II

106TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION S. 2030

To authorize microfinance and food assistance for communities affected by

the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), and for other purposes.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

FEBRUARY 3, 2000

Mr. DURBIN introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred

to the Committee on Foreign Relations

A BILL

To authorize microfinance and food assistance for communities affected by the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), 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 ‘‘AIDS Orphans Relief

5 Act of 2000’’.

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

7 Congress makes the following findings:

8 (1) By the end of 2000, 10,400,000 children in

9 Sub-Saharan Africa will have lost their mother, or
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1 both parents, to Acquired Immune Deficiency Syn2 drome (AIDS).

3 (2) In the next decade, 40,000,000 children will

4 become orphans as a result of the AIDS pandemic,

5 most of them located in Sub-Saharan Africa.

6 (3) Over the next 20 years, AIDS threatens to

7 reduce substantially economic progress in the na8 tions of Sub-Saharan Africa.

9 (4) Success or failure in fighting the AIDS pan10 demic will effect the spread of the disease to India,

11 Asia, and the states of the former Soviet Union.

12 (5) By 2005, more than 100,000,000 people

13 worldwide will have been infected with Human Im14 munodeficiency Virus (HIV), the precursor to AIDS.

15 (6) Effective assistance for children orphaned

16 by AIDS, and for those caring for such children,

17 must strengthen the surviving families.

18 (7) The development and expansion of sustain19 able microfinance institutions that provide access to

20 credit, savings, and other financial services to the

21 very poor, especially women, are critical components

22 in a global strategy to address the devastating eco23 nomic and social effects of AIDS.

24 (8) Microfinance programs are particularly ef25 fective in helping those left to care for AIDS or-
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1 phans by providing the caregivers the means of pur2 suing a livelihood.

3 (9) Microfinance programs have been shown to

4 be particularly effective in permitting individuals

5 with AIDS to have access to services and credit not

6 otherwise available to such individuals, including

7 health insurance, life insurance, counseling, and

8 group support.

9 (10) Food aid can be a critical component in

10 mitigating the impact of AIDS on communities by

11 addressing the nutritional needs of individuals with

12 AIDS and assisting households left destitute by

13 AIDS, and as a part of a larger, comprehensive ef14 fort to strengthen and restore sustainable livelihood

15 strategies for households and communities affected

16 by AIDS.

17 SEC. 3. PURPOSES.

18 The purposes of this Act are—

19 (1) to make microfinance programs an impor20 tant component of United States policy in fighting

21 the effects of the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syn22 drome (AIDS) pandemic worldwide; and

23 (2) to encourage targeted use of food and food24 related assistance for humanitarian purposes and for
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1 sustainable development in communities affected by

2 AIDS.

3 SEC. 4. MICROCREDIT PROGRAMS.

4 Chapter 1 of part I of the Foreign Assistance Act

5 of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.) is amended by adding

6 at the end the following new section:

7 ‘‘SEC. 131. ASSISTANCE FOR MICROCREDIT PROGRAMS FOR

8 COMMUNITIES AFFECTED BY AIDS.

9 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—In addition to any other funds

10 authorized to be appropriated by this chapter for micro11 enterprise activities or activities relating to Human Im12 munodeficiency Virus (HIV) or Acquired Immune Defi13 ciency Syndrome (AIDS), there is authorized to be appro14 priated each fiscal year, $50,000,000 for purposes of as15 sisting microcredit programs that serve the very poor, es16 pecially women, in communities heavily affected by AIDS.

17 ‘‘(b) PROGRAM ELEMENTS.—(1) The maximum

18 amount of credit provided an individual under a micro19 credit program under subsection (a) may not exceed $600

20 and (b) the average loan size for a program receiving re21 sources under this section may not exceed $300.

22 ‘‘(2) To the maximum extent practicable, amounts

23 shall be provided under subsection (a) for programs

24 that—
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1 ‘‘(A) provide HIV prevention or AIDS care and

2 support, whether directly or through linkages with

3 other programs;

4 ‘‘(B) employ best practices for assisting the

5 very poor; and

6 ‘‘(C) operate in a sustainable manner.’’.

7 SEC. 5. FOOD ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS.

8 Title IV of the Agricultural Trade and Development

9 Assistance Act of 1954 (7 U.S.C. 1731 et seq.) is amended

10 by adding at the end the following new section:

11 ‘‘SEC. 416. ASSISTANCE FOR COMMUNITIES AFFECTED BY

12 AIDS.

13 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The President may provide food

14 assistance under this Act to developing countries in order

15 to assist such countries in mitigating the effects of Ac16 quired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) on commu17 nities in such countries, including—

18 ‘‘(1) assistance to address the nutritional needs

19 of individuals in such communities who have AIDS;

20 ‘‘(2) assistance for households affected by

21 AIDS; and

22 ‘‘(3) assistance as part of other aid or assist23 ance designed to create or restore sustainable liveli24 hood strategies in communities affected by AIDS.

25 ‘‘(b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—
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1 ‘‘(1) AUTHORIZATION.—There is authorized to

2 appropriated each fiscal year, $50,000,000 for pur3 poses of providing assistance under this section.

4 ‘‘(2) RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER AUTHORIZA5 TIONS.—Amounts authorized to be appropriated for

6 a fiscal year by paragraph (1) are in addition to any

7 other amounts authorized to be appropriated by this

8 Act for such fiscal year.’’.

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