I 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1581 

To improve coordination, implementation, and oversight of United States 

economic reconstruction assistance for Iraq, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 20, 2007 

Mr. LANTOS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary and Armed Services, 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 improve coordination, implementation, and oversight of 

United States economic reconstruction assistance for 

Iraq, 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 AND TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

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

5 ‘‘Iraq Reconstruction Improvement Act of 2007’’. 

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

7 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title and table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Purposes. 

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Sec. 3. Definition. 

TITLE I—UNITED STATES ECONOMIC RECONSTRUCTION 

ASSISTANCE FOR IRAQ 

Sec. 101. Coordinator of United States Economic Reconstruction Assistance for 

Iraq. 

Sec. 102. Efforts to promote capacity development in Iraq. 

Sec. 103. Efforts to support anti-corruption activities in Iraq. 

Sec. 104. Assistance to support reconstruction programs on the provincial and 

local levels in Iraq. 

Sec. 105. Assistance to support private sector development and employment 

programs in Iraq. 

Sec. 106. Assistance for refugees from Iraq and internally displaced persons in 

Iraq. 

Sec. 107. Authorization for refugee admissions. 

TITLE II—OVERSIGHT OF UNITED STATES RECONSTRUCTION 

ASSISTANCE FOR IRAQ 

Sec. 201. Extension of authority of the Office of the Special Inspector General 

for Iraq Reconstruction. 

Sec. 202. Assistance to support the Offices of the Inspector General of the Department of State and the United States Agency for International Development. 

Sec. 203. Report to Congress. 

TITLE III—ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY IN UNITED 

STATES CONTRACTING FOR RECONSTRUCTION IN IRAQ 

Sec. 301. Prohibition on funding certain contracts. 

Sec. 302. Report on audits and investigations of the Department of State and 

United States Agency for International Development. 

Sec. 303. Assistance to improve the contracting capacity of the Department of 

State and United States Agency for International Development 

for Iraq. 

TITLE IV—BUILDING THE UNITED STATES STABILIZATION AND 

RECONSTRUCTION CAPACITY 

Sec. 401. Civilian Active Response Corps. 

Sec. 402. Civilian Reserve Readiness Corps. 

Sec. 403. Stabilization and reconstruction strategy. 

Sec. 404. Authorization of appropriations. 

Sec. 405. Reports to Congress. 

1 SEC. 2. PURPOSES. 

2 The purposes of this Act are as follows: 

3 (1) To promote the effectiveness and efficiency 

4 of United States economic reconstruction assistance 

5 for Iraq. 

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1 (2) To improve the capacity and capability of 

2 the Government of Iraq, on all levels, to respond to 

3 the needs of all segments of the population in all 

4 areas and communities and properly execute the 

5 Iraqi budget for reconstruction, job creation, and 

6 economic development in Iraq. 

7 (3) To ensure that United States economic re8 construction assistance for Iraq is provided and im9 plemented in a transparent and accountable fashion. 

10 (4) To work with the Government of Iraq to en11 sure that United States and Iraqi economic recon12 struction assistance programs are complementary 

13 and administered on a nonsectarian basis and that 

14 government services are delivered in an even-handed 

15 and nonsectarian manner. 

16 (5) To enhance the long-term capacity of the 

17 Government of the United States to respond and 

18 participate in stabilization and reconstruction oper19 ations. 

20 SEC. 3. DEFINITION. 

21 As used in this Act, the term ‘‘appropriate congres22 sional committees’’ means— 

23 (1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the 

24 Committee on Appropriations of the House of Rep25 resentatives; and 

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1 (2) the Committee on Foreign Relations and 

2 the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate. 

3 TITLE I—UNITED STATES ECO4 NOMIC RECONSTRUCTION AS5 SISTANCE FOR IRAQ 

6 SEC. 101. COORDINATOR OF UNITED STATES ECONOMIC 

7 RECONSTRUCTION ASSISTANCE FOR IRAQ. 

8 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 30 days after 

9 the date of the enactment of this Act, the President of 

10 the United States shall appoint a Coordinator of United 

11 States Economic Reconstruction Assistance for Iraq (here12 inafter in this section referred to as the ‘‘Coordinator’’). 

13 The Coordinator shall be appointed by and with the advice 

14 and consent of the Senate and shall report directly to the 

15 President. 

16 (b) STAFF AND FUNDING.—It is the sense of Con17 gress that the Coordinator should be given adequate staff 

18 and funding to carry out the duties set forth in subsection 

19 (c). 

20 (c) DUTIES.—The Coordinator shall— 

21 (1) develop and implement an overall strategy 

22 for United States economic reconstruction assistance 

23 for Iraq; 

24 (2) coordinate and ensure effective and efficient 

25 implementation, management, oversight, and acmstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

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1 countability of United States economic reconstruc2 tion assistance policy and programs for Iraq among 

3 all departments and agencies of the Government of 

4 the United States that are implementing or other5 wise supporting such programs, including the De6 partment of State, the United States Agency for 

7 International Development, the Department of De8 fense, the Department of the Treasury, and the De9 partment of Justice; 

10 (3) resolve policy and program disputes among 

11 departments and agencies of the United States Gov12 ernment that are implementing assistance programs 

13 or otherwise supporting reconstruction in Iraq; 

14 (4) seek to work with the Government of Iraq, 

15 on the national, provincial, and local levels, to 

16 prioritize and respond to the needs of the people of 

17 Iraq in all areas and communities; 

18 (5) coordinate with the Government of Iraq in 

19 its budgeting and expenditures of Iraqi revenues to 

20 carry out economic reconstruction activities; and 

21 (6) coordinate with other donors, international 

22 organizations, and international financial institu23 tions that are providing economic reconstruction as24 sistance for Iraq. 

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1 (d) RANK AND STATUS.—The Coordinator shall have 

2 the rank and status of ambassador. 

3 SEC. 102. EFFORTS TO PROMOTE CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT 

4 IN IRAQ. 

5 (a) ASSISTANCE TO PROMOTE CAPACITY DEVELOP6 MENT.— 

7 (1) ASSISTANCE AUTHORIZED.—The President 

8 of the United States shall provide assistance to in9 crease the capacity and improve the sustainability of 

10 national, provincial, and local governmental institu11 tions in Iraq. 

12 (2) ACTIVITIES SUPPORTED.—Assistance pro13 vided under paragraph (1) shall, to the maximum 

14 extent practicable, be used to— 

15 (A) provide technical assistance to all Iraqi 

16 government ministries, on the national, provin17 cial, and local levels, to improve transparency, 

18 accountability, and ability to respond to the 

19 needs of the Iraqi people; 

20 (B) promote the implementation of fiscal 

21 and personnel management systems, including 

22 tracking and expenditure systems for Iraqi rev23 enues; 

24 (C) provide training and technical assist25 ance to the Iraqi Ministry of Finance to better 

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1 account for the budgeting, expenditure, and 

2 execution of Iraqi revenues; 

3 (D) assist in developing ministry-wide re4 cruitment systems to build a cadre of qualified, 

5 trained, and experienced Iraqi staff at the field, 

6 project, and ministry level; 

7 (E) create or improve existing databases 

8 and other human resource information systems; 

9 (F) provide technical assistance to improve 

10 the capacity to fund the operations and mainte11 nance of completed projects; 

12 (G) develop effective inventory control sys13 tems for plant and project equipment; 

14 (H) promote the establishment of men15 toring programs by trained and experienced 

16 Iraqi government ministry officials, engineers, 

17 and other staff for less experienced and trained 

18 Iraqi government ministry staff; 

19 (I) provide training to Iraqi government 

20 ministries, on the national, provincial, and local 

21 levels, to focus the delivery of basic services on 

22 a customer-oriented basis; 

23 (J) improve training on the operations and 

24 maintenance of United States-funded and Iraqi25 funded projects; and 

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1 (K) support the expansion of the Iraq 

2 Local Governance Program and National Ca3 pacity Development Program funded or carried 

4 out by the United States Agency for Inter5 national Development. 

6 (b) DIRECTOR OF CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT IN

7 IRAQ.— 

8 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Coordinator of 

9 United States Economic Reconstruction Assistance 

10 for Iraq shall designate a Director of Capacity De11 velopment in Iraq (hereinafter in this subsection re12 ferred to as the ‘‘Director’’), who shall be an official 

13 of the Government of the United States with experi14 ence in post-conflict reconstruction and development 

15 assistance, particularly reconstruction and develop16 ment assistance for Iraq. 

17 (2) DUTIES.—The Director shall— 

18 (A) develop an inter-agency United States 

19 Government detailed plan for capacity develop20 ment in Iraq, in consultation with the Govern21 ment of Iraq, that defines roles and responsibil22 ities, establishes clearly-defined goals and objec23 tives, including the identification of specific 

24 short-term and long-term initiatives, outcome25 related performance measures, milestones for 

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1 achieving stated objectives, and future funding 

2 requirements; 

3 (B) establish and implement the process by 

4 which goals, objectives, and milestones can be 

5 measured with respect to capacity development; 

6 (C) coordinate the activities of the United 

7 States government departments or agencies 

8 that are identified in the plan developed under 

9 subparagraph (A) to engage in capacity-devel10 opment activities; and 

11 (D) work with other bilateral and multilat12 eral donors in executing effective and com13 prehensive capacity-development programs. 

14 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—To carry 

15 out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated 

16 to the President such sums as may be necessary for each 

17 of the fiscal years 2008 and 2009. 

18 SEC. 103. EFFORTS TO SUPPORT ANTI-CORRUPTION AC19 TIVITIES IN IRAQ. 

20 (a) ASSISTANCE TO SUPPORT ANTI-CORRUPTION AC21 TIVITIES.— 

22 (1) ASSISTANCE AUTHORIZED.—The President 

23 of the United States shall provide assistance to com24 bat corruption, improve transparency and account25 ability, increase the participatory nature of governmstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

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1 mental institutions and civil society organizations in 

2 all areas and communities, and promote other forms 

3 of good governance and management in all levels of 

4 government in Iraq. 

5 (2) ACTIVITIES SUPPORTED.—Assistance pro6 vided under paragraph (1) shall, to the maximum 

7 extent practicable, be used to— 

8 (A) support and provide training to the 

9 Iraqi Board of Supreme Audit, Central Crimi10 nal Court of Iraq, the Commission on Public 

11 Integrity or other similar entity created by the 

12 Iraqi legislature, Ministry Inspectors General, 

13 third-party monitoring of government procure14 ment processes, and other anti-corruption agen15 cies in Iraq; 

16 (B) promote legal and judicial reforms that 

17 criminalize corruption in procurement and other 

18 areas facilitating Iraqi reconstruction and law 

19 enforcement reforms that encourage prosecu20 tions of such corruption; 

21 (C) provide technical assistance to develop 

22 a legal framework for commercial transactions 

23 that foster business practices that promote 

24 transparent, ethical, and competitive behavior 

25 in the economic sector, such as commercial 

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1 codes that incorporate international standards 

2 and protection of core labor standards; 

3 (D) provide training and technical assist4 ance relating to drafting anti-corruption and 

5 competitive laws and administrative codes, and 

6 provide technical assistance to Iraqi govern7 mental ministries, on the national, provincial, 

8 and local levels, implementing such laws and 

9 regulations; 

10 (E) promote the development of regula11 tions relating to financial disclosure for public 

12 officials, political parties, and candidates for 

13 public offices; 

14 (F) support transparent budgeting proc15 esses, including increased assistance to the de16 velopment of the Financial Management Infor17 mation System and other mechanisms that pro18 mote respective budget preparation and sound 

19 cash-management processes; and 

20 (G) promote civil society’s role in com21 bating corruption, including increased support 

22 for the Iraq Civil Society Program and Civil So23 ciety Resource Centers. 

24 (b) ESTABLISHMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE ANTI25 CORRUPTION STRATEGY.—The Coordinator of United 

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1 States Economic Reconstruction Assistance for Iraq shall 

2 establish a comprehensive anti-corruption strategy for 

3 Iraq among all departments and agencies of the Govern4 ment of the United States carrying out anti-corruption 

5 programs for Iraq. The strategy established under this 

6 subsection shall include— 

7 (1) interim and long-term objectives for each 

8 United States anti-corruption program; 

9 (2) a baseline for each United States anti-cor10 ruption program to identify a starting point for 

11 measuring progress; 

12 (3) the identification and prioritization of sec13 tors that require enhanced anti-corruption efforts; 

14 and 

15 (4) the identification of training solutions that 

16 cut across United States Government departments 

17 and agencies to avoid duplication and maximize re18 sources. 

19 (c) COORDINATION OF ANTI-CORRUPTION EF20 FORTS.—The Coordinator of United States Economic Re21 construction Assistance for Iraq shall seek to coordinate 

22 with the Government of Iraq and regional and inter23 national partners carrying out anti-corruption programs 

24 for Iraq on all matters relating to anti-corruption pro25 grams for Iraq. 

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1 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—To carry 

2 out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated 

3 to the President such sums as may be necessary for each 

4 of the fiscal years 2008 and 2009. 

5 SEC. 104. ASSISTANCE TO SUPPORT RECONSTRUCTION 

6 PROGRAMS ON THE PROVINCIAL AND LOCAL 

7 LEVELS IN IRAQ. 

8 (a) ASSISTANCE AUTHORIZED.—The President of the 

9 United States shall provide assistance to support recon10 struction programs on the provincial and local levels in 

11 Iraq, including, in particular, programs that are identified 

12 by Iraqi provincial and local leaders and carried out by 

13 Iraqi-led nongovernmental organizations or private enti14 ties with training and experience in reconstruction activi15 ties. 

16 (b) ACTIVITIES SUPPORTED.—Assistance provided 

17 under subsection (a) shall, to the maximum extent prac18 ticable, be used to— 

19 (1) provide technical and program support to 

20 the Iraqi Provincial Reconstruction Development 

21 Councils; and 

22 (2) support and increase funding for the Iraq 

23 Community Action Program and Community Sta24 bilization Program funded or carried out by the 

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1 United States Agency for International Develop2 ment. 

3 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

4 are authorized to be appropriated to the President— 

5 (1) $50,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 

6 2008 and 2009 to support and increase funding for 

7 the Community Action Program under subsection 

8 (b)(2) and 

9 (2) such sums as may be necessary for each of 

10 the fiscal years 2008 and 2009 to carry out the 

11 other provisions of this section. 

12 SEC. 105. ASSISTANCE TO SUPPORT PRIVATE SECTOR DE13 VELOPMENT AND EMPLOYMENT PROGRAMS 

14 IN IRAQ. 

15 (a) ASSISTANCE AUTHORIZED.—The President of the 

16 United States shall provide assistance to support private 

17 sector development and employment programs, including 

18 short-term job creation programs, for the people of Iraq. 

19 Assistance provided under this subsection shall be made 

20 available on an equitable basis in all regions of Iraq, as 

21 appropriate. 

22 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—To carry 

23 out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated 

24 to the President such sums as may be necessary for each 

25 of the fiscal years 2008 and 2009. 

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1 SEC. 106. ASSISTANCE FOR REFUGEES FROM IRAQ AND IN2 TERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS IN IRAQ. 

3 (a) ASSISTANCE FOR IRAQI REFUGEES.— 

4 (1) ASSISTANCE AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary 

5 of State shall provide assistance to support the hu6 manitarian needs of refugees from Iraq who have 

7 been outside Iraq in a country in the Middle East 

8 region since no earlier than March 19, 2003. 

9 (2) ACTIVITIES SUPPORTED.—Assistance pro10 vided under paragraph (1) shall, to the maximum 

11 extent practicable, be used to provide food, housing, 

12 clothing, health care, water and sanitation, edu13 cation, vocational training, and registration, protec14 tion, and monitoring services for Iraqi refugees. 

15 (3) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—To 

16 carry out this subsection, there are authorized to be 

17 appropriated to the Secretary $45,000,000 for each 

18 of the fiscal years 2008 and 2009. Amounts appro19 priated pursuant to the authorization of appropria20 tions under this paragraph are in addition to 

21 amounts otherwise available for such purposes. 

22 (b) WAIVER OF LIMITATION ON UNITED STATES

23 EMERGENCY REFUGEE AND MIGRATION ASSISTANCE

24 FUND.—Funds appropriated or otherwise made available 

25 under the United States Emergency Refugee and Migra26 tion Assistance Fund authorized under section 2(c)(2) of 

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1 the Migration and Refugee Assistance Act of 1962 (22 

2 U.S.C. 2601(c)(2)) for fiscal years 2008 and 2009 shall 

3 not be subject to the limitation contained in the second 

4 sentence of such section. 

5 (c) ASSISTANCE FOR INTERNALLY DISPLACED PER6 SONS IN IRAQ.— 

7 (1) ASSISTANCE AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary 

8 of State shall provide assistance to support the hu9 manitarian needs of internally displaced persons in 

10 Iraq who have been outside their original place of 

11 residence since no earlier than March 19, 2003. 

12 (2) ACTIVITIES SUPPORTED.—Assistance pro13 vided under paragraph (1) shall, to the maximum 

14 extent practicable, be used to provide food, housing, 

15 clothing, health care, water and sanitation, safe 

16 transportation, education, and vocational training 

17 for internally displaced persons in Iraq. 

18 (3) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—To 

19 carry out this section, there are authorized to be ap20 propriated to the Secretary $60,000,000 for each of 

21 the fiscal years 2008 and 2009. Amounts appro22 priated pursuant to the authorization of appropria23 tions under this paragraph are in addition to 

24 amounts otherwise available for such purposes. 

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1 SEC. 107. AUTHORIZATION FOR REFUGEE ADMISSIONS. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.— 

3 (1) INCREASE IN NUMERICAL LIMITATIONS.—In 

4 addition to the numerical limitations provided for 

5 under subsections (a) and (b) of section 207 of the 

6 Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1157), 

7 the number of refugees who may be admitted during 

8 the remainder of fiscal year 2007 and during fiscal 

9 year 2008 under subsection (c) of such section shall 

10 be increased by not fewer than 20,000 for the pur11 pose of admitting refugees from Iraq. Such refugees 

12 from Iraq shall be treated, for purposes of such sec13 tion, as refugees of special concern under the ref14 ugee resettlement priority system. 

15 (2) RESTRICTION ON ELIGIBILITY.—The in16 crease in the numerical limitation described in para17 graph (1) shall apply only to refugees from Iraq who 

18 have become refugees since no earlier than March 

19 19, 2003. 

20 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—To carry 

21 out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated 

22 for fiscal year 2008— 

23 (1) to the Department of Homeland Security, 

24 $10,000,000 for expedited refugee processing and 

25 temporary expansion of the Refugee Corps for such 

26 expedited processing; and 

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1 (2) to the Office of Refugee Resettlement in the 

2 Department of Health and Human Services, 

3 $30,000,000 for the resettlement of refugees from 

4 Iraq. 

5 (c) SENSE OF CONGRESS RELATING TO THE

6 PRIORITIZATION OF SECURITY CHECKS.—It is the sense 

7 of Congress that the Attorney General should instruct the 

8 Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation to place 

9 greater priority on the security checks conducted on refu10 gees from Iraq, without any reduction in the care, thor11 oughness, or extensive process given to such checks, in 

12 order that such checks can be prioritized to provide to the 

13 Department of Homeland Security more expeditious deci14 sions regarding the admission of refugees who are subject 

15 to such checks. 

16 (d) REFUGEES FROM IRAQ DEFINED.—For purposes 

17 of this section, the term ‘‘refugees from Iraq’’ means a 

18 refugee described in subsection (a)(1) of section 106 or 

19 an internally displaced person described in subsection 

20 (c)(1) of such section. 

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1 TITLE II—OVERSIGHT OF 

2 UNITED STATES RECON3 STRUCTION ASSISTANCE FOR 

4 IRAQ 

5 SEC. 201. EXTENSION OF AUTHORITY OF THE OFFICE OF 

6 THE SPECIAL INSPECTOR GENERAL FOR 

7 IRAQ RECONSTRUCTION. 

8 Section 3001(o)(1)(B) of the Emergency Supple9 mental Appropriations Act for Defense and for the Recon10 struction of Iraq and Afghanistan, 2004 (Public Law 108– 

11 106; 117 Stat. 1238; 5 U.S.C. App., note to section 8G 

12 of Public Law 95–452), as amended by section 1054(b) 

13 of Public Law 109–364 and section 2 of Public Law 109– 

14 440, is amended by striking ‘‘fiscal year 2006’’ and insert15 ing ‘‘any of the fiscal years 2006 through 2009’’. 

16 SEC. 202. ASSISTANCE TO SUPPORT THE OFFICES OF THE 

17 INSPECTOR GENERAL OF THE DEPARTMENT 

18 OF STATE AND THE UNITED STATES AGENCY 

19 FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT. 

20 (a) ASSISTANCE AUTHORIZED.—The President of the 

21 United States shall provide assistance to improve the au22 diting, investigation, and oversight capacity and capability 

23 of the Offices of the Inspector General of the Department 

24 of State and the United States Agency for International 

25 Development. 

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1 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—To carry 

2 out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated 

3 to the President such sums as may be necessary for each 

4 of the fiscal years 2008 and 2009. 

5 (c) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con6 gress that the Office of the Special Inspector General for 

7 Iraq Reconstruction should assist the Offices of the In8 spector General of the Department of State and the 

9 United States Agency for International Development in 

10 improving their auditing, investigation, and oversight ca11 pacities and capabilities to ensure efficient and effective 

12 transition of responsibilities after the date on which the 

13 authority of the Office of the Special Inspector General 

14 for Iraq Reconstruction expires. 

15 SEC. 203. REPORT TO CONGRESS. 

16 The President of the United States shall, on a quar17 terly basis, transmit to the appropriate congressional com18 mittees a report on matters relevant to this Act, including 

19 the following: 

20 (1) Progress by Iraq in the economic and recon21 struction sector, including information regarding— 

22 (A) unemployment levels, and the change 

23 in such levels on a monthly basis; 

24 (B) electricity, water, and oil production 

25 and distribution rates; 

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1 (C) hunger, malnutrition and poverty lev2 els, the dependence of the population on govern3 ment assistance to prevent the increase in such 

4 levels, and the ability of the Government of Iraq 

5 to prevent the increase in such levels; 

6 (D) an assessment of the humanitarian sit7 uation, including ability of Iraqi civilians to 

8 travel freely throughout the country, the num9 ber of Iraqi refugees and internally displaced 

10 persons, and the change in such numbers on a 

11 monthly basis; 

12 (E) economic reforms by Government of 

13 Iraq that set the framework for long-term eco14 nomic growth, including the level of private sec15 tor investment and laws enacted by the Govern16 ment of Iraq to ensure labor rights in Iraq sat17 isfy international labor standards; 

18 (F) the amount of funds obligated and ex19 pended by the Government of Iraq to improve 

20 the employment situation in Iraq; 

21 (G) the amount of funds obligated and ex22 pended by the Government of Iraq on recon23 struction, by sector; and 

24 (H) progress by the Government of Iraq in 

25 fulfilling its obligations under the International 

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1 Compact with Iraq, including programs on good 

2 governance, human rights protection, and anti3 corruption. 

4 (2) Progress in obtaining support from other 

5 countries in the region and around the world includ6 ing information regarding— 

7 (A) the amount of new commitments and 

8 obligations for reconstruction assistance, by 

9 country; and 

10 (B) the amount of new debt relief provided 

11 by countries other than the United States, by 

12 country. 

13 (3) Status of United States reconstruction ef14 forts in Iraq, including information regarding— 

15 (A) a general description of existing pro16 grams in each sector, including the amounts ob17 ligated and expended during the last 60 days 

18 and the accomplishments in the last 60 days 

19 and the obligation of amounts and plans for 

20 programs for the next 60 days, and any 

21 changes in priorities between and within sectors 

22 between each reporting period; 

23 (B) status of each provincial reconstruc24 tion team, including the staffing of each recon25 struction team, including the ratio of civilian 

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1 personnel to military personnel, the activities of 

2 each such team, the amounts expended by each 

3 such team, and the specific outcomes of each 

4 such team; 

5 (C) a general description of existing pro6 grams in each sector and their relation to the 

7 International Compact with Iraq and other pri8 orities and commitments identified by the Gov9 ernment of Iraq, on the national, provincial, 

10 and local levels; and 

11 (D) the accomplishments and obstacles in 

12 coordinating United States reconstruction pro13 grams. 

14 TITLE III—ACCOUNTABILITY 

15 AND TRANSPARENCY IN 

16 UNITED STATES CON17 TRACTING FOR RECONSTRUC18 TION IN IRAQ 

19 SEC. 301. PROHIBITION ON FUNDING CERTAIN CONTRACTS. 

20 (a) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in subsection 

21 (b), none of the funds appropriated or otherwise made 

22 available for reconstruction assistance for Iraq under the 

23 Economic Support Fund authorized under chapter 4 of 

24 part II of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 

25 2346 et seq.) may be obligated or expended in connection 

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1 with a contract entered into, or task order issued, after 

2 the date of the enactment of this Act with a contractor 

3 that— 

4 (1) assisted in the development of the request 

5 for proposal for the contract or task order; or 

6 (2) during the previous 5 years— 

7 (A) has been found by the Special Inspec8 tor General for Iraq Reconstruction, the De9 partment of State Inspector General, or the 

10 U.S. Agency for International Development In11 spector General to have overcharged or improp12 erly billed the Federal Government by a total of 

13 at least $10,000,000 through one or more over14 charges; 

15 (B) has been found by the Special Inspec16 tor General for Iraq Reconstruction, the De17 partment of State Inspector General, or the 

18 U.S. Agency for International Development In19 spector General to have committed one or more 

20 fraudulent acts resulting in total costs or losses 

21 to the Federal Government of at least 

22 $10,000,000; or 

23 (C) has been suspended or debarred for a 

24 period of at least one year under the Federal 

25 suspension and debarment regulations. 

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1 (b) NATIONAL SECURITY WAIVER.—The President of 

2 the United States may waive the restrictions under sub3 section (a) on a case-by-case basis if the President deter4 mines that such waiver is in the national security interest 

5 of the United States and transmits to the appropriate con6 gressional committees a report describing the reasons for 

7 such determination. 

8 SEC. 302. REPORT ON AUDITS AND INVESTIGATIONS OF 

9 THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE AND UNITED 

10 STATES AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DE11 VELOPMENT. 

12 (a) REPORT REQUIRED.—Not later than 90 days 

13 after the date of the enactment of this Act, and every 90 

14 days thereafter, the Secretary of State shall submit to the 

15 appropriate congressional committees a report that lists 

16 and describes audits and investigations conducted by the 

17 Offices of the Inspector General of the Department of 

18 State and the United States Agency for International De19 velopment of cost plus fixed fee contracts, indefinite quan20 tity contracts, task orders, and other contracts related to 

21 economic reconstruction activities in Iraq. 

22 (b) CONTENTS.—The Secretary of State shall iden23 tify in the report submitted under subsection (a)— 

24 (1) any such cost plus fixed fee contract, indefi25 nite quantity contract, task order, or other contract 

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1 that the Inspector General of the Department of 

2 State or the Inspector General of the United States 

3 Agency for International Development determines 

4 involves costs that are unjustified, unsupported, or 

5 questionable, including any charges assessed on 

6 goods or services not provided in connection with 

7 such cost plus fixed fee contract, indefinite quantity 

8 contract, task order, or other contract; 

9 (2) the amount of the unjustified, unsupported, 

10 or questionable costs and the percentage of the total 

11 value of the cost plus fixed fee contract, indefinite 

12 quantity contract, task order, or other contract that 

13 such costs represent; 

14 (3) the company or companies implementing 

15 such cost plus fixed fee contract, indefinite quantity 

16 contract, task order, or other contract with the De17 partment of State or United States Agency of Inter18 national Development that was convicted of commit19 ting fraud or corruption; and 

20 (4) the company or companies that were sus21 pended or debarred from receiving contract in cases 

22 of fraud or corruption. 

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1 SEC. 303. ASSISTANCE TO IMPROVE THE CONTRACTING CA2 PACITY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE AND 

3 UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR INTER4 NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR IRAQ. 

5 (a) ASSISTANCE AUTHORIZED.—The President of the 

6 United States shall provide assistance to improve and in7 crease the contracting capacity for the Department of 

8 State and the United States Agency for International De9 velopment for reconstruction activities in Iraq. 

10 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—To carry 

11 out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated 

12 to the President such sums as may be necessary for each 

13 of the fiscal years 2008 and 2009. 

14 TITLE IV—BUILDING THE 

15 UNITED STATES STABILIZA16 TION AND RECONSTRUCTION 

17 CAPACITY 

18 SEC. 401. CIVILIAN ACTIVE RESPONSE CORPS. 

19 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of State, in 

20 consultation with the Administrator of the United States 

21 Agency for International Development, shall establish a 

22 Civilian Active Response Corps (hereinafter in this section 

23 referred to as the ‘‘Corps’’) to provide assistance in sup24 port of stabilization and reconstruction operations in for25 eign countries or regions that are in, are in transition 

26 from, or are likely to enter into, conflict or civil strife. 

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1 (b) COMPOSITION.—The Secretary and Adminis2 trator shall coordinate in the identification and training, 

3 and if necessary, in the recruitment and hiring, of nec4 essary personnel with the skills necessary to contribute to 

5 stabilization and reconstruction operations for the Corps 

6 established in accordance with subsection (a). Such per7 sonnel shall be composed of employees of United States 

8 civilian agencies or non-Federal government employees. 

9 (c) USE OF CORPS.—The members of the Corps shall 

10 be available if the President determines that it is in the 

11 national security interests of the United States to engage 

12 in stabilization and reconstruction operations in a country 

13 or region that is in, is in transition from, or is likely to 

14 enter into, conflict or civil strife. 

15 (d) TRAINING AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS.— 

16 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting 

17 through the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Sta18 bilization of the Department of State and the Ad19 ministrator, is authorized to conduct and arrange for 

20 training and education of the Corps. 

21 (2) EMPHASIS.—Training and education shall 

22 emphasize acquisition of general skills needed to op23 erate in a post-conflict environment and training 

24 specific to the job skill set for which the member has 

25 been identified to participate in the Corps. 

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1 (3) CONTENTS.—Training and education may 

2 consist of— 

3 (A) conducting inter-agency training, in4 cluding training related to inter-agency deci5 sion-making, operational planning, and execu6 tion simulations, for mid-level government offi7 cials and managers to prepare such officials 

8 and managers to address stabilization and re9 construction operations; 

10 (B) conducting advanced training related 

11 to stabilization and reconstruction operations 

12 for members of the Corps; 

13 (C) conducting pre-deployment training re14 lated to stabilization and reconstruction oper15 ations for civilians and military-civil affairs per16 sonnel; 

17 (D) conducting exercises related to sta18 bilization and reconstruction operations for 

19 United States and international experts; 

20 (E) developing a uniform set of operating 

21 procedures for stabilization and reconstruction 

22 operations; and 

23 (F) conducting ongoing monitoring and 

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1 bilization and reconstruction operations to es2 tablish lessons learned. 

3 (e) FACILITIES.—Training and education programs 

4 shall be coordinated with and utilize to the extent possible 

5 existing programs and facilities, such as the George P. 

6 Shultz National Foreign Affairs Training Center (com7 monly referred to as the ‘‘Foreign Service Institute’’), the 

8 National Defense University, the Center for Stabilization 

9 and Reconstruction Studies at the Naval Postgraduate 

10 School, and the United States Institute for Peace. 

11 (f) EMPLOYMENT AUTHORITY.—The full-time per12 sonnel authorized to be employed in the Corps under sub13 section (b) shall be in addition to any other full-time per14 sonnel of the Department of State or the United States 

15 Agency for International Development authorized to be 

16 employed under any other provision of law. 

17 SEC. 402. CIVILIAN RESERVE READINESS CORPS. 

18 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of State, in 

19 consultation with the heads of other relevant Executive de20 partments and agencies, shall establish a Civilian Reserve 

21 Readiness Corps comprised of personnel who are trained 

22 and available as needed to perform services necessary to 

23 carry out the purpose of the Civilian Active Response 

24 Corps under section 401(c). The Civilian Reserve Readimstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

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1 ness Corps shall constitute a reserve component of the Ci2 vilian Active Response Corps. 

3 (b) FEDERAL EMPLOYEES.—The Civilian Reserve 

4 Readiness Corps may include employees of the Depart5 ment of State, including foreign national employees (as 

6 defined in section 103(6) of the Foreign Service Act of 

7 1980 (22 U.S.C. 3903(6))), employees of the United 

8 States Agency for International Development, employees 

9 of any other Executive department or agency (as such 

10 term is defined in section 105 of title 5, United States 

11 Code), and employees from the legislative and judicial 

12 branches who— 

13 (1) have the training and skills necessary to en14 able them to contribute to stabilization and recon15 struction operations under section 401; and 

16 (2) have volunteered for deployment to carry 

17 out such stabilization and reconstruction operations. 

18 (c) NON-FEDERAL EMPLOYEES.—The Secretary is 

19 authorized to employ retired employees, contractor per20 sonnel, nongovernmental organization personnel, and 

21 State and local government employees who— 

22 (1) have the training and skills necessary to en23 able them to contribute to stabilization and recon24 struction operations under this section; and 

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1 (2) have volunteered to carry out such stabiliza2 tion and reconstruction operations. 

3 (d) USE OF CIVILIAN RESERVE.—The Secretary may 

4 deploy members of the reserve component in support of 

5 stabilization and reconstruction operations in a foreign 

6 country or region if the President makes a determination 

7 that it is important to the security interests of the United 

8 States for the employees described in subsections (b) and 

9 (c) to assist in stabilizing and reconstructing a country 

10 or region that is at risk of, in, or is in transition from 

11 conflict or civil strife. 

12 (e) AUTHORITY TO HIRE RETIRED EMPLOYEES.— 

13 Section 824(g)(1) of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 

14 U.S.C. 4064(g)(1)) is amended— 

15 (1) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘or’’ at 

16 the end; 

17 (2) in subparagraph (B), by striking the period 

18 at the end and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 

19 (3) by adding at the end the following new sub20 paragraph: 

21 ‘‘(C) to facilitate the assignment of per22 sons to any country that is subject to a deter23 mination made pursuant to section 401(c) of 

24 the Iraq Reconstruction Improvement Act of 

25 2007 or to any posts vacated by members of the 

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1 Service assigned to such a country, if the annu2 itant is employed in a position for which there 

3 is exceptional difficulty recruiting or retaining a 

4 qualified employee.’’. 

5 SEC. 403. STABILIZATION AND RECONSTRUCTION STRAT6 EGY. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State shall de8 velop an inter-agency strategy to respond to stabilization 

9 and reconstruction operations. 

10 (b) CONTENTS.—The strategy shall include the fol11 lowing: 

12 (1) identification of and efforts to improve the 

13 skills sets needed to respond to and support sta14 bilization and reconstruction operations in foreign 

15 countries or regions that are in, are in transition 

16 from, or are likely to enter into, conflict or civil 

17 strife; 

18 (2) identification of specific Federal depart19 ments and agencies that can adequately satisfy the 

20 skills sets referred in paragraph (1); 

21 (3) efforts to increase training of Federal civil22 ian personnel in stabilization and reconstruction op23 erations; 

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1 (4) efforts to develop a database of proven and 

2 best practices based on previous stabilization and re3 construction operations; and 

4 (5) a plan to coordinate the activities of Federal 

5 departments and agencies involved in stabilization 

6 and reconstruction operations. 

7 SEC. 404. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

8 To carry out this title, there are authorized to be ap9 propriated to the President $35,000,000 for each of fiscal 

10 years 2008 and 2009. 

11 SEC. 405. REPORTS TO CONGRESS. 

12 (a) STRATEGY REPORT.—Not later than 180 days 

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

14 of State shall submit to the appropriate congressional 

15 committees a report on the strategy developed under sec16 tion 403. 

17 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date 

18 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit 

19 to the appropriate congressional committees a report on 

20 the status of efforts to establish the Civilian Active Re21 sponse Corps. The report shall include recommenda22 tions— 

23 (1) for any legislation necessary to implement 

24 Section 401; and 

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1 (2) concerning the regulation and structure of 

2 the Civilian Active Response Corps, including rec3 ommendations related to pay and employment secu4 rity for, and benefit and retirement matters related 

5 to, members of the Corps. 

6 (c) ADDITIONAL REPORT.—Not later than 180 days 

7 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary 

8 shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees 

9 a report on the status of efforts to establish the Civilian 

10 Reserve Readiness Corps, including any legislation nec11 essary to implement section 402. 

Æ 

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