I 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5501 

To direct the Secretary of State to take certain actions to end corruption 

in the Northern Triangle region of Central America, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 12, 2018 

Mrs. TORRES introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each 

case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of 

the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of State to take certain actions 

to end corruption in the Northern Triangle region of 

Central America, 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 ‘‘End Corruption in the 

5 Northern Triangle Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

7 In this Act: 


rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS
2 

•HR 5501 IH

1 (1) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT2 TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com3 mittees’’ means— 

4 (A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and 

5 the Committee on Appropriations of the House 

6 of Representatives; and 

7 (B) the Committee on Foreign Relations 

8 and the Committee on Appropriations of the 

9 Senate. 

10 (2) GRAND CORRUPTION.—The term ‘‘grand 

11 corruption’’ means public corruption committed at a 

12 high level of government that— 

13 (A) distorts policies or the central func14 tioning of the country; and 

15 (B) enables leaders to benefit at the ex16 pense of the public good. 

17 (3) NORTHERN TRIANGLE.—The term ‘‘North18 ern Triangle’’ means the region of Central America 

19 that encompasses the countries of Guatemala, Hon20 duras, and El Salvador. 

21 (4) NORTHERN TRIANGLE COUNTRIES.—The 

22 term ‘‘Northern Triangle countries’’ means the 

23 countries of Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. 

24 SEC. 3. FINDINGS. 

25 Congress finds the following: 


rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS
3 

•HR 5501 IH

1 (1) According to the February 9, 2017, Presi2 dential Executive order on ‘‘Enforcing Federal Law 

3 with Respect to Transnational Criminal Organiza4 tions and Preventing International Trafficking’’, 

5 transnational criminal organizations ‘‘are drivers of 

6 crime, corruption, violence, and misery’’, and ‘‘a 

7 comprehensive and decisive approach is required to 

8 dismantle these organized crime syndicates and re9 store safety for the American people.’’. 

10 (2) Since 2008, the United States has provided 

11 more than $1 billion through the Central America 

12 Regional Security Initiative in order to address vio13 lence, organized crime, and narcotics trafficking and 

14 in Central America. 

15 (3) The 2017 International Narcotics Control 

16 Strategy Report stated that ‘‘corruption within the 

17 Salvadoran political system remains a serious prob18 lem’’. 

19 (4) According to the same report, in Guatemala 

20 ‘‘widespread corruption permeates public and private 

21 institutions and exacerbates the country’s security, 

22 governmental, and economic challenges’’. 

23 (5) The same report notes that in Honduras, 

24 corruption has undermined progress on disrupting 

25 and degrading illegal trafficking, because ‘‘trafVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:10 Apr 18, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5501.IH H5501

rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS
4 

•HR 5501 IH

1 ficking organizations have infiltrated some military 

2 units in active drug corridors’’. 

3 SEC. 4. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

4 It is the sense of Congress that— 

5 (1) systemic corruption constitutes a significant 

6 threat to the long-term prospects for democratic gov7 ernance, prosperity, and security in the Northern 

8 Triangle, and is an impediment to United States ef9 forts to reduce the flow of cocaine and other nar10 cotics from South America to the United States; 

11 (2) the International Commission against Impu12 nity in Guatemala and the Mission to Support the 

13 Fight against Corruption and Impunity in Honduras 

14 have made important contributions to the fight 

15 against corruption in Guatemala and Honduras, re16 spectively; and 

17 (3) the lack of an international commission 

18 against impunity in El Salvador is a limiting factor 

19 in efforts to combat corruption in that country. 

20 SEC. 5. ANTI-CORRUPTION STRATEGY. 

21 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 

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

23 shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees 

24 a strategy to enhance United States efforts to dismantle 

25 systemic corruption in the Northern Triangle. 


rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS
5 

•HR 5501 IH

1 (b) ELEMENTS.—The strategy shall include the fol2 lowing elements: 

3 (1) Diplomatic and financial support for inter4 national commissions against impunity. 

5 (2) Enhanced cooperation with local prosecu6 tors, investigative units within national and local po7 lice forces, and revenue and customs authorities of 

8 each Northern Triangle country. 

9 (3) Exchange of information relevant to ongo10 ing criminal investigations, where possible, with local 

11 prosecutors and the international commissions 

12 against impunity. 

13 (4) The designations of individuals within the 

14 Northern Triangle that meet the requirements for 

15 designations under— 

16 (A) the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Des17 ignation Act (21 U.S.C. 1901 et seq.); 

18 (B) section 212(a)(2)(C) of the Immigra19 tion and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 

20 1182(a)(2)(C)); or 

21 (C) the Global Magnitsky Human Rights 

22 Accountability Act (subtitle F of title XII of 

23 Public Law 114–328; 22 U.S.C. 2656 note). 


rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS
6 

•HR 5501 IH

1 SEC. 6. REPORT ON CORRUPTION AND NARCOTICS TRAF2 FICKING. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 

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

5 in consultation with the intelligence community (as such 

6 term is defined in section 3(4) of the National Security 

7 Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3003(4)), shall submit to the 

8 Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representa9 tives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Sen10 ate a report regarding corruption and illicit campaign fi11 nance in the Northern Triangle. 

12 (b) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The report re13 quired under subsection (a) shall include— 

14 (1) the names of senior government officials in 

15 any of the Northern Triangle countries who are 

16 known to have committed or facilitated acts of grand 

17 corruption or narcotics trafficking; 

18 (2) the names of elected officials in any of the 

19 Northern Triangle countries who are known to have 

20 received campaign funds that are the proceeds of 

21 narco-trafficking or other illicit activities in the last 

22 2 years; and 

23 (3) the names of individuals who are known to 

24 have facilitated the financing of political campaigns 

25 in any of the Northern Triangle countries with the 


rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS
7 

•HR 5501 IH

1 proceeds of narco-trafficking or other illicit activities 

2 in the last 2 years. 

3 (c) FORM.—The report submitted under subsection 

4 (a) shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may in5 clude a classified annex. 

6 SEC. 7. CENTRAL AMERICA REGIONAL SECURITY INITIA7 TIVE. 

8 Not later than 90 days after the date of the enact9 ment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall make avail10 able on the website of the Department of State the total 

11 amounts of assistance under the Central America Regional 

12 Security Initiative that have been provided to each country 

13 within Central America since fiscal year 2008. 

Æ 


rfrederick on DSKBCBPHB2PROD with BILLS