Bicycles for Rural African Transport Act

Subjects: International Affairs


<html><body><pre>[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 437 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

&lt;DOC&gt;






118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 437

     To establish within the Office of Gender Equality and Women's 
Empowerment of the United States Agency for International Development a 
rural mobility program to promote mobility in rural communities through 
  access to affordable, fit-for-purpose bicycles, provide support to 
  sustainably increase access to rural areas, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 15, 2023

  Mr. Durbin introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
             referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To establish within the Office of Gender Equality and Women's 
Empowerment of the United States Agency for International Development a 
rural mobility program to promote mobility in rural communities through 
  access to affordable, fit-for-purpose bicycles, provide support to 
  sustainably increase access to rural areas, 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 ``Bicycles for Rural African Transport 
Act''.

SEC. 2. RURAL MOBILITY PROGRAM IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA.

    (a) Establishment.--
            (1) In general.--The Administrator of the United States 
        Agency for International Development (referred to in this Act 
        as ``USAID'') shall establish, within the Office of Gender 
        Equality and Women's Empowerment, a rural mobility program 
        (referred to in this section as the ``Program'') to carry out 
        the purposes described in paragraph (2), including through 
        grants made to eligible nongovernmental partner organizations, 
        prioritizing those organizations with demonstrated success 
        conducting rural mobility programs in the region to so carry 
        out such purposes.
            (2) Purpose.--The Program shall focus on country-driven 
        projects within sub-Saharan Africa--
                    (A) to promote rural communities' access to 
                critical services and opportunities, including 
                education, health care, and livelihood opportunities, 
                through access to affordable, fit-for-purpose bicycles; 
                and
                    (B) to provide support to sustainably increase 
                access to critical services, such as education, health 
                care, and livelihood opportunities in rural areas, 
                including through support for rural-based mechanics, 
                access to spare parts, reduction of social and gender-
                based stigma, and community project management 
                capacity.
            (3) Partnerships.--To the greatest extent practicable, the 
        Program shall partner with existing entities overseas that have 
        successful models for providing access to affordable bicycles 
        to achieve development objectives.
            (4) Authorization of appropriations.--To carry out this 
        section, there is authorized to be appropriated--
                    (A) $3,000,000 for fiscal year 2024;
                    (B) $3,000,000 for fiscal year 2025;
                    (C) $6,000,000 for fiscal year 2026;
                    (D) $6,000,000 for fiscal year 2027; and
                    (E) $12,000,000 for fiscal year 2028 and for each 
                fiscal year thereafter.
    (b) Report.--
            (1) Prior projects.--Not later than 30 days after the date 
        of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator of USAID shall 
        submit a report to the Committee on Foreign Relations of the 
        Senate, the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate, the 
        Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives, 
        and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of 
        Representatives regarding projects carried out by USAID during 
        each of the fiscal years 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 relating to 
        the purposes described in subsection (a)(2). The report shall--
                    (A) identify in which countries USAID embedded 
                rural bicycle mobility into strategies, programs, and 
                projects of USAID;
                    (B) describe the mechanisms by which rural bicycle 
                mobility was so embedded;
                    (C) specify the number of bicycles distributed each 
                fiscal year;
                    (D) assess the outcomes for and impacts on 
                participants in such projects; and
                    (E) assess USAID's efforts to disseminate lessons 
                learned from such projects.
            (2) Current projects.--Not later than December 30, 2025, 
        and not later than each December 30 thereafter, the 
        Administrator of USAID shall submit a report to the 
        congressional committees listed in paragraph (1) regarding 
        projects carried out by USAID during the immediately preceding 
        fiscal year. Each such report shall include information 
        relating to the matters described in subparagraphs (A) through 
        (E) of paragraph (1).
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