I 
110TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6911 
To authorize assistance to meet the urgent humanitarian needs of the people 
of Georgia, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 16, 2008 
Mr. BERMAN (for himself, Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN, Mr. HASTINGS of Florida, Mr. 
SMITH of New Jersey, Mr. WEXLER, Ms. SCHWARTZ, and Mr. SHUSTER) 
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
Foreign Affairs 
A BILL 
To authorize assistance to meet the urgent humanitarian 
needs of the people of Georgia, 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. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Stability and Democ-
racy for Georgia Act of 2008’’ or the ‘‘STAND for Geor-
gia Act of 2008’’. 
SEC. 2. DECLARATIONS OF POLICY. 
Congress makes the following declarations: 
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(1) The United States condemns the attack on 
the sovereign territory of Georgia by the military of 
the Russian Federation in August 2008 in con-
travention of international law, including the United 
Nations Charter and the Sochi Agreement of 1992 
that governed the conduct of Russian peacekeepers 
in the region of South Ossetia. 
(2) The United States strongly supports the 
sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia and 
is committed to working with the European Union 
and other partners to achieve this objective. 
(3) The United States appreciates the efforts of 
the European Union, led by French President 
Sarkozy, to negotiate a ceasefire agreement to re-
solve the conflict. 
(4) The Russian Federation should fully with-
draw all troops to their pre-conflict positions. 
(5) The United States condemns the Russian 
Federation’s recognition of the independence of 
South Ossetia and Abkhazia, an act that violates 
legal principles of territorial integrity and under-
mines the ceasefire agreement. 
(6) In addition to independent monitors to ob-
serve the implementation of the ceasefire agreement, 
an international peacekeeping force should be estab-
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lished to prevent further violence in the conflict 
zones of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. 
SEC. 3. PURPOSES OF ASSISTANCE. 
The purposes of assistance authorized under this Act 
are— 
(1) to provide humanitarian relief to individuals 
displaced internally in Georgia as a result of the Au-
gust 2008 conflict with the Russian Federation, as 
well as those individuals who fled conflicts in or were 
expelled from South Ossetia and Abkhazia in the 
early 1990s; 
(2) to respond to the direct request from the 
Government of Georgia for assistance in the rebuild-
ing of its infrastructure following the August 2008 
invasion of Georgia by the Russian Federation; 
(3) to assist Georgia in strengthening its eco-
nomic and energy infrastructure; 
(4) to strengthen Georgia’s democratic institu-
tions; and 
(5) to enhance the relationship between the 
United States and Georgia. 
SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF ASSISTANCE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The President is authorized to 
provide assistance for Georgia to support the activities de-
scribed in subsection (b). 
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(b) ACTIVITIES SUPPORTED.—Activities that may be 
supported by assistance under subsection (a) include the 
following: 
(1) URGENT HUMANITARIAN NEEDS.—To assist 
efforts in meeting the urgent humanitarian needs of 
the people of Georgia, including— 
(A) provision of urgent medical care to in-
dividuals wounded during the August 2008 con-
flict with the Russian Federation; 
(B) provision of short- and medium-term 
housing facilities for individuals displaced by 
the conflict; 
(C) provision of assistance to facilitate the 
voluntary return and resettlement of all inter-
nally displaced persons in conditions of security 
and dignity; and 
(D) reconstruction of civilian and adminis-
trative infrastructure, including police stations, 
roads, schools, and hospitals damaged in the 
conflict. 
(2) RECONSTRUCTION.—To assist efforts in re-
construction of critical infrastructure destroyed dur-
ing the August 2008 conflict with the Russian Fed-
eration, including— 
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(A) provision of direct United States budg-
etary support to the Government of Georgia to 
replace funds the Government of Georgia is ex-
pending to pay for emergency reconstruction 
needs, including reconstruction needs relating 
to transportation and energy infrastructure (in-
cluding 
international 
pipelines 
and 
power 
grids); and 
(B) provision of assistance to help address 
environmental damage caused by bombing by 
the military forces of the Russian Federation, 
including the destruction of forest areas near 
the Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park. 
(3) ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.—To assist the 
Government of Georgia in leading the economic re-
covery of Georgia, including— 
(A) development of critical infrastructure 
that enhances Georgia’s energy security and en-
courages diversification of Georgia’s foreign en-
ergy sources, including development of regional 
natural gas storage facilities and the construc-
tion of hydroelectric plants; 
(B) enhancement of bilateral trade between 
the United States and Georgia; 
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(C) retention of Georgia’s status as an at-
tractive destination for foreign direct invest-
ment, through— 
(i) establishment of national entrepre-
neurial programs to create jobs and stimu-
late small business growth; and 
(ii) expansion of programs to enhance 
cooperation between United States and 
Georgian scientists and engineers. 
(4) 
GOVERNANCE.—To 
assist 
efforts 
in 
strengthening civil society, democratic institutions, 
and independent media in Georgia. 
(c) BROADCASTING.—Funds made available to carry 
out this Act may be used to extend broadcasting efforts 
by the Broadcasting Board of Governors to Georgia and 
to enhance Russian- and Georgian-language Internet and 
broadcast capacity for the Voice of America and Radio 
Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Inc. 
SEC. 5. REPORT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The President shall transmit to 
the appropriate congressional committees a report con-
cerning the programs, projects, and activities carried out 
under this Act during the preceding fiscal year. The first 
report shall be transmitted not later than 180 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act and a subsequent 
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report shall be transmitted not later than October 31 of 
the following year. 
(b) MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED.—The report re-
quired under subsection (a) shall include the following: 
(1) URGENT
HUMANITARIAN
NEEDS.—A de-
scription of the activities carried out under section 
4(b)(1). 
(2) RECONSTRUCTION.—A description of the 
activities carried out under section 4(b)(2), including 
a description of— 
(A) the progress in reconstructing critical 
infrastructure in Georgia; 
(B) the use of funds by the Government of 
Georgia provided through direct United States 
budgetary support pursuant to this Act to pay 
for emergency reconstruction needs, including— 
(i) a project-by-project description of 
how the funds were used; 
(ii) the progress of reconstruction re-
lating to each project; and 
(iii) the overall amount expended for 
each project; and 
(C) the progress in addressing environ-
mental damage caused by bombing by the mili-
tary forces of the Russian Federation. 
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(3) ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.—A description 
of the activities carried out under section 4(b)(3), 
including an assessment of the progress in stabi-
lizing and improving the economic situation in Geor-
gia. 
(4) GOVERNANCE.—A description of activities 
carried out under section 4(b)(4), including an as-
sessment of the strength and development of demo-
cratic institutions in Georgia and recommendations 
for other activities relating to governance in Georgia 
that could be supported by United States assistance. 
(5) BROADCASTING.—A description of activities 
carried out under section 4(c). 
(c) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘‘appro-
priate congressional committees’’ means— 
(1) the Committee on Appropriations and the 
Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Rep-
resentatives; and 
(2) the Committee on Appropriations and the 
Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate. 
SEC. 6. AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Of the amounts appropriated for 
fiscal year 2008 for the activities of the Department of 
State, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, the Over-
seas Private Investment Corporation, and the United 
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States Agency for International Development, or otherwise 
transferred to those agencies, $470,000,000 is authorized 
to be made available to carry out this Act. 
(b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that— 
(1) Congress strongly supports providing a total 
of $1,000,000,000 in assistance for Georgia to sup-
port the activities described in section 4, consistent 
with President George W. Bush’s pledge of Sep-
tember 3, 2008; 
(2) in order to provide this amount to fulfill the 
President’s 
pledge, 
Congress 
is 
authorizing 
$470,000,000 for fiscal year 2008 to carry out this 
Act and Congress is committed to authorizing the 
remaining funds for fiscal year 2009 in a subsequent 
Act of Congress; and 
(3) any funds reprogrammed from amounts ap-
propriated for fiscal year 2008 to carry out the 
FREEDOM Support Act (22 U.S.C. 5801 et seq.; 
Public Law 102–511) or the Support for East Euro-
pean Democracy (SEED) Act of 1989 (22 U.S.C. 
5401 et seq.; Public Law 101–179) should be re-
plenished through a subsequent Act of Congress. 
Æ 
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