II 

Calendar No. 320 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3591 

To strengthen the bilateral partnership between the United States and Ecuador in support of democratic institutions and rule of law, sustainable 

and inclusive economic growth, and conservation. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 7 (legislative day, FEBRUARY 3), 2022 

Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself, Mr. RISCH, Mr. KAINE, Mr. RUBIO, Mr. CASSIDY, Mr. COONS, and Mr. CARDIN) introduced the following bill; which 

was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

APRIL 4 (legislative day, MARCH 31), 2022 

Reported by Mr. MENENDEZ, with an amendment 

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

A BILL 

To strengthen the bilateral partnership between the United 

States and Ecuador in support of democratic institutions 

and rule of law, sustainable and inclusive economic 

growth, and conservation. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

2 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

3 ‘‘United States-Ecuador Partnership Act of 2022’’. 

4 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

5 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Findings. 

Sec. 3. Sense of Congress. 

Sec. 4. Facilitating economic and commercial ties. 

Sec. 5. Promoting inclusive economic development. 

Sec. 6. Combating illicit economies, corruption, and negative foreign influence. 

Sec. 7. Strengthening democratic governance. 

Sec. 8. Fostering conservation and stewardship. 

Sec. 9. Reporting requirements. 

Sec. 10. Sunset. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find8 ings: 

9 (1) The United States and Ecuador have a his10 tory of bilateral cooperation grounded in mutual re11 spect, shared democratic values, and mutual security 

12 interests. 

13 (2) On February 7, 2021, and April 11, 2021, 

14 Ecuador held democratic elections that included par15 ties from across the political spectrum, paving the 

16 way for continued progress towards strengthening 

17 democratic institutions. 

18 (3) The United States and Ecuador share stra19 tegic interests in strengthening Ecuador’s demo20 cratic institutions, generating inclusive economic 


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1 growth, and building capacity in law enforcement, 

2 anti-corruption, and conservation efforts. 

3 (4) The United States and Ecuador historically 

4 have enjoyed strong commercial, investment, and 

5 economic ties, yet Ecuador continues to face signifi6 cant challenges to inclusive economic development, 

7 including— 

8 (A) the heavy economic toll of the COVID– 

9 19 pandemic; 

10 (B) vulnerabilities with respect to the 

11 growing role of the People’s Republic of China 

12 in the financing and refinancing of Ecuador’s 

13 debts, and in strategic infrastructure projects 

14 and sectors of the Ecuadorian economy; and 

15 (C) the need to develop and strengthen 

16 open and transparent economic policies that 

17 strengthen Ecuador’s integration with global 

18 markets, inclusive economic growth, and oppor19 tunities for upward social mobility for the Ec20 uadorian people. 

21 (5) Since its establishment in December 2019, 

22 the United States Development Finance Corporation 

23 has provided more than $440,000,000 in financing 

24 to Ecuador. 


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1 (6) Ecuador’s justice system has taken impor2 tant steps to fight corruption and criminality and to 

3 increase accountability. However, enduring chal4 lenges to the rule of law in Ecuador, including the 

5 activities of transnational criminal organizations, il6 licit mining, illegal, unreported, and unregulated 

7 (IUU) fishing, and undemocratic actors, present on8 going risks for political and social stability in Ecua9 dor. 

10 (7) The activities undertaken by the Govern11 ment of the People’s Republic of China in Ecuador, 

12 including its development of the ECU–911 video 

13 surveillance and facial recognition system, financing 

14 of the corruptly managed and environmentally dele15 terious Coca Codo Sinclair Dam, and support for il16 legal, unreported, and unregulated fishing practices 

17 around the Galapagos Islands, pose risks to demo18 cratic governance and biodiversity in the country. 

19 (8) Ecuador, which is home to several of the 

20 Earth’s most biodiverse ecosystems, including the 

21 Galapagos Islands, the headwaters of the Amazon 

22 river, the Condor mountain range, and the Yasuni 

23 Biosphere Reserve, has seen a reduction in its 

24 rainforests between 1990 and 2016, due in part to 


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1 the incursion of criminal networks into protected 

2 areas. 

3 (9) On March 24, 2021, the Senate unani4 mously approved Senate Resolution 22 (117th Con5 gress), reaffirming the partnership between the 

6 United States and the Republic of Ecuador, and rec7 ognizing the restoration and advancement of eco8 nomic relations, security, and development opportu9 nities in both nations. 

10 (10) On August 13, 2021, the United States 

11 and Ecuador celebrated the entry into force of the 

12 Protocol to the Trade and Investment Council 

13 Agreement between the Government of the United 

14 States of America and the Government of the Re15 public of Ecuador Relating to Trade Rules and 

16 Transparency, recognizing the steps Ecuador has 

17 taken to decrease unnecessary regulatory burden 

18 and create a more transparent and predictable legal 

19 framework for foreign direct investment in recent 

20 years. 

21 SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

22 It is the sense of Congress that— 

23 (1) the United States should take additional 

24 steps to strengthen its bilateral partnership with Ec25 uador, including by developing robust trade and inVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:45 Apr 05, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S3591.RS S3591

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1 vestment frameworks, increasing law enforcement 

2 cooperation, renewing the activities of the United 

3 States Agency for International Development in Ec4 uador, and supporting Ecuador’s response to and re5 covery from the COVID–19 pandemic, as necessary 

6 and appropriate; and 

7 (2) strengthening the United States-Ecuador 

8 partnership presents an opportunity to advance core 

9 United States national security interests and work 

10 with other democratic partners to maintain a pros11 perous, politically stable, and democratic Western 

12 Hemisphere that is resilient to malign foreign influ13 ence. 

14 SEC. 4. FACILITATING ECONOMIC AND COMMERCIAL TIES. 

15 The Secretary of State, in coordination with the Sec16 retary of Commerce, the United States Trade Representa17 tive, the Secretary of the Treasury, and the heads of other 

18 relevant Federal departments and agencies, as appro19 priate, shall develop and implement a strategy to strength20 en commercial and economic ties between the United 

21 States and Ecuador by— 

22 (1) promoting cooperation and information 

23 sharing to encourage awareness of and increase 

24 trade and investment opportunities between the 

25 United States and Ecuador; 


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1 (2) supporting efforts by the Government of 

2 Ecuador to promote a more open, transparent, and 

3 competitive business environment, including by low4 ering trade barriers, implementing policies to reduce 

5 trading times, and improving efficiencies to expedite 

6 customs operations for importers and exporters of 

7 all sizes, in all sectors, and at all entry ports in Ec8 uador; 

9 (3) establishing frameworks or mechanisms to 

10 review the long-term financial sustainability and se11 curity implications of foreign investments in Ecua12 dor in strategic sectors or services; 

13 (4) establishing competitive and transparent in14 frastructure project selection and procurement proc15 esses in Ecuador that promote transparency, open 

16 competition, financial sustainability, and robust ad17 herence to global standards and norms; 

18 (5) developing programs to help the Govern19 ment of Ecuador improve efficiency and trans20 parency in customs administration, including 

21 through support for the Government of Ecuador’s 

22 ongoing efforts to digitize its customs process and 

23 accept electronic documents required for the import, 

24 export, and transit of goods under specific inter25 national standards, as well as related training to exVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:45 Apr 05, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S3591.RS S3591

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1 pedite customs, security, efficiency, and competitive2 ness; 

3 (6) spurring digital transformation that would 

4 advance— 

5 (A) the provision of digitized government 

6 services with the greatest potential to improve 

7 transparency, lower business costs, and expand 

8 citizens’ access to public services and public in9 formation; 

10 (B) the provision of transparent and af11 fordable access to the internet and digital infra12 structure; and 

13 (C) best practices to mitigate the risks to 

14 digital infrastructure by doing business with 

15 communication networks and communications 

16 supply chains with equipment and services from 

17 companies with close ties to or susceptible to 

18 pressure from governments or security services 

19 without reliable legal checks on governmental 

20 powers; and 

21 (7) identifying, as appropriate, a role for the 

22 United States International Development Finance 

23 Corporation, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, 

24 the United States Agency for International Develop25 ment, and the United States private sector in supVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:45 Apr 05, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S3591.RS S3591

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1 porting efforts to increase private sector investment 

2 and strengthen economic prosperity. 

3 SEC. 5. PROMOTING INCLUSIVE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. 

4 The Administrator of the United States Agency for 

5 International Development, in coordination with the Sec6 retary of State and the heads of other relevant Federal 

7 departments and agencies, as appropriate, shall develop 

8 and implement a strategy and related programs to support 

9 inclusive economic development across Ecuador’s national 

10 territory by— 

11 (1) facilitating increased access to public and 

12 private financing, equity investments, grants, and 

13 market analysis for small and medium-sized busi14 nesses; 

15 (2) providing technical assistance to local gov16 ernments to formulate and enact local development 

17 plans that invest in Indigenous and Afro-Ecuadorian 

18 communities; 

19 (3) connecting rural agricultural networks, in20 cluding Indigenous and Afro-Ecuadorian agricultural 

21 networks, to consumers in urban centers and export 

22 markets, including through infrastructure construc23 tion and maintenance programs that are subject to 

24 audits and carefully designed to minimize potential 

25 environmental harm; 


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1 (4) partnering with local governments, the pri2 vate sector, and local civil society organizations, in3 cluding organizations representing marginalized 

4 communities and faith-based organizations, to pro5 vide skills training and investment in support of ini6 tiatives that provide economically viable, legal alter7 natives to participating in illegal economies; and 

8 (5) connecting small scale fishing enterprises to 

9 consumers and export markets, in order to reduce 

10 vulnerability to organized criminal networks. 

11 SEC. 6. COMBATING ILLICIT ECONOMIES, CORRUPTION, 

12 AND NEGATIVE FOREIGN INFLUENCE. 

13 The Secretary of State shall develop and implement 

14 a strategy and related programs to increase the capacity 

15 of Ecuador’s justice system and law enforcement authori16 ties to combat illicit economies, corruption, transnational 

17 criminal organizations, and the harmful influence of ma18 lign foreign and domestic actors by— 

19 (1) providing technical assistance and support 

20 to specialized units within the Attorney General’s of21 fice to combat corruption and to promote and pro22 tect internationally recognized human rights in Ec23 uador, including the Transparency and Anti-Corrup24 tion Unit, the Anti-Money Laundering Unit, the 


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1 Task Force to Combat Corruption in Central Amer2 ica, and the Environmental Crimes Unit; 

3 (2) strengthening bilateral assistance and com4 plementary support through multilateral anti-corrup5 tion mechanisms, as necessary and appropriate, to 

6 counter corruption and recover assets derived from 

7 corruption, including through strengthening inde8 pendent inspectors general to track and reduce cor9 ruption; 

10 (3) improving the technical capacity of prosecu11 tors and financial institutions in Ecuador to combat 

12 corruption by— 

13 (A) detecting and investigating suspicious 

14 financial transactions, and conducting asset for15 feitures and criminal analysis; and 

16 (B) combating money laundering, financial 

17 crimes, and extortion; 

18 (4) providing technical assistance and material 

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

20 and communications equipment) to vetted specialized 

21 units of Ecuador’s national police and the armed 

22 services to disrupt, degrade, and dismantle organiza23 tions involved in illicit narcotics trafficking, 

24 transnational criminal activities, illicit mining, and 


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1 illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing, among 

2 other illicit activities; 

3 (5) providing technical assistance to address 

4 challenges related to Ecuador’s penitentiary and cor5 rections system; 

6 (6) strengthening the regulatory framework of 

7 mining through collaboration with key Ecuadorian 

8 institutions, such as the Interior Ministry’s Special 

9 Commission for the Control of Illegal Mining and 

10 the National Police’s Investigative Unit on Mining 

11 Crimes, and providing technical assistance in sup12 port of their law enforcement activities; 

13 (7) providing technical assistance to judges, 

14 prosecutors, and ombudsmen to increase capacity to 

15 enforce laws against human smuggling and traf16 ficking, illicit mining, illegal logging, illegal, unregu17 lated, and unreported (IUU) fishing, and other illicit 

18 economic activities; 

19 (8) providing support to the Government of Ec20 uador to prevent illegal, unreported, and unregulated 

21 fishing, including through expanding detection and 

22 response capabilities, and the use of dark vessel 

23 tracing technology; 

24 (9) supporting multilateral efforts to stem ille25 gal, unreported, and unregulated fishing with neighVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:45 Apr 05, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S3591.RS S3591

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1 boring countries in South America and within the 

2 South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management 

3 Organisation; 

4 (10) assisting the Government of Ecuador’s ef5 forts to protect defenders of internationally recog6 nized human rights, including through the work of 

7 the Office of the Ombudsman of Ecuador, and by 

8 encouraging the inclusion of Indigenous and Afro9 Ecuadorian communities and civil society organiza10 tions in this process; 

11 (11) supporting efforts to improve trans12 parency, uphold accountability, and build capacity 

13 within the Office of the Comptroller General; 

14 (12) enhancing the institutional capacity and 

15 technical capabilities of defense and security institu16 tions of Ecuador to conduct national or regional se17 curity missions, including through regular bilateral 

18 and multilateral cooperation, foreign military financ19 ing, international military education, and training 

20 programs, consistent with applicable Ecuadorian 

21 laws and regulations; 

22 (13) enhancing port management and maritime 

23 security partnerships to disrupt, degrade, and dis24 mantle transnational criminal networks and faciliVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:45 Apr 05, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00013 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S3591.RS S3591

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1 tate the legitimate flow of people, goods, and serv2 ices; and 

3 (14) strengthening cybersecurity cooperation— 

4 (A) to effectively respond to cybersecurity 

5 threats, including state-sponsored threats; 

6 (B) to share best practices to combat such 

7 threats; 

8 (C) to help develop and implement infor9 mation architectures that respect individual pri10 vacy rights and reduce the risk that data col11 lected through such systems will be exploited by 

12 malign state and non-state actors; 

13 (D) to strengthen resilience against 

14 cyberattacks, misinformation, and propaganda; 

15 and 

16 (E) to strengthen the resilience of critical 

17 infrastructure. 

18 SEC. 7. STRENGTHENING DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE. 

19 (a) STRENGTHENING DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE.— 

20 The Secretary of State, in coordination with the Adminis21 trator of the United States Agency for International De22 velopment, should develop and implement initiatives to 

23 strengthen democratic governance in Ecuador by sup24 porting— 


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1 (1) measures to improve the capacity of na2 tional and subnational government institutions to 

3 govern through transparent, inclusive, and demo4 cratic processes; 

5 (2) efforts that measurably enhance the capac6 ity of political actors and parties to strengthen 

7 democratic institutions and the rule of law; 

8 (3) initiatives to strengthen democratic govern9 ance, including combating political, administrative, 

10 and judicial corruption and improving transparency 

11 of the administration of public budgets; and 

12 (4) the efforts of civil society organizations and 

13 independent media— 

14 (A) to conduct oversight of the Govern15 ment of Ecuador and the National Assembly of 

16 Ecuador; 

17 (B) to promote initiatives that strengthen 

18 democratic governance, anti-corruption stand19 ards, and public and private sector trans20 parency; and 

21 (C) to foster political engagement between 

22 the Government of Ecuador, including the Na23 tional Assembly of Ecuador, and all parts of 

24 Ecuadorian society, including women, indigeVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:45 Apr 05, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00015 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S3591.RS S3591

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1 nous communities, and Afro-Ecuadorian com2 munities. 

3 (b) LEGISLATIVE STRENGTHENING.—The Adminis4 trator of the United States Agency for International De5 velopment, working through the Consortium for Elections 

6 and Political Process Strengthening or any equivalent or 

7 successor mechanism, shall develop and implement pro8 grams to strengthen the National Assembly of Ecuador 

9 by providing training and technical assistance to— 

10 (1) members and committee offices of the Na11 tional Assembly of Ecuador, including the Ethics 

12 Committee and Audit Committee; 

13 (2) assist in the creation of entities that can 

14 offer comprehensive and independent research and 

15 analysis on legislative and oversight matters pending 

16 before the National Assembly, including budgetary 

17 and economic issues; and 

18 (3) improve democratic governance and govern19 ment transparency, including through effective legis20 lation. 

21 (c) BILATERAL LEGISLATIVE COOPERATION.—To 

22 the degree practicable, in implementing the programs re23 quired under subsection (b), the Administrator of the 

24 United States Agency for International Development 

25 should facilitate meetings and collaboration between memVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:45 Apr 05, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00016 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S3591.RS S3591

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1 bers of the United States Congress and the National As2 sembly of Ecuador. 

3 SEC. 8. FOSTERING CONSERVATION AND STEWARDSHIP. 

4 The Administrator of the United States Agency for 

5 International Development, in coordination with the Sec6 retary of State and the heads of other relevant Federal 

7 departments and agencies, shall develop and implement 

8 programs and enhance existing programs, as necessary 

9 and appropriate, to improve ecosystem conservation and 

10 enhance the effective stewardship of Ecuador’s natural re11 sources by— 

12 (1) providing technical assistance to Ecuador’s 

13 Ministry of the Environment to safeguard national 

14 parks and protected forests and protected species, 

15 while promoting the participation of Indigenous com16 munities in this process; 

17 (2) strengthening the capacity of communities 

18 to access the right to prior consultation, encoded in 

19 Article 57 of the Constitution of Ecuador and re20 lated laws, executive decrees, administrative acts, 

21 and ministerial regulations; 

22 (3) supporting Indigenous and Afro-Ecuadorian 

23 communities as they raise awareness of threats to 

24 biodiverse ancestral lands, including through support 


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1 for local media in such communities and technical 

2 assistance to monitor illicit activities; 

3 (4) partnering with the Government of Ecuador 

4 in support of reforestation and improving river, lake, 

5 and coastal water quality; 

6 (5) providing assistance to communities af7 fected by illegal mining and deforestation; and 

8 (6) fostering mechanisms for cooperation on 

9 emergency preparedness and rapid recovery from 

10 natural disasters, including by— 

11 (A) establishing regional preparedness, re12 covery, and emergency management centers to 

13 facilitate rapid response to survey and help 

14 maintain planning on regional disaster antici15 pated needs and possible resources; and 

16 (B) training disaster recovery officials on 

17 latest techniques and lessons learned from 

18 United States experiences. 

19 SEC. 9. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS. 

20 (a) SECRETARY OF STATE.—The Secretary of State, 

21 in coordination with the heads of other relevant Federal 

22 departments and agencies as described in sections 4, 6, 

23 and 7(a), shall— 

24 (1) not later than 180 days after the date of 

25 the enactment of this Act, submit to the appropriate 


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1 congressional committees a comprehensive strategy 

2 to address the requirements described in sections 4, 

3 6, and 7(a); and 

4 (2) not later than 2 years and 4 years after 

5 submitting the comprehensive strategy under para6 graph (1), submit to the appropriate congressional 

7 committees a report describing the implementation 

8 of the strategy. 

9 (b) ADMINISTRATOR OF THE UNITED STATES AGEN10 CY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT.—The Adminis11 trator of the United States Agency for International De12 velopment, in coordination with the heads of other relevant 

13 Federal departments and agencies as described in sections 

14 5, 7(b), and 8, shall— 

15 (1) not later than 180 days after the date of 

16 the enactment of this Act, submit to the appropriate 

17 congressional committees a comprehensive strategy 

18 to address the requirements described in sections 4, 

19 7(b), and 8; and 

20 (2) not later than 2 years and 4 years after 

21 submitting the comprehensive strategy under para22 graph (1), submit to the appropriate congressional 

23 committees a report describing the implementation 

24 of the strategy. 


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1 (c) SUBMISSION.—The strategies and reports re2 quired under subsections (a) and (b) may be submitted 

3 to the appropriate congressional committees as joint strat4 egies and reports. 

5 (d) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES.— 

6 In this Act, the term ‘‘appropriate congressional commit7 tees’’ means the Committee on Foreign Relations of the 

8 Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the 

9 House of Representatives. 

10 SEC. 10. SUNSET. 

11 This Act shall terminate on the date that is 5 years 

12 after the date of the enactment of this Act. 

13 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

14 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

15 ‘‘United States-Ecuador Partnership Act of 2022’’. 

16 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

17 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Findings. 

Sec. 3. Sense of Congress. 

Sec. 4. Facilitating economic and commercial ties. 

Sec. 5. Promoting inclusive economic development. 

Sec. 6. Combating illicit economies, corruption, and negative foreign influence. 

Sec. 7. Strengthening democratic governance. 

Sec. 8. Fostering conservation and stewardship. 

Sec. 9. Authorization to transfer excess Coast Guard vessels. 

Sec. 10. Reporting requirements. 

Sec. 11. Sunset. 

18 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

19 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following findings: 


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1 (1) The United States and Ecuador have a his2 tory of bilateral cooperation grounded in mutual re3 spect, shared democratic values, and mutual security 

4 interests. 

5 (2) On February 7, 2021, and April 11, 2021, 

6 Ecuador held democratic elections that included par7 ties from across the political spectrum, paving the 

8 way for continued progress towards strengthening 

9 democratic institutions. 

10 (3) The United States and Ecuador share stra11 tegic interests in strengthening Ecuador’s democratic 

12 institutions, generating inclusive economic growth, 

13 and building capacity in law enforcement, anti-cor14 ruption, and conservation efforts. 

15 (4) The United States and Ecuador historically 

16 have enjoyed strong commercial, investment, and eco17 nomic ties, yet Ecuador continues to face significant 

18 challenges to inclusive economic development, includ19 ing— 

20 (A) the heavy economic toll of the COVID– 

21 19 pandemic; 

22 (B) vulnerabilities with respect to the grow23 ing role of the People’s Republic of China in the 

24 financing and refinancing of Ecuador’s debts, 


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1 and in strategic infrastructure projects and sec2 tors of the Ecuadorian economy; and 

3 (C) the need to develop and strengthen open 

4 and transparent economic policies that strength5 en Ecuador’s integration with global markets, 

6 inclusive economic growth, and opportunities for 

7 upward social mobility for the Ecuadorian peo8 ple. 

9 (5) Since its establishment in December 2019, 

10 the United States Development Finance Corporation 

11 has provided more than $440,000,000 in financing to 

12 Ecuador. 

13 (6) Ecuador’s justice system has taken important 

14 steps to fight corruption and criminality and to in15 crease accountability. However, enduring challenges 

16 to the rule of law in Ecuador, including the activities 

17 of transnational criminal organizations, illicit min18 ing, illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fish19 ing, and undemocratic actors, present ongoing risks 

20 for political and social stability in Ecuador. 

21 (7) The activities undertaken by the Government 

22 of the People’s Republic of China in Ecuador, includ23 ing its development of the ECU–911 video surveil24 lance and facial recognition system, financing of the 

25 corruptly managed and environmentally deleterious 


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1 Coca Codo Sinclair Dam, and support for illegal, un2 reported, and unregulated fishing practices around 

3 the Galapagos Islands, pose risks to democratic gov4 ernance and biodiversity in the country. 

5 (8) Ecuador, which is home to several of the 

6 Earth’s most biodiverse ecosystems, including the Ga7 lapagos Islands, the headwaters of the Amazon river, 

8 the Condor mountain range, and the Yasuni Bio9 sphere Reserve, has seen a reduction in its rainforests 

10 between 1990 and 2016, due in part to the incursion 

11 of criminal networks into protected areas. 

12 (9) On March 24, 2021, the Senate unanimously 

13 approved Senate Resolution 22 (117th Congress), re14 affirming the partnership between the United States 

15 and the Republic of Ecuador, and recognizing the res16 toration and advancement of economic relations, secu17 rity, and development opportunities in both nations. 

18 (10) On August 13, 2021, the United States and 

19 Ecuador celebrated the entry into force of the Protocol 

20 to the Trade and Investment Council Agreement be21 tween the Government of the United States of Amer22 ica and the Government of the Republic of Ecuador 

23 Relating to Trade Rules and Transparency, recog24 nizing the steps Ecuador has taken to decrease unnec25 essary regulatory burden and create a more transVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:45 Apr 05, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00023 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\S3591.RS S3591

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1 parent and predictable legal framework for foreign di2 rect investment in recent years. 

3 SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

4 It is the sense of Congress that— 

5 (1) the United States should take additional 

6 steps to strengthen its bilateral partnership with Ec7 uador, including by developing robust trade and in8 vestment frameworks, increasing law enforcement co9 operation, renewing the activities of the United States 

10 Agency for International Development in Ecuador, 

11 and supporting Ecuador’s response to and recovery 

12 from the COVID–19 pandemic, as necessary and ap13 propriate; and 

14 (2) strengthening the United States-Ecuador 

15 partnership presents an opportunity to advance core 

16 United States national security interests and work 

17 with other democratic partners to maintain a pros18 perous, politically stable, and democratic Western 

19 Hemisphere that is resilient to malign foreign influ20 ence. 

21 SEC. 4. FACILITATING ECONOMIC AND COMMERCIAL TIES. 

22 The Secretary of State, in coordination with the Sec23 retary of Commerce, the United States Trade Representa24 tive, the Secretary of the Treasury, and the heads of other 

25 relevant Federal departments and agencies, as appropriate, 


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1 shall develop and implement a strategy to strengthen com2 mercial and economic ties between the United States and 

3 Ecuador by— 

4 (1) promoting cooperation and information shar5 ing to encourage awareness of and increase trade and 

6 investment opportunities between the United States 

7 and Ecuador; 

8 (2) supporting efforts by the Government of Ec9 uador to promote a more open, transparent, and com10 petitive business environment, including by lowering 

11 trade barriers, implementing policies to reduce trad12 ing times, and improving efficiencies to expedite cus13 toms operations for importers and exporters of all 

14 sizes, in all sectors, and at all entry ports in Ecua15 dor; 

16 (3) establishing frameworks or mechanisms to re17 view the long term financial sustainability and secu18 rity implications of foreign investments in Ecuador 

19 in strategic sectors or services; 

20 (4) establishing competitive and transparent in21 frastructure project selection and procurement proc22 esses in Ecuador that promote transparency, open 

23 competition, financial sustainability, and robust ad24 herence to global standards and norms; 


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1 (5) developing programs to help the Government 

2 of Ecuador improve efficiency and transparency in 

3 customs administration, including through support 

4 for the Government of Ecuador’s ongoing efforts to 

5 digitize its customs process and accept electronic doc6 uments required for the import, export, and transit of 

7 goods under specific international standards, as well 

8 as related training to expedite customs, security, effi9 ciency, and competitiveness; 

10 (6) spurring digital transformation that would 

11 advance— 

12 (A) the provision of digitized government 

13 services with the greatest potential to improve 

14 transparency, lower business costs, and expand 

15 citizens’ access to public services and public in16 formation; 

17 (B) the provision of transparent and afford18 able access to the internet and digital infrastruc19 ture; and 

20 (C) best practices to mitigate the risks to 

21 digital infrastructure by doing business with 

22 communication networks and communications 

23 supply chains with equipment and services from 

24 companies with close ties to or susceptible to 

25 pressure from governments or security services 


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1 without reliable legal checks on governmental 

2 powers; and 

3 (7) identifying, as appropriate, a role for the 

4 United States International Development Finance 

5 Corporation, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, 

6 the United States Agency for International Develop7 ment, and the United States private sector in sup8 porting efforts to increase private sector investment 

9 and strengthen economic prosperity. 

10 SEC. 5. PROMOTING INCLUSIVE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. 

11 The Administrator of the United States Agency for 

12 International Development, in coordination with the Sec13 retary of State and the heads of other relevant Federal de14 partments and agencies, as appropriate, shall develop and 

15 implement a strategy and related programs to support in16 clusive economic development across Ecuador’s national ter17 ritory by— 

18 (1) facilitating increased access to public and 

19 private financing, equity investments, grants, and 

20 market analysis for small and medium-sized busi21 nesses; 

22 (2) providing technical assistance to local gov23 ernments to formulate and enact local development 

24 plans that invest in Indigenous and Afro-Ecuadorian 

25 communities; 


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1 (3) connecting rural agricultural networks, in2 cluding Indigenous and Afro-Ecuadorian agricultural 

3 networks, to consumers in urban centers and export 

4 markets, including through infrastructure construc5 tion and maintenance programs that are subject to 

6 audits and carefully designed to minimize potential 

7 environmental harm; 

8 (4) partnering with local governments, the pri9 vate sector, and local civil society organizations, in10 cluding organizations representing marginalized com11 munities and faith-based organizations, to provide 

12 skills training and investment in support of initia13 tives that provide economically viable, legal alter14 natives to participating in illegal economies; and 

15 (5) connecting small scale fishing enterprises to 

16 consumers and export markets, in order to reduce vul17 nerability to organized criminal networks. 

18 SEC. 6. COMBATING ILLICIT ECONOMIES, CORRUPTION, 

19 AND NEGATIVE FOREIGN INFLUENCE. 

20 The Secretary of State shall develop and implement 

21 a strategy and related programs to increase the capacity 

22 of Ecuador’s justice system and law enforcement authorities 

23 to combat illicit economies, corruption, transnational 

24 criminal organizations, and the harmful influence of ma25 lign foreign and domestic actors by— 


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1 (1) providing technical assistance and support to 

2 specialized units within the Attorney General’s office 

3 to combat corruption and to promote and protect 

4 internationally recognized human rights in Ecuador, 

5 including the Transparency and Anti-Corruption 

6 Unit, the Anti-Money Laundering Unit, the Task 

7 Force to Combat Corruption in Central America, and 

8 the Environmental Crimes Unit; 

9 (2) strengthening bilateral assistance and com10 plementary support through multilateral anti-corrup11 tion mechanisms, as necessary and appropriate, to 

12 counter corruption and recover assets derived from 

13 corruption, including through strengthening inde14 pendent inspectors general to track and reduce cor15 ruption; 

16 (3) improving the technical capacity of prosecu17 tors and financial institutions in Ecuador to combat 

18 corruption by— 

19 (A) detecting and investigating suspicious 

20 financial transactions, and conducting asset for21 feitures and criminal analysis; and 

22 (B) combating money laundering, financial 

23 crimes, and extortion; 

24 (4) providing technical assistance and material 

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


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1 and communications equipment) to vetted specialized 

2 units of Ecuador’s national police and the armed 

3 services to disrupt, degrade, and dismantle organiza4 tions involved in illicit narcotics trafficking, 

5 transnational criminal activities, illicit mining, and 

6 illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing, among 

7 other illicit activities; 

8 (5) providing technical assistance to address 

9 challenges related to Ecuador’s penitentiary and cor10 rections system; 

11 (6) strengthening the regulatory framework of 

12 mining through collaboration with key Ecuadorian 

13 institutions, such as the Interior Ministry’s Special 

14 Commission for the Control of Illegal Mining and the 

15 National Police’s Investigative Unit on Mining 

16 Crimes, and providing technical assistance in support 

17 of their law enforcement activities; 

18 (7) providing technical assistance to judges, 

19 prosecutors, and ombudsmen to increase capacity to 

20 enforce laws against human smuggling and traf21 ficking, illicit mining, illegal logging, illegal, unregu22 lated, and unreported (IUU) fishing, and other illicit 

23 economic activities; 

24 (8) providing support to the Government of Ec25 uador to prevent illegal, unreported, and unregulated 


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1 fishing, including through expanding detection and 

2 response capabilities, and the use of dark vessel trac3 ing technology; 

4 (9) supporting multilateral efforts to stem illegal, 

5 unreported, and unregulated fishing with neighboring 

6 countries in South America and within the South Pa7 cific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation; 

8 (10) assisting the Government of Ecuador’s ef9 forts to protect defenders of internationally recognized 

10 human rights, including through the work of the Of11 fice of the Ombudsman of Ecuador, and by encour12 aging the inclusion of Indigenous and Afro-Ecua13 dorian communities and civil society organizations in 

14 this process; 

15 (11) supporting efforts to improve transparency, 

16 uphold accountability, and build capacity within the 

17 Office of the Comptroller General; 

18 (12) enhancing the institutional capacity and 

19 technical capabilities of defense and security institu20 tions of Ecuador to conduct national or regional secu21 rity missions, including through regular bilateral and 

22 multilateral cooperation, foreign military financing, 

23 international military education, and training pro24 grams, consistent with applicable Ecuadorian laws 

25 and regulations; 


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1 (13) enhancing port management and maritime 

2 security partnerships to disrupt, degrade, and dis3 mantle transnational criminal networks and facili4 tate the legitimate flow of people, goods, and services; 

5 and 

6 (14) strengthening cybersecurity cooperation— 

7 (A) to effectively respond to cybersecurity 

8 threats, including state-sponsored threats; 

9 (B) to share best practices to combat such 

10 threats; 

11 (C) to help develop and implement informa12 tion architectures that respect individual privacy 

13 rights and reduce the risk that data collected 

14 through such systems will be exploited by malign 

15 state and non-state actors; 

16 (D) to strengthen resilience against 

17 cyberattacks, misinformation, and propaganda; 

18 and 

19 (E) to strengthen the resilience of critical 

20 infrastructure. 

21 SEC. 7. STRENGTHENING DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE. 

22 (a) STRENGTHENING DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE.— 

23 The Secretary of State, in coordination with the Adminis24 trator of the United States Agency for International Devel25 opment, should develop and implement initiatives to 


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1 strengthen democratic governance in Ecuador by sup2 porting— 

3 (1) measures to improve the capacity of national 

4 and subnational government institutions to govern 

5 through transparent, inclusive, and democratic proc6 esses; 

7 (2) efforts that measurably enhance the capacity 

8 of political actors and parties to strengthen demo9 cratic institutions and the rule of law; 

10 (3) initiatives to strengthen democratic govern11 ance, including combating political, administrative, 

12 and judicial corruption and improving transparency 

13 of the administration of public budgets; and 

14 (4) the efforts of civil society organizations and 

15 independent media— 

16 (A) to conduct oversight of the Government 

17 of Ecuador and the National Assembly of Ecua18 dor; 

19 (B) to promote initiatives that strengthen 

20 democratic governance, anti-corruption stand21 ards, and public and private sector trans22 parency; and 

23 (C) to foster political engagement between 

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1 uadorian society, including women, indigenous 

2 communities, and Afro-Ecuadorian communities. 

3 (b) LEGISLATIVE STRENGTHENING.—The Adminis4 trator of the United States Agency for International Devel5 opment, working through the Consortium for Elections and 

6 Political Process Strengthening or any equivalent or suc7 cessor mechanism, shall develop and implement programs 

8 to strengthen the National Assembly of Ecuador by pro9 viding training and technical assistance to— 

10 (1) members and committee offices of the Na11 tional Assembly of Ecuador, including the Ethics 

12 Committee and Audit Committee; 

13 (2) assist in the creation of entities that can offer 

14 comprehensive and independent research and analysis 

15 on legislative and oversight matters pending before the 

16 National Assembly, including budgetary and eco17 nomic issues; and 

18 (3) improve democratic governance and govern19 ment transparency, including through effective legis20 lation. 

21 (c) BILATERAL LEGISLATIVE COOPERATION.—To the 

22 degree practicable, in implementing the programs required 

23 under subsection (b), the Administrator of the United States 

24 Agency for International Development should facilitate 


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1 meetings and collaboration between members of the United 

2 States Congress and the National Assembly of Ecuador. 

3 SEC. 8. FOSTERING CONSERVATION AND STEWARDSHIP. 

4 The Administrator of the United States Agency for 

5 International Development, in coordination with the Sec6 retary of State and the heads of other relevant Federal de7 partments and agencies, shall develop and implement pro8 grams and enhance existing programs, as necessary and ap9 propriate, to improve ecosystem conservation and enhance 

10 the effective stewardship of Ecuador’s natural resources 

11 by— 

12 (1) providing technical assistance to Ecuador’s 

13 Ministry of the Environment to safeguard national 

14 parks and protected forests and protected species, 

15 while promoting the participation of Indigenous com16 munities in this process; 

17 (2) strengthening the capacity of communities to 

18 access the right to prior consultation, encoded in Arti19 cle 57 of the Constitution of Ecuador and related 

20 laws, executive decrees, administrative acts, and min21 isterial regulations; 

22 (3) supporting Indigenous and Afro-Ecuadorian 

23 communities as they raise awareness of threats to bio24 diverse ancestral lands, including through support for 


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1 local media in such communities and technical assist2 ance to monitor illicit activities; 

3 (4) partnering with the Government of Ecuador 

4 in support of reforestation and improving river, lake, 

5 and coastal water quality; 

6 (5) providing assistance to communities affected 

7 by illegal mining and deforestation; and 

8 (6) fostering mechanisms for cooperation on 

9 emergency preparedness and rapid recovery from nat10 ural disasters, including by— 

11 (A) establishing regional preparedness, re12 covery, and emergency management centers to 

13 facilitate rapid response to survey and help 

14 maintain planning on regional disaster antici15 pated needs and possible resources; and 

16 (B) training disaster recovery officials on 

17 latest techniques and lessons learned from United 

18 States experiences. 

19 SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION TO TRANSFER EXCESS COAST 

20 GUARD VESSELS. 

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

22 that the United States should undertake efforts to expand 

23 cooperation with the Government of Ecuador to— 

24 (1) ensure protections for the Gala ́pagos Marine 

25 Reserve; 


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1 (2) deter illegal, unreported, and unregulated 

2 fishing; and 

3 (3) increase interdiction of narcotics trafficking 

4 and other forms of illicit trafficking. 

5 (b) AUTHORITY TO TRANSFER EXCESS COAST GUARD

6 VESSELS TO THE GOVERNMENT OF ECUADOR.—The Presi7 dent shall conduct a joint assessment with the Government 

8 of Ecuador to ensure sufficient capacity exists to maintain 

9 Island class cutters. Upon completion of a favorable assess10 ment, the President is authorized to transfer up to two IS11 LAND class cutters to the Government of Ecuador as excess 

12 defense articles pursuant to the authority of section 516 of 

13 the Foreign Assistance Act (22 U.S.C. 2321j). 

14 (c) GRANTS NOT COUNTED IN ANNUAL TOTAL OF

15 TRANSFERRED EXCESS DEFENSE ARTICLES.—The value of 

16 a vessel transferred to another country on a grant basis pur17 suant to authority provided by subsection (b) shall not be 

18 counted against the aggregate value of excess defense articles 

19 transferred in any fiscal year under section 516 of the For20 eign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2321j). 

21 (d) COSTS OF TRANSFERS.—Any expense incurred by 

22 the United States in connection with a transfer authorized 

23 by this section shall be charged to the recipient notwith24 standing section 516(e) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 

25 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2321j(e)). 


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1 (e) REPAIR AND REFURBISHMENT IN UNITED STATES

2 SHIPYARDS.—To the maximum extent practicable, the 

3 President shall require, as a condition of the transfer of a 

4 vessel under this section, that the recipient to which the ves5 sel is transferred have such repair or refurbishment of the 

6 vessel as is needed, before the vessel joins the naval forces 

7 of that recipient, performed at a shipyard located in the 

8 United States. 

9 (f) EXPIRATION OF AUTHORITY.—The authority to 

10 transfer a vessel under this section shall expire at the end 

11 of the 3-year period beginning on the date of the enactment 

12 of this Act. 

13 SEC. 10. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS. 

14 (a) SECRETARY OF STATE.—The Secretary of State, 

15 in coordination with the heads of other relevant Federal de16 partments and agencies as described in sections 4, 6, and 

17 7(a), shall— 

18 (1) not later than 180 days after the date of the 

19 enactment of this Act, submit to the appropriate con20 gressional committees a comprehensive strategy to ad21 dress the requirements described in sections 4, 6, and 

22 7(a); and 

23 (2) not later than 2 years and 4 years after sub24 mitting the comprehensive strategy under paragraph 

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1 tees a report describing the implementation of the 

2 strategy. 

3 (b) ADMINISTRATOR OF THE UNITED STATES AGENCY

4 FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT.—The Administrator 

5 of the United States Agency for International Development, 

6 in coordination with the heads of other relevant Federal de7 partments and agencies as described in sections 5, 7(b), and 

8 8, shall— 

9 (1) not later than 180 days after the date of the 

10 enactment of this Act, submit to appropriate congres11 sional committees a comprehensive strategy to address 

12 the requirements described in sections 4, 7(b), and 8; 

13 and 

14 (2) not later than 2 years and 4 years after sub15 mitting the comprehensive strategy under paragraph 

16 (1), submit to the appropriate congressional commit17 tees a report describing the implementation of the 

18 strategy. 

19 (c) SUBMISSION.—The strategies and reports required 

20 under subsections (a) and (b) may be submitted to the ap21 propriate congressional committees as joint strategies and 

22 reports. 

23 (d) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES.—In 

24 this act, the term ‘‘appropriate congressional committees’’ 

25 means the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate 


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1 and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Rep2 resentatives. 

3 SEC. 11. SUNSET. 

4 This Act shall terminate on the date that is 5 years 

5 after the date of the enactment of this Act. 


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Calendar No. 320 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3591 

A BILL 

To strengthen the bilateral partnership between the 

and inclusive economic growth, and conservation. cratic institutions and rule of law, sustainable United States and Ecuador in support of demoAPRIL 4 (legislative day, MARCH 31), 2022 

Reported with an amendment 


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