I 
110TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6028 
To authorize law enforcement and security assistance, and assistance to 
enhance the rule of law and strengthen civilian institutions, for Mexico 
and the countries of Central America, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 13, 2008 
Mr. BERMAN (for himself, Mr. ENGEL, Mr. REYES, and Mr. CUELLAR) intro-
duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period 
to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consider-
ation of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
concerned 
A BILL 
To authorize law enforcement and security assistance, and 
assistance to enhance the rule of law and strengthen 
civilian institutions, for Mexico and the countries of Cen-
tral America, 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 AND TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Merida Initiative to Combat Illicit Narcotics and Reduce 
Organized Crime Authorization Act of 2008’’. 
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(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title and table of contents. 
Sec. 2. Definitions. 
TITLE I—ASSISTANCE FOR MEXICO 
Sec. 101. Findings. 
Sec. 102. Declarations of policy. 
Subtitle A—Law Enforcement and Security Assistance 
Sec. 111. Purposes of assistance. 
Sec. 112. Authorization of assistance. 
Sec. 113. Activities supported. 
Sec. 114. Limitation on assistance. 
Sec. 115. Authorization of appropriations. 
Subtitle B—Assistance to Enhance the Rule of Law and Strengthen Civilian 
Institutions 
Sec. 121. Sense of Congress. 
Sec. 122. Authorization of assistance. 
Sec. 123. Activities supported. 
Sec. 124. Authorization of appropriations. 
TITLE II—ASSISTANCE FOR COUNTRIES OF CENTRAL AMERICA 
Sec. 201. Findings. 
Sec. 202. Declarations of policy. 
Subtitle A—Law Enforcement and Security Assistance 
Sec. 211. Purposes of assistance. 
Sec. 212. Authorization of assistance. 
Sec. 213. Activities supported. 
Sec. 214. Limitation on assistance. 
Sec. 215. Authorization of appropriations. 
Subtitle B—Assistance to Enhance the Rule of Law and Strengthen Civilian 
Institutions 
Sec. 221. Authorization of assistance. 
Sec. 222. Activities supported. 
Sec. 223. Authorization of appropriations. 
TITLE III—ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS 
Sec. 301. Conditions on provision of assistance. 
Sec. 302. Limitations on provision of assistance. 
Sec. 303. Limitation on monitoring. 
Sec. 304. Exemption from prohibition on assistance for law enforcement forces. 
Sec. 305. Relationship to other authority. 
Sec. 306. Rule of construction. 
TITLE IV—SUPPORT ACTIVITIES IN THE UNITED STATES 
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Sec. 401. Report on reduction of drug demand in the United States. 
Sec. 402. Reduction of southbound flow of illegal weapons. 
Sec. 403. Reduction of southbound flow of illegal precursor chemicals and bulk- 
cash transfers. 
Sec. 404. Report. 
TITLE V—MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS 
Sec. 501. Coordinator of United States Government Activities to Implement the 
Merida Initiative. 
Sec. 502. Metrics and oversight mechanisms. 
Sec. 503. Report. 
Sec. 504. Sense of Congress. 
Sec. 505. Sunset. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) APPROPRIATE
CONGRESSIONAL
COMMIT-
TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com-
mittees’’ means— 
(A) the Committee on Appropriations and 
the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House 
of Representatives; and 
(B) the Committee on Appropriations and 
the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Sen-
ate. 
(2) COUNTRIES
OF
CENTRAL
AMERICA.—The 
term ‘‘countries of Central America’’ means Belize, 
Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, 
Nicaragua, and Panama. 
(3) MERIDA
INITIATIVE.—The term ‘‘Merida 
Initiative’’ means the program announced by the 
United States and Mexico on October 22, 2007, to 
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fight illicit narcotics trafficking and criminal organi-
zations throughout the Western Hemisphere. 
TITLE I—ASSISTANCE FOR 
MEXICO 
SEC. 101. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) The drug crisis facing the United States re-
mains a significant national security threat. 
(2) The Government Accountability Office 
(GAO) estimates that 90 percent of illegal drugs 
that enter the United States come through the Mex-
ico-Central America corridor. 
(3) The same smuggling routes that are used to 
bring illegal narcotics north are utilized to illegally 
distribute arms, precursor chemicals, and bulk cash 
transfers south. 
(4) Drug gangs that operate in the United 
States, Mexico, and Central America have become 
sophisticated and vertically-integrated operations ex-
pert at penetrating the United States-Mexico border. 
(5) Narcotics-related activity and expanding 
cross-border trafficking is dangerously undermining 
the security environment for our neighbors to the 
South, as well as in the United States. 
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(6) Mexico can and has served as a critical ally 
and partner in stemming the flow of illegal narcotics 
into the United States. Under the leadership of 
Mexican President Felipe Caldero´n, the United 
States and Mexico have initiated an approach of 
joint responsibility to confront the threat of drug 
trafficking and organized crime in the Western 
Hemisphere. 
(7) The spread of illicit narcotics through 
United States borders and the violence that accom-
panies it cannot be halted without a comprehensive 
interdiction and security strategy planned and exe-
cuted jointly with our southern neighbors. 
(8) In March 2007, President George W. Bush 
and Mexican President Caldero´n held a summit in 
the Mexican City of Merida and agreed that the 
United States and Mexico must expand bilateral and 
regional cooperation to fight violence stemming from 
narcotrafficking and regional criminal organizations. 
(9) On October 22, 2007, the United States 
and Mexico issued a joint statement announcing the 
Merida Initiative, a program to fight illicit drug 
trafficking and criminal organizations throughout 
the Western Hemisphere. 
(10) In the joint statement— 
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(A) Mexico pledged to ‘‘strengthen its 
operational capabilities to more effectively fight 
drug-traffickers and organized crime’’; 
(B) the United States pledged ‘‘to intensify 
its efforts to address all aspects of drug traf-
ficking (including demand-related portions) and 
continue to combat trafficking of weapons and 
bulk currency to Mexico’’; and 
(C) both nations pledged to ‘‘augment co-
operation, coordination, and the exchange of in-
formation to fight criminal organizations on 
both sides of the border’’. 
(11) A long-term strategy to adequately contain 
the northbound and southbound flows of illicit drugs 
along the United States-Mexico border, as well as 
protect the vast and free flow of trade, will require 
the United States to partner with its southern 
neighbors in their efforts to build the capacity of 
their own law enforcement agencies and enhance the 
rule of law, as well as to fortify United States illicit 
drug reduction efforts. 
SEC. 102. DECLARATIONS OF POLICY. 
Congress makes the following declarations: 
(1) The Merida Initiative is a critical part of a 
growing partnership and strategy of cooperation be-
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tween the United States and its southern neighbors 
to confront the illegal flow of narcotics as well as vi-
olence and organized crime that it has spawned. 
(2) The United States needs to ensure the free 
flow of trade between the United States and its crit-
ical neighbor, Mexico, while ensuring that the 
United States border is protected from illegal smug-
gling into the United States. 
(3) The United States must intensify efforts to 
stem the flow of precursor chemicals, bulk cash, and 
the so-called ‘‘iron-river’’ of arms illegally flowing 
south, as well as demand-related aspects of the illicit 
drug phenomenon. 
(4) The United States should provide its exper-
tise to meet immediate security needs along the 
United States-Mexico border, fight the production 
and flow of illicit narcotics, and support Mexico in 
its efforts to do the same. 
(5) The United States should support the Gov-
ernment of Mexico’s work to expand its own law en-
forcement to independently conduct successful coun-
ternarcotics and organized crime-related operations. 
(6) The Merida Initiative reflects the belief that 
Mexican military involvement is required in the short 
term to stabilize the security situation, but that 
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most aspects of this problem fall into the realm of 
law enforcement. 
(7) In implementing the Merida Initiative, the 
United States should work with its southern neigh-
bors to mitigate the so-called ‘‘balloon effect’’ in 
which successful counternarcotics efforts shift nar-
cotics-related activities to other areas. 
(8) The United States should coordinate with 
the Congress of the Union of Mexico to ensure full 
partnership on the programs authorized under this 
Act. 
Subtitle A—Law Enforcement and 
Security Assistance 
SEC. 111. PURPOSES OF ASSISTANCE. 
The purposes of assistance under this subtitle are 
to— 
(1) enhance the ability of the Government of 
Mexico, in cooperation with the United States, to 
control illicit narcotics production, trafficking, drug 
trafficking organizations, and organized crime; 
(2) help build the capacity of law enforcement 
forces of Mexico to control illicit narcotics produc-
tion, trafficking, drug trafficking organizations, and 
organized crime; 
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(3) aid the support role that the armed forces 
of Mexico is providing to law enforcement agencies 
of Mexico as the security situation in Mexico is ini-
tially stabilized; 
(4) protect and secure the United States-Mexico 
border, and control illegal activity going south as 
well as north; 
(5) strengthen the bilateral and regional ties of 
the United States with Mexico and the countries of 
Central America by assuming shared responsibility 
and offering concrete assistance in this area of great 
mutual concern; 
(6) strengthen respect for internationally recog-
nized human rights and the rule of law in efforts to 
stabilize the security environment relating to the il-
licit narcotics production and trafficking and orga-
nized crime; 
(7) support the judicial branches of the Govern-
ment of Mexico and the countries of Central Amer-
ica, as well as support anti-corruption efforts in 
those countries; and 
(8) respond to the direct requests of the Gov-
ernment of Mexico that the United States reduce the 
demand for illicit drugs in the United States, stem 
the flow of illegal arms into Mexico from the United 
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States, stem the flow of illegal bulk-cash transfers 
into Mexico from the United States, and stem the 
flow of illegal precursor chemicals into Mexico from 
the United States. 
SEC. 112. AUTHORIZATION OF ASSISTANCE. 
To carry out the purposes of section 111, the Presi-
dent is authorized to provide assistance for Mexico to sup-
port the activities described in section 113. 
SEC. 113. ACTIVITIES SUPPORTED. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Activities that may be supported 
by assistance under section 112 include the following: 
(1) 
COUNTERNARCOTICS
AND 
COUNTERTRAFFICKING.—To assist in building the 
capacity of law enforcement and security forces of 
Mexico to eradicate illicit drug trafficking and re-
duce trafficking-fueled violence, including along the 
United States-Mexico border, including assistance 
such as— 
(A) radar and aerial surveillance equip-
ment; 
(B) land and maritime interdiction equip-
ment and training, including— 
(i) transport helicopters and night-op-
erating capabilities; 
(ii) surveillance platform planes; and 
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(iii) maintenance and training relating 
to maintenance of aircraft; and 
(C) training of security and law enforce-
ment units to plan and execute counternarcotics 
operations. 
(2) PORT, 
AIRPORT, 
AND
RELATED
SECU-
RITY.—To assist in monitoring and controlling the 
United States-Mexico border and the border between 
Mexico and Central America to combat illicit drug 
trafficking, including assistance such as— 
(A) computer infrastructure and equip-
ment; 
(B) secure communications networks; and 
(C) nonintrusive monitoring technology. 
(3) OPERATIONAL TECHNOLOGY.— 
(A) ASSISTANCE
OBJECTIVES.—To assist 
in investigation and collection of intelligence 
against illicit drug trafficking organizations, in-
cluding— 
(i) expansion of intelligence databases; 
and 
(ii) hardware, operating systems, and 
training for updating the communications 
networks of security agencies. 
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