I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2100 
To authorize the Secretary of State and the Administrator of the United 
States Agency for International Development to provide assistance to 
support the rights of women and girls in developing countries, and 
for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 29, 2015 
Mr. CHABOT (for himself, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. SMITH of New Jersey, Mr. 
SHERMAN, Mr. ROYCE, and Mr. ENGEL) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
A BILL 
To authorize the Secretary of State and the Administrator 
of the United States Agency for International Develop-
ment to provide assistance to support the rights of 
women and girls in developing countries, and for other 
purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Girls Count Act of 
2015’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress makes the following findings: 
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(1) According to the United States Census Bu-
reau’s 2013 international figures, 1 person in 12— 
or close to 900,000,000 people—is a girl or young 
woman age 10 through 24. 
(2) The Census Bureau’s data also asserts that 
young people are the fastest growing segment of the 
population in developing countries. 
(3) Even though most countries do have birth 
registration laws, four out of ten babies born in 
2012 were not registered worldwide. Moreover, an 
estimated 36 percent of children under the age of 
five worldwide (about 230 million children) do not 
possess a birth certificate. 
(4) A nationally recognized proof of birth sys-
tem is important to determining a child’s citizenship, 
nationality, place of birth, parentage, and age. With-
out such a system, a passport, driver’s license, or 
other identification card is difficult to obtain. The 
lack of such documentation can prevent girls and 
women from officially participating in and benefit-
ting from the formal economic, legal, and political 
sectors in their countries. 
(5) The lack of birth registration among girls 
worldwide is particularly concerning as it can exacer-
bate the disproportionate vulnerability of women to 
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trafficking, child marriage, and lack of access to 
health and education services. 
(6) A lack of birth registration among women 
and girls can also aggravate what, in many places, 
amounts to an already reduced ability to seek em-
ployment, participate in civil society, or purchase or 
inherit land and other assets. 
(7) Girls undertake much of the domestic labor 
needed for poor families to survive: carrying water, 
harvesting crops, tending livestock, caring for young-
er children, and doing chores. 
(8) Accurate assessments of access to edu-
cation, poverty levels, and overall census activities 
are hampered by the lack of official information on 
women and girls. Without this rudimentary informa-
tion, assessments of foreign assistance and domestic 
social welfare programs are difficult to gauge 
(9) To help ensure that women and girls are 
considered in United States foreign assistance poli-
cies and programs, that their needs are addressed in 
the design, implementation, and evaluation of for-
eign assistance programs, and that women and girls 
have the opportunity to succeed, it is important that 
girls be counted and have access to birth certificates 
and other official documentation. 
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SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 
It is the policy of the United States to— 
(1) encourage countries to support the rule of 
law and ensure girls and boys of all ages are able 
to fully participate in society, including by providing 
birth certifications and other official documentation; 
(2) enhance training and capacity-building in 
key developing countries, local nongovernmental or-
ganizations, and other civil society organizations, in-
cluding faith-based organizations and organizations 
representing children and families in the design, im-
plementation, and monitoring of programs under 
this Act, to effectively address the needs of birth 
registries in countries where girls are systematically 
undercounted; and 
(3) incorporate into the design, implementation, 
and evaluation of policies and programs measures to 
evaluate the impact that such policies and programs 
have on girls. 
SEC. 4. UNITED STATES ASSISTANCE TO SUPPORT COUNT-
ING OF GIRLS IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD. 
(a) AUTHORIZATION.—The Secretary and the Admin-
istrator are authorized to prioritize and advance ongoing 
efforts to— 
(1) support programs that will contribute to im-
proved and sustainable Civil Registration and Vital 
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Statistics Systems (CRVS) with a focus on birth 
registration; 
(2) support programs that build the capacity of 
developing countries’ national and local legal and 
policy frameworks to prevent discrimination against 
girls in gaining access to birth certificates, particu-
larly where this may help prevent exploitation, vio-
lence, and other abuse; and 
(3) support programs and key ministries, in-
cluding programs and ministries relating to interior, 
youth, and education, to help increase property 
rights, social security, home ownership, land tenure 
security, inheritance rights, access to education, and 
economic and entrepreneurial opportunities, particu-
larly for women and girls. 
(b) COORDINATION WITH MULTILATERAL ORGANI-
ZATIONS.—The Secretary and the Administrator are au-
thorized to coordinate with the World Bank, relevant 
United Nations agencies and programs, and other relevant 
organizations to encourage and work with countries to 
enact, implement, and enforce laws that specifically collect 
data on girls and establish registration programs to ensure 
girls are appropriately counted and have the opportunity 
to be active participants in the social, legal, and political 
sectors of society in their countries. 
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(c) COORDINATION WITH PRIVATE SECTOR
AND 
CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS.—The Secretary and the 
Administrator are authorized to work with the United 
States, international, and local private sector and civil so-
ciety organizations, including faith-based organizations, to 
advocate for the registration and documentation of all 
girls and boys in developing countries, in order to help 
prevent exploitation, violence, and other abuses and to 
help provide economic and social opportunities. 
SEC. 5. REPORT. 
The Secretary and the Administrator shall include in 
relevant evaluations and reports to Congress the following 
information: 
(1) To the extent practicable, a breakdown of 
United States foreign assistance beneficiaries by age, 
gender, marital status, location, and school enroll-
ment status. 
(2) A description, as appropriate, of how 
United States foreign assistance benefits girls. 
(3) Specific information, as appropriate, on pro-
grams that address the particular needs of girls. 
SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
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(1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis-
trator’’ means the Administrator of the United 
States Agency for International Development. 
(2) FOREIGN ASSISTANCE.—The term ‘‘foreign 
assistance’’ has the meaning given the term in sec-
tion 634(b) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 
(22 U.S.C. 2394(b)). 
(3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of State. 
SEC. 7. SUNSET. 
This Act shall expire on the date that is 5 years after 
the date of the enactment of this Act. 
Æ 
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