IB 
Union Calendar No. 445 
110TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6028 
[Report No. 110–673, Part I] 
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 
MAY 22, 2008 
Reported from the Committee on Foreign Affairs with an amendment 
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 
MAY 22, 2008 
Referral to the Committee on the Judiciary extended for a period not ending 
later than June 6, 2008 
JUNE 6, 2008 
Additional sponsor: Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN 
JUNE 6, 2008 
Committee on the Judiciary discharged; committed to the Committee of the 
Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed 
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[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on May 13, 2008] 
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’’. 
(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. 
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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 
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 commit-
tees’’ means— 
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(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 and includes Haiti and the 
Dominican Republic. 
(3) MERIDA INITIATIVE.—The term ‘‘Merida Ini-
tiative’’ means the program announced by the United 
States and Mexico on October 22, 2007, to fight illicit 
narcotics trafficking and criminal organizations 
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 
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the United States come through the Mexico-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 so-
phisticated and vertically-integrated operations expert 
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. 
(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 Mexi-
can President Felipe Caldero´n, the United States and 
Mexico have initiated an approach of joint responsi-
bility to confront the threat of illicit narcotics traf-
ficking and organized crime in the Western Hemi-
sphere. 
(7) The spread of illicit narcotics through United 
States borders and the violence that accompanies it 
cannot be halted without a comprehensive interdiction 
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and security strategy planned and executed 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 narcotics 
trafficking and criminal organizations throughout the 
Western Hemisphere. 
(10) In the joint statement— 
(A) Mexico pledged to ‘‘strengthen its oper-
ational 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-
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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 nar-
cotics 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 neigh-
bors 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 narcotics re-
duction 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-
tween the United States and its southern neighbors to 
confront the illegal flow of narcotics as well as vio-
lence 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 smuggling into 
the United States. 
(3) The United States must intensify efforts to 
stem the flow of precursor chemicals, bulk cash, and 
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the so-called ‘‘iron-river’’ of arms illegally flowing 
south, as well as demand-related aspects of the illicit 
narcotics 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 ef-
forts 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 counter-
narcotics 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 
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 neighbors 
to mitigate the so-called ‘‘balloon effect’’ in which suc-
cessful counternarcotics efforts shift narcotics-related 
activities to other areas. 
(8) The United States should coordinate with the 
Congress of the Union of Mexico to ensure full part-
nership on the programs authorized under this Act. 
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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 con-
trol illicit narcotics production, trafficking, drug traf-
ficking organizations, and organized crime; 
(2) help build the capacity of law enforcement 
forces of Mexico to control illicit narcotics production, 
trafficking, drug trafficking organizations, and orga-
nized crime; 
(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 initially 
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; 
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(6) strengthen respect for internationally recog-
nized human rights and the rule of law in efforts to 
stabilize the security environment relating to illicit 
narcotics production and trafficking and organized 
crime; 
(7) support the judicial branches of the Govern-
ment of Mexico and the countries of Central America, 
as well as support anti-corruption efforts in those 
countries; and 
(8) respond to the direct requests of the Govern-
ment of Mexico that the United States reduce the de-
mand for illicit narcotics in the United States, stem 
the flow of illegal arms into Mexico from the United 
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 President 
is authorized to provide assistance for Mexico to support 
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: 
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(1) 
COUNTERNARCOTICS
AND 
COUNTERTRAFFICKING.—To assist in building the ca-
pacity of law enforcement and security forces of Mex-
ico to eradicate illicit narcotics trafficking and reduce 
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 
(iii) maintenance and training relat-
ing 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 SECURITY.— 
To assist in monitoring and controlling the United 
States-Mexico border and the border between Mexico 
and Central America to combat illicit narcotics traf-
ficking, including assistance such as— 
(A) computer infrastructure and equipment; 
(B) secure communications networks; and 
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