I 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2967 

To establish a comprehensive, long-term United States strategy and policy 

for the Pacific Islands, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 4, 2021 

Mr. CASE (for himself, Mr. YOUNG, Mr. BERA, and Mr. SHERMAN) introduced 

the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, and Natural Resources, 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 establish a comprehensive, long-term United States strategy and policy for the Pacific Islands, 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 ‘‘Boosting Long-term U.S. Engagement in the Pacific 

6 Act’’ or the ‘‘BLUE Pacific Act’’. 

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

8 this Act is as follows: 


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Sec. 1. Short title and table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Findings. 

Sec. 3. Statement of policy. 

Sec. 4. Definitions. 

Sec. 5. Authority to consolidate reports; form of reports. 

TITLE I—UNITED STATES ENGAGEMENT AND COUNTERING 

TRANSNATIONAL CRIME 

Sec. 101. Diplomatic presence in the Pacific Islands. 

Sec. 102. International Law Enforcement Academy for the Pacific Islands. 

Sec. 103. Security assistance for the Pacific Islands. 

Sec. 104. Countering transnational crime. 

Sec. 105. Coordination with regional allies. 

TITLE II—DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES 

Sec. 201. Trade development with the Pacific Islands. 

Sec. 202. Trade capacity building initiative for the Pacific Islands. 

Sec. 203. Emergency preparedness initiative for the Pacific Islands. 

Sec. 204. Peace Corps in the Pacific Islands. 

Sec. 205. Public health in the Pacific Islands. 

Sec. 206. Education assistance. 

Sec. 207. Climate resilient development in the Pacific Islands. 

Sec. 208. Coordination with other Federal agencies and cooperation and participation of nongovernmental United States entities. 

TITLE III—PROMOTION OF SHARED VALUES 

Sec. 301. Press freedom in the Pacific Islands. 

Sec. 302. U.S. Agency For Global Media. 

Sec. 303. Gender equality. 

Sec. 304. Pacific Islands Leadership Development Initiative. 

Sec. 305. Civil society engagement and development. 

1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

2 Congress finds the following: 

3 (1) The Pacific Islands— 

4 (A) are home to roughly 10 million resi5 dents, including over 8.6 million in Papua New 

6 Guinea, constituting diverse and dynamic cul7 tures and peoples; 

8 (B) are spread across an expanse of the 

9 Pacific Ocean equivalent to 15 percent of the 


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1 Earth’s surface, including the three sub-regions 

2 of Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia; and 

3 (C) face shared challenges in development 

4 that have distinct local contexts, including cli5 mate change and rising sea levels, geographic 

6 distances from major markets, and vulnerability 

7 to external shocks such as natural disasters. 

8 (2) The United States is a Pacific country with 

9 longstanding ties and shared values and interests 

10 with the Pacific Islands, including through the Com11 pacts of Free Association with the Freely Associated 

12 States, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the 

13 Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of 

14 Palau. 

15 (3) The United States has vital national secu16 rity interests in the Pacific Islands, including— 

17 (A) protecting regional peace and security 

18 that fully respects the sovereignty of all nations; 

19 (B) advancing economic prosperity free 

20 from coercion through trade and sustainable de21 velopment; and 

22 (C) supporting democracy, good govern23 ance, the rule of law, and human rights and 

24 fundamental freedoms. 


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1 (4) Successive United States administrations 

2 have recognized the importance of the Pacific region, 

3 including the Pacific Islands, in high-level strategic 

4 documents, including the following: 

5 (A) The 2015 National Security Strategy, 

6 which first declared the rebalance to Asia and 

7 the Pacific, affirmed the United States as a Pa8 cific nation, and paved the way for subsequent 

9 United States engagement with the Pacific Is10 lands, including several new policies focused on 

11 conservation and resilience to climate change 

12 announced in September 2016. 

13 (B) The 2017 National Security Strategy, 

14 which includes a commitment to ‘‘shore up 

15 fragile partner states in the Pacific Islands re16 gion to reduce their vulnerability to economic 

17 fluctuations and natural disasters’’. 

18 (C) The 2019 Indo-Pacific Strategy Re19 port, which identified the Pacific Islands as 

20 ‘‘critical to U.S. strategy because of our shared 

21 values, interests, and commitments’’ and com22 mitted the United States to ‘‘building capacity 

23 and resilience to address maritime security; Ille24 gal, Unreported, and Unregulated fishing; drug 


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1 trafficking; and resilience to address climate 

2 change and disaster response’’. 

3 (5) The United States has deepened its diplo4 matic engagement with the Pacific Islands through 

5 several recent initiatives, including— 

6 (A) the Pacific Pledge, which provided an 

7 additional $100,000,000 in 2019 and 

8 $200,000,000 in 2020, on top of the approxi9 mately $350,000,000 that the United States 

10 provides annually to the region to support 

11 shared priorities in economic and human devel12 opment, climate change, and more; and 

13 (B) the Small and Less Populous Island 

14 Economies (SALPIE) Initiative launched in 

15 March 2021 to strengthen United States col16 laboration with island countries and territories, 

17 including in the Pacific Islands, on COVID–19 

18 economic challenges, long-term economic devel19 opment, climate change, and other shared inter20 ests. 

21 (6) The Boe Declaration on Regional Security, 

22 signed by leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum in 

23 2018, affirmed that climate change ‘‘remains the 

24 single greatest threat to the livelihoods, security, and 

25 wellbeing of the peoples of the Pacific’’ and asserted 


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1 ‘‘the sovereign right of every Member to conduct its 

2 national affairs free of external interference and co3 ercion’’. 

4 (7) The Asian Development Bank has estimated 

5 that the Pacific Islands region needs upwards of 

6 $2.8 billion a year in investment needs through 

7 2030, in addition to $300 million a year for climate 

8 mitigation and adaptation over the same period. 

9 (8) The Pacific Islands swiftly enacted effective 

10 policies to prevent and contain the spread of the 

11 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (commonly referred to as 

12 ‘‘COVID–19’’) pandemic to their populations. The 

13 United States has provided over $130,000,000 in as14 sistance to the Pacific Islands for their COVID–19 

15 response. However, priorities must be met to ensure 

16 continued success in preventing the spread of the 

17 COVID–19 pandemic, achieving swift and wide18 spread vaccinations, and pursuing long-term eco19 nomic recovery in the Pacific Islands, including 

20 through— 

21 (A) expanding testing capacity and acquisi22 tion of needed medical supplies, including avail23 able COVID–19 vaccines and supporting vac24 cination efforts, through a reliable supply chain; 


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1 (B) planning for lifting of lockdowns and 

2 reopening of economic and social activities; and 

3 (C) mitigating and recovering from the im4 pacts of the COVID–19 pandemic on the health 

5 system and the reliance on food and energy im6 ports as well as lost tourism revenue and other 

7 economic and food security damages caused by 

8 the pandemic. 

9 (9) Since 1966, thousands of Peace Corps vol10 unteers have proudly served in the Pacific Islands, 

11 building strong people-to-people relationships and 

12 demonstrating the United States commitment to 

13 peace and development in the region. Prior to the 

14 COVID–19 pandemic, the Peace Corps maintained 

15 presence in four countries of the Pacific Islands. 

16 Peace Corps volunteers continue to be in high de17 mand in the Pacific Islands and have been requested 

18 across the region. 

19 SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 

20 It is the policy of the United States— 

21 (1) to develop and commit to a comprehensive, 

22 multifaceted, and principled United States policy in 

23 the Pacific Islands that— 

24 (A) promotes peace, security, and pros25 perity for all countries through a rules-based 


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1 regional order that respects the sovereignty and 

2 political independence of all nations; 

3 (B) preserves the Pacific Ocean as an open 

4 and vibrant corridor for international maritime 

5 trade and promotes trade and sustainable devel6 opment that supports inclusive economic growth 

7 and autonomy for all nations and addresses so8 cioeconomic challenges related to public health, 

9 education, renewable energy, digital 

10 connectivity, and more; 

11 (C) supports regional efforts to address the 

12 challenges posed by climate change, including 

13 by strengthening resilience to natural disasters 

14 and through responsible stewardship of natural 

15 resources; 

16 (D) improves civil society, strengthens 

17 democratic governance and the rule of law, and 

18 promotes human rights and the preservation of 

19 the region’s unique cultural heritages; 

20 (E) assists the Pacific Islands in pre21 venting and containing the spread of the 

22 COVID–19 pandemic and in pursuing long23 term economic recovery; and 

24 (F) supports existing regional architecture 

25 and international norms; 


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1 (2) to support the vision, values, and objectives 

2 of existing regional multilateral institutions and 

3 frameworks, such as the Pacific Islands Forum and 

4 the Pacific Community, including— 

5 (A) the 2014 Framework for Pacific Re6 gionalism; 

7 (B) the 2018 Boe Declaration on Regional 

8 Security; and 

9 (C) the Boe Declaration Action Plan; 

10 (3) to extend and renew the provisions of the 

11 Compacts of Free Association and related United 

12 States law that will expire in 2023 for the Republic 

13 of the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of 

14 Micronesia and in 2024 for the Republic of Palau 

15 unless they are extended and renewed; and 

16 (4) to work closely with United States allies 

17 and partners with existing relationships and inter18 ests in the Pacific Islands, including Australia, 

19 Japan, New Zealand, and Taiwan, in advancing 

20 common goals. 

21 SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 

22 In this Act: 

23 (1) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT24 TEES.—Except as otherwise provided, the term ‘‘ap25 propriate congressional committees’’ means— 


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1 (A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of 

2 the House of Representatives; and 

3 (B) the Committee on Foreign Relations of 

4 the Senate. 

5 (2) PACIFIC ISLANDS.—The terms ‘‘Pacific Is6 lands’’ means the Cook Islands, the Republic of Fiji, 

7 the Republic of Kiribati, the Republic of the Mar8 shall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, 

9 the Republic of Nauru, Niue, the Republic of Palau, 

10 the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, the 

11 Independent State of Samoa, the Solomon Islands, 

12 the Kingdom of Tonga, Tuvalu, and the Republic of 

13 Vanuatu. 

14 SEC. 5. AUTHORITY TO CONSOLIDATE REPORTS; FORM OF 

15 REPORTS. 

16 (a) AUTHORITY TO CONSOLIDATE REPORTS.—Any 

17 reports required to be submitted to the appropriate con18 gressional committees under this Act that are subject to 

19 deadlines for submission consisting of the same units of 

20 time may be consolidated into a single report that is sub21 mitted to appropriate congressional committees pursuant 

22 to such deadlines and that contains all information re23 quired under such reports. 


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1 (b) FORM OF REPORTS.—Each report required by 

2 this Act shall be submitted in unclassified form but may 

3 contain a classified annex. 

4 TITLE I—UNITED STATES EN5 GAGEMENT AND COUN6 TERING TRANSNATIONAL 

7 CRIME 

8 SEC. 101. DIPLOMATIC PRESENCE IN THE PACIFIC IS9 LANDS. 

10 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con11 gress that— 

12 (1) the strategic importance of the Pacific Is13 lands necessitates an examination of whether United 

14 States diplomatic, economic, and development en15 gagement and presence in the Pacific Islands region 

16 is sufficient to effectively support United States ob17 jectives and meaningful participation in regional 

18 fora; 

19 (2) improving shared understanding of and 

20 jointly combatting the transnational challenges perti21 nent to the Pacific Islands region with countries of 

22 the Pacific Islands and regional partners such as 

23 Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and Taiwan is vi24 tally important to our shared long-term interests of 

25 stability, security, and prosperity; 


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1 (3) the United States should seek to participate 

2 in and support efforts to coordinate a regional re3 sponse toward maritime security, including through 

4 continued United States and Pacific Islands partici5 pation in the Pacific Fusion Centre in Vanuatu and 

6 Information Fusion Centre in Singapore, and robust 

7 cooperation with regional allies; and 

8 (4) the United States Government should com9 mit to sending appropriate levels of representation to 

10 regional events. 

11 (b) REPORT.— 

12 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

13 after the date of the enactment of this Act, and an14 nually thereafter for 5 years, the Secretary of State, 

15 in consultation with the Secretary of Commerce and 

16 the Administrator of the United States Agency for 

17 International Development, shall submit to the ap18 propriate congressional committees a report on the 

19 diplomatic and development presence of the United 

20 States in the Pacific Islands. 

21 (2) ELEMENTS.—The report required by para22 graph (1) shall include the following: 

23 (A) A description of the Department of 

24 State, United States Agency for International 

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1 velopment Finance Corporation, Millennium 

2 Challenge Corporation, and United States Com3 mercial Service presence, staffing, program4 ming, and resourcing of operations in the Pa5 cific Islands, including programming and 

6 resourcing not specifically allocated to the Pa7 cific Islands. 

8 (B) A description of gaps in such presence, 

9 including unfilled full-time equivalent positions. 

10 (C) A description of limitations and chal11 lenges such gaps pose to United States stra12 tegic objectives, including— 

13 (i) gaps in support of the Pacific Is14 lands due to operations being conducted 

15 from the United States Agency for Inter16 national Development offices in Manila and 

17 Suva; and 

18 (ii) gaps in programming and 

19 resourcing. 

20 (D) A strategy to expand and elevate such 

21 presence to fill such gaps, including by estab22 lishing new missions, expanding participation in 

23 regional forums, and elevating United States 

24 representation in regional forums. 


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1 (c) AUTHORITY TO ENHANCE DIPLOMATIC AND ECO2 NOMIC ENGAGEMENT.—The Secretary of State and the 

3 Secretary of Commerce are authorized to hire locally em4 ployed staff in the Pacific Islands for the purpose of pro5 moting increased diplomatic engagement and economic 

6 and commercial engagement between the United States 

7 and the Pacific Islands. 

8 (d) REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION STRAT9 EGY.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enact10 ment of this Act, and every 5 years thereafter, the Admin11 istrator of the United States Agency for International De12 velopment shall submit to the appropriate congressional 

13 committees a regional development cooperation strategy 

14 for the Pacific Islands. 

15 SEC. 102. INTERNATIONAL LAW ENFORCEMENT ACADEMY 

16 FOR THE PACIFIC ISLANDS. 

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State shall de18 velop and implement a plan to expand coverage of the 

19 International Law Enforcement Academies (ILEA) pro20 gram for the Pacific Islands, including by— 

21 (1) expanding coverage of the regional program 

22 located in Bangkok, Thailand to the Pacific Islands; 

23 or 

24 (2) establishing a new regional program for the 

25 Pacific Islands. 


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1 (b) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The plan required 

2 by subsection (a) shall include consultation and coordina3 tion with existing regional law enforcement entities, in4 cluding the Pacific Islands Chiefs of Police and civil soci5 ety, including those focused on human rights and special6 izing in victim-centered approaches, and take into consid7 eration costs of implementation, effectiveness, and capac8 ity of the Pacific Islands to participate in the ILEA pro9 gram. 

10 (c) BRIEFING REQUIRED.—Not later than 180 days 

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

12 shall provide the appropriate congressional committees a 

13 briefing on the plan developed under this section. 

14 SEC. 103. SECURITY ASSISTANCE FOR THE PACIFIC IS15 LANDS. 

16 (a) STRATEGY.— 

17 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State, with 

18 the concurrence of the Secretary of Defense and in 

19 coordination with the Secretary of Homeland Secu20 rity, shall develop and implement a comprehensive 

21 strategy to provide assistance to and build the ca22 pacity of local civilian and national security institu23 tions of the Pacific Islands for purposes of— 

24 (A) enhancing maritime security and mari25 time domain awareness to address challenges 


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1 such as illegal, unreported, and unregulated 

2 fishing; 

3 (B) assisting local law enforcement in de4 tecting, preventing, and combating human and 

5 drug trafficking and other forms of 

6 transnational crime; 

7 (C) providing essential services to civilian 

8 populations and responding to humanitarian 

9 challenges caused by natural disasters; 

10 (D) participating in efforts by regional in11 stitutions and frameworks to coordinate and fa12 cilitate cooperation on shared security chal13 lenges; and 

14 (E) expanding information sharing and to 

15 work toward operational coordination and inter16 operability among Pacific Island maritime secu17 rity forces, including through regional fusion 

18 centers. 

19 (2) PROGRAMS AND AUTHORITIES DE20 SCRIBED.—The strategy required by this subsection 

21 shall build on but not be limited to the following 

22 programs and authorities: 

23 (A) The International Military Education 

24 and Training program. 


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1 (B) The Foreign Military Financing pro2 gram. 

3 (C) The Overseas Humanitarian Disaster 

4 and Civic Aid program. 

5 (D) The authority to build the capacity of 

6 foreign security forces under section 333 of title 

7 10, United States Code. 

8 (E) The authority to provide excess de9 fense articles under section 516 of the Foreign 

10 Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2321j). 

11 (F) The National Guard State Partnership 

12 Program. 

13 (3) NATIONAL POLICE FORCES AND COAST

14 GUARDS.—The national police forces and coast 

15 guards of the Pacific Islands are eligible to receive 

16 assistance under the programs and authorities de17 scribed in paragraph (2) (other than the programs 

18 and authorities described in subparagraphs (A), (D), 

19 and (F) of paragraph (2)) for purposes of the strat20 egy required by this subsection. 

21 (b) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The strategy re22 quired by subsection (a) shall seek to preserve peace and 

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1 ing assistance provided by United States allies and part2 ners. 

3 (c) REPORT.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

5 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec6 retary shall submit to the appropriate congressional 

7 committees a report that contains the strategy devel8 oped under this section. 

9 (2) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The report 

10 required by paragraph (1) shall include— 

11 (A) an assessment of security challenges to 

12 the Pacific Islands; 

13 (B) an analysis of demonstrated needs of 

14 the Pacific Islands for assistance, including ex15 cess defense equipment and related materials 

16 with humanitarian and development uses to ful17 fill such needs; 

18 (C) a review of existing security assistance 

19 programs in the Pacific Islands, including pro20 grams and efforts provided by United States al21 lies and partners; 

22 (D) a plan for programs for training and 

23 sustainment with respect to such excess defense 

24 equipment and related materials, including 

25 those with humanitarian and development uses; 


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1 (E) a list of militaries, national police 

2 forces, coast guards, and other national security 

3 forces of the Pacific Islands receiving assistance 

4 under the strategy; 

5 (F) a plan to provide humanitarian assist6 ance and disaster relief, if necessary, through 

7 the Overseas Humanitarian Disaster and Civic 

8 Aid program; 

9 (G) a review of existing cross-border mari10 time law enforcement operations (commonly 

11 known as ‘‘shiprider agreements’’) with the Pa12 cific Islands, an assessment of additional 

13 resourcing needs to enhance operational capac14 ity, and a plan to improve on these programs 

15 and operations; 

16 (H) a review of existing National Guard 

17 State Partnership Programs with the Pacific Is18 lands, an assessment of additional opportunities 

19 to leverage National Guard State Partnership 

20 Programs to address law enforcement, disaster 

21 relief and emergency management, and related 

22 priorities, and a plan to expand, as appropriate, 

23 existing and new National Guard State Part24 nership Programs in the region; 


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1 (I) a review of current efforts and progress 

2 in removing unexploded ordnance in the Pacific 

3 Islands and an assessment of additional 

4 resourcing needed to ensure continued progress, 

5 including to support coordination with regional 

6 efforts and those of United States allies and 

7 partners; 

8 (J) a review of existing regional fusion cen9 ters and other cooperative intelligence sharing 

10 efforts in the Pacific Islands to address mari11 time security, transnational crime, natural dis12 asters, and other security challenges and an as13 sessment of opportunities for the United States 

14 to participate in such efforts, including by allo15 cating staff and supplying resourcing; 

16 (K) measures to evaluate success for the 

17 strategy; and 

18 (L) a detailed assessment of appropriations 

19 required to achieve the objectives for the strat20 egy in future years. 

21 (3) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT22 TEES DEFINED.—In this subsection, the term ‘‘ap23 propriate congressional committees’’ means— 

24 (A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the 

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1 mittee on Transportation and Infrastructure of 

2 the House of Representatives; and 

3 (B) the Committee on Foreign Relations, 

4 the Committee on Armed Services, and the 

5 Committee on Commerce, Science, and Trans6 portation of the Senate. 

7 SEC. 104. COUNTERING TRANSNATIONAL CRIME. 

8 (a) RATIFICATION OF INTERNATIONAL LEGAL IN9 STRUMENTS.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State shall 

11 prioritize efforts to assist the Pacific Islands in rati12 fying and implementing international legal conven13 tions related to transnational crime, such as— 

14 (A) the Convention on International Trade 

15 in Endangered Species of Wildlife Fauna and 

16 Flora; 

17 (B) the Agreement on Port State Meas18 ures; and 

19 (C) relevant protocols supplementing the 

20 United Nations Convention Against 

21 Transnational Organized Crime, such as— 

22 (i) the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, 

23 and Punish Trafficking in Person, Espe24 cially Women and Children; and 


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1 (ii) the Protocol Against the Smug2 gling of Migrants by Land, Sea, and Air. 

3 (2) BIENNIAL REPORT.—Not later than 180 

4 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and 

5 every 2 years thereafter as appropriate, the Sec6 retary of State shall submit to the appropriate con7 gressional committees a report on— 

8 (A) the status of the progress of each 

9 country of the Pacific Islands toward ratifying 

10 and implementing international legal conven11 tions related to transnational crime; and 

12 (B) United States plans for assisting those 

13 countries that have yet to fully ratify such con14 ventions with their respective ratification ef15 forts. 

16 (b) UPDATES OF CERTAIN REPORTS.—The Secretary 

17 of State, in coordination with other Federal agencies as 

18 appropriate, shall identify and update existing reports to 

19 include forms of transnational crime affecting the Pacific 

20 Islands, such as— 

21 (1) the International Narcotics Control Strat22 egy report; 

23 (2) the Improving International Fisheries Man24 agement report; and 

25 (3) the Trafficking in Persons report. 


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1 (c) ILLEGAL LOGGING AND ASSOCIATED TRADE.— 

2 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

3 after the date of the enactment of this Act, and an4 nually thereafter, the Secretary of State, in coordi5 nation with the heads of relevant Federal agencies, 

6 shall submit to appropriate congressional committees 

7 a report that identifies countries of the Pacific Is8 lands that are countries of concern with respect to 

9 illegal logging and associated trade. 

10 (2) ELEMENTS.—The report required by para11 graph (1) shall include the following: 

12 (A) A description of the impact illegal log13 ging and associated trade have had on local 

14 communities, good governance, and biodiversity, 

15 including an identification of those foreign 

16 countries that may be financing or in any other 

17 manner supporting illegal logging activities. 

18 (B) A description of efforts taken by coun19 tries identified under paragraph (1) to comply 

20 and take appropriate corrective action to miti21 gate illegal logging, and an evaluation of the 

22 progress of those efforts. 

23 (C) A description of steps taken by the 

24 heads of relevant Federal agencies to assist the 

25 Pacific Islands in adopting and implementing 


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1 international measures comparable to those of 

2 the United States, such as the Lacey Act, to re3 duce impacts of illicit logging. 

4 (3) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT5 TEES DEFINED.—In this subsection, the term ‘‘ap6 propriate congressional committees’’ means— 

7 (A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and 

8 the Committee on Ways and Means of the 

9 House of Representatives; and 

10 (B) the Committee on Foreign Relations 

11 and the Committee on Finance of the Senate. 

12 (d) ILLEGAL, UNREPORTED, AND UNREGULATED

13 FISHING.—Section 3553 of the National Defense Author14 ization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 (16 U.S.C. 8033) is 

15 amended— 

16 (1) in paragraph (7), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 

17 end; 

18 (2) by redesignating paragraph (8) as para19 graph (9); and 

20 (3) by inserting after paragraph (7) (as amend21 ed) the following: 

22 ‘‘(8) an assessment of gaps or limitations in the 

23 ability of the United States to effectively assist pri24 ority regions and priority flag states relating to IUU 

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1 tional resources necessary to overcome those con2 straints; and’’. 

3 SEC. 105. COORDINATION WITH REGIONAL ALLIES. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State shall con5 sult and coordinate with regional allies and partners, in6 cluding Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Taiwan, and re7 gional institutions such as the Pacific Islands Forum and 

8 the Pacific Community, with respect to programs to pro9 vide assistance to the Pacific Islands, including programs 

10 established by this Act, including for purposes of— 

11 (1) deconflicting programming; 

12 (2) ensuring that any programming does not 

13 adversely affect the absorptive capacity of the Pa14 cific Islands; and 

15 (3) ensuring complementary programs benefit 

16 the Pacific Islands to the maximum extent prac17 ticable. 

18 (b) FORMAL CONSULTATIVE PROCESS.—The Sec19 retary of State shall establish a formal consultative proc20 ess with such regional allies and partners to coordinate 

21 with respect to such programs and future-years program22 ming. 

23 (c) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date 

24 of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the 


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1 Secretary of State shall submit to the appropriate congres2 sional committees a report that includes— 

3 (1) a review of ongoing efforts, initiatives, and 

4 programs undertaken by regional allies and part5 ners, including multilateral organizations, to advance 

6 priorities identified in this Act; 

7 (2) a review of ongoing efforts, initiatives, and 

8 programs undertaken by non-allied foreign actors 

9 that are viewed as being potentially harmful or in 

10 any way detrimental to one or more countries of the 

11 Pacific Islands; 

12 (3) an assessment of United States programs in 

13 the Pacific Islands and their alignment and 

14 complementarity with the efforts of regional allies 

15 and partners identified in paragraph (1); and 

16 (4) a review of the formal consultative process 

17 required in subsection (b) to summarize engage18 ments held and identify opportunities to improve co19 ordination with regional allies and partners. 

20 TITLE II—DEVELOPMENT 

21 INITIATIVES 

22 SEC. 201. TRADE DEVELOPMENT WITH THE PACIFIC IS23 LANDS. 

24 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con25 gress that the United States should expand bilateral and 


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1 multilateral trade with the Pacific Islands to promote 

2 socio-economic development and mutual prosperity. 

3 (b) STRATEGY.—The United States Trade Rep4 resentative shall develop and implement a strategy to ex5 pand and diversify trade and promote regional develop6 ment with the Pacific Islands, including through negoti7 ating trade and investment framework agreements. 

8 (c) REPORT.— 

9 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

10 after the date of the enactment of this Act, and an11 nually thereafter, the Trade Representative shall 

12 submit to the appropriate congressional committees 

13 a report that contains the strategy developed under 

14 this section. 

15 (2) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The report 

16 required by paragraph (1) shall include— 

17 (A) an assessment of the readiness of 

18 countries in the Pacific Islands to enter into en19 hanced trade relationships with the United 

20 States, including with respect to reducing or 

21 eliminating tariff and non-tariff barriers inhib22 iting progress towards deepening trade relation23 ships; 

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1 erence programs involving the Pacific Islands 

2 and their impacts on regional trade and devel3 opment; and 

4 (C) an identification of opportunities to 

5 work with existing regional frameworks to in6 crease trade and economic integration with the 

7 Pacific Islands. 

8 (d) BRIEFING REQUIRED ON PACIFIC ISLANDS

9 TRADE PREFERENCES.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

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

12 United States Trade Representative shall provide to 

13 the appropriate congressional committees a briefing 

14 on the use of the Generalized System of Preferences 

15 under title V of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 

16 2461 et seq.) by the Pacific Islands. 

17 (2) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The briefing 

18 required by paragraph (1) shall include— 

19 (A) a review of the usage of the General20 ized System of Preferences by the Pacific Is21 lands over the past 20 years, including the 

22 value and types of goods traded under the pro23 gram; 

24 (B) an analysis of United States trade 

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1 eralized System of Preferences compared to 

2 trade with the Pacific Islands not conducted 

3 under any trade preference program; 

4 (C) an assessment of why the Pacific Is5 lands underutilizes the Generalized System of 

6 Preferences in trade with the United States; 

7 and 

8 (D) recommendations for how the United 

9 States Government can further assist the Pa10 cific Islands in utilizing the Generalized System 

11 of Preferences. 

12 (3) UPDATE.—The Trade Representative shall 

13 provide to the appropriate congressional committees 

14 an updated briefing under this subsection not later 

15 than 3 years after the date of the enactment of this 

16 Act. 

17 (e) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES DE18 FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate congres19 sional committees’’ means— 

20 (1) the Committee on Ways and Means of the 

21 House of Representatives; and 

22 (2) the Committee on Finance of the Senate. 


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1 SEC. 202. TRADE CAPACITY BUILDING INITIATIVE FOR THE 

2 PACIFIC ISLANDS. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of the United 

4 States Agency for International Development, in coordina5 tion with the Secretary of State, the Secretary of the 

6 Treasury, the Secretary of Commerce, and the Chief Exec7 utive Officer of the United States International Develop8 ment Finance Corporation, shall develop and implement 

9 a trade capacity building initiative for the Pacific Islands. 

10 (b) ELEMENTS AND CONDUCT OF INITIATIVE.—The 

11 initiative developed under this section shall— 

12 (1) include an initial, public assessment of— 

13 (A) economic opportunities for which 

14 United States businesses, or those of other like15 minded partners, would be competitive; and 

16 (B) legal, economic, governance, 

17 infrastructural, or other hurdles limiting United 

18 States investment in the Pacific Islands; 

19 (2) develop human and institutional capacity 

20 and infrastructure across multiple sectors of econo21 mies, including digital connectivity and cybersecu22 rity; 

23 (3) assist with development and implementation 

24 of regional and international trade agreements, in25 cluding the World Trade Organization’s Agreement 


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1 on Trade Facilitation and facilitation of intra-re2 gional trade flows; 

3 (4) support women-owned enterprises and gen4 der equality; and 

5 (5) promote government policies that encourage 

6 free and fair competition, sound governance, envi7 ronmental protection, and business environments 

8 conducive to sustainable and inclusive economic 

9 growth. 

10 (c) U.S. COMMERCIAL SERVICE PRESENCE.—The 

11 Secretary of Commerce shall expand the presence of the 

12 U.S. Commercial Service in the Pacific Islands and allo13 cate additional Foreign Commercial Service Officers to the 

14 Pacific Islands, including by elevating existing partner 

15 posts and establishing new Commercial Service posts and 

16 partner posts, to— 

17 (1) explore opportunities for United States pri18 vate sector investment; 

19 (2) examine regulations in host countries in the 

20 Pacific Islands that may hinder foreign direct invest21 ment, including those related to human rights, labor 

22 rights, and environmental protection, and provide 

23 technical assistance when requested by such host 

24 countries; and 


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1 (3) report on the commercial and investment 

2 activities of non-allied foreign actors in the Pacific 

3 Islands. 

4 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

5 are authorized to be appropriated $15,000,000 for each 

6 of the fiscal years 2022 through 2026 to carry out this 

7 section. 

8 SEC. 203. EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS INITIATIVE FOR 

9 THE PACIFIC ISLANDS. 

10 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of the United 

11 States Agency for International Development shall develop 

12 and implement an initiative to assist the Pacific Islands 

13 in enhancing their preparedness for and resilience to nat14 ural disasters and other emergencies. 

15 (b) CONDUCT OF PROGRAM.—The program devel16 oped under this section shall include— 

17 (1) education and training programs on natural 

18 disaster prevention and preparedness for emergency 

19 management professionals in the Pacific Islands, in20 cluding by leveraging the expertise of nonprofit orga21 nizations and institutions of higher education in the 

22 United States; 

23 (2) technical assistance, including through 

24 grants and cooperative agreements for qualified 

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1 tions, to enhance early warning systems, emergency 

2 management and preparedness procedures, and post3 disaster relief and recovery; and 

4 (3) coordination of existing disaster mitigation 

5 and response plans in the region, including by 

6 United States allies and partners in the region. 

7 (c) REPORT.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 

9 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Adminis10 trator shall submit to the appropriate congressional 

11 committees a report on the program developed under 

12 this section. 

13 (2) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The report 

14 required by paragraph (1) shall include— 

15 (A) an assessment of disaster risks in the 

16 Pacific Islands and existing local and regional 

17 capacity to respond to such risks; 

18 (B) a review of existing efforts by United 

19 States allies and partners to provide assistance 

20 and training for natural disaster preparedness 

21 and emergency management; and 

22 (C) objectives, means of implementation, 

23 and measures of success for the initiative. 


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1 (3) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT2 TEES DEFINED.—In this subsection, the term ‘‘ap3 propriate congressional committees’’ means— 

4 (A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and 

5 the Committee on Natural Resources of the 

6 House of Representatives; and 

7 (B) the Committee on Foreign Relations 

8 and the Committee on Energy and Natural Re9 sources of the Senate. 

10 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

11 are authorized to be appropriated $40,000,000 for each 

12 of the fiscal years 2022 through 2026 to carry out this 

13 section. 

14 SEC. 204. PEACE CORPS IN THE PACIFIC ISLANDS. 

15 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con16 gress that— 

17 (1) the presence of the Peace Corps in the Pa18 cific Islands should be expanded and the Peace 

19 Corps should reopen its programs in as many of the 

20 Pacific Islands as possible, including where it has 

21 previously operated but has suspended operations; 

22 (2) consulting like-minded regional allies and 

23 partners, such as Australia, New Zealand, Japan, 

24 and Taiwan is crucial for identifying and overcoming 


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1 challenges for increased Peace Corps presence in the 

2 Pacific Islands; 

3 (3) the Peace Corps, whose mission is to pro4 mote world peace and friendship in part by helping 

5 the people of interested countries in meeting their 

6 need for trained men and women, provides an in7 valuable opportunity to connect the American people 

8 with the people of the Republic of the Marshall Is9 lands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the 

10 Republic of Palau; and 

11 (4) the Peace Corps should promptly reopen its 

12 programs in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, 

13 the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Repub14 lic of Palau. 

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

16 of the enactment of this Act, the Director of the Peace 

17 Corps shall submit to the appropriate congressional com18 mittees a report that includes— 

19 (1) a comparative analysis of the Peace Corps 

20 presence in the Pacific Islands region to other re21 gions of the world, including a cost-benefit analysis 

22 of placement in the region versus elsewhere globally; 

23 (2) analysis of current impediments to Peace 

24 Corps expansion in the Pacific Islands region; 


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1 (3) outcomes of consultations among United 

2 States agencies, and with regional allies and part3 ners, on areas in which cooperation can reduce fac4 tors limiting Peace Corps expansion, particularly 

5 those related to medical transportation and personal 

6 safety; and 

7 (4) a plan and timeline for implementing out8 comes identified in paragraph (3) to facilitate expan9 sion of Peace Corps presence in the region, where 

10 appropriate. 

11 SEC. 205. PUBLIC HEALTH IN THE PACIFIC ISLANDS. 

12 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of the United 

13 States Agency for International Development, in coordina14 tion with the Secretary of State, shall develop and imple15 ment a strategy to assist the Pacific Islands in improving 

16 public health outcomes and building public health capac17 ity, including in response to the COVID–19 pandemic. 

18 (b) CONDUCT OF STRATEGY.—The strategy devel19 oped under this section shall include— 

20 (1) programming, including grants, cooperative 

21 agreements, and other forms of assistance as the 

22 Administrator determines appropriate, to assist in 

23 building local capacity to address— 

24 (A) maternal and child health; 


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1 (B) family planning and reproductive 

2 health; 

3 (C) gender-based violence; 

4 (D) food security and nutrition; 

5 (E) non-communicable diseases; 

6 (F) communicable diseases, including ne7 glected tropical diseases, tuberculosis, HIV/ 

8 AIDS, sexually-transmitted infections, and 

9 zoonotic and emerging infectious disease 

10 threats; 

11 (G) equitable access to quality, essential, 

12 and affordable health services and quality-as13 sured, safe, effective medical products and their 

14 appropriate use; and 

15 (H) Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene 

16 (WASH); 

17 (2) technical assistance to strengthen local 

18 health system capacity and resilience in the areas of 

19 good leadership and governance, sustainable financ20 ing, interoperable information systems and high 

21 quality data for decision making, efficient medical 

22 products and supply chain systems, and manage23 ment of human resources for health, with special at24 tention to increasing health worker performance, re25 tention, productivity, number, skill mix, and comVerDate Sep 11 2014 17:02 Jun 23, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00037 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2967.IH H2967

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1 petency, including through exploring opportunities 

2 such as private sector engagement and digital health 

3 integration and access; and 

4 (3) coordination with existing local and regional 

5 health sector goals, efforts, institutions, and frame6 works. 

7 (c) REPORT.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

9 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Ad10 ministrator shall submit to the appropriate congres11 sional committees a report that contains the strategy 

12 developed under this section. 

13 (2) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The report 

14 required by paragraph (1) shall include an identi15 fication of— 

16 (A) health care challenges, including health 

17 systems strengthening, immunization, non-com18 municable diseases, and gender-based violence, 

19 in the Pacific Islands; 

20 (B) public health challenges and needs re21 lated to the COVID–19 pandemic in the Pacific 

22 Islands; and 

23 (C) objectives, means of implementation, 

24 and measures of success for the strategy. 


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1 (3) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT2 TEES DEFINED.—In this subsection, the term ‘‘ap3 propriate congressional committees’’ means— 

4 (A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and 

5 the Committee on Natural Resources of the 

6 House of Representatives; and 

7 (B) the Committee on Foreign Relations 

8 and the Committee on Energy and Natural Re9 sources of the Senate. 

10 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

11 are authorized to be appropriated $20,000,000 for each 

12 of the fiscal years 2022 through 2026 to carry out this 

13 section. 

14 SEC. 206. EDUCATION ASSISTANCE. 

15 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con16 gress that— 

17 (1) promoting basic education in the Pacific Is18 lands, particularly in traditionally under-served com19 munities, advances United States foreign policy 

20 goals and requires a whole of government approach, 

21 and the United States Government currently dedi22 cates insufficient resources and attention to assisting 

23 with education needs in the region; 


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1 (2) the Peace Corps alone is insufficient to 

2 achieve United States objectives of promoting sus3 tainable, quality basic education; and 

4 (3) countries of the Pacific Islands meet the re5 quirements outlined in subsection (c)(4) of section 

6 105 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 

7 U.S.C. 2151c). 

8 (b) EDUCATION ASSISTANCE.—The President is au9 thorized to provide assistance under section 105 of the 

10 Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151c) to pro11 mote sustainable, quality basic education in the Pacific Is12 lands, including for the following purposes: 

13 (1) Supporting national nutrition and health 

14 programs. 

15 (2) Working with partner governments to re16 form policies, improve curricula, strengthen data 

17 systems, train teachers, and provide quality learning 

18 materials. 

19 (3) Building new schools and renovating older 

20 facilities to ensure safe places for learning. 

21 (4) Providing individuals, particularly at-risk 

22 youth, with relevant education, training, and skills 

23 for meaningful employment. 

24 (5) Removing barriers to entering formal edu25 cation for out-of-school individuals, assisting in 


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1 keeping them in school, and providing an oppor2 tunity to catch up on schooling for those left behind. 

3 (6) Promoting teaching and research exchanges 

4 between the Pacific Islands and United States insti5 tutions of higher education. 

6 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

7 are authorized to be appropriated $5,000,000 for each of 

8 the fiscal years 2022 through 2026 to carry out this sec9 tion. 

10 SEC. 207. CLIMATE RESILIENT DEVELOPMENT IN THE PA11 CIFIC ISLANDS. 

12 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con13 gress that— 

14 (1) the United States Government should lever15 age the full range of authorities and programs avail16 able to assist the Pacific Islands in achieving their 

17 development goals; 

18 (2) United States development assistance 

19 should seek to build on existing public and private 

20 sector investments while creating new opportunities 

21 toward a favorable environment for additional such 

22 investments; and 

23 (3) United States development efforts should be 

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1 forts by like-minded partners and allies and regional 

2 and international multilateral organizations. 

3 (b) STRATEGY.—The Secretary of State, in coordina4 tion with the Administrator of the United States Agency 

5 for International Development, the Secretary of the Treas6 ury, and the Chief Executive Officer of the United States 

7 International Development Finance Corporation, shall de8 velop and implement a strategy to— 

9 (1) invest in and improve critical infrastructure, 

10 including transport connectivity, information and 

11 communications technology, food security, coastal 

12 zone management, marine and water resource man13 agement, and energy security and access to elec14 tricity in the Pacific Islands, with an emphasis on 

15 climate resiliency and sustainable development; 

16 (2) provide technical assistance to assist local 

17 government and civil society leaders assess risks to 

18 local infrastructure, especially those posed by climate 

19 change, consider and implement risk mitigation ef20 forts and policies to strengthen resilience, and evalu21 ate proposed projects and solutions for their efficacy 

22 and sustainability; and 

23 (3) support investment and improvement in eco24 system conservation and protection for the long-term 

25 sustainable use of ecosystem services, especially 


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1 those that mitigate effects of climate change and 

2 those that support food security and livelihoods. 

3 (c) CONDUCT OF STRATEGY.—The strategy devel4 oped under this section shall be coordinated with like5 minded partners and allies, regional and international 

6 multilateral organizations, and regional frameworks for 

7 development in the Pacific Islands. 

8 (d) INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS.— 

9 The Secretary of the Treasury shall direct the representa10 tives of the United States to the World Bank Group, the 

11 International Monetary Fund, and the Asian Development 

12 Bank to use the voice and vote of the United States to 

13 support climate resilient infrastructure projects in the Pa14 cific Islands. 

15 (e) REPORT.— 

16 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

17 after the date of the enactment this Act, and annu18 ally thereafter, the Secretary of State shall submit 

19 to the appropriate congressional committees a report 

20 on foreign infrastructure developments in the Pacific 

21 Islands. 

22 (2) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The report 

23 required by paragraph (1) shall include— 


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1 (A) a review of foreign infrastructure de2 velopments in the Pacific Islands by non-United 

3 States allies and partners; 

4 (B) assessments of the environmental im5 pact and sustainability of such developments; 

6 and 

7 (C) an analysis of the financial sustain8 ability of such developments and their impacts 

9 on the debt of host countries in the Pacific Is10 lands. 

11 (3) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT12 TEES DEFINED.—In this subsection, the term ‘‘ap13 propriate congressional committees’’ means— 

14 (A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and 

15 the Committee on Natural Resources of the 

16 House of Representatives; and 

17 (B) the Committee on Foreign Relations 

18 and the Committee on Energy and Natural Re19 sources of the Senate. 

20 (f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

21 are authorized to be appropriated $50,000,000 for each 

22 of the fiscal years 2022 through 2026 to carry out this 

23 section. 


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1 SEC. 208. COORDINATION WITH OTHER FEDERAL AGEN2 CIES AND COOPERATION AND PARTICIPA3 TION OF NONGOVERNMENTAL UNITED 

4 STATES ENTITIES. 

5 The Federal officials responsible for carrying out sec6 tions 202, 203, 205, 206, and 207, shall, in carrying out 

7 such sections— 

8 (1) coordinate with existing programs and ef9 forts of relevant agencies of the United States Gov10 ernment, especially with regards to the Republic of 

11 the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micro12 nesia, and the Republic of Palau; and 

13 (2) seek the cooperation and participation of 

14 United States private sector, United States non15 governmental organizations, and United States insti16 tutions of higher education. 

17 TITLE III—PROMOTION OF 

18 SHARED VALUES 

19 SEC. 301. PRESS FREEDOM IN THE PACIFIC ISLANDS. 

20 (a) FINDING.—Congress finds that residents of the 

21 Pacific Islands speak 24 official languages and thousands 

22 of indigenous or unofficial local languages 

23 (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con24 gress that— 

25 (1) the United States should work with allies 

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1 land, to provide free or low-cost access to national 

2 news wires so the Pacific Islands have greater access 

3 to raw news feeds; and 

4 (2) it is in the interest of the United States to 

5 work with the Pacific Islands to develop regulations 

6 to address the licensing and operations of foreign 

7 media to build resilience in the media sector to 

8 unsanctioned external influence or interference while 

9 respecting free expression and cultivating diverse 

10 media voices. 

11 (c) PRESS FREEDOM ASSISTANCE.—The President is 

12 authorized to provide assistance to promote the dissemina13 tion of free and accurate information in the Pacific Is14 lands, including for the following purposes: 

15 (1) Media capacity building and education, in16 cluding to— 

17 (A) provide on-site media training tailored 

18 to local needs; 

19 (B) collaborate with local government and 

20 nongovernmental entities to promote media lit21 eracy and integrate media literacy into primary 

22 education curricula in local languages and dia23 lects to ensure accessibility; and 

24 (C) routinize funding for professional pro25 grams, such as the Pacific Islands Journalism 


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1 Reporting Tour, that bring media professionals 

2 from the Pacific Islands to the United States. 

3 (2) Strengthening and diversifying broadcast 

4 content tailored to local audiences, including content 

5 broadcast in the local vernacular. 

6 (3) Investing in connectivity infrastructure with 

7 an emphasis on broadcast radio and transmission. 

8 (d) REPORT.— 

9 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

10 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec11 retary of State shall submit to the appropriate con12 gressional committees a report on the implementa13 tion of this section. 

14 (2) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The report 

15 required by paragraph (1) shall include— 

16 (A) an assessment of— 

17 (i) the national laws of the Pacific Is18 lands with respect to foreign investment in 

19 media and related sectors; 

20 (ii) relevant licensing regulations of 

21 the Pacific Islands; and 

22 (iii) governmental restrictions on free 

23 expression that limit the availability of di24 verse media voices in the Pacific Islands; 

25 and 


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1 (B) analyses of covert efforts by foreign 

2 media actors in the Pacific Islands— 

3 (i) to influence, shape, or circumvent 

4 regulations in the media or telecommuni5 cation sectors; and 

6 (ii) to co-opt local media and nar7 ratives. 

8 (e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

9 authorized to be appropriated $2,000,000 for each of the 

10 fiscal years 2022 through 2026 to carry out this section. 

11 SEC. 302. U.S. AGENCY FOR GLOBAL MEDIA. 

12 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Chief Executive Officer of the 

13 U.S. Agency for Global Media shall develop and implement 

14 a plan to provide expanded media content to the Pacific 

15 Islands and partner with journalists in the Pacific Islands. 

16 (b) BRIEFING REQUIRED.— 

17 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

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

19 Chief Executive Officer shall provide the appropriate 

20 congressional committees a briefing on the plan de21 veloped under this section. 

22 (2) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The briefing 

23 required by paragraph (1) shall include— 


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1 (A) an assessment of facilities and costs to 

2 expand coverage to the Pacific Islands, includ3 ing options to utilize Voice of America affiliates; 

4 (B) an identification of objectives, means 

5 of implementation, and measures of success for 

6 the plan; and 

7 (C) an assessment on the scope and impact 

8 of media training efforts and people-to-people 

9 engagements organized by other countries for 

10 the Pacific Islands. 

11 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

12 are authorized to be appropriated $2,000,000 for each of 

13 the fiscal years 2022 through 2026 to carry out this sec14 tion. 

15 SEC. 303. GENDER EQUALITY. 

16 (a) STATEMENT OF POLICY.—Congress affirms the 

17 importance of gender equality and women’s empowerment 

18 to United States policy in the Pacific Islands and recog19 nizes the work of the existing regional frameworks and 

20 platforms on gender equality. 

21 (b) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State and the 

22 Administrator of the United States Agency for Inter23 national Development shall— 

24 (1) develop and implement an initiative to en25 courage and support efforts by the Pacific Islands to 


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1 reduce and combat gender-based violence, in coordi2 nation with existing efforts by United States allies 

3 and partners as well as regional organizations; and 

4 (2) promote gender equality in political, eco5 nomic, social, and cultural development programs in 

6 the Pacific Islands. 

7 SEC. 304. PACIFIC ISLANDS LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT 

8 INITIATIVE. 

9 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con10 gress that routinized people-to-people exchange programs 

11 to bring Pacific Islands religious leaders, journalists, civil 

12 society members, politicians, and others to the United 

13 States strengthens existing relationships and advances 

14 United States interests and shared values in the region. 

15 (b) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State shall de16 velop and implement a program to promote educational 

17 and professional development for young adult leaders and 

18 professionals in the Pacific Islands with a demonstrated 

19 passion to contribute to the continued development of the 

20 Pacific Islands. 

21 (c) CONDUCT OF PROGRAM.—The program developed 

22 under this section shall be implemented on a routine basis 

23 and may be carried out through— 


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1 (1) grants provided on a competitive basis to 

2 qualified organizations with demonstrated expertise 

3 relating to the Pacific Islands; 

4 (2) grants in amounts not to exceed $50,000 

5 provided on a competitive basis to qualified young 

6 leaders from the Pacific Islands for the purpose of 

7 carrying out projects dedicated to the improvement 

8 of their communities in the Pacific Islands; 

9 (3) regional workshops and professional and 

10 academic fellowships; and 

11 (4) people-to-people exchanges. 

12 (d) REPORT.— 

13 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

14 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec15 retary of State, acting through the Assistant Sec16 retary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, 

17 shall submit to the appropriate congressional com18 mittees a report on exchange programs for the Pa19 cific Islands region. 

20 (2) ELEMENTS.—The report required by para21 graph (1) shall include— 

22 (A) an assessment of factors constraining 

23 the number and frequency of International Vis24 itor Leadership Program participants from 

25 countries of the Pacific Islands; 


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1 (B) an identification of resources that are 

2 necessary to address the factors described in 

3 subparagraph (A); and 

4 (C) a strategy for connecting alumni and 

5 participants of the Department of State’s pro6 fessional development exchange programs in 

7 East Asia, such as the Young Southeast Asian 

8 Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) and the Young 

9 Pacific Leaders programs, to enhance inter and 

10 intra region people-to-people ties. 

11 (e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

12 are authorized to be appropriated $10,000,000 for each 

13 of the fiscal years 2022 through 2026 to carry out this 

14 section. 

15 SEC. 305. CIVIL SOCIETY ENGAGEMENT AND DEVELOP16 MENT. 

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of the United 

18 States Agency for International Development shall develop 

19 and implement a program to promote the development of 

20 civil society in the Pacific Islands for the purpose of— 

21 (1) strengthening independent media and press 

22 freedom; 

23 (2) empowering citizens to freely organize and 

24 communicate, including through existing and new 

25 civic spaces; 


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1 (3) strengthening rule of law and increasing 

2 government accountability; and 

3 (4) promoting democratic political culture. 

4 (b) CONDUCT OF PROGRAM.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—The program developed 

6 under this section shall be carried out in consulta7 tion with local civil society groups in the Pacific Is8 lands, including civil society groups that represent or 

9 work with traditionally marginalized groups. 

10 (2) ELEMENTS.—The program developed under 

11 this section may be carried out through— 

12 (A) technical assistance and support, in13 cluding through training and professional and 

14 academic fellowships; 

15 (B) grants provided on a competitive basis 

16 to qualified civil society organizations for the 

17 purpose of carrying out projects and programs 

18 dedicated to the objectives identified in sub19 section (a); and 

20 (C) grants provided on a competitive basis 

21 to qualified United States organizations with 

22 demonstrated expertise in civil society develop23 ment and the Pacific Islands. 

24 (c) REPORT.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

2 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Ad3 ministrator of the United States Agency for Inter4 national Development shall submit to the appro5 priate congressional committees a report on the pro6 gram developed under this section. 

7 (2) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The report 

8 required by paragraph (1) shall include— 

9 (A) an assessment of the strength and via10 bility of civil society sectors of the Pacific Is11 lands, including legal, organizational capacity, 

12 financial, advocacy, services, infrastructure, and 

13 public image sectors; and 

14 (B) an identification of objectives and 

15 measures of success for the program. 

16 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

17 are authorized to be appropriated $5,000,000 for each of 

18 the fiscal years 2022 through 2026 to carry out this sec19 tion. 

Æ 


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