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[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1271 Reported in Senate (RS)]

                                                       Calendar No. 283
113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1271

                          [Report No. 113-131]

   To direct the President to establish guidelines for United States 
          foreign assistance programs, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 10, 2013

   Mr. Rubio (for himself, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Isakson, Mr. Tester, Ms. 
Warren, Mr. Kirk, Mr. Johanns, and Mr. Coons) introduced the following 
  bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign 
                               Relations

                           December 20, 2013

              Reported by Mr. Menendez, with an amendment
 [Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed 
                               in italic]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
   To direct the President to establish guidelines for United States 
          foreign assistance programs, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

<DELETED>SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    This Act may be cited as the ``Foreign Aid Transparency 
and Accountability Act of 2013''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 2. GUIDELINES FOR UNITED STATES FOREIGN ASSISTANCE 
              PROGRAMS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    (a) Purpose.--The purpose of this section is to evaluate 
the performance of United States foreign assistance and its 
contribution to policy, strategies, projects, program goals, and 
priorities undertaken by the Federal Government, to foster and promote 
innovative programs to improve effectiveness, and to coordinate the 
monitoring and evaluation processes of Federal departments and agencies 
that administer foreign assistance.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (b) Establishment of Guidelines.--Not later than 18 months 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall 
establish guidelines regarding the establishment of measurable goals, 
performance metrics, and monitoring and evaluation plans that can be 
applied with reasonable consistency to United States foreign 
assistance. Such guidelines shall be established according to best 
practices of monitoring and evaluation studies and analyses.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (c) Objectives of Guidelines.--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) In general.--The guidelines established under 
        subsection (b) shall provide direction to Federal departments 
        and agencies that administer United States foreign assistance 
        on how to develop the complete range of activities relating to 
        the monitoring of resources, the evaluation of projects, the 
        evaluation of program impacts, and analysis that is necessary 
        for the identification of findings, generalizations that can be 
        derived from those findings, and their applicability to 
        proposed project and program design.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) Objectives.--Specifically, the guidelines 
        shall provide direction on how to achieve the following 
        objectives for monitoring and evaluation programs:</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) Building measurable goals, performance 
                metrics and monitoring and evaluation into program 
                design, to be tracked against an established baseline 
                at the outset, including the provision of sufficient 
                program resources to conduct monitoring and 
                evaluation.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) Disseminating guidelines for the 
                development and implementation of monitoring and 
                evaluation programs to all personnel, especially in the 
                field, who are responsible for the design, 
                implementation, and management of foreign assistance 
                programs.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (C) Developing a clearinghouse capacity 
                for the collection and dissemination of knowledge and 
                lessons learned that serve as benchmarks to guide 
                future programs for United States development 
                professionals, implementing partners, the international 
                aid community, and aid recipient governments, and as a 
                repository of knowledge on lessons learned.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (D) Distributing evaluation reports 
                internally and making this material available online to 
                the public. Furthermore, providing a summary of each 
                evaluation, including a description of the evaluation 
                methodology, and key findings and recommendations made 
                in the evaluation, to the public online in a fully 
                searchable form within 90 days after the completion of 
                the evaluation. Any material made available online 
                pursuant to this subparagraph may not include any 
                classified or proprietary information of 
                nongovernmental organizations, contractors, or private 
                sector clients.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (E) Establishing annual monitoring and 
                evaluation agendas and objectives.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (F) Applying rigorous monitoring and 
                evaluation methodologies to focus on learning, 
                accountability, and policymaking, choosing from among a 
                wide variety of qualitative, quantitative, summative, 
                and formative methods common in the field of social 
                scientific inquiry, including impact evaluations, a 
                simple grading system providing a clear evaluation of 
                outcomes, and analysis of project logic that includes 
                inputs, activities, outputs, intermediate outcomes, and 
                end outcomes.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (G) Partnering with the academic 
                community, implementing partners, and national and 
                international institutions that have expertise in 
                monitoring and evaluation and analysis when such 
                partnerships will provide needed expertise or will 
                significantly improve the evaluation and 
                analysis.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (H) Developing and implementing a training 
                plan for aid personnel on the proper conduct of 
                monitoring and evaluation programs.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (I) Providing relevant and useful 
                evaluation questions that meet the needs of 
                decisionmakers, an appropriate and feasible design for 
                the evaluation questions, and criteria that permit 
                objective assessment and valid conclusions on the 
                evaluation questions.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (J) Ensuring sufficient, credible, and 
                reliable measures and data in the evaluation of the 
                effectiveness of foreign assistance programs, including 
                an assessment of assumptions and limitations in such 
                evaluations.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (K) Ensuring that generally accepted 
                standards such as independence, professional judgment, 
                competence, and quality control and assurance are 
                followed in the monitoring and evaluation of 
                programs.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (d)  Implementation of Guidelines.--Beginning not later 
than one year after the date on which the President establishes the 
guidelines under subsection (b), the head of each Federal department or 
agency that administers United States foreign assistance shall 
administer the foreign assistance in accordance with the 
guidelines.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (e) Presidential Report.--Not later than 18 months after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall submit to 
the appropriate congressional committees a report that contains a 
detailed description of the guidelines that have been developed on 
measurable goals, performance metrics, and monitoring and evaluation 
plans for United States foreign assistance programs established under 
this section. The report shall be submitted in unclassified form to the 
maximum extent possible, but may contain a classified annex.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (f) Implementation Not Required for Certain Security 
Sector Assistance.--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) In general.--The Secretary of State shall not 
        be required to administer any United States foreign assistance 
        program relating to United States security sector assistance in 
        accordance with the guidelines established under this section 
        if the Secretary of State makes a determination that the 
        administration of such program in accordance with the 
        guidelines would be detrimental to the national interests of 
        the United States.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) Briefings or report.--The Secretary of State 
        shall provide briefings or submit a written report to the 
        appropriate congressional committees explaining any 
        determination made under paragraph (1). Any such report may be 
        submitted to the appropriate congressional committees in 
        classified form.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (g) Comptroller General Reports.--The Comptroller General 
of the United States shall--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) not later than one year after the date of the 
        enactment of this Act, submit to the appropriate congressional 
        committees a report that contains an analysis of the actions 
        that the major Federal departments and agencies that administer 
        United States foreign assistance have taken to ensure that 
        United States foreign assistance program evaluation is planned, 
        conducted, and utilized effectively;</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) not later than three years after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, submit to the appropriate 
        congressional committees a report that contains an analysis 
        of--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) the guidelines established pursuant to 
                subsection (b); and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) the implementation of the guidelines 
                by the major Federal departments and agencies that 
                administer United States foreign assistance; 
                and</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) not later than 5 years after the date of the 
        enactment of this Act, and biennially thereafter for 8 years, 
        submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report 
        that contains an analysis of the implementation of the 
        guidelines by the major Federal departments and agencies that 
        administer United States foreign assistance.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (h) Evaluation Defined.--In this section, the term 
``evaluation'' means, with respect to a United States foreign 
assistance program, the systematic collection and analysis of 
information about the characteristics and outcomes of the program and 
projects under the program as a basis for judgments, to improve 
effectiveness, and to inform decisions about current and future 
programming.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 3. INTERNET WEBSITE TO MAKE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE 
              COMPREHENSIVE, TIMELY, COMPARABLE, AND ACCESSIBLE 
              INFORMATION ON UNITED STATES FOREIGN ASSISTANCE 
              PROGRAMS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    (a) Publication of Information.--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) Establishment of website.--Not later than 30 
        days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the President 
        shall direct the Secretary of State to revise the Department of 
        State's Internet website, ``ForeignAssistance.gov'', to make 
        publicly available comprehensive, timely, comparable, and 
        accessible information on United States foreign assistance 
        programs.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) Information sharing.--The head of each Federal 
        department or agency that administers United States foreign 
        assistance shall, not later than two years after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, and every 90 days thereafter, 
        provide to the Secretary of State information about the foreign 
        assistance programs carried out by such department or 
        agency.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) Updates to website.--The Secretary of State 
        shall publish not later than 2 years after the date of the 
        enactment of this Act and update on a quarterly basis on the 
        ``ForeignAssistance.gov'' website the information provided 
        under paragraph (2).</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (b) Matters To Be Included.--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) In general.--The information described in 
        subsection (a) shall be published on a detailed program-by-
        program basis and country-by-country basis.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) Types of information.--To ensure transparency, 
        accountability, and effectiveness of United States foreign 
        assistance programs, the information described in subsection 
        (a) shall include country assistance strategies, annual budget 
        documents, congressional budget justifications, obligations, 
        expenditures, and reports and evaluations for United States 
        foreign assistance programs and projects under such programs. 
        Each type of information described in this paragraph shall be 
        published or updated on the Internet website not later than 90 
        days after the date of issuance of the information.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) Report in lieu of inclusion.--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) Health or security of implementing 
                partners.--If the head of a Federal department or 
                agency makes a determination that the inclusion of a 
                required item of information on the Internet website 
                would jeopardize the health or security of an 
                implementing partner or program beneficiary, the head 
                of the Federal department or agency may provide 
                briefings to the appropriate congressional committees 
                on the item of information or submit to the appropriate 
                congressional committees the item of information in a 
                written report in lieu of including it on the Internet 
                website, along with the reasons for not including it in 
                the database required under this section.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) National interests of the united 
                states.--If the Secretary of State makes a 
                determination that the inclusion of a required item of 
                information on the Internet website would be 
                detrimental to the national interests of the United 
                States, the Secretary of State shall provide briefings 
                to the appropriate congressional committees on the item 
                of information or submit to the appropriate 
                congressional committees the item of information in a 
                written report in lieu of including it on the Internet 
                website, along with the reasons for not including it in 
                the database required under this section.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (C) Form.--Any briefing or item of 
                information provided under this paragraph may be 
                provided in classified form.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (4) Failure to comply.--If the head of the 
        department or agency fails to comply with the requirements 
        under paragraph (2), the head shall indicate for each required 
        item--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) identification of the reason for not 
                including the information during that 
                quarter;</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) a detailed explanation of the reason; 
                and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (C) the department's or agency's plan and 
                timeline for including the omitted information for the 
                current fiscal year and the following two fiscal years, 
                including milestones, deadlines, prerequisites, and 
                other explanatory information.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (c) Scope of Information.--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) In general.--The Internet website shall 
        contain the information described in subsection (b) as 
        follows:</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) For fiscal year 2013, the information 
                relating to such fiscal year and each of the 
                immediately preceding 2 fiscal years.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) For fiscal year 2014, the information 
                relating to such fiscal year and each of the 
                immediately preceding 3 fiscal years.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (C) For fiscal year 2015, the information 
                relating to such fiscal year and each of the 
                immediately preceding 4 fiscal years.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (D) For fiscal year 2016, the information 
                relating to such fiscal year and each of the 
                immediately preceding 5 fiscal years.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) Older information.--For fiscal year 2017 and 
        each fiscal year thereafter, the Internet website shall also 
        contain a link to a searchable database available to the public 
        containing information described in subsection (b) relating to 
        fiscal years prior to the immediately preceding 5 fiscal years 
        but subsequent to fiscal year 2010.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 4. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON IMPLEMENTATION.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    It is the sense of Congress that Congress shall take into 
account the Comptroller General's reports under section 2(f)(2) when 
making decisions regarding the appropriation of funds for each 
department or agency that administers United States foreign 
assistance.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 5. AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    Up to 5 percent of the amounts authorized to be 
appropriated for a fiscal year for each Federal department or agency 
for United States foreign assistance programs is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this Act with respect to such programs for 
such fiscal year.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    In this Act:</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The 
        term ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations and 
                the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate; 
                and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    (B) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and 
                the Committee on Appropriations of the House of 
                Representatives.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (2) United states foreign assistance.--The term 
        ``United States foreign assistance'' means any tangible or 
        intangible item provided by any agency of the United States 
        Government to a foreign country, including any training, 
        service, or technical advice, any item of real, personal, or 
        mixed property, any agricultural commodity, United States 
        dollars, and any currencies of any foreign country which are 
        owned by the United States Government, and includes foreign 
        assistance provided by means of gift, loan, sale, credit, or 
        guaranty.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    (3) United states security sector assistance.--The 
        term ``United States security sector assistance'' means the 
        policies, programs, and activities the United States Government 
        employs to engage with foreign partners in the use of force to 
        protect both the foreign state and its citizens at home or 
        abroad, to maintain international peace and security, to 
        contribute to efforts that address common security challenges, 
        and to enforce the law and provide oversight of security 
        institutions and forces, including through helping foreign 
        partners build and sustain the capacity and effectiveness of 
        institutions to provide security, safety, and justice for their 
        people.</DELETED>

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Foreign Aid Transparency and 
Accountability Act of 2013''.

SEC. 2. GUIDELINES FOR UNITED STATES FOREIGN ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS.

    (a) Purpose.--The purpose of this section is to evaluate the 
performance of United States foreign assistance and its contribution to 
policy, strategies, projects, program goals, and priorities undertaken 
by the Federal Government, to foster and promote innovative programs to 
improve effectiveness, and to coordinate the monitoring and evaluation 
processes of Federal departments and agencies that administer foreign 
assistance.
    (b) Establishment of Guidelines.--Not later than 18 months after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall establish 
guidelines to set measurable goals, performance metrics, and monitoring 
and evaluation plans that can be applied with reasonable consistency to 
United States foreign assistance programs.
    (c) Objectives of Guidelines.--
            (1) In general.--The guidelines established under 
        subsection (b) shall provide direction to Federal departments 
        and agencies that administer United States foreign assistance 
        on how to develop the complete range of activities relating to 
        the monitoring of resources, the evaluation of projects, the 
        evaluation of program impacts, and analysis that is necessary 
        for the identification of findings, generalizations that can be 
        derived from those findings, and their applicability to 
        proposed project and program design.
            (2) Objectives.--Specifically, the guidelines shall provide 
        direction on how to achieve the following objectives for 
        monitoring and evaluation programs:
                    (A) Building measurable goals, performance metrics 
                and monitoring and evaluation into program design, to 
                be tracked against an established baseline at the 
                outset, including the provision of sufficient program 
                resources to conduct monitoring and evaluation.
                    (B) Disseminating guidelines for the development 
                and implementation of monitoring and evaluation 
                programs to all personnel, especially in the field, who 
                are responsible for the design, implementation, and 
                management of foreign assistance programs.
                    (C) Developing a clearinghouse capacity for the 
                collection and dissemination of knowledge and lessons 
                learned that serve as benchmarks to guide future 
                programs for United States development professionals, 
                implementing partners, the international aid community, 
                and aid recipient governments, and as a repository of 
                knowledge on lessons learned.
                    (D) Distributing evaluation reports internally and 
                making this material available online to the public. 
                Furthermore, providing a summary of each evaluation, 
                including a description of the evaluation methodology, 
                and key findings and recommendations made in the 
                evaluation, to the public online in a fully searchable 
                form within 90 days after the completion of the 
                evaluation. Any material made available online pursuant 
                to this subparagraph may not include any classified or 
                proprietary information of nongovernmental 
                organizations, contractors, or private sector clients.
                    (E) Establishing annual monitoring and evaluation 
                agendas and objectives.
                    (F) Applying rigorous monitoring and evaluation 
                methodologies to focus on learning, accountability, and 
                policymaking, choosing from among a wide variety of 
                qualitative, quantitative, summative, and formative 
                methods common in the field of social scientific 
                inquiry, including impact evaluations, a simple grading 
                system providing a clear evaluation of outcomes, and 
                analysis of project logic that includes inputs, 
                activities, outputs, intermediate outcomes, and end 
                outcomes.
                    (G) Partnering with the academic community, 
                implementing partners, and national and international 
                institutions that have expertise in monitoring and 
                evaluation and analysis when such partnerships will 
                provide needed expertise or will significantly improve 
                the evaluation and analysis.
                    (H) Developing and implementing a training plan for 
                aid personnel on the proper conduct of monitoring and 
                evaluation programs.
                    (I) Providing relevant and useful evaluation 
                questions that meet the needs of decisionmakers, an 
                appropriate and feasible design for the evaluation 
                questions, and criteria that permit objective 
                assessment and valid conclusions on the evaluation 
                questions.
                    (J) Ensuring sufficient, credible, and reliable 
                measures and data in the evaluation of the 
                effectiveness of foreign assistance programs, including 
                an assessment of assumptions and limitations in such 
                evaluations.
                    (K) Ensuring that generally accepted standards such 
                as independence, professional judgment, competence, and 
                quality control and assurance are followed in the 
                monitoring and evaluation of programs.
    (d)  Implementation of Guidelines.--Beginning not later than one 
year after the date on which the President establishes the guidelines 
under subsection (b), the head of each Federal department or agency 
that administers United States foreign assistance shall administer the 
foreign assistance in accordance with the guidelines.
    (e) Presidential Report.--Not later than 18 months after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the President shall submit to the 
appropriate congressional committees a report that contains a detailed 
description of the guidelines that have been developed on measurable 
goals, performance metrics, and monitoring and evaluation plans for 
United States foreign assistance programs established under this 
section. The report shall be submitted in unclassified form to the 
maximum extent possible, but may contain a classified annex.
    (f) Guideline Requirement for Certain Security Sector Assistance.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary of State shall not be 
        required to implement guidelines established under subsection 
        (b) for certain security sector assistance programs to the 
        extent that the President is already taking steps as of the 
        date of the enactment of this Act to implement measures with 
        respect to security sector assistance that are similar to those 
        referred to in this section pursuant to guidance that the 
        President has promulgated.
            (2) Notification and briefing requirements.--The Secretary 
        of State shall provide to the appropriate congressional 
        committees a classified or unclassified briefing describing any 
        such measures being implemented.
    (g) Comptroller General Reports.--The Comptroller General of the 
United States shall--
            (1) not later than one year after the date of the enactment 
        of this Act, submit to the appropriate congressional committees 
        a report that analyzes the actions taken by each Federal 
        department and agency that administers United States foreign 
        assistance programs to ensure that the monitoring and 
        evaluation of such programs is planned, conducted, and utilized 
        effectively;
            (2) not later than 3 years after the date of the enactment 
        of this Act, submit to the appropriate congressional committees 
        a report that analyzes--
                    (A) the guidelines established pursuant to 
                subsection (b); and
                    (B) the implementation of such guidelines by each 
                Federal department and agency that administers United 
                States foreign assistance programs; and
            (3) not later than 5 years after the date of the enactment 
        of this Act, and biennially thereafter for 8 years, submit to 
        the appropriate congressional committees a report that analyzes 
        any revisions to the guidelines established under subsection 
        (b), and the implementation of such guidelines by each Federal 
        department and agency that administers United States foreign 
        assistance programs.
    (h) Evaluation Defined.--In this section, the term ``evaluation'' 
means, with respect to a United States foreign assistance program, the 
systematic collection and analysis of information about the 
characteristics and outcomes of the program and projects under the 
program as a basis for judgments, to improve effectiveness, and to 
inform decisions about current and future programming.

SEC. 3. PROVISION OF PUBLIC INFORMATION ON UNITED STATES FOREIGN 
              ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS.

    (a) Publication of Information.--
            (1) Establishment of website.--Not later than 30 days after 
        the date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall 
        direct the Secretary of State to revise the Department of 
        State's Internet website, ``ForeignAssistance.gov'', to make 
        publicly available comprehensive, timely, comparable, and 
        accessible information on United States foreign assistance 
        programs.
            (2) Information sharing.--The head of each Federal 
        department or agency that administers United States foreign 
        assistance shall, not later than two years after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, and every 120 days thereafter, 
        provide to the Secretary of State information about the foreign 
        assistance programs carried out by such department or agency.
            (3) Updates to website.--The Secretary of State shall 
        publish not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment 
        of this Act and update on a semiannual basis on the 
        ``ForeignAssistance.gov'' website the information provided 
        under paragraph (2).
    (b) Matters To Be Included.--
            (1) In general.--The information described in subsection 
        (a) shall be published on a detailed program-by-program basis 
        and country-by-country basis.
            (2) Types of information.--To ensure transparency, 
        accountability, and effectiveness of United States foreign 
        assistance programs, the information described in subsection 
        (a) shall include country assistance strategies, annual budget 
        documents, congressional budget justifications, obligations, 
        expenditures, and reports and evaluations for United States 
        foreign assistance programs and projects under such programs. 
        Each type of information described in this paragraph shall be 
        published or updated on the Internet website not later than 90 
        days after the date of issuance of the information.
            (3) Report in lieu of inclusion.--
                    (A) Health or security of implementing partners.--
                If the head of a Federal department or agency makes a 
                determination that the inclusion of a required item of 
                information on the Internet website would jeopardize 
                the health or security of an implementing partner or 
                program beneficiary, the head of the Federal department 
                or agency may provide briefings to the appropriate 
                congressional committees on the item of information or 
                submit to the appropriate congressional committees the 
                item of information in a written report in lieu of 
                including it on the Internet website, along with the 
                reasons for not including it in the database required 
                under this section.
                    (B) National interests of the united states.--If 
                the Secretary of State makes a determination that the 
                inclusion of a required item of information on the 
                Internet website would be detrimental to the national 
                interests of the United States, the Secretary of State 
                shall provide briefings to the appropriate 
                congressional committees on the item of information or 
                submit to the appropriate congressional committees the 
                item of information in a written report in lieu of 
                including it on the Internet website, along with the 
                reasons for not including it in the database required 
                under this section.
                    (C) Form.--Any briefing or item of information 
                provided under this paragraph may be provided in 
                classified form.
            (4) Failure to comply.--If the head of the department or 
        agency fails to comply with the requirements under paragraph 
        (2), the head shall provide to the appropriate congressional 
        committees a briefing indicating for each required item--
                    (A) identification of the reason for not including 
                the information;
                    (B) a detailed explanation of the reason; and
                    (C) the department's or agency's plan and timeline 
                for including the omitted information for the current 
                fiscal year and the following two fiscal years, 
                including milestones, deadlines, prerequisites, and 
                other explanatory information.
    (c) Scope of Information.--
            (1) In general.--The online publication required by 
        subsection (a) shall, at a minimum, provide the information 
        required by subsection (b)--
                    (A) in each fiscal year from 2013 through 2016, 
                such information for fiscal years 2011 through the 
                current fiscal year; and
                    (B) for fiscal year 2017 and each fiscal year 
                thereafter, such information for the immediately 
                preceding five fiscal years in a fully searchable form.

SEC. 4. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON IMPLEMENTATION.

    It is the sense of Congress that Congress should take into account 
the Comptroller General's reports under section 2 in making decisions 
regarding the appropriation of funds for each department or agency that 
administers United States foreign assistance.

SEC. 5. AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.

    Up to 5 percent of the amounts authorized to be appropriated for a 
fiscal year for each Federal department or agency for United States 
foreign assistance programs is authorized to be appropriated to carry 
out this Act with respect to such programs for such fiscal year.

SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
        ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
                    (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the 
                Committee on Appropriations of the Senate; and
                    (B) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the 
                Committee on Appropriations of the House of 
                Representatives.
            (2) United states foreign assistance.--The term ``United 
        States foreign assistance'' means any tangible or intangible 
        item provided by any agency of the United States Government to 
        a foreign country, including any training, service, or 
        technical advice, any item of real, personal, or mixed 
        property, any agricultural commodity, United States dollars, 
        and any currencies of any foreign country which are owned by 
        the United States Government, and includes foreign assistance 
        provided by means of gift, loan, sale, credit, or guaranty.
            (3) United states security sector assistance.--The term 
        ``United States security sector assistance'' means the 
        policies, programs, and activities the United States Government 
        uses to--
                    (A) engage with foreign partners and help shape 
                their policies and actions in the security sector;
                    (B) help foreign partners build and sustain the 
                capacity and effectiveness of legitimate institutions 
                to provide security, safety, and justice for their 
                people; and
                    (C) enable foreign partners to contribute to 
                efforts that address common security challenges.
                                                       Calendar No. 283

113th CONGRESS

  1st Session

                                S. 1271

                          [Report No. 113-131]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

   To direct the President to establish guidelines for United States 
          foreign assistance programs, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                           December 20, 2013

                       Reported with an amendment
```