I 
117TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 9273 
To direct the Secretary of State to establish a fellowship program for regional 
democracy and rule of law activities in Central America. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 3, 2022 
Mrs. TORRES of California (for herself and Mr. SIRES) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
A BILL 
To direct the Secretary of State to establish a fellowship 
program for regional democracy and rule of law activities 
in Central America. 
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 ‘‘Central American Net-
work for Democracy Act’’. 
SEC. 2. DEPARTMENT OF STATE FELLOWSHIPS FOR RE-
GIONAL DEMOCRACY AND RULE OF LAW AC-
TIVITIES IN CENTRAL AMERICA. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of State shall 
establish a fellowship program, to be known as the ‘‘Cen-
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tral American Network for Democracy’’, to support a re-
gional corps of civil society activists, lawyers (including 
members of the judiciary and prosecutors’ offices), jour-
nalists, and investigators for regional democracy and rule 
of law activities in Central America. 
(b) ELEMENTS.—The fellowship program required by 
subsection (a) shall— 
(1) provide a temporary respite for members of 
the regional corps in a safe environment; 
(2) allow members of the regional corps to con-
tinue to work through engagement with universities, 
think tanks, government actors, and international 
organizations; and 
(3) assist members of the regional corps in 
leveraging lessons learned in order to contribute to 
regional democracy and rule of law activities in Cen-
tral America, including electoral and transition sup-
port, institutional reform, anti-corruption investiga-
tions, and local engagement. 
(c) REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT.—The 
Secretary of State shall take such steps as may be nec-
essary— 
(1) to obtain support for the fellowship program 
required by subsection (a) from international foun-
dations, regional and United States governmental 
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and nongovernmental organizations, and regional 
and United States universities; and 
(2) to ensure the fellowship program is well co-
ordinated with and complementary of existing mech-
anisms, such as the Lifeline Embattled CSO Assist-
ance Fund. 
(d) FOCUS; SAFETY.—Activities carried out under 
the fellowship program required by subsection (a)— 
(1) should focus on coordination and consulta-
tion with key agencies and international bodies to 
continue their democracy efforts, including the De-
partment of State, the United States Agency for 
International Development, the Department of Jus-
tice, the Department of the Treasury, the Organiza-
tion of American States, the Inter-American Court 
for Human Rights, and the United Nations; and 
(2) may include strengthened protection for the 
physical safety of individuals who must leave their 
home country to participate in the program, includ-
ing assistance for temporary relocation, English lan-
guage learning, and mental health support. 
(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
$10,000,000 for fiscal year 2023. 
Æ 
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