108TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. R. 4660

AN ACT

To amend the Millennium Challenge Act of 2003 to

purposes of that Act.countries seeking to become eligible countries forextend the authority to provide assistance to

108TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. R. 4660

AN ACT

To amend the Millennium Challenge Act of 2003 to extend

the authority to provide assistance to countries seeking

to become eligible countries for purposes of that Act.

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. FINDINGS; PURPOSE.

2 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find3 ings:

4 (1) On March 14, 2002, the President stated:

5 ‘‘America supports the international development

6 goals in the U.N. Millennium Declaration, and be7 lieves that these goals are a shared responsibility of

8 developed and developing countries.’’.

9 (2) Section 201(b)(4) of H.R. 1950, as passed

10 by the House of Representatives on July 16, 2003,

11 states that it is the policy of the United States to

12 support compacts of the Millennium Challenge Ac13 count which, among other things, aim ‘‘to reduce

14 poverty by significantly increasing the economic

15 growth trajectory of beneficiary countries through

16 investing in the productive potential of the people of

17 such countries’’.

18 (3) On May 10, 2004, the President recognized

19 the link between global poverty and the national se20 curity of the United States by stating: ‘‘In many na21 tions, poverty remains chronic and desperate. Half

22 the world’s people still live on less than $2 a day.

23 This divide between wealth and poverty, between op24 portunity and misery, is far more than a challenge

25 to our compassion. Persistent poverty and oppres26 sion can spread despair across an entire nation, and
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1 they can turn nations of great potential into the re2 cruiting grounds of terrorists.’’.

3 (4) Section 602 of the Millennium Challenge

4 Act of 2003 (22 U.S.C. 7701) states that a purpose

5 of that Act is ‘‘the elimination of extreme poverty’’.

6 (5) The Report of the Committee on Inter7 national Relations to accompany H.R. 2441 of the

8 108th Congress (H. Rept. 108–205) states that

9 ‘‘[f]or the Millennium Challenge Account to be suc10 cessful as an incentive for future reform as well as

11 a reward for past reform, it must offer opportunities

12 for those low-income countries whose institutions do

13 not yet meet all the eligibility criteria but who are

14 demonstrating partial success in meeting the eligi15 bility criteria’’.

16 (6) The purpose of section 616 of the Millen17 nium Challenge Act of 2003 (22 U.S.C. 7715), and

18 the ‘‘threshold program’’ established pursuant to

19 such section by the Millennium Challenge Corpora20 tion, in consultation with the United States Agency

21 for International Development, is to provide assist22 ance to the low-income countries described in para23 graph (5) in order to assist such countries to become

24 eligible countries under the Act.
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1 (b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to amend

2 the Millennium Challenge Act of 2003 to authorize fund3 ing of the ‘‘threshold program’’ under section 616 of such

4 Act for the same duration as the authorization of funding

5 for the overall Millennium Challenge Act of 2003.

6 SEC. 2. EXTENSION OF AUTHORIZATION OF ASSISTANCE TO

7 CERTAIN CANDIDATE COUNTRIES.

8 Section 616(d) of the Millennium Challenge Act of

9 2003 (22 U.S.C. 7715(d)) is amended by striking ‘‘for fis10 cal year 2004’’ and inserting ‘‘for a fiscal year’’.

Passed the House of Representatives July 21, 2004.

Attest:

Clerk.