II 

Calendar No. 51 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1325 

To establish a partnership with nations in the Western Hemisphere to promote economic competitiveness, democratic governance, and security, and 

for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 26, 2023 

Mr. RISCH (for himself, Mr. MENENDEZ, and Mr. RUBIO) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

MAY 4, 2023 

Reported by Mr. MENENDEZ, with an amendment 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

A BILL 

To establish a partnership with nations in the Western Hemisphere to promote economic competitiveness, democratic 

governance, and security, 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 ‘‘Western Hemisphere 

5 Partnership Act of 2023’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. UNITED STATES POLICY IN THE WESTERN HEMI2 SPHERE. 

3 It is the policy of the United States to promote eco4 nomic competitiveness, democratic governance, and secu5 rity in the Western Hemisphere by— 

6 (1) encouraging stronger economic relations, re7 spect for property rights, the rule of law, and en8 forceable investment rules and labor and environ9 mental standards; 

10 (2) advancing the principles and practices ex11 pressed in the Charter of the Organization of Amer12 ican States, the American Declaration on the Rights 

13 and Duties of Man, and the Inter-American Demo14 cratic Charter; and 

15 (3) enhancing the capacity and technical capa16 bilities of democratic partner nation government in17 stitutions, including civilian law enforcement, the ju18 diciary, attorneys general, and security forces. 

19 SEC. 3. PROMOTING SECURITY AND THE RULE OF LAW IN 

20 THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE. 

21 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con22 gress that the United States should strengthen security 

23 cooperation with democratic partner nations in the West24 ern Hemisphere to promote a secure hemisphere and to 

25 address the negative impacts of transnational criminal or26 ganizations and malign external state actors. 


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1 (b) COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS.—The Secretary of 

2 State, in coordination with the heads of other relevant 

3 Federal agencies, should support the improvement of secu4 rity conditions and the rule of law in the Western Hemi5 sphere through collaborative efforts with democratic part6 ners that— 

7 (1) enhance the institutional capacity and tech8 nical capabilities of defense and security institutions 

9 in democratic partner nations to conduct national or 

10 regional security missions, including through regular 

11 bilateral and multilateral engagements, foreign mili12 tary sales and financing, international military edu13 cation, and training programs, and other means; 

14 (2) provide technical assistance and material 

15 support (including, as appropriate, radars, vessels, 

16 and communications equipment) to relevant security 

17 forces to disrupt, degrade, and dismantle organiza18 tions involved in illicit narcotics trafficking, 

19 transnational criminal activities, illicit mining, and 

20 illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, and 

21 other illicit activities; 

22 (3) enhance the institutional capacity and tech23 nical capabilities of relevant civilian law enforce24 ment, attorneys general, and judicial institutions 

25 to— 


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1 (A) strengthen the rule of law and trans2 parent governance; and 

3 (B) improve regional cooperation to dis4 rupt, degrade, and dismantle transnational or5 ganized criminal networks and terrorist organi6 zations, including through training, 

7 anticorruption initiatives, anti-money laun8 dering programs, and strengthening cyber capa9 bilities and resources; 

10 (4) enhance port management and maritime se11 curity partnerships and airport management and 

12 aviation security partnerships to disrupt, degrade, 

13 and dismantle transnational criminal networks and 

14 facilitate the legitimate flow of people, goods, and 

15 services; 

16 (5) strengthen cooperation to improve border 

17 security across the Western Hemisphere, dismantle 

18 human smuggling and trafficking networks, and in19 crease cooperation to demonstrably strengthen mi20 gration management systems; 

21 (6) counter the malign influence of state and 

22 non-state actors and misinformation and 

23 disinformation campaigns; 

24 (7) disrupt illicit domestic and transnational fi25 nancial networks; 


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1 (8) foster mechanisms for cooperation on emer2 gency preparedness and rapid recovery from natural 

3 disasters, including by— 

4 (A) supporting regional preparedness, re5 covery, and emergency management centers to 

6 facilitate rapid response to survey and help 

7 maintain planning on regional disaster antici8 pated needs and possible resources; and 

9 (B) training disaster recovery officials on 

10 latest techniques and lessons learned from 

11 United States experiences; and 

12 (9) foster regional mechanisms for early warn13 ing and response to pandemics in the Western 

14 Hemisphere, including through— 

15 (A) improved cooperation with and re16 search by the United States Centers for Disease 

17 Control and Prevention through regional pan18 demic response centers; 

19 (B) personnel exchanges for technology 

20 transfer and skills development; and 

21 (C) surveying and mapping of health net22 works to build local health capacity. 

23 (c) LIMITATIONS ON USE OF TECHNOLOGIES.— 

24 Operational technologies transferred pursuant to sub25 section (b) to partner governments for intelligence, deVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:56 May 04, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S1325.RS S1325

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1 fense, or law enforcement purposes shall be used solely 

2 for the purposes for which the technology was intended. 

3 The United States shall take all necessary steps to ensure 

4 that the use of such operational technologies is consistent 

5 with United States law, including protections of freedom 

6 of expression, freedom of movement, and freedom of asso7 ciation. 

8 SEC. 4. PROMOTING DIGITALIZATION AND CYBERSECURITY 

9 IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE. 

10 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con11 gress that the United States should support digitalization 

12 and expand cybersecurity cooperation in the Western 

13 Hemisphere to promote regional economic prosperity and 

14 security. 

15 (b) PROMOTION OF DIGITALIZATION AND CYBERSE16 CURITY.—The Secretary of State, in coordination with the 

17 heads of other relevant Federal agencies, should promote 

18 digitalization and cybersecurity in the Western Hemi19 sphere through collaborative efforts with democratic part20 ners that— 

21 (1) promote digital connectivity and facilitate e22 commerce by expanding access to information and 

23 communications technology (ICT) supply chains that 

24 adhere to high-quality security and reliability stand25 ards, including— 


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1 (A) to open market access on a national 

2 treatment, nondiscriminatory basis; and 

3 (B) to strengthen the cybersecurity and 

4 cyber resilience of partner countries; 

5 (2) advance the provision of digital government 

6 services (e-government) that, to the greatest extent 

7 possible, promote transparency, lower business costs, 

8 and expand citizens’ access to public services and 

9 public information; and 

10 (3) develop robust cybersecurity partnerships 

11 to— 

12 (A) promote the inclusion of components 

13 and architectures in information and commu14 nications technology (ICT) supply chains from 

15 participants in initiatives that adhere to high16 quality security and reliability standards; 

17 (B) share best practices to mitigate cyber 

18 threats to critical infrastructure from ICT ar19 chitectures by technology providers with close 

20 ties to, or that are susceptible to pressure from, 

21 governments or security services without reli22 able legal checks on governmental powers; 

23 (C) effectively respond to cybersecurity 

24 threats, including state-sponsored threats; and 


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1 (D) to strengthen resilience against 

2 cyberattacks and cybercrime. 

3 SEC. 5. PROMOTING ECONOMIC AND COMMERCIAL PART4 NERSHIPS IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE. 

5 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con6 gress that the United States should enhance economic and 

7 commercial ties with democratic partners to promote pros8 perity in the Western Hemisphere by modernizing and 

9 strengthening trade capacity-building and trade facilita10 tion initiatives, encouraging market-based economic re11 forms, strengthening labor and environmental standards, 

12 and encouraging transparency and adherence to the rule 

13 of law in investment dealings. 

14 (b) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State, in coordi15 nation with the United States Trade Representative, the 

16 Chief Executive Officer of the Development Finance Cor17 poration, and the heads of other relevant Federal agencies, 

18 should support the improvement of economic conditions in 

19 the Western Hemisphere through collaborative efforts with 

20 democratic partners that— 

21 (1) facilitate a more open, transparent, and 

22 competitive environment for United States busi23 nesses and promote robust and comprehensive trade 

24 capacity-building and trade facilitation by— 


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1 (A) reducing trade and nontariff barriers 

2 between the countries in the region, establishing 

3 a mechanism for pursuing Mutual Recognition 

4 Agreements and Formalized Regulatory Co5 operation Agreements in priority sectors of the 

6 economy; 

7 (B) establishing a forum for discussing 

8 and evaluating technical and other assistance 

9 needs to help establish streamlined ‘‘single win10 dow’’ processes to facilitate movement of goods 

11 and common customs arrangements and proce12 dures to lower costs of goods in transit and 

13 speed to destination; 

14 (C) building relationships and exchanges 

15 between relevant regulatory bodies in the 

16 United States and democratic partners in the 

17 Western Hemisphere to promote best practices 

18 and transparency in rulemaking, implementa19 tion, and enforcement, and provide training and 

20 assistance to help improve supply chain man21 agement in the Western Hemisphere; 

22 (D) establishing regional fora for identi23 fying, raising, and addressing supply chain 

24 management issues, including infrastructure 


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1 needs and strengthening of investment rules 

2 and regulatory frameworks; 

3 (E) establishing a dedicated program of 

4 trade missions and reverse trade missions to in5 crease commercial contacts and ties between the 

6 United States and Western Hemisphere partner 

7 countries; and 

8 (F) strengthening labor and environmental 

9 standards in the region; 

10 (2) establish frameworks or mechanisms to re11 view and address the long-term financial sustain12 ability and national security implications of foreign 

13 investments in strategic sectors or services; 

14 (3) establish competitive and transparent infra15 structure project selection and procurement proc16 esses that promote transparency, open competition, 

17 financial sustainability, and robust adherence to 

18 global standards and norms; and 

19 (4) advance robust and comprehensive energy 

20 production and integration, including through a 

21 more open, transparent, and competitive environ22 ment for United States companies competing in the 

23 Western Hemisphere, including by— 

24 (A) facilitating further development of in25 tegrated regional energy markets; 


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1 (B) improving management of grids, in2 cluding technical capability to ensure the 

3 functionality, safe and responsible management, 

4 and quality of service of electricity providers, 

5 carriers, and management and distribution sys6 tems; 

7 (C) facilitating private sector-led develop8 ment of reliable and affordable power genera9 tion capacity; 

10 (D) establishing a process for surveying 

11 grid capacity and management focused on iden12 tifying electricity service efficiencies and estab13 lishing cooperative mechanisms for providing 

14 technical assistance for— 

15 (i) grid management, power pricing, 

16 and tariff issues; 

17 (ii) establishing and maintaining ap18 propriate regulatory best practices; and 

19 (iii) proposals to establish regional 

20 power grids for the purpose of promoting 

21 the sale of excess supply to consumers 

22 across borders; 

23 (E) assessing the viability and effectiveness 

24 of decentralizing power production and trans25 mission and building micro-grid power networks 


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1 to improve, when feasible, access to electricity, 

2 particularly in rural and underserved commu3 nities where centralized power grid connections 

4 may not be feasible in the short to medium 

5 term; and 

6 (F) exploring opportunities to partner with 

7 the private sector and multilateral institutions, 

8 such as the World Bank and the Inter-Amer9 ican Development Bank, to promote universal 

10 access to reliable and affordable electricity in 

11 the Western Hemisphere. 

12 SEC. 6. PROMOTING TRANSPARENCY AND DEMOCRATIC 

13 GOVERNANCE IN THE WESTERN HEMI14 SPHERE. 

15 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con16 gress that the United States should support efforts to 

17 strengthen the capacity of democratic institutions and 

18 processes in the Western Hemisphere to promote a more 

19 transparent, democratic, and prosperous region. 

20 (b) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State, in coordi21 nation with the Administrator of the United States Agen22 cy for International Development and heads of other rel23 evant Federal agencies, should support transparent, ac24 countable, and democratic governance in the Western 


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1 Hemisphere through collaborative efforts with democratic 

2 partners that— 

3 (1) strengthen the capacity of national electoral 

4 institutions to ensure free, fair, and transparent 

5 electoral processes, including through pre-election 

6 assessment missions, technical assistance, and inde7 pendent local and international election monitoring 

8 and observation missions; 

9 (2) enhance the capabilities of democratically 

10 elected national legislatures, parliamentary bodies, 

11 and autonomous regulatory institutions to conduct 

12 oversight; 

13 (3) strengthen the capacity of subnational gov14 ernment institutions to govern in a transparent, ac15 countable, and democratic manner, including 

16 through training and technical assistance; 

17 (4) combat corruption at local and national lev18 els, including through trainings, cooperation agree19 ments, and bilateral or multilateral anticorruption 

20 mechanisms that strengthen attorneys general and 

21 prosecutors’ offices; and 

22 (5) strengthen the capacity of civil society to 

23 conduct oversight of government institutions, build 

24 the capacity of independent professional journalism, 

25 facilitate substantive dialogue with government and 


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1 the private sector to generate issue-based policies, 

2 and mobilize local resources to carry out such activi3 ties. 

4 SEC. 7. WESTERN HEMISPHERE DEFINED. 

5 In this Act, the term ‘‘Western Hemisphere’’ does not 

6 include Cuba, Nicaragua, or Venezuela, except for pur7 poses of section 6. 

8 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

9 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Western Hemisphere 

10 Partnership Act of 2023’’. 

11 SEC. 2. UNITED STATES POLICY IN THE WESTERN HEMI12 SPHERE. 

13 It is the policy of the United States to promote eco14 nomic competitiveness, democratic governance, and security 

15 in the Western Hemisphere by— 

16 (1) encouraging stronger economic relations, re17 spect for property rights, the rule of law, and enforce18 able investment rules and labor and environmental 

19 standards; 

20 (2) advancing the principles and practices ex21 pressed in the Charter of the Organization of Amer22 ican States, the American Declaration on the Rights 

23 and Duties of Man, and the Inter-American Demo24 cratic Charter; and 


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1 (3) enhancing the capacity and technical capa2 bilities of democratic partner nation government in3 stitutions, including civilian law enforcement, the ju4 diciary, attorneys general, and security forces. 

5 SEC. 3. PROMOTING SECURITY AND THE RULE OF LAW IN 

6 THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE. 

7 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress 

8 that the United States should strengthen security coopera9 tion with democratic partner nations in the Western Hemi10 sphere to promote a secure hemisphere and to address the 

11 negative impacts of transnational criminal organizations 

12 and malign external state actors. 

13 (b) COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS.—The Secretary of 

14 State, in coordination with the heads of other relevant Fed15 eral agencies, should support the improvement of security 

16 conditions and the rule of law in the Western Hemisphere 

17 through collaborative efforts with democratic partners 

18 that— 

19 (1) enhance the institutional capacity and tech20 nical capabilities of defense and security institutions 

21 in democratic partner nations to conduct national or 

22 regional security missions, including through regular 

23 bilateral and multilateral engagements, foreign mili24 tary sales and financing, international military edu25 cation and training programs, expanding the NaVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:56 May 04, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00015 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\S1325.RS S1325

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1 tional Guard State Partnership Programs, and other 

2 means; 

3 (2) provide technical assistance and material 

4 support (including, as appropriate, radars, vessels, 

5 and communications equipment) to relevant security 

6 forces to disrupt, degrade, and dismantle organiza7 tions involved in the illicit trafficking of narcotics 

8 and precursor chemicals, transnational criminal ac9 tivities, illicit mining, and illegal, unreported, and 

10 unregulated fishing, and other illicit activities; 

11 (3) enhance the institutional capacity, legit12 imacy, and technical capabilities of relevant civilian 

13 law enforcement, attorneys general, and judicial insti14 tutions to— 

15 (A) strengthen the rule of law and trans16 parent governance; 

17 (B) combat corruption and kleptocracy in 

18 the region; and 

19 (C) improve regional cooperation to disrupt, 

20 degrade, and dismantle transnational organized 

21 criminal networks and terrorist organizations, 

22 including through training, anticorruption ini23 tiatives, anti-money laundering programs, and 

24 strengthening cyber capabilities and resources; 


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1 (4) enhance port management and maritime se2 curity partnerships and airport management and 

3 aviation security partnerships to disrupt, degrade, 

4 and dismantle transnational criminal networks and 

5 facilitate the legitimate flow of people, goods, and 

6 services; 

7 (5) strengthen cooperation to improve border se8 curity across the Western Hemisphere, dismantle 

9 human smuggling and trafficking networks, and in10 crease cooperation to demonstrably strengthen migra11 tion management systems; 

12 (6) counter the malign influence of state and 

13 non-state actors and disinformation campaigns; 

14 (7) disrupt illicit domestic and transnational fi15 nancial networks; 

16 (8) foster mechanisms for cooperation on emer17 gency preparedness and rapid recovery from natural 

18 disasters, including by— 

19 (A) supporting regional preparedness, re20 covery, and emergency management centers to 

21 facilitate rapid response to survey and help 

22 maintain planning on regional disaster antici23 pated needs and possible resources; 


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1 (B) training disaster recovery officials on 

2 latest techniques and lessons learned from United 

3 States experiences; 

4 (C) making available, preparing, and trans5 ferring on-hand nonlethal supplies, and pro6 viding training on the use of such supplies, for 

7 humanitarian or health purposes to respond to 

8 unforeseen emergencies; and 

9 (D) conducting medical support operations 

10 and medical humanitarian missions, such as 

11 hospital ship deployments and base-operating 

12 services, to the extent required by the operation; 

13 (9) foster regional mechanisms for early warning 

14 and response to pandemics in the Western Hemi15 sphere, including through— 

16 (A) improved cooperation with and research 

17 by the United States Centers for Disease Control 

18 and Prevention through regional pandemic re19 sponse centers; 

20 (B) personnel exchanges for technology 

21 transfer and skills development; and 

22 (C) surveying and mapping of health net23 works to build local health capacity; 

24 (10) promote the meaningful participation of 

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1 flict prevention and conflict resolution and post-con2 flict relief and recovery efforts; and 

3 (11) hold accountable actors that violate political 

4 and civil rights. 

5 (c) LIMITATIONS ON USE OF TECHNOLOGIES.—Oper6 ational technologies transferred pursuant to subsection (b) 

7 to partner governments for intelligence, defense, or law en8 forcement purposes shall be used solely for the purposes for 

9 which the technology was intended. The United States shall 

10 take all necessary steps to ensure that the use of such oper11 ational technologies is consistent with United States law, 

12 including protections of freedom of expression, freedom of 

13 movement, and freedom of association. 

14 (d) STRATEGY.— 

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after 

16 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 

17 State, in coordination with the heads of other relevant 

18 Federal agencies, shall submit to the Committee on 

19 Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on 

20 Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives a 5- 

21 year strategy to promote security and the rule of law 

22 in the Western Hemisphere in accordance to this Sec23 tion. 

24 (2) ELEMENTS.—The strategy required under 

25 paragraph (1) shall include the following elements: 


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1 (A) A detailed assessment of the resources 

2 required to carry out such collaborative efforts. 

3 (B) Annual benchmarks to track progress 

4 and obstacles in undertaking such collaborative 

5 efforts. 

6 (C) A public diplomacy component to en7 gage the people of the Western Hemisphere with 

8 the purpose of demonstrating that the security of 

9 their countries is enhanced to a greater extent 

10 through alignment with the United States and 

11 democratic values rather than with authori12 tarian countries such as the People’s Republic of 

13 China, the Russian Federation, and the Islamic 

14 Republic of Iran. 

15 (3) BRIEFING.—Not later than 1 year after sub16 mission of the strategy required under paragraph (1), 

17 and annually thereafter, the Secretary of State shall 

18 provide to the Committee on Foreign Relations of the 

19 Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the 

20 House of Representatives a briefing on the implemen21 tation of the strategy. 

22 SEC. 4. PROMOTING DIGITALIZATION AND CYBERSECURITY 

23 IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE. 

24 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress 

25 that the United States should support digitalization and 


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1 expand cybersecurity cooperation in the Western Hemi2 sphere to promote regional economic prosperity and secu3 rity. 

4 (b) PROMOTION OF DIGITALIZATION AND CYBERSECU5 RITY.—The Secretary of State, in coordination with the 

6 heads of other relevant Federal agencies, should promote 

7 digitalization and cybersecurity in the Western Hemisphere 

8 through collaborative efforts with democratic partners 

9 that— 

10 (1) promote digital connectivity and facilitate e11 commerce by expanding access to information and 

12 communications technology (ICT) supply chains that 

13 adhere to high-quality security and reliability stand14 ards, including— 

15 (A) to open market access on a national 

16 treatment, nondiscriminatory basis; and 

17 (B) to strengthen the cybersecurity and 

18 cyber resilience of partner countries; 

19 (2) advance the provision of digital government 

20 services (e-government) that, to the greatest extent 

21 possible, promote transparency, lower business costs, 

22 and expand citizens’ access to public services and 

23 public information; and 

24 (3) develop robust cybersecurity partnerships 

25 to— 


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1 (A) promote the inclusion of components 

2 and architectures in information and commu3 nications technology (ICT) supply chains from 

4 participants in initiatives that adhere to high5 quality security and reliability standards; 

6 (B) share best practices to mitigate cyber 

7 threats to critical infrastructure from ICT archi8 tectures by technology providers that supply 

9 equipment and services covered under section 2 

10 of the Secure and Trusted Communications Net11 works Act of 2019 (47 U.S.C. 1601); 

12 (C) effectively respond to cybersecurity 

13 threats, including state-sponsored threats; and 

14 (D) to strengthen resilience against 

15 cyberattacks and cybercrime. 

16 SEC. 5. PROMOTING ECONOMIC AND COMMERCIAL PART17 NERSHIPS IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE. 

18 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress 

19 that the United States should enhance economic and com20 mercial ties with democratic partners to promote prosperity 

21 in the Western Hemisphere by modernizing and strength22 ening trade capacity-building and trade facilitation initia23 tives, encouraging market-based economic reforms that en24 able inclusive economic growth, strengthening labor and en25 vironmental standards, addressing economic disparities of 


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1 women, and encouraging transparency and adherence to the 

2 rule of law in investment dealings. 

3 (b) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State, in coordi4 nation with the United States Trade Representative, the 

5 Chief Executive Officer of the Development Finance Cor6 poration, and the heads of other relevant Federal agencies, 

7 should support the improvement of economic conditions in 

8 the Western Hemisphere through collaborative efforts with 

9 democratic partners that— 

10 (1) facilitate a more open, transparent, and com11 petitive environment for United States businesses and 

12 promote robust and comprehensive trade capacity13 building and trade facilitation by— 

14 (A) reducing trade and nontariff barriers 

15 between the countries in the region, establishing 

16 a mechanism for pursuing Mutual Recognition 

17 Agreements and Formalized Regulatory Coopera18 tion Agreements in priority sectors of the econ19 omy; 

20 (B) establishing a forum for discussing and 

21 evaluating technical and other assistance needs 

22 to help establish streamlined ‘‘single window’’ 

23 processes to facilitate movement of goods and 

24 common customs arrangements and procedures 


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1 to lower costs of goods in transit and speed to 

2 destination; 

3 (C) building relationships and exchanges be4 tween relevant regulatory bodies in the United 

5 States and democratic partners in the Western 

6 Hemisphere to promote best practices and trans7 parency in rulemaking, implementation, and en8 forcement, and provide training and assistance 

9 to help improve supply chain management in the 

10 Western Hemisphere; 

11 (D) establishing regional fora for identi12 fying, raising, and addressing supply chain 

13 management issues, including infrastructure 

14 needs and strengthening of investment rules and 

15 regulatory frameworks; 

16 (E) establishing a dedicated program of 

17 trade missions and reverse trade missions to in18 crease commercial contacts and ties between the 

19 United States and Western Hemisphere partner 

20 countries; and 

21 (F) strengthening labor and environmental 

22 standards in the region; 

23 (2) establish frameworks or mechanisms to re24 view and address the long-term financial sustainVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:56 May 04, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00024 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\S1325.RS S1325

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1 ability and national security implications of foreign 

2 investments in strategic sectors or services; 

3 (3) establish competitive and transparent infra4 structure project selection and procurement processes 

5 that promote transparency, open competition, finan6 cial sustainability, and robust adherence to global 

7 standards and norms; and 

8 (4) advance robust and comprehensive energy 

9 production and integration, including through a more 

10 open, transparent, and competitive environment for 

11 United States companies competing in the Western 

12 Hemisphere, including by— 

13 (A) facilitating further development of inte14 grated regional energy markets; 

15 (B) improving management of grids, in16 cluding technical capability to ensure the 

17 functionality, safe and responsible management, 

18 and quality of service of electricity providers, 

19 carriers, and management and distribution sys20 tems; 

21 (C) facilitating private sector-led develop22 ment of reliable and affordable power generation 

23 capacity; 

24 (D) establishing a process for surveying 

25 grid capacity and management focused on idenVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:56 May 04, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00025 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\S1325.RS S1325

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1 tifying electricity service efficiencies and estab2 lishing cooperative mechanisms for providing 

3 technical assistance for— 

4 (i) grid management, power pricing, 

5 and tariff issues; 

6 (ii) establishing and maintaining ap7 propriate regulatory best practices; and 

8 (iii) proposals to establish regional 

9 power grids for the purpose of promoting 

10 the sale of excess supply to consumers across 

11 borders; 

12 (E) assessing the viability and effectiveness 

13 of decentralizing power production and trans14 mission and building micro-grid power networks 

15 to improve, when feasible, access to electricity, 

16 particularly in rural and underserved commu17 nities where centralized power grid connections 

18 may not be feasible in the short to medium term; 

19 and 

20 (F) exploring opportunities to partner with 

21 the private sector and multilateral institutions, 

22 such as the World Bank and the Inter-American 

23 Development Bank, to promote universal access 

24 to reliable and affordable electricity in the West25 ern Hemisphere. 


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1 SEC. 6. PROMOTING TRANSPARENCY AND DEMOCRATIC 

2 GOVERNANCE IN THE WESTERN HEMI3 SPHERE. 

4 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress 

5 that the United States should support efforts to strengthen 

6 the capacity and legitimacy of democratic institutions and 

7 inclusive processes in the Western Hemisphere to promote 

8 a more transparent, democratic, and prosperous region. 

9 (b) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State, in coordi10 nation with the Administrator of the United States Agency 

11 for International Development and heads of other relevant 

12 Federal agencies, should support transparent, accountable, 

13 and democratic governance in the Western Hemisphere 

14 through collaborative efforts with democratic partners 

15 that— 

16 (1) strengthen the capacity of national electoral 

17 institutions to ensure free, fair, and transparent elec18 toral processes, including through pre-election assess19 ment missions, technical assistance, and independent 

20 local and international election monitoring and obser21 vation missions; 

22 (2) enhance the capabilities of democratically 

23 elected national legislatures, parliamentary bodies, 

24 and autonomous regulatory institutions to conduct 

25 oversight; 


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1 (3) strengthen the capacity of subnational gov2 ernment institutions to govern in a transparent, ac3 countable, and democratic manner, including through 

4 training and technical assistance; 

5 (4) combat corruption at local and national lev6 els, including through trainings, cooperation agree7 ments, initiatives aimed at dismantling corrupt net8 works, and political support for bilateral or multilat9 eral anticorruption mechanisms that strengthen attor10 neys general and prosecutors’ offices; 

11 (5) strengthen the capacity of civil society to 

12 conduct oversight of government institutions, build 

13 the capacity of independent professional journalism, 

14 facilitate substantive dialogue with government and 

15 the private sector to generate issue-based policies, and 

16 mobilize local resources to carry out such activities; 

17 (6) promote the meaningful and significant par18 ticipation of women in democratic processes, includ19 ing in national and subnational government and civil 

20 society; and 

21 (7) support the creation of procedures for the Or22 ganization of American States (OAS) to create an an23 nual forum for democratically elected national legisla24 tures from OAS member States to discuss issues of 

25 hemispheric importance, as expressed in section 4 of 


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1 the Organization of American States Legislative En2 gagement Act of 2020 (Public Law 116–343). 

3 SEC. 7. INVESTMENT, TRADE, AND DEVELOPMENT IN AFRI4 CA AND LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIB5 BEAN. 

6 (a) STRATEGY REQUIRED.— 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—The President shall establish 

8 a comprehensive United States strategy for public 

9 and private investment, trade, and development in 

10 Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean. 

11 (2) FOCUS OF STRATEGY.—The strategy required 

12 by paragraph (1) shall focus on increasing exports of 

13 United States goods and services to Africa and Latin 

14 America and the Caribbean by 200 percent in real 

15 dollar value by the date that is 10 years after the date 

16 of the enactment of this Act. 

17 (3) CONSULTATIONS.—In developing the strategy 

18 required by paragraph (1), the President shall consult 

19 with— 

20 (A) Congress; 

21 (B) each agency that is a member of the 

22 Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee; 

23 (C) the relevant multilateral development 

24 banks, in coordination with the Secretary of the 


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1 Treasury and the respective United States Exec2 utive Directors of such banks; 

3 (D) each agency that participates in the 

4 Trade Policy Staff Committee established; 

5 (E) the President’s Export Council; 

6 (F) each of the development agencies; 

7 (G) any other Federal agencies with respon8 sibility for export promotion or financing and 

9 development; and 

10 (H) the private sector, including businesses, 

11 nongovernmental organizations, and African and 

12 Latin American and Caribbean diaspora groups. 

13 (4) SUBMISSION TO CONGRESS.— 

14 (A) STRATEGY.—Not later than 180 days 

15 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 

16 President shall submit to Congress the strategy 

17 required by subsection (a). 

18 (B) PROGRESS REPORT.—Not later than 3 

19 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, 

20 the President shall submit to Congress a report 

21 on the implementation of the strategy required 

22 by paragraph (1). 

23 (b) SPECIAL AFRICA AND LATIN AMERICA AND THE

24 CARIBBEAN EXPORT STRATEGY COORDINATORS.—The 

25 President shall designate an individual to serve as Special 


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1 Africa Export Strategy Coordinator and an individual to 

2 serve as Special Latin America and the Caribbean Export 

3 Strategy Coordinator— 

4 (1) to oversee the development and implementa5 tion of the strategy required by subsection (a); and 

6 (2) to coordinate developing and implementing 

7 the strategy with— 

8 (A) the Trade Promotion Coordinating 

9 Committee; 

10 (B) the Assistant United States Trade Rep11 resentative for African Affairs or the Assistant 

12 United States Trade Representative for the West13 ern Hemisphere, as appropriate; 

14 (C) the Assistant Secretary of State for Af15 rican Affairs or the Assistant Secretary of State 

16 for Western Hemisphere Affairs, as appropriate; 

17 (D) the Export-Import Bank of the United 

18 States; 

19 (E) the United States International Devel20 opment Finance Corporation; and 

21 (F) the development agencies. 

22 (c) TRADE MISSIONS TO AFRICA AND LATIN AMERICA

23 AND THE CARIBBEAN.—It is the sense of Congress that, not 

24 later than one year after the date of the enactment of this 

25 Act, the Secretary of Commerce and other high-level officials 


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1 of the United States Government with responsibility for ex2 port promotion, financing, and development should conduct 

3 joint trade missions to Africa and to Latin America and 

4 the Caribbean. 

5 (d) TRAINING.—The President shall develop a plan— 

6 (1) to standardize the training received by 

7 United States and Foreign Commercial Service offi8 cers, economic officers of the Department of State, 

9 and economic officers of the United States Agency for 

10 International Development with respect to the pro11 grams and procedures of the Export-Import Bank of 

12 the United States, the United States International 

13 Development Finance Corporation, the Small Busi14 ness Administration, and the United States Trade 

15 and Development Agency; and 

16 (2) to ensure that, not later than one year after 

17 the date of the enactment of this Act— 

18 (A) all United States and Foreign Commer19 cial Service officers that are stationed overseas 

20 receive the training described in paragraph (1); 

21 and 

22 (B) in the case of a country to which no 

23 United States and Foreign Commercial Service 

24 officer is assigned, any economic officer of the 


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1 Department of State stationed in that country 

2 receives that training. 

3 (e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

4 (1) DEVELOPMENT AGENCIES.—The term ‘‘devel5 opment agencies’’ means the United States Depart6 ment of State, the United States Agency for Inter7 national Development, the Millennium Challenge Cor8 poration, the United States International Develop9 ment Finance Corporation, the United States Trade 

10 and Development Agency, the United States Depart11 ment of Agriculture, and relevant multilateral devel12 opment banks. 

13 (2) MULTILATERAL DEVELOPMENT BANKS.—The 

14 term ‘‘multilateral development banks’’ has the mean15 ing given that term in section 1701(c)(4) of the Inter16 national Financial Institutions Act (22 U.S.C. 

17 262r(c)(4)) and includes the African Development 

18 Foundation. 

19 (3) TRADE POLICY STAFF COMMITTEE.—The 

20 term ‘‘Trade Policy Staff Committee’’ means the 

21 Trade Policy Staff Committee established pursuant to 

22 section 2002.2 of title 15, Code of Federal Regula23 tions. 

24 (4) TRADE PROMOTION COORDINATING COM25 MITTEE.—The term ‘‘Trade Promotion Coordinating 


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1 Committee’’ means the Trade Promotion Coordi2 nating Committee established under section 2312 of 

3 the Export Enhancement Act of 1988 (15 U.S.C. 

4 4727). 

5 (5) UNITED STATES AND FOREIGN COMMERCIAL

6 SERVICE.—The term ‘‘United States and Foreign 

7 Commercial Service’’ means the United States and 

8 Foreign Commercial Service established by section 

9 2301 of the Export Enhancement Act of 1988 (15 

10 U.S.C. 4721). 

11 SEC. 8. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON PRIORITIZING NOMINA12 TION AND CONFIRMATION OF QUALIFIED AM13 BASSADORS. 

14 It is the sense of Congress that it is critically impor15 tant that both the President and the Senate play their re16 spective roles to nominate and confirm qualified ambas17 sadors as quickly as possible, especially for countries in the 

18 Western Hemisphere. 

19 SEC. 9. WESTERN HEMISPHERE DEFINED. 

20 In this Act, the term ‘‘Western Hemisphere’’ does not 

21 include Cuba, Nicaragua, or Venezuela. 

22 SEC. 10. REPORT ON EFFORTS TO CAPTURE AND DETAIN 

23 UNITED STATES CITIZENS AS HOSTAGES. 

24 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 30 days after the 

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


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1 shall submit to the Committee on Foreign Relations of the 

2 Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House 

3 of Representatives a report on efforts by the Maduro regime 

4 of Venezuela to detain United States citizens and lawful 

5 permanent residents. 

6 (b) ELEMENTS.—The report required by subsection (a) 

7 shall include, regarding the arrest, capture, detainment, 

8 and imprisonment of United States citizens and lawful per9 manent residents— 

10 (1) the names, positions, and institutional affili11 ation of Venezuelan individuals, or those acting on 

12 their behalf, who have engaged in such activities; 

13 (2) a description of any role played by 

14 transnational criminal organizations, and an identi15 fication of such organizations; and 

16 (3) where relevant, an assessment of whether and 

17 how United States citizens and lawful permanent 

18 residents have been lured to Venezuela. 

19 (c) FORM.—The report required under subsection (a) 

20 shall be submitted in unclassified form, but shall include 

21 a classified annex, which shall include a list of the total 

22 number of United States citizens and lawful permanent 

23 residents detained or imprisoned in Venezuela as of the date 

24 on which the report is submitted. 


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Calendar No. 51 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1325 

A BILL 

To establish a partnership with nations in the 

and for other purposes. petitiveness, democratic governance, and security, Western Hemisphere to promote economic comMAY 4, 2023 

Reported with an amendment 


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