I 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1302 

To require the President to develop and implement a comprehensive strategy 

to further the United States foreign policy objective of promoting the 

reduction of global poverty, the elimination of extreme global poverty, 

and the achievement of the United Nations Millennium Development 

Goal of reducing by one-half the proportion of people worldwide, between 

1990 and 2015, who live on less than $1 per day. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 1, 2007 

Mr. SMITH of Washington (for himself and Mr. BACHUS) introduced the 

following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

A BILL 

To require the President to develop and implement a comprehensive strategy to further the United States foreign 

policy objective of promoting the reduction of global poverty, the elimination of extreme global poverty, and the 

achievement of the United Nations Millennium Development Goal of reducing by one-half the proportion of 

people worldwide, between 1990 and 2015, who live on 

less than $1 per day. 

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. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Global Poverty Act 

3 of 2007’’. 

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

5 Congress makes the following findings: 

6 (1) More than one billion people worldwide live 

7 on less than $1 per day, and another 1.6 billion peo8 ple struggle to survive on less than $2 per day, ac9 cording to the World Bank. 

10 (2) At the United Nations Millennium Summit 

11 in 2000, the United States joined more than 180 

12 other countries in committing to work toward the 

13 United Nations Millennium Development Goals to 

14 improve life for the world’s poorest people by 2015. 

15 (3) The United Nations Millennium Develop16 ment Goals include the goal of reducing by one-half 

17 the proportion of people worldwide, between 1990 

18 and 2015, that live on less than $1 per day, cutting 

19 in half the proportion of people suffering from hun20 ger and unable to access safe drinking water and 

21 sanitation, reducing child mortality by two-thirds, 

22 ensuring basic education for all children, and revers23 ing the spread of HIV/AIDS and malaria, while sus24 taining the environment upon which human life de25 pends. 


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1 (4) On March 22, 2002, President George W. 

2 Bush stated: ‘‘We fight against poverty because hope 

3 is an answer to terror. We fight against poverty be4 cause opportunity is a fundamental right to human 

5 dignity. We fight against poverty because faith re6 quires it and conscience demands it. We fight 

7 against poverty with a growing conviction that major 

8 progress is within our reach.’’. 

9 (5) The 2002 National Security Strategy of the 

10 United States notes: ‘‘[A] world where some live in 

11 comfort and plenty, while half of the human race 

12 lives on less than $2 per day, is neither just nor sta13 ble. Including all of the world’s poor in an expanding 

14 circle of development and opportunity is a moral im15 perative and one of the top priorities of United 

16 States international policy.’’. 

17 (6) The 2006 National Security Strategy of the 

18 United States notes: ‘‘America’s national interests 

19 and moral values drive us in the same direction: to 

20 assist the world’s poor citizens and least developed 

21 nations and help integrate them into the global econ22 omy.’’. 

23 (7) The bipartisan Final Report of the National 

24 Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United 

25 States recommends: ‘‘A comprehensive United 


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1 States strategy to counter terrorism should include 

2 economic policies that encourage development, more 

3 open societies, and opportunities for people to im4 prove the lives of their families and enhance pros5 pects for their children.’’. 

6 (8) At the summit of the Group of Eight (G– 

7 8) nations in July 2005, leaders from all eight coun8 tries committed to increase aid to Africa from the 

9 current $25 billion annually to $50 billion by 2010, 

10 and to cancel 100 percent of the debt obligations 

11 owed to the World Bank, African Development 

12 Bank, and International Monetary Fund by 18 of 

13 the world’s poorest nations. 

14 (9) At the United Nations World Summit in 

15 September 2005, the United States joined more 

16 than 180 other governments in reiterating their 

17 commitment to achieve the United Nations Millen18 nium Development Goals by 2015. 

19 (10) The United States has recognized the need 

20 for increased financial and technical assistance to 

21 countries burdened by extreme poverty, as well as 

22 the need for strengthened economic and trade oppor23 tunities for those countries, through significant ini24 tiatives in recent years, including the United States 

25 Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and 


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1 Malaria Act of 2003, the Millennium Challenge Act 

2 of 2003, the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initia3 tive, and trade preference programs for developing 

4 countries, such as the African Growth and Oppor5 tunity Act. 

6 (11) In January 2006, United States Secretary 

7 of State Condoleezza Rice initiated a restructuring 

8 of the United States foreign assistance program, in9 cluding the creation of a Director of Foreign Assist10 ance, who maintains authority over Department of 

11 State and United States Agency for International 

12 Development (USAID) foreign assistance funding 

13 and programs. 

14 (12) In January 2007, Director of Foreign As15 sistance Randall L. Tobias added poverty reduction 

16 as an explicit, central component of the overall goal 

17 of United States foreign assistance. The official goal 

18 of United States foreign assistance is: ‘‘To help 

19 build and sustain democratic, well-governed states 

20 that respond to the needs of their people, reduce 

21 widespread poverty and conduct themselves respon22 sibly in the international system.’’. 

23 SEC. 3. DECLARATION OF POLICY. 

24 It is the policy of the United States to promote the 

25 reduction of global poverty, the elimination of extreme 


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1 global poverty, and the achievement of the United Nations 

2 Millennium Development Goal of reducing by one-half the 

3 proportion of people worldwide, between 1990 and 2015, 

4 who live on less than $1 per day. 

5 SEC. 4. REQUIREMENT TO DEVELOP COMPREHENSIVE 

6 STRATEGY. 

7 (a) STRATEGY.—The President, acting through the 

8 Secretary of State, and in consultation with the heads of 

9 other appropriate departments and agencies of the Gov10 ernment of the United States, international organizations, 

11 international financial institutions, the governments of de12 veloping and developed countries, United States and inter13 national nongovernmental organizations, civil society orga14 nizations, and other appropriate entities, shall develop and 

15 implement a comprehensive strategy to further the United 

16 States foreign policy objective of promoting the reduction 

17 of global poverty, the elimination of extreme global pov18 erty, and the achievement of the United Nations Millen19 nium Development Goal of reducing by one-half the pro20 portion of people worldwide, between 1990 and 2015, who 

21 live on less than $1 per day. 

22 (b) CONTENTS.—The strategy required by subsection 

23 (a) shall include, but not be limited to, specific and meas24 urable goals, efforts to be undertaken, benchmarks, and 


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1 timetables to achieve the objectives described in subsection 

2 (a). 

3 (c) GUIDELINES.—The strategy required by sub4 section (a) should adhere to the following guidelines: 

5 (1) Continued investment in existing United 

6 States initiatives related to international poverty re7 duction, such as the United States Leadership 

8 Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Act 

9 of 2003, the Millennium Challenge Act of 2003, the 

10 Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative, and 

11 trade preference programs for developing countries, 

12 such as the African Growth and Opportunity Act. 

13 (2) Increasing overall United States develop14 ment assistance levels while at the same time im15 proving the effectiveness of such assistance. 

16 (3) Enhancing and expanding debt relief. 

17 (4) Leveraging United States trade policy 

18 where possible to enhance economic development 

19 prospects for developing countries. 

20 (5) Coordinating efforts and working in co21 operation with developed and developing countries, 

22 international organizations, and international finan23 cial institutions. 

24 (6) Mobilizing and leveraging the participation 

25 of businesses, United States and international nonVerDate Aug 31 2005 04:55 Mar 04, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1302.IH H1302

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1 governmental organizations, civil society, and public2 private partnerships. 

3 (7) Coordinating the goal of poverty reduction 

4 with other development goals, such as combating the 

5 spread of preventable diseases such as HIV/AIDS, 

6 tuberculosis, and malaria, increasing access to pota7 ble water and basic sanitation, and reducing hunger 

8 and malnutrition. 

9 (8) Integrating principles of sustainable devel10 opment into policies and programs. 

11 (d) REPORTS.— 

12 (1) INITIAL REPORT.—Not later than one year 

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

14 President, acting through the Secretary of State, 

15 shall transmit to the appropriate congressional com16 mittees a report that describes the strategy required 

17 by subsection (a). 

18 (2) SUBSEQUENT REPORTS.—Not less than 

19 once every year after the submission of the initial re20 port under paragraph (1) until and including 2015, 

21 the President shall transmit to the appropriate con22 gressional committees a report on the status of the 

23 implementation of the strategy, progress made in 

24 achieving the global poverty reduction objectives de25 scribed in subsection (a), and any changes to the 


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1 strategy since the date of the submission of the last 

2 report. 

3 SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS. 

4 In this Act: 

5 (1) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT6 TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com7 mittees’’ means— 

8 (A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and 

9 the Committee on Appropriations of the House 

10 of Representatives; and 

11 (B) the Committee on Foreign Relations 

12 and the Committee on Appropriations of the 

13 Senate. 

14 (2) EXTREME GLOBAL POVERTY.—The term 

15 ‘‘extreme global poverty’’ refers to the conditions in 

16 which individuals live on less than $1 per day, ad17 justed for purchasing power parity in 1993 United 

18 States dollars, according to World Bank statistics. 

19 (3) GLOBAL POVERTY.—The term ‘‘global pov20 erty’’ refers to the conditions in which individuals 

21 live on less than $2 per day, adjusted for purchasing 

22 power parity in 1993 United States dollars, accord23 ing to World Bank statistics. 

Æ 


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