Countering the PRC Malign Influence Fund Authorization Act of 2023

Subjects: International Affairs, Asia, China, Congressional oversight, Government ethics and transparency, public corruption, Human rights, International organizations and cooperation, Organized crime, Political parties and affiliation, Sovereignty, recognition, national governance and status


<html><body><pre>[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1157 Introduced in House (IH)]

&lt;DOC&gt;






118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1157

 To provide for the authorization of appropriations for the Countering 
  the People's Republic of China Malign Influence Fund, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 24, 2023

   Mr. Barr introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                      Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To provide for the authorization of appropriations for the Countering 
  the People's Republic of China Malign Influence Fund, 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 ``Countering the PRC Malign Influence 
Fund Authorization Act of 2023''.

SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR COUNTERING THE PEOPLE'S 
              REPUBLIC OF CHINA MALIGN INFLUENCE FUND.

    (a) Countering the People's Republic of China Malign Influence 
Fund.--
            (1) In general.--There is authorized to be appropriated 
        $325,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2027 for the 
        Countering the People's Republic of China Malign Influence Fund 
        to counter the malign influence of the Chinese Communist Party 
        and the Government of the People's Republic of China and 
        entities acting on their behalf globally.
            (2) Availability; amounts in addition to other amounts.--
        Amounts appropriated pursuant to the authorization of 
        appropriations under paragraph (1)--
                    (A) are authorized to remain available until 
                expended; and
                    (B) shall be in addition to amounts otherwise 
                authorized to be appropriated for the purposes 
                described in paragraph (1).
    (b) Consultation Required.--The obligation of funds appropriated 
pursuant to the authorization of appropriations under subsection (a) or 
otherwise made available for the purposes described in subsection 
(a)(1) shall be subject to prior consultation with, and consistent with 
section 634A of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2394-1), 
the regular notification procedures of--
            (1) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on 
        Appropriations of the Senate; and
            (2) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on 
        Appropriations of the House of Representatives.
    (c) Policy Guidance, Coordination, and Approval.--
            (1) Coordinator.--The Secretary of State shall designate an 
        existing senior official of the Department of State to provide 
        policy guidance, coordination, and approval for the obligation 
        of funds appropriated pursuant to the authorization of 
        appropriations under subsection (a).
            (2) Assistant coordinator.--The Administrator of the United 
        States Agency for International Development shall designate an 
        existing senior official of the United States Agency for 
        International Development to assist and consult with the senior 
        official of the Department of State designated pursuant to 
        paragraph (1).
            (3) Duties.--The senior official of the Department of State 
        designated pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be responsible for--
                    (A) on an annual basis, the identification of 
                specific strategic priorities for using funds 
                appropriated pursuant to the authorization of 
                appropriations under subsection (a), such as geographic 
                areas of focus or functional categories of programming 
                that funds are to be concentrated within, consistent 
                with the national interests of the United States and 
                the purposes of this section;
                    (B) the coordination and approval of all 
                programming conducted using such funds, based on an 
                assessment that such programming directly counters the 
                malign influence of the Chinese Communist Party or the 
                Government of the People's Republic of China, including 
                specific activities or policies advanced by the Chinese 
                Communist Party or the Government of the People's 
                Republic of China and entities acting on their behalf 
                globally, pursuant to the strategic objectives of the 
                United States, as established in the 2017 National 
                Security Strategy, the 2018 National Defense Strategy, 
                and other relevant national and regional strategies as 
                appropriate;
                    (C) ensuring that all programming approved bears a 
                sufficiently direct nexus to such activities of the 
                Chinese Communist Party or the Government of the 
                People's Republic of China described in subsection (d) 
                and adheres to the requirements outlined in subsection 
                (e); and
                    (D) conducting oversight, monitoring, and 
                evaluation of the effectiveness of all programming 
                conducted using such funds to ensure that it advances 
                United States interests and degrades the ability of the 
                Chinese Communist Party or the Government of the 
                People's Republic of China, to advance activities that 
                align with subsection (d) of this section.
            (4) Interagency coordination.--The senior official of the 
        Department of State designated pursuant to paragraph (1) shall, 
        in coordinating and approving programming pursuant to paragraph 
        (2), seek--
                    (A) to conduct appropriate interagency 
                consultation; and
                    (B) to ensure, to the maximum extent practicable, 
                that all approved programming functions in concert with 
                other Federal activities to counter the malign 
                influence of the Chinese Communist Party or the 
                Government of the People's Republic of China.
    (d) Malign Influence.--In this section, the term ``malign 
influence'', with respect to the Chinese Communist Party or the 
Government of the People's Republic of China, shall be construed to 
include acts conducted by the Chinese Communist Party or the Government 
of the People's Republic of China, or entities acting on their behalf 
that--
            (1) undermine a free and open international order;
            (2) advance an alternative, repressive international order 
        that bolsters the Chinese Communist Party's or the Government 
        of the People's Republic of China's hegemonic ambitions and is 
        characterized by coercion and dependency;
            (3) undermine the national security or sovereignty of the 
        United States or other countries; or
            (4) undermine the economic security of the United States or 
        other countries, including by promoting corruption and 
        advancing coercive economic practices.
    (e) Countering Malign Influence.--In this section, countering 
malign influence through the use of funds appropriated pursuant to the 
authorization of appropriations under subsection (a) shall include 
efforts--
            (1) to promote transparency and accountability, and reduce 
        corruption, including in governance structures targeted by the 
        malign influence of the Chinese Communist Party or the 
        Government of the People's Republic of China;
            (2) to support civil society and independent media to raise 
        awareness of and increase transparency regarding the negative 
        impact of activities related to the Belt and Road Initiative, 
        associated initiatives, other economic initiatives with 
        strategic or political purposes, and coercive economic 
        practices;
            (3) to counter transnational criminal networks that 
        benefit, or benefit from, the malign influence of the Chinese 
        Communist Party or the Government of the People's Republic of 
        China;
            (4) to encourage economic development structures that help 
        protect against predatory lending schemes, including support 
        for market-based alternatives in key economic sectors, such as 
        digital economy, energy, and infrastructure;
            (5) to counter activities that provide undue influence to 
        the security forces of the People's Republic of China;
            (6) to expose misinformation and disinformation of the 
        Chinese Communist Party's or the Government of the People's 
        Republic of China's propaganda, including through programs 
        carried out by the Global Engagement Center; and
            (7) to counter efforts by the Chinese Communist Party or 
        the Government of the People's Republic of China to legitimize 
        or promote authoritarian ideology and governance models.
    (f) Annual Summary.--Not later than September 30, 2023, and 
annually thereafter for 5 years, the senior official of the Department 
of State designated pursuant to subsection (c)(1) shall submit to the 
congressional committees specified in paragraphs (1) and (2) of 
subsection (b), a summary identifying each activity or program approved 
pursuant to subsection (c), and shall include--
            (1) for each program or activity, an identification of the 
        country or regional location of the program or activity;
            (2) for each program or activity, whether the program or 
        activity was ongoing prior to receiving support from funds from 
        the Countering People's Republic of China Malign Influence 
        Fund, or any predecessor resource intended for the same or 
        substantially similar purpose;
            (3) for each program or activity, an identification of the 
        acts described in subsection (d) that such program or activity 
        is intended to counter; and
            (4) a table identifying the respective allocation of all 
        programs or activities approved during that fiscal year across 
        accounts and regional or functional bureaus.
                                 &lt;all&gt;
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