I 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1550
To authorize assistance for the relief of victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami 
and for the recovery and reconstruction of tsunami-affected countries. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 12, 2005
Mr. HYDE (for himself, Mr. LANTOS, and Mr. MENENDEZ) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations 
A BILL 
To authorize assistance for the relief of victims of the Indian 
Ocean tsunami and for the recovery and reconstruction 
of tsunami-affected countries.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS; DEFINI-
TIONS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Indian Ocean Tsunami Relief, Recovery, and Reconstruc-
tion Act of 2005’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this Act is as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents; definitions.
Sec. 2. Findings. 
Sec. 3. Declarations of policy. 
Sec. 4. Purposes. 
TITLE I—ASSISTANCE FOR RELIEF, RECOVERY, AND RECON-
STRUCTION OF PEOPLE AND COUNTRIES AFFECTED BY THE 
INDIAN OCEAN TSUNAMI 
Sec. 101. Assistance for urgent humanitarian needs. 
Sec. 102. Assistance for medium- and long-term recovery and reconstruction. 
Sec. 103. Assistance for orphans and unaccompanied children. 
Sec. 104. Voluntary contribution to Interpol for disaster victim identification 
efforts. 
Sec. 105. Activities of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation. 
Sec. 106. Assistance for effective public warning systems in foreign countries. 
Sec. 107. Replenishment of funds expended for assistance in the immediate 
aftermath of the Indian Ocean tsunami. 
TITLE II—GENERAL PROVISIONS 
Sec. 201. Coordination of assistance. 
Sec. 202. Implementation of assistance. 
Sec. 203. Monitoring of assistance. 
Sec. 204. Relationship to other authorities. 
Sec. 205. Report. 
Sec. 206. Authorization of appropriations.
(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this Act: 
(1) ALL-HAZARD EVENT.—The term ‘‘all-haz-
ard event’’ means an emergency or disaster resulting 
from—
(A) a natural disaster; or 
(B) an accident or intentional or negligent 
act that causes widespread damage or harm. 
(2) CHILDREN.—The term ‘‘children’’ means 
persons who have not attained the age of 18. 
(3) EFFECTIVE PUBLIC WARNING.—The term 
‘‘effective public warning’’ means practical, com-
prehensible, and timely information given to all indi-
viduals threatened by an all-hazard event sufficient
to enable them to act to protect their safety and 
well-being in a timely manner. 
(4) INDIAN
OCEAN
TSUNAMI; TSUNAMI.—The 
term ‘‘Indian Ocean tsunami’’ or ‘‘tsunami’’ means 
the tsunami that resulted from the earthquake that 
occurred off the west coast of northern Sumatra, In-
donesia, on December 26, 2004. 
(5) ORPHAN.—The term ‘‘orphan’’ means a 
child deprived by death of one or both parents. 
(6) UNACCOMPANIED
CHILDREN.—The term 
‘‘unaccompanied children’’ means children separated 
from their family. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) On December 26, 2004, a powerful earth-
quake measuring 9.0 on the Richter Scale occurred 
off the west coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia, 
triggering a tsunami that struck countries through-
out South and Southeast Asia, as well as the coast 
of East Africa. 
(2) The Indian Ocean tsunami caused death 
and destruction on a massive scale, with more than 
200,000 people killed, more than 120,000 people 
missing, and displacing more than 1,000,000 people.
(3) The earthquake and tsunami affected more 
than 3,000,000 people in more than 11 countries 
many of whom now lack basic survival requirements 
and the risk of numerous additional deaths due to 
shortages of clean water, adequate shelter, food, 
sanitation, and basic healthcare remains. 
(4) An estimated one-third of those individuals 
killed or affected by the Indian Ocean tsunami are 
children. 
(5) Orphans and unaccompanied children are 
particularly vulnerable to disease, hunger, and ex-
ploitation. 
(6) United States relief agencies and the United 
States military responded with immediate and sig-
nificant emergency assistance that saved countless 
lives and provided relief to many individuals in great 
need in the aftermath of the Indian Ocean tsunami. 
(7) Unprecedented levels of private United 
States donations to private relief organizations, at 
least $1,000,000,000 to date, demonstrate the tre-
mendous generosity of the American people. 
(8) The United States and the international 
community have to date pledged an estimated 
$6,400,000,000 in emergency and medium- and
long-term reconstruction assistance for countries af-
fected by the Indian Ocean tsunami. 
(9) Numerous international nongovernmental 
organizations have contributed greatly to the hu-
manitarian response by providing relief to the mil-
lions who survived the Indian Ocean tsunami. 
(10) Some national governments, municipal 
governments, and local communities in the Indian 
Ocean region require assistance to provide basic 
services for their citizens, including for orphans and 
unaccompanied children. 
(11) A number of organizations, including the 
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Save 
the Children, World Vision, the International Com-
mittee of the Red Cross, and other organizations, 
are leading the effort to reunify children with their 
families, provide protection against traffickers, and 
provide food, shelter, education, counseling, and 
many other vital services. 
(12) The International Early Warning Program 
identified the following four elements of effective 
early warning systems: 
(A) Prior knowledge of the risks faced by 
communities. 
(B) Technical monitoring of hazards.
(C) Getting understandable warnings to 
those at risk. 
(D) Knowledge and preparedness of how to 
act by those threatened by disasters. 
SEC. 3. DECLARATIONS OF POLICY. 
Congress makes the following declarations of policy: 
(1) The large-scale destruction and loss of life 
caused by the Indian Ocean tsunami requires a ro-
bust and appropriate humanitarian response by the 
United States to assist and promote the relief and 
recovery of individuals and communities affected by 
the Indian Ocean tsunami. 
(2) The United States is committed to pro-
viding assistance for the medium- and long-term re-
lief of victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami and for 
the recovery and reconstruction of communities in 
countries affected by the tsunami. 
(3) The United States is committed to working 
with international partners, including the United 
Nations, donor countries, international financial in-
stitutions, and international and indigenous non-
governmental organizations to assist in the medium- 
and long-term recovery and reconstruction of those 
communities in countries affected by the tsunami.
(4) The United States is committed to working 
with host governments, municipal governments, local 
communities, and local civil society organizations, in 
implementing immediate humanitarian assistance 
and medium- and long-term recovery and recon-
struction assistance to ensure that priority needs are 
met. 
(5) In areas of civil conflict, it shall be the pol-
icy of the United States to utilize civilian inter-
national and indigenous humanitarian relief organi-
zations to the greatest extent possible in the direct 
implementation of disaster relief. Such policy re-
quires the Government of the United States to urge 
the respective national governments to engage all 
relevant conflict parties to create an environment 
which promotes the safe and unimpeded access to 
the disaster region. 
(6) It shall be the policy of the United States 
in civil conflict areas to prioritize its humanitarian 
assistance to the greatest extent possible toward the 
most vulnerable groups, including children, women, 
and persons with disabilities. Women and children in 
particular are at the greatest risk of being trafficked 
into extremely abusive situations, and frequently are 
forced to become combatants in a civil conflict.
SEC. 4. PURPOSES. 
The purposes of this Act are—
(1) to provide assistance for the urgent humani-
tarian needs of the people and communities in coun-
tries affected by the Indian Ocean tsunami; 
(2) to provide assistance for the medium- and 
long-term recovery and reconstruction needs of the 
people and communities in countries affected by the 
Indian Ocean tsunami; 
(3) to provide assistance to children who are or-
phaned or currently unaccompanied as a result of 
the Indian Ocean tsunami; 
(4) to provide assistance for regional and inter-
national programs to develop and establish effective 
public warning systems in foreign countries in order 
to respond to all-hazard events; and 
(5) to replenish United States Government 
funds that were expended to provide assistance in 
the immediate aftermath of the Indian Ocean tsu-
nami so as to render such funds available for future 
foreign assistance objectives of the United States.
TITLE I—ASSISTANCE FOR RE-
LIEF, 
RECOVERY, 
AND 
RE-
CONSTRUCTION OF PEOPLE 
AND COUNTRIES AFFECTED 
BY THE INDIAN OCEAN TSU-
NAMI 
SEC. 
101. 
ASSISTANCE 
FOR 
URGENT 
HUMANITARIAN 
NEEDS. 
(a) AUTHORIZATION.—In accordance with the provi-
sions of section 491 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 
(22 U.S.C. 2292), the President is authorized to provide 
assistance, on such terms and conditions as the President 
may determine, to meet the urgent humanitarian needs 
of the people and communities in countries affected by the 
Indian Ocean tsunami. 
(b) ACTIVITIES SUPPORTED.—Assistance provided 
under subsection (a) shall, to the maximum extent prac-
ticable, be used to provide—
(1) emergency food, shelter, and medical assist-
ance; 
(2) clean drinking water and sanitation; 
(3) preventative health care, including childhood 
vaccination, therapeutic feeding, maternal child 
health services, psychosocial services, and infectious 
diseases surveillance and treatment;
(4) family tracing and reunification services; 
and 
(5) support for the recovery of economic liveli-
hoods of families. 
SEC. 102. ASSISTANCE FOR MEDIUM- AND LONG-TERM RE-
COVERY AND RECONSTRUCTION. 
(a) AUTHORIZATION.—In accordance with the provi-
sions of part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 
U.S.C. 2151 et seq.), the President is authorized to pro-
vide assistance, on such terms and conditions as the Presi-
dent may determine, to meet the medium- and long-term 
recovery and reconstruction needs of the people and com-
munities in countries affected by the Indian Ocean tsu-
nami. 
(b) ACTIVITIES SUPPORTED.—Assistance provided 
under subsection (a) shall, to the maximum extent prac-
ticable, be used to carry out the following activities: 
(1) Rebuilding health clinics, hospitals, and 
other health infrastructure. 
(2) Providing training and capacity-building as-
sistance, with a particular emphasis on training and 
assistance for women and children. 
(3) Restoring and rehabilitating water and sani-
tation services, including disease control services.
(4) Providing care and support to orphans and 
unaccompanied children. 
(5) Rebuilding and re-equipping schools, com-
munity centers, and other social and educational fa-
cilities. 
(6) Providing training and capacity-building as-
sistance to educators and administrators, with a par-
ticular emphasis on training and assistance for 
women. 
(7) Rebuilding the transportation infrastruc-
ture. 
(8) Reconstructing the rural and urban infra-
structure, with a particular emphasis on the recon-
struction of roads and bridges. 
(9) Rebuilding and restoring the agricultural in-
frastructure and productivity. 
(10) Promoting efforts to restore economic live-
lihoods supports, such as microenterprise and micro-
finance programs. 
(11) Promoting environmental management. 
(12) Improving disaster preparedness and man-
agement systems. 
(13) Improving anti-corruption and trans-
parency mechanisms.
(c) TARGETING OF ASSISTANCE.—In light of the un-
precedented levels of private donations to relief organiza-
tions in response to the Indian Ocean tsunami, and in 
order to increase efficiency, avoid duplication, and coordi-
nate the division of labor among assistance providers, the 
President should, to the maximum extent practicable—
(1) direct United States assistance under this 
section to activities and sectors that can provide a 
comparative advantage over privately-funded assist-
ance, including such sectors as physical infrastruc-
ture and private sector recovery; and 
(2) design the delivery of United States assist-
ance under this section to make a significant im-
provement in the performance and the long-term 
sustainability in the damaged sector targeted for as-
sistance. 
SEC. 103. ASSISTANCE FOR ORPHANS AND UNACCOM-
PANIED CHILDREN. 
(a) AUTHORIZATION.—The President shall provide 
assistance to children who are orphaned or currently unac-
companied as a result of the Indian Ocean tsunami. 
(b) ACTIVITIES SUPPORTED.—Assistance provided 
under subsection (a) should include programs to—
(1) identify and register unaccompanied chil-
dren and reunify them with their immediate families, 
or extended families, when necessary; 
(2) provide immediate care and counseling for 
orphans and unaccompanied children during the 
identification and reunification process; 
(3) create mechanisms to protect against child 
trafficking, sexual abuse, and attempts to forcibly 
recruit children into militias; and 
(4) provide for the long-term needs of children 
not reunified with immediate family. 
(c) ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS.—In carrying out 
any programs under the terms of this section, the Presi-
dent shall—
(1) provide funds for projects to United States 
nongovernmental organizations, multilateral institu-
tions, and international and indigenous nongovern-
mental organizations with expertise in caring for or-
phans and unaccompanied children; 
(2) require all governments and nongovern-
mental organizations that receive assistance under 
this section to agree to international standards on 
the treatment of orphans and children; and 
(3) coordinate with other departments and 
agencies of the United States Government that have
responsibilities related to child trafficking, child 
labor, and other issues related to orphans and unac-
companied children. 
(d) TERMS AND CONDITIONS.—Assistance under this 
section may be provided on such other terms and condi-
tions as the President may determine. 
SEC. 104. VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTION TO INTERPOL FOR 
DISASTER VICTIM IDENTIFICATION EFFORTS. 
Of the amounts authorized to be appropriated to the 
Department of State for ‘‘Voluntary Contributions to 
International Organizations’’ for fiscal years 2005 and 
2006, $500,000 for each such fiscal year is authorized to 
be appropriated for a United States contribution to 
Interpol for its disaster victim identification efforts relat-
ing to the Indian Ocean tsunami. 
SEC. 105. ACTIVITIES OF THE OVERSEAS PRIVATE INVEST-
MENT CORPORATION. 
It is the sense of Congress that the Overseas Private 
Investment Corporation should, in accordance with its de-
velopment mandate and its commitment to fostering pri-
vate investment and enhancing the ability of private enter-
prise to make its full contribution to the development proc-
ess, exercise its authorities under title IV of chapter 2 of 
part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 
2191 et seq.) to further increase efforts to promote and
support United States-sponsored private investment in 
countries affected by the Indian Ocean tsunami, includ-
ing—
(1) issuing loans, guaranties, and insurance, to 
support 
infrastructure 
reconstruction, 
housing, 
small- and medium-sized enterprises, fishing and 
tourism, and other projects, as appropriate; and 
(2) undertaking a special initiative that in-
cludes—
(A) carrying out an outreach program to 
involve United States businesses in the recovery 
process and exploring potential new public-pri-
vate partnerships, supported by the Corpora-
tion, which will assist those affected countries; 
and 
(B) consulting and coordinating with host 
country governments and international financial 
institutions to promote private investment in 
priority sectors. 
SEC. 106. ASSISTANCE FOR EFFECTIVE PUBLIC WARNING 
SYSTEMS IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES. 
(a) AUTHORIZATION.—The President is authorized to 
provide assistance for regional and international pro-
grams, including providing such assistance through the 
United Nation’s International Early Warning Program to
develop and establish effective public warning systems in 
foreign countries in order to respond to all-hazard events. 
(b) ACTIVITIES SUPPORTED.—Assistance provided 
under subsection (a) shall, to the maximum extent prac-
ticable, be used to—
(1) develop monitoring technologies and sys-
tems; 
(2) establish communications infrastructure 
necessary to provide effective public warnings; 
(3) provide technical expertise and training to 
foreign countries about risk assessment procedures 
and the design and deployment of effective public 
warning systems; 
(4) establish public education campaigns that 
inform local populations about the proper ways to 
react to effective public warnings concerning all-haz-
ard events so as to minimize the loss of life and 
property. 
SEC. 107. REPLENISHMENT OF FUNDS EXPENDED FOR AS-
SISTANCE IN THE IMMEDIATE AFTERMATH 
OF THE INDIAN OCEAN TSUNAMI. 
(a) REPLENISHMENT.—From amounts available to 
carry out this Act, there is authorized to be appropriated 
to the President such sums as may be necessary to replen-
ish funds expended under the provisions of law described
in subsection (b) for assistance provided in the immediate 
aftermath of the Indian Ocean tsunami. 
(b) PROVISIONS OF LAW.—The provisions of law re-
ferred to in subsection (a) are the following: 
(1) Chapter 9 of part I of the Foreign Assist-
ance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2292 et seq.; relating 
to international disaster assistance). 
(2) Section 506 of the Foreign Assistance Act 
of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2318; relating to emergency 
drawdown authority). 
(3) Title II of the Agricultural Trade Develop-
ment and Assistance Act of 1954 (7 U.S.C. 1721 et 
seq.; relating to emergency food assistance). 
(4) Section 2(c)(1) of the Migration and Ref-
ugee Assistance Act of 1962 (22 U.S.C. 2601(c)(1); 
relating to the United States Emergency Refugee 
and Migration Assistance Fund). 
(5) Section 404 of title 10, United States Code. 
(6) Other authorities exercised by the Depart-
ment of Defense for emergency relief response activi-
ties. 
TITLE II—GENERAL PROVISIONS 
SEC. 201. COORDINATION OF ASSISTANCE. 
(a) COORDINATION.—The President, acting through 
the Secretary of State, shall consult and coordinate with
the United Nations, international financial institutions, 
and governments of countries affected by the Indian 
Ocean tsunami in the implementation and delivery of as-
sistance under title I of this Act to ensure that the priority 
needs identified by the governments of such countries are 
met. 
(b) DESIGNATION OF SENIOR GOVERNMENT OFFI-
CIAL.—In order to ensure that assistance under title I of 
this Act is implemented in a transparent, efficient, and 
effective manner and targets those people and commu-
nities that are most in need, the President shall designate 
a senior official of the United States Government who 
shall be responsible for—
(1) designing an overall strategy to define and 
advance the objectives of assistance under title I of 
this Act; 
(2) ensuring program and policy coordination 
among departments and agencies of the United 
States Government in carrying out the policies set 
forth in this Act; 
(3) coordinating with other countries and inter-
national organizations with respect to assistance au-
thorized by this Act; 
(4) ensuring proper management, implementa-
tion, and oversight by departments and agencies of
the United States Government that are responsible 
for assistance programs authorized by this Act; and 
(5) resolving policy and program disputes 
among departments and agencies of the United 
States Government with respect to assistance au-
thorized by this Act. 
SEC. 202. IMPLEMENTATION OF ASSISTANCE. 
The Administrator of the United States Agency for 
International Development shall have primary responsi-
bility for providing assistance under title I of this Act, 
under the overall foreign policy guidance of the Secretary 
of State. 
SEC. 203. MONITORING OF ASSISTANCE. 
(a) GENERAL AUTHORITIES.—
(1) 
COMPTROLLER
GENERAL.—The 
Comp-
troller General of the United States shall monitor 
the provision of assistance under this Act. 
(2) INSPECTOR GENERAL OF USAID.—The In-
spector General of the United States Agency for 
International Development shall conduct audits, in-
spections, and other activities, as appropriate, asso-
ciated with the expenditure of funds by the Agen-
cy—
(A) before the date of the enactment of 
this Act for assistance for the relief and recov-
ery of victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami and 
for the reconstruction of tsunami-affected coun-
tries; and 
(B) to carry out title I of this Act. 
(3) INSPECTOR GENERAL OF DEPARTMENT OF 
DEFENSE.—The Inspector General of the Depart-
ment of Defense shall conduct audits, inspections, 
and other activities, as appropriate, associated with 
the expenditure of funds by the Department of De-
fense before the date of the enactment of this Act 
for the relief and recovery of victims of the Indian 
Ocean tsunami. 
(b) TRANSPARENCY
AND
MONITORING
MECHA-
NISM.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—In order to ensure that as-
sistance provided under title I of this Act is imple-
mented in a transparent, efficient, and effective 
manner, and targets those people and communities 
who are most in need, the Secretary of State is au-
thorized to establish a transparency and monitoring 
mechanism that meets the requirements of para-
graph (2). 
(2) REQUIREMENTS.—The requirements re-
ferred to in subsection (a) are the following:
(A) The mechanism shall monitor the co-
ordination and integration of United States as-
sistance with assistance from the international 
donor community. 
(B) The mechanism shall assess the imple-
mentation of assistance by the United Nations 
and international financial institutions. 
(C) The mechanism shall assess the efforts 
of the governments of tsunami-affected coun-
tries to ensure assistance adequately reaches af-
fected communities. 
SEC. 204. RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER AUTHORITIES. 
The President is authorized to use authorities con-
tained in other provisions of law to carry out the purposes 
of this Act, including chapter 1 of part I of the Foreign 
Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.), title II 
of the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act 
of 1954 (7 U.S.C. 1721 et seq.), the Food for Progress 
Act of 1985 (7 U.S.C. 1736o), and, with respect to United 
States military assistance, sections 402 and 404 of title 
10, United States Code. 
SEC. 205. REPORT. 
(a) REPORT.—Not later than 45 days after the date 
of enactment of this Act, and every 6 months thereafter 
until all amounts available to carry out this Act are obli-
gated and expended, the President shall transmit to the 
Committee on International Relations of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations 
of the Senate a report on the implementation of this Act. 
(b) CONTENTS.—The report shall include the fol-
lowing: 
(1) A description of the distribution of duties 
and responsibilities regarding activities authorized 
by this Act among departments and agencies of the 
United States Government, including the Depart-
ment of State, the United States Agency for Inter-
national Development, and the Department of De-
fense. 
(2) A detailed plan that describes the roles and 
responsibilities of foreign governments and inter-
national organizations, including the United Na-
tions, in carrying out activities related to the relief 
and recovery of victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami 
and for the reconstruction of tsunami-affected coun-
tries. 
(3) A strategy for the coordination of activities 
described in paragraphs (1) and (2) among the 
United States Government, foreign governments, 
and 
international 
organizations, 
including 
the 
United Nations.
(4) An initial and revised estimates of the costs 
expected to be associated with such activities. 
(5) A strategy for the distribution of the re-
sponsibility for paying costs associated with such ac-
tivities among the United States Government, for-
eign governments, and international organizations, 
including the United Nations. 
SEC. 206. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be appro-
priated to the President to carry out this Act 
$950,000,000 for fiscal year 2006. 
(b) AVAILABILITY.—Amounts appropriated pursuant 
to the authorization of appropriations under subsection (a) 
are authorized to remain available until expended.
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