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and judicial corruption and improving transparency 
of the administration of public budgets; and 
(4) the efforts of civil society organizations and 
independent media— 
(A) to conduct oversight of the Government 
of Ecuador and the National Assembly of Ecua-
dor; 
(B) to promote initiatives that strengthen 
democratic governance, anti-corruption stand-
ards, and public and private sector trans-
parency; and 
(C) to foster political engagement between 
the Government of Ecuador, including the Na-
tional Assembly of Ecuador, and all parts of Ec-
uadorian society, including women, indigenous 
communities, and Afro-Ecuadorian communities. 
(b) LEGISLATIVE STRENGTHENING.—The Adminis-
trator of the United States Agency for International Devel-
opment, working through the Consortium for Elections and 
Political Process Strengthening or any equivalent or suc-
cessor mechanism, shall develop and implement programs 
to strengthen the National Assembly of Ecuador by pro-
viding training and technical assistance to— 
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(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 eco-
nomic 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 required 
under subsection (b), the Administrator of the United States 
Agency for International Development should facilitate 
meetings and collaboration between members of the United 
States Congress and the National Assembly of Ecuador. 
SEC. 5547. 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 de-
partments and agencies, shall develop and implement pro-
grams and enhance existing programs, as necessary and ap-
propriate, to improve ecosystem conservation and enhance 
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the effective stewardship of Ecuador’s natural resources 
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 Arti-
cle 57 of the Constitution of Ecuador and related 
laws, executive decrees, administrative acts, and min-
isterial regulations; 
(3) supporting Indigenous and Afro-Ecuadorian 
communities as they raise awareness of threats to bio-
diverse ancestral lands, including through support for 
local media in such communities and technical assist-
ance 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 affected 
by illegal mining and deforestation; and 
(6) fostering mechanisms for cooperation on 
emergency preparedness and rapid recovery from nat-
ural disasters, including by— 
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(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. 5548. AUTHORIZATION TO TRANSFER EXCESS COAST 
GUARD VESSELS. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress 
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 Presi-
dent shall conduct a joint assessment with the Government 
of Ecuador to ensure sufficient capacity exists to maintain 
Island class cutters. Upon completion of a favorable assess-
ment, the President is authorized to transfer up to two IS-
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LAND class cutters to the Government 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 pur-
suant 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 For-
eign 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 practicable, the 
President shall require, as a condition of the transfer of a 
vessel under this section, that the recipient to which the ves-
sel is transferred have such repair or refurbishment of the 
vessel as is needed, before the vessel 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 
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