II 

Calendar No. 50 

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 

MAY 4, 2023 

Reported by Mr. MENENDEZ, without amendment 

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’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. MODIFICATIONS OF REQUIREMENTS TO BECOME A 

2 CANDIDATE COUNTRY. 

3 Section 606 of the Millennium Challenge Act of 2003 

4 (22 U.S.C. 7705) is amended to read as follows: 

5 ‘‘SEC. 606. CANDIDATE COUNTRIES. 

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

7 country for purposes of eligibility to receive assistance 

8 under section 605 if— 

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

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

11 threshold for initiating the International Bank for 

12 Reconstruction and Development graduation process 

13 for the fiscal year; and 

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

15 not ineligible to receive United States economic as16 sistance under part I of the Foreign Assistance Act 

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

18 application of any provision of the Foreign Assist19 ance Act of 1961 or any other provision of law. 

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

21 determining whether a country is eligible, pursuant to sub22 section (a)(2), to receive assistance under section 605, the 

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

24 other officer or employee of the United States Government 

25 of any waiver or suspension of any provision of law re26 ferred to in subsection (a)(2), and notification to the apVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:58 May 04, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1240.RS S1240

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•S 1240 RS

1 propriate congressional committees in accordance with 

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

3 requirements under subsection (a). 

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

5 shall determine whether a country is a candidate country 

6 for purposes of this section.’’. 

7 SEC. 3. CONFORMING AMENDMENTS. 

8 (a) AMENDMENT TO REPORT IDENTIFYING CAN9 DIDATE COUNTRIES.—Section 608(a)(1) of the Millen10 nium Challenge Act of 2003 (22 U.S.C. 7707(a)(1)) is 

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

12 ‘‘section 606(a)(2)’’. 

13 (b) AMENDMENT TO MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE COM14 PACT AUTHORITY.—Section 609(b)(2) of such Act (22 

15 U.S.C. 7708(b)(2)) is amended— 

16 (1) by amending the paragraph heading to read 

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

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

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

20 (c) AMENDMENT TO AUTHORIZATION TO PROVIDE

21 ASSISTANCE FOR CANDIDATE COUNTRIES.—Section 

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

23 by striking ‘‘subsection (a) or (b) of section 606’’ and in24 serting ‘‘section 606(a)’’. 


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1 SEC. 4. MODIFICATION TO FACTORS IN DETERMINING ELI2 GIBILITY. 

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

4 2003 (22 U.S.C. 7706(c)(2)) is amended in the matter 

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

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


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Calendar No. 50 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1240 

A BILL 

To modify the requirements for candidate countries 

and for other purposes. under the Millennium Challenge Act of 2003, 

MAY 4, 2023 

Reported without amendment 


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