Western Hemisphere Partnership Act of 2023

Subjects: International Affairs


<html><body><pre>[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1325 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

&lt;DOC&gt;






118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1325

 To establish a partnership with nations in the Western Hemisphere to 
promote economic competitiveness, democratic governance, and security, 
                        and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 26, 2023

Mr. Risch (for himself and Mr. Menendez) introduced the following bill; 
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To establish a partnership with nations in the Western Hemisphere to 
promote economic competitiveness, democratic governance, and security, 
                        and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Western Hemisphere Partnership Act 
of 2023''.

SEC. 2. UNITED STATES POLICY IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE.

    It is the policy of the United States to promote economic 
competitiveness, democratic governance, and security in the Western 
Hemisphere by--
            (1) encouraging stronger economic relations, respect for 
        property rights, the rule of law, and enforceable investment 
        rules and labor and environmental standards;
            (2) advancing the principles and practices expressed in the 
        Charter of the Organization of American States, the American 
        Declaration on the Rights and Duties of Man, and the Inter-
        American Democratic Charter; and
            (3) enhancing the capacity and technical capabilities of 
        democratic partner nation government institutions, including 
        civilian law enforcement, the judiciary, attorneys general, and 
        security forces.

SEC. 3. PROMOTING SECURITY AND THE RULE OF LAW IN THE WESTERN 
              HEMISPHERE.

    (a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the United 
States should strengthen security cooperation with democratic partner 
nations in the Western Hemisphere to promote a secure hemisphere and to 
address the negative impacts of transnational criminal organizations 
and malign external state actors.
    (b) Collaborative Efforts.--The Secretary of State, in coordination 
with the heads of other relevant Federal agencies, should support the 
improvement of security conditions and the rule of law in the Western 
Hemisphere through collaborative efforts with democratic partners 
that--
            (1) enhance the institutional capacity and technical 
        capabilities of defense and security institutions in democratic 
        partner nations to conduct national or regional security 
        missions, including through regular bilateral and multilateral 
        engagements, foreign military sales and financing, 
        international military education, and training programs, and 
        other means;
            (2) provide technical assistance and material support 
        (including, as appropriate, radars, vessels, and communications 
        equipment) to relevant security forces to disrupt, degrade, and 
        dismantle organizations involved in illicit narcotics 
        trafficking, transnational criminal activities, illicit mining, 
        and illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, and other 
        illicit activities;
            (3) enhance the institutional capacity and technical 
        capabilities of relevant civilian law enforcement, attorneys 
        general, and judicial institutions to--
                    (A) strengthen the rule of law and transparent 
                governance; and
                    (B) improve regional cooperation to disrupt, 
                degrade, and dismantle transnational organized criminal 
                networks and terrorist organizations, including through 
                training, anticorruption initiatives, anti-money 
                laundering programs, and strengthening cyber 
                capabilities and resources;
            (4) enhance port management and maritime security 
        partnerships and airport management and aviation security 
        partnerships to disrupt, degrade, and dismantle transnational 
        criminal networks and facilitate the legitimate flow of people, 
        goods, and services;
            (5) strengthen cooperation to improve border security 
        across the Western Hemisphere, dismantle human smuggling and 
        trafficking networks, and increase cooperation to demonstrably 
        strengthen migration management systems;
            (6) counter the malign influence of state and non-state 
        actors and misinformation and disinformation campaigns;
            (7) disrupt illicit domestic and transnational financial 
        networks;
            (8) foster mechanisms for cooperation on emergency 
        preparedness and rapid recovery from natural disasters, 
        including by--
                    (A) supporting regional preparedness, recovery, and 
                emergency management centers to facilitate rapid 
                response to survey and help maintain planning on 
                regional disaster anticipated needs and possible 
                resources; and
                    (B) training disaster recovery officials on latest 
                techniques and lessons learned from United States 
                experiences; and
            (9) foster regional mechanisms for early warning and 
        response to pandemics in the Western Hemisphere, including 
        through--
                    (A) improved cooperation with and research by the 
                United States Centers for Disease Control and 
                Prevention through regional pandemic response centers;
                    (B) personnel exchanges for technology transfer and 
                skills development; and
                    (C) surveying and mapping of health networks to 
                build local health capacity.
    (c) Limitations on Use of Technologies.--Operational technologies 
transferred pursuant to subsection (b) to partner governments for 
intelligence, defense, or law enforcement purposes shall be used solely 
for the purposes for which the technology was intended. The United 
States shall take all necessary steps to ensure that the use of such 
operational technologies is consistent with United States law, 
including protections of freedom of expression, freedom of movement, 
and freedom of association.

SEC. 4. PROMOTING DIGITALIZATION AND CYBERSECURITY IN THE WESTERN 
              HEMISPHERE.

    (a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the United 
States should support digitalization and expand cybersecurity 
cooperation in the Western Hemisphere to promote regional economic 
prosperity and security.
    (b) Promotion of Digitalization and Cybersecurity.--The Secretary 
of State, in coordination with the heads of other relevant Federal 
agencies, should promote digitalization and cybersecurity in the 
Western Hemisphere through collaborative efforts with democratic 
partners that--
            (1) promote digital connectivity and facilitate e-commerce 
        by expanding access to information and communications 
        technology (ICT) supply chains that adhere to high-quality 
        security and reliability standards, including--
                    (A) to open market access on a national treatment, 
                nondiscriminatory basis; and
                    (B) to strengthen the cybersecurity and cyber 
                resilience of partner countries;
            (2) advance the provision of digital government services 
        (e-government) that, to the greatest extent possible, promote 
        transparency, lower business costs, and expand citizens' access 
        to public services and public information; and
            (3) develop robust cybersecurity partnerships to--
                    (A) promote the inclusion of components and 
                architectures in information and communications 
                technology (ICT) supply chains from participants in 
                initiatives that adhere to high-quality security and 
                reliability standards;
                    (B) share best practices to mitigate cyber threats 
                to critical infrastructure from ICT architectures by 
                technology providers with close ties to, or that are 
                susceptible to pressure from, governments or security 
                services without reliable legal checks on governmental 
                powers;
                    (C) effectively respond to cybersecurity threats, 
                including state-sponsored threats; and
                    (D) to strengthen resilience against cyberattacks 
                and cybercrime.

SEC. 5. PROMOTING ECONOMIC AND COMMERCIAL PARTNERSHIPS IN THE WESTERN 
              HEMISPHERE.

    (a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the United 
States should enhance economic and commercial ties with democratic 
partners to promote prosperity in the Western Hemisphere by modernizing 
and strengthening trade capacity-building and trade facilitation 
initiatives, encouraging market-based economic reforms, strengthening 
labor and environmental standards, and encouraging transparency and 
adherence to the rule of law in investment dealings.
    (b) In General.--The Secretary of State, in coordination with the 
United States Trade Representative, the Chief Executive Officer of the 
Development Finance Corporation, and the heads of other relevant 
Federal agencies, should support the improvement of economic conditions 
in the Western Hemisphere through collaborative efforts with democratic 
partners that--
            (1) facilitate a more open, transparent, and competitive 
        environment for United States businesses and promote robust and 
        comprehensive trade capacity-building and trade facilitation 
        by--
                    (A) reducing trade and nontariff barriers between 
                the countries in the region, establishing a mechanism 
                for pursuing Mutual Recognition Agreements and 
                Formalized Regulatory Cooperation Agreements in 
                priority sectors of the economy;
                    (B) establishing a forum for discussing and 
                evaluating technical and other assistance needs to help 
                establish streamlined ``single window'' processes to 
                facilitate movement of goods and common customs 
                arrangements and procedures to lower costs of goods in 
                transit and speed to destination;
                    (C) building relationships and exchanges between 
                relevant regulatory bodies in the United States and 
                democratic partners in the Western Hemisphere to 
                promote best practices and transparency in rulemaking, 
                implementation, and enforcement, and provide training 
                and assistance to help improve supply chain management 
                in the Western Hemisphere;
                    (D) establishing regional fora for identifying, 
                raising, and addressing supply chain management issues, 
                including infrastructure needs and strengthening of 
                investment rules and regulatory frameworks;
                    (E) establishing a dedicated program of trade 
                missions and reverse trade missions to increase 
                commercial contacts and ties between the United States 
                and Western Hemisphere partner countries; and
                    (F) strengthening labor and environmental standards 
                in the region;
            (2) establish frameworks or mechanisms to review and 
        address the long-term financial sustainability and national 
        security implications of foreign investments in strategic 
        sectors or services;
            (3) establish competitive and transparent infrastructure 
        project selection and procurement processes that promote 
        transparency, open competition, financial sustainability, and 
        robust adherence to global standards and norms; and
            (4) advance robust and comprehensive energy production and 
        integration, including through a more open, transparent, and 
        competitive environment for United States companies competing 
        in the Western Hemisphere, including by--
                    (A) facilitating further development of integrated 
                regional energy markets;
                    (B) improving management of grids, including 
                technical capability to ensure the functionality, safe 
                and responsible management, and quality of service of 
                electricity providers, carriers, and management and 
                distribution systems;
                    (C) facilitating private sector-led development of 
                reliable and affordable power generation capacity;
                    (D) establishing a process for surveying grid 
                capacity and management focused on identifying 
                electricity service efficiencies and establishing 
                cooperative mechanisms for providing technical 
                assistance for--
                            (i) grid management, power pricing, and 
                        tariff issues;
                            (ii) establishing and maintaining 
                        appropriate regulatory best practices; and
                            (iii) proposals to establish regional power 
                        grids for the purpose of promoting the sale of 
                        excess supply to consumers across borders;
                    (E) assessing the viability and effectiveness of 
                decentralizing power production and transmission and 
                building micro-grid power networks to improve, when 
                feasible, access to electricity, particularly in rural 
                and underserved communities where centralized power 
                grid connections may not be feasible in the short to 
                medium term; and
                    (F) exploring opportunities to partner with the 
                private sector and multilateral institutions, such as 
                the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank, 
                to promote universal access to reliable and affordable 
                electricity in the Western Hemisphere.

SEC. 6. PROMOTING TRANSPARENCY AND DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE IN THE WESTERN 
              HEMISPHERE.

    (a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the United 
States should support efforts to strengthen the capacity of democratic 
institutions and processes in the Western Hemisphere to promote a more 
transparent, democratic, and prosperous region.
    (b) In General.--The Secretary of State, in coordination with the 
Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development 
and heads of other relevant Federal agencies, should support 
transparent, accountable, and democratic governance in the Western 
Hemisphere through collaborative efforts with democratic partners 
that--
            (1) strengthen the capacity of national electoral 
        institutions to ensure free, fair, and transparent electoral 
        processes, including through pre-election assessment missions, 
        technical assistance, and independent local and international 
        election monitoring and observation missions;
            (2) enhance the capabilities of democratically elected 
        national legislatures, parliamentary bodies, and autonomous 
        regulatory institutions to conduct oversight;
            (3) strengthen the capacity of subnational government 
        institutions to govern in a transparent, accountable, and 
        democratic manner, including through training and technical 
        assistance;
            (4) combat corruption at local and national levels, 
        including through trainings, cooperation agreements, and 
        bilateral or multilateral anticorruption mechanisms that 
        strengthen attorneys general and prosecutors' offices; and
            (5) strengthen the capacity of civil society to conduct 
        oversight of government institutions, build the capacity of 
        independent professional journalism, facilitate substantive 
        dialogue with government and the private sector to generate 
        issue-based policies, and mobilize local resources to carry out 
        such activities.

SEC. 7. WESTERN HEMISPHERE DEFINED.

    In this Act, the term ``Western Hemisphere'' does not include Cuba, 
Nicaragua, or Venezuela, except for purposes of section 6.
                                 &lt;all&gt;
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