grams to strengthen the National Assembly of Ecuador 
by providing training and technical assistance to— 
(1) members and committee offices of the Na-
tional Assembly of Ecuador, including the Ethics 
Committee and Audit Committee; 
(2) assist in the creation of entities that can 
offer comprehensive and independent research and 
analysis on legislative and oversight matters pending 
before the National Assembly, including budgetary 
and economic issues; and 
(3) improve democratic governance and govern-
ment transparency, including through effective legis-
lation. 
(c) BILATERAL LEGISLATIVE COOPERATION.—To 
the degree practicable, in implementing the programs re-
quired under subsection (b), the Administrator of the 
United States Agency for International Development 
should facilitate meetings and collaboration between mem-
bers of the United States Congress and the National As-
sembly of Ecuador. 
SEC. 8. FOSTERING CONSERVATION AND STEWARDSHIP. 
The Administrator of the United States Agency for 
International Development, in coordination with the Sec-
retary of State and the heads of other relevant Federal 
departments and agencies, shall develop and implement 
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programs and enhance existing programs, as necessary 
and appropriate, to improve ecosystem conservation and 
enhance the effective stewardship of Ecuador’s natural re-
sources by— 
(1) providing technical assistance to Ecuador’s 
Ministry of the Environment to safeguard national 
parks and protected forests and protected species, 
while promoting the participation of Indigenous com-
munities in this process; 
(2) strengthening the capacity of communities 
to access the right to prior consultation, encoded in 
Article 57 of the Constitution of Ecuador and re-
lated laws, executive decrees, administrative acts, 
and ministerial regulations; 
(3) supporting Indigenous and Afro-Ecuadorian 
communities as they raise awareness of threats to 
biodiverse ancestral lands, including through support 
for local media in such communities and technical 
assistance to monitor illicit activities; 
(4) partnering with the Government of Ecuador 
in support of reforestation and improving river, lake, 
and coastal water quality; 
(5) providing assistance to communities af-
fected by illegal mining and deforestation; and 
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(6) fostering mechanisms for cooperation on 
emergency preparedness and rapid recovery from 
natural disasters, including by— 
(A) establishing regional preparedness, re-
covery, and emergency management centers to 
facilitate rapid response to survey and help 
maintain planning on regional disaster antici-
pated needs and possible resources; and 
(B) training disaster recovery officials on 
latest techniques and lessons learned from 
United States experiences. 
SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION TO TRANSFER EXCESS COAST 
GUARD VESSELS. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that the United States should undertake efforts to 
expand cooperation with the Government of Ecuador to— 
(1) ensure protections for the Gala´pagos Marine 
Reserve; 
(2) deter illegal, unreported, and unregulated 
fishing; and 
(3) increase interdiction of narcotics trafficking 
and other forms of illicit trafficking. 
(b) AUTHORITY
TO
TRANSFER
EXCESS
COAST 
GUARD VESSELS TO THE GOVERNMENT OF ECUADOR.— 
The President shall conduct a joint assessment with the 
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Government of Ecuador to ensure sufficient capacity ex-
ists to maintain Island class cutters. Upon completion of 
a favorable assessment, the President is authorized to 
transfer up to two ISLAND class cutters to the Govern-
ment of Ecuador as excess defense articles pursuant to 
the authority of section 516 of the Foreign Assistance Act 
(22 U.S.C. 2321j). 
(c) GRANTS NOT COUNTED IN ANNUAL TOTAL OF 
TRANSFERRED EXCESS DEFENSE ARTICLES.—The value 
of a vessel transferred to another country on a grant basis 
pursuant to authority provided by subsection (b) shall not 
be counted against the aggregate value of excess defense 
articles transferred in any fiscal year under section 516 
of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2321j). 
(d) COSTS OF TRANSFERS.—Any expense incurred by 
the United States in connection with a transfer authorized 
by this section shall be charged to the recipient notwith-
standing section 516(e) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 
1961 (22 U.S.C. 2321j(e)). 
(e) REPAIR
AND
REFURBISHMENT
IN
UNITED 
STATES SHIPYARDS.—To the maximum extent prac-
ticable, the President shall require, as a condition of the 
transfer of a vessel under this section, that the recipient 
to which the vessel is transferred have such repair or re-
furbishment of the vessel as is needed, before the vessel 
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joins the naval forces of that recipient, performed at a 
shipyard located in the United States. 
(f) EXPIRATION OF AUTHORITY.—The authority to 
transfer a vessel under this section shall expire at the end 
of the 3-year period beginning on the date of the enact-
ment of this Act. 
SEC. 10. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS. 
(a) SECRETARY OF STATE.—The Secretary of State, 
in coordination with the heads of other relevant Federal 
departments and agencies as described in sections 4, 6, 
and 7(a), shall— 
(1) not later than 180 days after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, submit to the appropriate 
congressional committees a comprehensive strategy 
to address the requirements described in sections 4, 
6, and 7(a); and 
(2) not later than 2 years and 4 years after 
submitting the comprehensive strategy under para-
graph (1), submit to the appropriate congressional 
committees a report describing the implementation 
of the strategy. 
(b) ADMINISTRATOR OF THE UNITED STATES AGEN-
CY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT.—The Adminis-
trator of the United States Agency for International De-
velopment, in coordination with the heads of other relevant 
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