I
106TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 4211
To prohibit the application of certain restrictive eligibility requirements to
foreign nongovernmental organizations and multilateral organizations
with respect to the provision of assistance under part I of the Foreign
Assistance Act of 1961.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
APRIL 6, 2000
Mrs. LOWEY (for herself, Ms. PELOSI, Mr. SHAYS, and Mr. GREENWOOD) in-
troduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Inter-
national Relations
A BILL
To prohibit the application of certain restrictive eligibility
requirements to foreign nongovernmental organizations
and multilateral organizations with respect to the provi-
sion of assistance under part I of the Foreign Assistance
Act of 1961.
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 ‘‘Global Democracy Pro-
motion Act of 2000’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) Freedom of speech is a fundamental Amer-
ican value. The ability to exercise the right to free
speech, which includes the ‘‘right of the people
peaceably to assemble, and to petition the govern-
ment for a redress of grievances’’ is essential to a
thriving democracy and is protected under the
United States Constitution.
(2) The promotion of democracy is a principal
goal of United States foreign policy and critical to
achieving sustainable development. It is enhanced
through the encouragement of democratic institu-
tions and the promotion of an independent and po-
litically active civil society in developing countries.
(3) Limiting eligibility for United States devel-
opment and humanitarian assistance upon the will-
ingness of a foreign nongovernmental organization
to forgo its right to use its own funds to address,
within the democratic process, a particular issue af-
fecting the citizens of its own country directly under-
mines a key goal of United States foreign policy and
would violate the United States Constitution if ap-
plied to United States-based organizations.
(4) Similarly, limiting the eligibility for United
States assistance on a foreign nongovernmental or-
ganization’s willingness to forgo its right to provide,
with its own funds, medical services that are legal in
its own country and would be legal if provided in the
United States constitutes unjustifiable interference
with the ability of independent organizations to serve
the critical health needs of their fellow citizens and
demonstrates a disregard and disrespect for the laws
of sovereign nations as well as for the laws of the
United States.
SEC. 3. ASSISTANCE FOR FOREIGN NONGOVERNMENTAL
ORGANIZATIONS AND MULTILATERAL ORGA-
NIZATIONS UNDER PART I OF THE FOREIGN
ASSISTANCE ACT OF 1961.
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, in deter-
mining eligibility for assistance authorized under part I
of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151
et seq.), foreign nongovernmental organizations and multi-
lateral organizations—
(1) shall not be subject to requirements relating
to the use of non-United States Government funds
for advocacy and lobbying activities other than those
that apply to United States nongovernmental organi-
zations receiving assistance under part I of such
Act; and
(2) shall not be ineligible for such assistance
solely on the basis of health or medical services pro-
vided by such organizations with non-United States
Government funds if such services do not violate the
laws of the country in which they are being provided
and would not violate United States Federal law if
provided in the United States.
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