II 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1240 

To modify the requirements for candidate countries under the Millennium 

Challenge Act of 2003, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 20, 2023 

Mr. RISCH (for himself and Mr. MENENDEZ) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

A BILL 

To modify the requirements for candidate countries under 

the Millennium Challenge Act of 2003, 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, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Millennium Challenge 

5 Corporation Candidate Country Reform Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. MODIFICATIONS OF REQUIREMENTS TO BECOME A 

7 CANDIDATE COUNTRY. 

8 Section 606 of the Millennium Challenge Act of 2003 

9 (22 U.S.C. 7705) is amended to read as follows: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 606. CANDIDATE COUNTRIES. 

2 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—A country shall be a candidate 

3 country for purposes of eligibility to receive assistance 

4 under section 605 if— 

5 ‘‘(1) the per capita income of the country in a 

6 fiscal year is equal to or less than the World Bank 

7 threshold for initiating the International Bank for 

8 Reconstruction and Development graduation process 

9 for the fiscal year; and 

10 ‘‘(2) subject to subsection (b), the country is 

11 not ineligible to receive United States economic as12 sistance under part I of the Foreign Assistance Act 

13 of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.) by reason of the 

14 application of any provision of the Foreign Assist15 ance Act of 1961 or any other provision of law. 

16 ‘‘(b) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—For the purposes of 

17 determining whether a country is eligible, pursuant to sub18 section (a)(2), to receive assistance under section 605, the 

19 exercise by the President, the Secretary of State, or any 

20 other officer or employee of the United States Government 

21 of any waiver or suspension of any provision of law re22 ferred to in subsection (a)(2), and notification to the ap23 propriate congressional committees in accordance with 

24 such provision of law, shall be construed as satisfying the 

25 requirements under subsection (a). 


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1 ‘‘(c) DETERMINATION BY THE BOARD.—The Board 

2 shall determine whether a country is a candidate country 

3 for purposes of this section.’’. 

4 SEC. 3. CONFORMING AMENDMENTS. 

5 (a) AMENDMENT TO REPORT IDENTIFYING CAN6 DIDATE COUNTRIES.—Section 608(a)(1) of the Millen7 nium Challenge Act of 2003 (22 U.S.C. 7707(a)(1)) is 

8 amended by striking ‘‘section 606(a)(1)(B)’’ and inserting 

9 ‘‘section 606(a)(2)’’. 

10 (b) AMENDMENT TO MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE COM11 PACT AUTHORITY.—Section 609(b)(2) of such Act (22 

12 U.S.C. 7708(b)(2)) is amended— 

13 (1) by amending the paragraph heading to read 

14 as follows: ‘‘COUNTRY CONTRIBUTIONS’’; and 

15 (2) by striking ‘‘with respect to a lower middle 

16 income country described in section 606(b),’’. 

17 (c) AMENDMENT TO AUTHORIZATION TO PROVIDE

18 ASSISTANCE FOR CANDIDATE COUNTRIES.—Section 

19 616(b)(1) of such Act (22 U.S.C. 7715(b)(1)) is amended 

20 by striking ‘‘subsection (a) or (b) of section 606’’ and in21 serting ‘‘section 606(a)’’. 

22 SEC. 4. MODIFICATION TO FACTORS IN DETERMINING ELI23 GIBILITY. 

24 Section 607(c)(2) of the Millennium Challenge Act of 

25 2003 (22 U.S.C. 7706(c)(2)) is amended in the matter 


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1 preceding subparagraph (A) by striking ‘‘consider’’ and 

2 inserting ‘‘prioritize need and impact by considering’’. 

Æ 


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