H. R. 5009—652 
(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; 
(10) promote women’s economic security and the meaning-
ful participation of women across all political processes, 
including conflict prevention and conflict resolution and post- 
conflict relief and recovery efforts; 
(11) promote the economic, social and political advancement 
of 
indigenous 
communities, 
afro-descendants, 
and 
other 
marginalized communities; and 
(12) hold accountable actors that violate political and civil 
rights. 
(b) LIMITATIONS ON USE OF TECHNOLOGIES.—Operational tech-
nologies transferred pursuant to subsection (a) to partner govern-
ments 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 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. 
(c) STRATEGY.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in coordina-
tion with the heads of other relevant Federal agencies, shall 
submit to the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate 
and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Rep-
resentatives a 5-year strategy to promote security and the 
rule of law in the Western Hemisphere in accordance to this 
section. 
(2) ELEMENTS.—The strategy required under paragraph (1) 
shall include the following elements: 
(A) A detailed assessment of the resources required 
to carry out such collaborative efforts. 
(B) Annual benchmarks to track progress and obstacles 
in undertaking such collaborative efforts. 
(C) A public diplomacy component to engage the people 
of the Western Hemisphere with the purpose of dem-
onstrating that the security of their countries is enhanced 
to a greater extent through alignment with the United 
States and democratic values rather than with authori-
tarian countries such as the People’s Republic of China, 
the Russian Federation, and the Islamic Republic of Iran. 
(3) BRIEFING.—Not later than 1 year after submission of 
the strategy required under paragraph (1), and annually there-
after, the Secretary of State shall provide to the Committee 
on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on 
Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives a briefing on 
the implementation of the strategy.
H. R. 5009—653 
SEC. 5114. PROMOTING DIGITALIZATION AND CYBERSECURITY IN THE 
WESTERN HEMISPHERE. 
The Secretary of State, in coordination with the heads of other 
relevant Federal agencies, should promote digitalization and cyber-
security 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 tech-
nology (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 architec-
tures 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 from foreign 
countries of concern as defined in section 10612(a)(1) of 
the Research and Development, Competition, and Innova-
tion Act (42 U.S.C. 19221(a)(1)), foreign entities of concern 
as defined in section 10612(a)(2) of the Research and 
Development, Competition, and Innovation Act (42 U.S.C. 
19221(a)(2)), and by technology providers that supply equip-
ment and services covered under section 2 of the Secure 
and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019 (47 
U.S.C. 1601); 
(C) effectively respond to cybersecurity threats, 
including state-sponsored threats; and 
(D) to strengthen resilience against cyberattacks and 
cybercrime. 
SEC. 5115. PROMOTING ECONOMIC AND COMMERCIAL PARTNERSHIPS 
IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE. 
The Secretary of State, in consultation with the heads of other 
relevant Federal agencies, should support the improvement of eco-
nomic 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 facilita-
tion by— 
(A) reducing trade and nontariff barriers between the 
countries in the region, establishing a mechanism for pur-
suing Mutual Recognition Agreements and Formalized 
Regulatory Cooperation Agreements in priority sectors of 
the economy; 
(B) building relationships and exchanges between rel-
evant regulatory bodies in the United States and demo-
cratic partners in the Western Hemisphere to promote
H. R. 5009—654 
best 
practices 
and 
transparency 
in 
rulemaking, 
implementation, and enforcement, and provide training and 
assistance to help improve supply chain management in 
the Western Hemisphere; 
(C) establishing regional fora for identifying, raising, 
and addressing supply chain management issues, including 
infrastructure needs and strengthening of investment rules 
and regulatory frameworks; 
(D) establishing a dedicated program of trade missions 
and reverse trade missions to increase commercial contacts 
and ties between the United States and Western Hemi-
sphere partner countries; and 
(E) 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 trans-
parency, open competition, financial sustainability, and robust 
adherence to global standards and norms; 
(4) advance robust and comprehensive energy production 
and integration, including through a more open, transparent, 
and competitive environment for United States companies com-
peting in the Western Hemisphere; and 
(5) explore 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. 5116. PROMOTING TRANSPARENCY AND DEMOCRATIC GOVERN-
ANCE IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE. 
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 trans-
parent, 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 demo-
cratic manner, including through training and technical assist-
ance; 
(4) combat corruption at local and national levels, including 
through trainings, cooperation agreements, initiatives aimed 
at dismantling corrupt networks, and political support for 
bilateral or multilateral anticorruption mechanisms that 
strengthen attorneys general and prosecutors’ offices;
H. R. 5009—655 
(5) strengthen the capacity of civil society to conduct over-
sight of government institutions, build the capacity of inde-
pendent 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; 
(6) promote the meaningful and significant participation 
of women in democratic processes, including in national and 
subnational government and civil society; and 
(7) support the creation of procedures for the Organization 
of American States (OAS) to create an annual forum for demo-
cratically elected national legislatures from OAS member States 
to discuss issues of hemispheric importance, as expressed in 
section 4 of the Organization of American States Legislative 
Engagement Act of 2020 (Public Law 116–343). 
SEC. 5117. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON PRIORITIZING NOMINATION AND 
CONFIRMATION OF QUALIFIED AMBASSADORS. 
It is the sense of Congress that it is critically important that 
both the President and the Senate play their respective roles to 
nominate and confirm qualified ambassadors as quickly as possible. 
SEC. 5118. WESTERN HEMISPHERE DEFINED. 
In this subtitle, the term ‘‘Western Hemisphere’’ does not 
include Cuba, Nicaragua, or Venezuela. 
SEC. 5119. REPORT ON EFFORTS TO CAPTURE AND DETAIN UNITED 
STATES CITIZENS AS HOSTAGES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 30 days after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit 
to the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the 
Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives a 
report on efforts by the Maduro regime of Venezuela to detain 
United States citizens and lawful permanent residents. 
(b) ELEMENTS.—The report required by subsection (a) shall 
include, regarding the arrest, capture, detainment, and imprison-
ment of United States citizens and lawful permanent residents— 
(1) the names, positions, and institutional affiliation of 
Venezuelan individuals, or those acting on their behalf, who 
have engaged in such activities; 
(2) a description of any role played by transnational 
criminal organizations, and an identification of such organiza-
tions; and 
(3) where relevant, an assessment of whether and how 
United States citizens and lawful permanent residents have 
been lured to Venezuela. 
(c) FORM.—The report required under subsection (a) shall be 
submitted in unclassified form, but shall include a classified annex, 
which shall include a list of the total number of United States 
citizens and lawful permanent residents detained or imprisoned 
in Venezuela as of the date on which the report is submitted.