II 

110TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3643 

To enhance the capacity of the United States to undertake global development 

activities, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 27 (legislative day, SEPTEMBER 17), 2008 

Mr. DURBIN (for himself, Mr. KERRY, and Mrs. MURRAY) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

A BILL 

To enhance the capacity of the United States to undertake 

global development activities, 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 ‘‘Increasing America’s 

5 Global Development Capacity Act of 2008’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds that— 

8 (1) foreign development assistance is an impor9 tant foreign policy tool in addition to diplomacy and 

10 defense; 


wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS
2 

•S 3643 IS

1 (2) development assistance is part of any com2 prehensive United States response to regional con3 flicts, terrorist threats, weapons proliferation, dis4 ease pandemics, and persistent widespread poverty; 

5 (3) in 2002 and 2006, the United States Na6 tional Security Strategy includes global development, 

7 along with defense and diplomacy, as the 3 pillars 

8 of national security; 

9 (4) in its early years, the United States Agency 

10 for International Development (USAID) had more 

11 than 5,000 full-time Foreign Service Officers; 

12 (5) as of 2008, USAID has slightly more than 

13 1,000 full-time Foreign Service Officers; 

14 (6) the budget at USAID, calculated in real 

15 dollars, has dropped 27 percent since 1985; 

16 (7) this decline in personnel and operating 

17 budgets has diminished the capacity of USAID to 

18 provide development assistance and implement for19 eign assistance programs; and 

20 (8) the Committee on Appropriations of the 

21 Senate recommended increasing the amount to be 

22 appropriated for USAID operating expenses for fis23 cal year 2009 by $171,000,000 compared to the 

24 amount appropriated for such expenses for fiscal 

25 year 2008. 


wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS
3 

•S 3643 IS

1 SEC. 3. HIRING OF ADDITIONAL FOREIGN SERVICE OFFI2 CERS AS USAID EMPLOYEES. 

3 (a) INITIAL HIRINGS.—Not later than 1 year after 

4 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator 

5 of USAID shall use additional amounts appropriated to 

6 USAID for fiscal year 2009 compared to fiscal year 2008 

7 to increase by not less than 700 the total number of full8 time Foreign Service Officers employed by USAID com9 pared to the number of such officers employed by USAID 

10 on the date of the enactment of this Act. These officers 

11 shall be used to enhance the ability of USAID to— 

12 (1) carry out development activities around the 

13 world by providing USAID with additional human 

14 resources and expertise needed to meet important 

15 development and humanitarian needs around the 

16 world; 

17 (2) strengthen its institutional capacity as the 

18 lead development agency of the United States; and 

19 (3) more effectively help developing nations to 

20 become more stable, healthy, democratic, prosperous, 

21 and self-sufficient. 

22 (b) SUBSEQUENT HIRINGS.— 

23 (1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided under 

24 paragraph (2), during the 2-year period beginning 1 

25 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 

26 Administrator of USAID shall increase by not less 


wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS
4 

•S 3643 IS

1 than 1,300 the total number of full-time Foreign 

2 Service Officers over the number of such Officers at 

3 the beginning of such 2-year period to carry out the 

4 activities described in subsection (a), contingent 

5 upon sufficient appropriations. 

6 (2) REPROGRAMMING.—If the Administrator of 

7 USAID determines that USAID has competing 

8 needs that are more urgent than the hirings de9 scribed in paragraph (1), the Administrator may use 

10 amounts available for such hirings for such com11 peting needs if the Administrator submits to the 

12 Committee on Appropriations and the Committee on 

13 Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee 

14 on Appropriations and the Committee on Foreign 

15 Affairs of the House of Representatives a report de16 scribing such competing needs. 

Æ 


wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS