104 

AN ACT 

To measure the progress of recovery and developJanuary 12, 2010, and for other purposes. ment efforts in Haiti following the earthquake of