I 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3286
To establish a commission to improve United States development assistance 
and food aid around the globe. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 8, 2003
Mr. WOLF (for himself and Mr. HYDE) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on International Relations 
A BILL 
To establish a commission to improve United States 
development assistance and food aid around the globe.
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 ‘‘HELP Commission 
Act’’. 
SEC. 2. PURPOSE. 
The Congress finds that, despite the long-standing ef-
forts and resources of the United States dedicated to help-
ing needy people around the world, despair remains and 
in many areas is growing. Therefore, a commission should
be established to bring together the best minds associated 
with development and humanitarian assistance to make a 
comprehensive review of—
(1) policy decisions, including why certain devel-
opment projects are funded and others are not; 
(2) delivery obstacles, including the roles of 
United States agencies and other governmental and 
nongovernmental organizations; 
(3) methodology, including whether the delivery 
of United States development assistance always rep-
resents best practices and whether it can be im-
proved; and 
(4) results, including measuring improvements 
in human capacity instead of in purely economic 
terms. 
An examination of these issues should present new ap-
proaches and ideas to ensure that United States develop-
ment assistance reaches its intended recipients. 
SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT AND FUNCTIONS OF COMMISSION. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established the 
Helping Enhance the Livelihood of People (HELP) 
Around the Globe Commission (in this Act referred to as 
the ‘‘Commission’’). 
(b) FUNCTIONS.—The Commission shall—
(1) identify the past and present objectives of 
United States development assistance, identify cases 
in which those objectives have been met, identify the 
beneficiaries of such assistance, and what percentage 
of the funds provided actually reached the intended 
beneficiaries; 
(2) identify cases in which United States devel-
opment assistance has been most successful, and 
analyze why such successes have not been transfer-
able to other countries or areas; 
(3) study ways to expand educational opportu-
nities and investments in people, and assess infra-
structure needs; 
(4) because of the difficulty in measuring re-
sults in lesser developed countries, study whether ad-
ditional resources should be dedicated in order to 
bring about tangible results; 
(5) analyze how the United States could place 
conditions on governments in countries receiving 
United States development assistance, in light of 
and notwithstanding the objectives of the Millennium 
Challenge Account; 
(6) analyze ways in which the United States 
can coordinate its development assistance programs
with those of other donor countries and international 
organizations; 
(7) analyze ways in which the safety of develop-
ment assistance workers can be ensured, particularly 
in the midst of conflicts; 
(8) compare the effectiveness of increased and 
open trade with development assistance, and analyze 
the advantages and disadvantages of such trade and 
whether such trade could be a more effective alter-
native to United States development assistance; 
(9) analyze ways in which the United States 
can strengthen the capacity of indigenous non-
governmental organizations to be more effective in 
grassroots development; 
(10) analyze how political pressures affect the 
decisionmaking process on providing development as-
sistance; 
(11) analyze ways in which decisions on pro-
viding development assistance can involve more of 
the people of the recipient countries; 
(12) analyze ways in which results can be meas-
ured if United States development assistance is tar-
geted to the least developed countries;
(13) recommend standards that should be set 
for ‘‘graduating’’ recipient countries from United 
States development assistance; 
(14) analyze whether United States develop-
ment assistance should be used as a means to 
achieve United States foreign policy objectives; 
(15) analyze how the United States can evalu-
ate the performance of its development assistance 
programs not only against economic indicators, but 
in other ways, including how to measure the success 
of United States development assistance in democra-
tization efforts; and 
(16) study any other areas that the Commission 
considers necessary relating to United States devel-
opment assistance. 
SEC. 4. MEMBERSHIP. 
(a) APPOINTMENT.—The Commission shall be com-
posed of 21 members as follows: 
(1) Six members shall be appointed by the 
President, of whom at least two shall be representa-
tives of nongovernmental organizations. 
(2) Four members shall be appointed by the 
majority leader of the Senate, and three members 
shall be appointed by the minority leader of the Sen-
ate.
(3) Four members shall be appointed by the 
Speaker of the House of Representatives, and three 
members shall be appointed by the minority leader 
of the House of Representatives. 
(4) The Administrator of the United States 
Agency for International Development shall serve as 
a member of the Commission, ex officio. 
Members under paragraphs (1) through (3) shall be ap-
pointed for the life of the Commission. 
(b) SELECTION.—Members of the Commission shall 
be selected from among individuals noted for their knowl-
edge and experience in foreign assistance, particularly de-
velopment and humanitarian assistance. 
(c) TIME
OF APPOINTMENT.—The appointments 
under subsection (a) shall be made not later than 60 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act. 
(d) CHAIR.—The President shall designate one of the 
members of the Commission from private life as the Chair 
of the Commission. 
(e) REGIONAL SUBCOMMITTEES.—In order to facili-
tate the workload of the Commission, the Commission 
shall divide the membership of the Commission into three 
subcommittees representing the different regions of the 
world to which the United States provides development as-
sistance, the membership of each subcommittee to be pro-
(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), 
members of the Commission shall serve without pay. 
(2) PROHIBITION ON ADDITIONAL COMPENSA-
TION OF FEDERAL EMPLOYEES.—Members of the 
Commission who are full-time officers or employees 
of the United States or Members of Congress may 
not receive additional pay, allowances, or benefits by 
reason of their service on the Commission. 
(j) TRAVEL EXPENSES.—Members of the Commis-
sion shall be allowed travel expenses, including per diem 
in lieu of subsistence, at rates authorized for employees 
of agencies under subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, 
United States Code, while away from their homes or reg-
ular places of business in the performance of services for 
the Commission. 
(k) STAFF.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Chairman of the Com-
mission may, without regard to the civil service laws 
and regulations, appoint and terminate an executive 
director and such other additional personnel as may 
be necessary to enable the Commission to perform 
its duties. The employment of an executive director 
shall be subject to confirmation by the Commission.
(2) COMPENSATION.—To the extent or in the 
amounts provided in advance in appropriations 
Acts—
(A) the executive director shall be com-
pensated at the rate payable for level V of the 
Executive Schedule under section 5316 of title 
5, United States Code; and 
(B) the Chairman of the Commission may 
fix the compensation of other personnel without 
regard to the provisions of chapter 51 and sub-
chapter III of chapter 53 of title 5, United 
States Code, relating to classification of posi-
tions and General Schedule pay rates, except 
that the rate of pay for such personnel may not 
exceed the rate payable for level V of the Exec-
utive Schedule under section 5316 of such title. 
SEC. 5. POWERS OF THE COMMISSION. 
(a) HEARINGS
AND SESSIONS.—The Commission 
may, for the purpose of carrying out its functions under 
this Act, hold hearings, sit and act at times and places 
in the United States and in countries which receive United 
States development assistance, take testimony, and receive 
evidence as the Commission considers advisable to carry 
out the purposes of this Act.
(b) INFORMATION FROM FEDERAL AGENCIES.—The 
Commission may secure directly from any Federal depart-
ment or agency such information as the Commission con-
siders necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act. 
Upon request of the Chair of the Commission, the head 
of such department or agency shall furnish such informa-
tion to the Commission, subject to applicable law. 
(c) POSTAL SERVICES.—The Commission may use 
the United States mails in the same manner and under 
the same conditions as other departments and agencies of 
the Federal Government. 
(d) ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES.—The Commis-
sion may adopt such rules and regulations, relating to ad-
ministrative procedure, as may be reasonably necessary to 
enable it to carry out the provisions of this Act. 
(e) TRAVEL.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Members of the Com-
mission may, with the approval of the Commission, 
conduct such travel as is necessary to carry out the 
purposes of this Act. Each trip must be approved by 
a majority of the Commission. 
(2) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of 
the Congress that members of the Commission 
should, in order to carry out the functions of the 
Commission most effectively, travel to countries that
receive United States development assistance. The 
Commission is encouraged to invite Members of 
Congress to accompany members of the Commission 
on such travel. 
(f) STAFF
AND SERVICES
OF OTHER FEDERAL 
AGENCIES.—Upon the request of the Commission, the 
head of any Federal department or agency may detail, on 
a reimbursable or nonreimbursable basis, any of the per-
sonnel of that department or agency to the Commission 
to assist it in carrying out its functions under this Act. 
The detail of any such personnel shall be without interrup-
tion or loss of civil service or Foreign Service status or 
privilege. 
SEC. 6. REPORT OF THE COMMISSION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after the 
members of the Commission are appointed under section 
4(a), the Commission shall submit a report to the Presi-
dent, the Secretary of State, and the Congress setting 
forth its findings and recommendations under section 
3(b). 
(b) CLASSIFIED FORM OF REPORT.—The report may 
be submitted in classified form, together with a public 
summary of recommendations, if the classification of in-
formation would further the purposes of this Act.
(c) INDIVIDUAL
OR
DISSENTING
VIEWS.—Each 
member of the Commission may include the individual or 
dissenting views of the member. 
SEC. 7. APPLICABILITY OF OTHER LAWS. 
The Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) 
shall not apply to the Commission. 
SEC. 8. DEFINITION. 
In this Act, the term ‘‘United States development as-
sistance’’ means—
(1) assistance provided by the United States 
under chapters 1, 10, 11, and 12 of part I of the 
Foreign Assistance Act of 1961; and 
(2) assistance provided under any other provi-
sion of law to carry out purposes comparable to 
those set forth in the provisions referred to in para-
graph (1). 
SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be appro-
priated to the Commission such sums as may be necessary 
to carry out this Act. 
(b) AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.—Amounts authorized 
to be appropriated under subsection (a) are authorized to 
remain available until expended, but not later than the 
date of termination of the Commission.
SEC. 10. TERMINATION. 
The Commission shall terminate 30 days after the 
submission of its report under section 6.
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