I 
112TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1016 
To measure the progress of relief, recovery, reconstruction, and development 
efforts in Haiti following the earthquake of January 12, 2010, and 
for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 10, 2011 
Ms. LEE of California introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Foreign Affairs 
A BILL 
To measure the progress of relief, recovery, reconstruction, 
and development efforts in Haiti following the earth-
quake of January 12, 2010, 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 ‘‘Assessing Progress in 
Haiti Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
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(1) On January 12, 2010, an earthquake meas-
uring 7.0 on the Richter magnitude scale struck the 
country of Haiti. 
(2) According to the United States Geological 
Survey (USGS)— 
(A) the earthquake epicenter was located 
approximately 15 miles southwest of Port-au- 
Prince, the capital of Haiti; and 
(B) the earthquake was followed by 59 
aftershocks of magnitude 4.5 or greater, the 
most severe measuring 6.0. 
(3) According to the Government of Haiti, more 
than 316,000 people died as a result of the earth-
quake, including 103 citizens of the United States 
and more than 100 United Nations personnel. 
(4) According to the United Nations and the 
International Organization for Migration— 
(A) an estimated 3,000,000 people were di-
rectly affected by the disaster, nearly one-third 
of the country’s population; and 
(B) more than 1,300,000 people were dis-
placed from their homes to settlements. 
(5) Casualty numbers and infrastructure dam-
age, including to roads, ports, hospitals, and residen-
tial dwellings, place the earthquake as the worst 
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cataclysm to hit Haiti in over two centuries and, 
proportionally, one of the world’s worst natural dis-
asters in modern times. 
(6) The Post Disaster Needs Assessment 
(PDNA) conducted by the Government of Haiti, the 
United Nations, the World Bank, the Inter-Amer-
ican Development Bank, and other experts estimates 
that 
damage 
and 
economic 
losses 
totaled 
$7,804,000,000, approximately 120 percent of Hai-
ti’s gross domestic product in 2009. 
(7) Haiti is the poorest, least developed country 
in the Western Hemisphere with, prior to the earth-
quake— 
(A) more than 70 percent of Haitians liv-
ing on less than $2 per day; and 
(B) a ranking of 149 out of 182 countries 
on the United Nations Human Development 
Index. 
(8) House Resolution 1021, which was passed 
on January 21, 2010, on a vote of 411 to 1 ex-
pressed— 
(A) the House of Representatives ‘‘deepest 
condolences and sympathy for the horrific loss 
of life’’ caused by the earthquake; and 
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(B) bipartisan support for the recovery 
and reconstruction needs of Haiti. 
(9) The initial emergency response of the men 
and women of the United States Government, led by 
the United States Agency for International Develop-
ment and United States Southern Command, was 
swift and resolute. 
(10) Individuals, businesses, and philanthropic 
organizations across the United States and through-
out the international community responded in sup-
port of Haiti and its populace during this crisis, 
sometimes in innovative ways such as fundraising 
through text messaging. 
(11) The Haitian diaspora in the United States, 
which was integral to emergency relief efforts— 
(A) has annually contributed significant 
monetary support to Haiti through remittances; 
and 
(B) continues to seek opportunities to 
partner with the United States Agency for 
International Development and other agencies 
to substantively contribute to the reconstruction 
of Haiti. 
(12) Significant challenges still remain in Haiti 
as it works to recover and rebuild. 
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(13) According to the International Organiza-
tion for Migration, approximately 800,000 people re-
main in spontaneous and organized camps in Haiti. 
(14) According to numerous nongovernmental 
organizations and United States contractors, the 
pace of reconstruction has lagged significantly be-
hind the original emergency relief phase. 
(15) The widespread irregularities that oc-
curred in the elections held in Haiti on November 
28, 2010, led to outbursts of violence which under-
mined the recovery efforts. 
(16) On October 21, 2010, an outbreak of chol-
era was detected in the Lower Artibonite region. 
(17) Initial efforts to contain the epidemic were 
disrupted by Hurricane Toma´s and resulting wide-
spread flooding, which led to the spreading and en-
trenchment of the disease throughout the country. 
(18) According to the Haitian Ministry of Pub-
lic Health and Population, as of February 25, 
2011— 
(A) more than 4,627 people have died from 
cholera; and 
(B) more than 248,442 have been infected 
from the disease. 
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(19) According to the Pan American Health 
Organization and the Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention, cholera could spread to as many as 
400,000 people within the first year of the epidemic, 
potentially causing 7,600 deaths at the current case 
fatality rate. 
(20) The United States has provided more than 
$45,192,163 worth of assistance to combat the chol-
era epidemic, including by assisting with stockpiling 
health commodities, equipping cholera treatment 
centers, providing public information, and improving 
water and sanitation systems. 
(21) The efforts to combat the cholera epidemic 
have helped to drive the mortality rate from cholera 
down from nearly 7 percent to 1.8 percent of all 
contracted cases as of February 25, 2011. 
(22) Throughout the series of crises, the people 
of Haiti continue to demonstrate unwavering resil-
ience, dignity, and courage. 
(23) At the international donors conference 
‘‘Towards a New Future for Haiti’’ held on March 
31, 2010, 59 donors pledged over $5,500,000,000 to 
support Haiti. 
(24) The United Nations Office of the Special 
Envoy 
for 
Haiti 
estimates 
that 
nearly 
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$1,900,000,000 has been disbursed, with an addi-
tional amount of approximately $2,000,000,000 
committed. 
(25) Haiti needs sustained support from the 
international community in order to confront the on-
going cholera epidemic and to promote reconstruc-
tion and development. 
SEC. 3. REPORT. 
(a) REPORT REQUIRED.—Not later than six months 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the President, 
in consultation with the heads of all relevant agencies, in-
cluding the Department of State, the United States Agen-
cy for International Development, the Department of De-
fense, the Department of Health and Human Services, 
and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shall 
transmit to Congress a report on the status of post-earth-
quake humanitarian, reconstruction, and development ef-
forts in Haiti, including efforts to prevent the spread of 
cholera and treat persons infected with the disease. 
(b) CONTENTS.—The report required by subsection 
(a) shall include a description, analysis, and evaluation of 
the— 
(1) overall progress of relief, recovery, and re-
construction in Haiti, including— 
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(A) programs and projects of the United 
States Government; 
(B) programs and projects to protect vul-
nerable populations, such as internally displaced 
persons, children, women and girls, and persons 
with disabilities; and 
(C) projects to improve water, sanitation, 
and health, and plans for improvements in 
these areas in the long-term; 
(2) extent to which United States and inter-
national efforts are in line with the priorities of the 
Government of Haiti and are actively engaging and 
working through Haitian ministries and local au-
thorities; 
(3) coordination among United States Govern-
ment agencies, and coordination between the United 
States Government and United Nations agencies, 
international financial institutions, and other bilat-
eral donors; 
(4) mechanisms for communicating the progress 
of recovery and reconstruction efforts to Haitian 
citizens, as well as recommendations on how these 
can be improved; 
(5) mechanisms through which Haitian civil so-
ciety, including vulnerable populations, is actively 
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participating in all major stages of recovery and re-
construction efforts, and recommendations on how 
these can be improved; and 
(6) mechanisms through which the Haitian di-
aspora is involved in recovery and reconstruction ef-
forts. 
(c) USE OF PREVIOUSLY APPROPRIATED FUNDS.— 
Funding for the report required under subsection (a) shall 
derive from existing discretionary funds of the depart-
ments and agencies specified in such subsection. 
Æ 
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