I 

108TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4660

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. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 23, 2004

Mr. LANTOS (for himself, Mr. HYDE, Mr. BERMAN, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, 

Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA, Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN, Mr. BROWN of Ohio, Mr. 

BALLENGER, Mr. ENGEL, Mr. HOUGHTON, Mr. MEEKS of New York, Mr. 

GREEN of Wisconsin, Ms. LEE, Mr. WELLER, Mr. CROWLEY, Mr. 

MCCOTTER, Mr. HOEFFEL, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Mr. SCHIFF, and Ms. 

MCCOLLUM) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations 

A BILL

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,

3 SECTION 1. FINDINGS; PURPOSE. 

4 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find5 ings: 

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

7 ‘‘America supports the international development 
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1 goals in the U.N. Millennium Declaration, and be2 lieves that these goals are a shared responsibility of 

3 developed and developing countries.’’. 

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

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

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

7 support compacts of the Millennium Challenge Ac8 count which, among other things, aim ‘‘to reduce 

9 poverty by significantly increasing the economic 

10 growth trajectory of beneficiary countries through 

11 investing in the productive potential of the people of 

12 such countries’’. 

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

14 the link between global poverty and the national se15 curity of the United States by stating: ‘‘In many na16 tions, poverty remains chronic and desperate. Half 

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

18 This divide between wealth and poverty, between op19 portunity and misery, is far more than a challenge 

20 to our compassion. Persistent poverty and oppres21 sion can spread despair across an entire nation, and 

22 they can turn nations of great potential into the re23 cruiting grounds of terrorists.’’. 
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1 (4) Section 602 of the Millennium Challenge 

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

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

4 (5) The Report of the Committee on Inter5 national Relations to accompany H.R. 2441 of the 

6 108th Congress (H. Rept. 108–205) states that 

7 ‘‘[f]or the Millennium Challenge Account to be suc8 cessful as an incentive for future reform as well as 

9 a reward for past reform, it must offer opportunities 

10 for those low-income countries whose institutions do 

11 not yet meet all the eligibility criteria but who are 

12 demonstrating partial success in meeting the eligi13 bility criteria’’. 

14 (6) The purpose of section 616 of the Millen15 nium Challenge Act of 2003 (22 U.S.C. 7715), and 

16 the ‘‘threshold program’’ established pursuant to 

17 such section by the Millennium Challenge Corpora18 tion, in consultation with the United States Agency 

19 for International Development, is to provide assist20 ance to the low-income countries described in para21 graph (5) in order to assist such countries to become 

22 eligible countries under the Act. 

23 (7) Although the overall Millennium Challenge 

24 Act of 2003 (22 U.S.C. 7701 et seq.) is authorized 

25 to be funded for both fiscal years 2004 and 2005, 
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1 the ‘‘threshold program’’ under section 616 of such 

2 Act is authorized to be funded only for fiscal year 

3 2004. 

4 (b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to amend 

5 the Millennium Challenge Act of 2003 to authorize fund6 ing of the ‘‘threshold program’’ under section 616 of such 

7 Act for the same duration as the authorization of funding 

8 for the overall Millennium Challenge Act of 2003. 

9 SEC. 2. EXTENSION OF AUTHORIZATION OF ASSISTANCE TO 

10 CERTAIN CANDIDATE COUNTRIES. 

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

12 2003 (22 U.S.C. 7715(d)) is amended by striking ‘‘for fis13 cal year 2004’’ and inserting ‘‘for a fiscal year’’.

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