I 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2139 
To direct the President to develop and implement a comprehensive national 
strategy to further the United States foreign policy objective of promoting 
global development, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 28, 2009 
Mr. BERMAN (for himself and Mr. KIRK) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
A BILL 
To direct the President to develop and implement a com-
prehensive national strategy to further the United States 
foreign policy objective of promoting global development, 
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 ‘‘Initiating Foreign As-
sistance Reform Act of 2009’’. 
SEC. 2. NATIONAL STRATEGY FOR GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find-
ings: 
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(1) Poverty, lack of opportunity, gender in-
equality and other violations of human rights, and 
environmental degradation are recognized as signifi-
cant contributors to socioeconomic and political in-
stability, as well as to the exacerbation of disease 
pandemics and other global health threats. 
(2) The 2002 National Security Strategy of the 
United States notes: ‘‘[A] world where some live in 
comfort and plenty, while half of the human race 
lives on less than $2 per day, is neither just nor sta-
ble. Including all of the world’s poor in an expanding 
circle of development and opportunity is a moral im-
perative and one of the top priorities of United 
States international policy.’’. 
(3) The 2006 National Security Strategy of the 
United States notes: ‘‘America’s national interests 
and moral values drive us in the same direction: to 
assist the world’s poor citizens and least developed 
nations and help integrate them into the global econ-
omy.’’. 
(4) Poverty reduction is in the United States 
national security interest, in that it improves United 
States security by mitigating the underlying causes 
of violence and extremism, addresses threats like cli-
mate change and disease that know no borders, ex-
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pands economic opportunities for United States pro-
ducers and consumers, shows the best face of the 
United States to the world, and represents the val-
ues, kindness, and generosity of the American peo-
ple. 
(5) Elevating the United States’ standing in the 
world represents a critical and essential element of 
any strategy to improve national and global security 
by mitigating the root causes of conflict and multi-
national terrorism, strengthening diplomatic and 
economic relationships, preventing global climate 
change, curbing weapons proliferation, and fostering 
peace and cooperation among all nations. 
(6) Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has stat-
ed that ‘‘robust diplomacy and effective development 
are the best long-term tools for securing America’s 
future’’. 
(7) A National Strategy for Global Develop-
ment, as required under subsection (b), would bring 
such departments, agencies, and offices together to 
develop a comprehensive strategy laying out the 
principal objectives, approaches, and basic frame-
work for global development policies and programs— 
bilateral and multilateral—as part of broader poli-
cies of the United States for engaging in the world. 
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(b) STRATEGY REQUIRED.—The President shall de-
velop and implement, on an interagency basis, a com-
prehensive national strategy to further the United States 
foreign policy objective of reducing poverty and contrib-
uting to broad-based economic growth in developing coun-
tries, including responding to humanitarian crises. The 
strategy required under this subsection shall be known as 
the ‘‘National Strategy for Global Development’’. 
(c) ELEMENTS
OF STRATEGY.—The strategy re-
quired under subsection (b) shall support United States 
engagement with developing countries in order to reduce 
poverty and contribute to broad-based economic growth in 
developing countries and therefore further the achieve-
ment of United States long-term foreign policy and na-
tional security interests. The strategy shall further— 
(1) define the role of United States Government 
departments and agencies in carrying out global de-
velopment policies and programs, such as trade poli-
cies, debt relief, climate change, and other polices 
and programs to reduce poverty and contribute to 
broad-based economic growth in developing coun-
tries, and create a process to enhance the inter-
agency coordination among such departments and 
agencies to ensure policy and program coherence 
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and avoid duplication and counterproductive out-
comes among such policies and programs; 
(2) establish development objectives for global 
development policies and programs described in 
paragraph (1) to reduce poverty and contribute to 
broad-based economic growth in developing countries 
consistent with internationally recognized develop-
ment goals and host country priorities, including 
cross-cutting principles and best practices to ensure 
that efforts are as effective as possible; 
(3) review and improve coordination among 
United States Government departments and agen-
cies carrying out global development policies and 
programs described in paragraph (1) and other 
countries and organizations, including multilateral, 
bilateral, and international organizations, host coun-
try governments, and civil society organizations, car-
rying out similar policies and programs to reduce 
poverty and contribute to broad-based economic 
growth; 
(4) address the continuum of activities relating 
to poverty reduction in developing countries, includ-
ing activities to address humanitarian needs through 
urgent humanitarian assistance and rehabilitation, 
reconstruction, and long-term development; 
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(5) establish development goals for each geo-
graphic region of the world based on the specific 
needs of each such region; and 
(6) include budget requirements to carry out 
the strategy. 
(d) CHARACTER OF STRATEGY.—In developing the 
strategy required under subsection (b), the President 
should, to the maximum extent practicable, ensure that 
the strategy is flexible so as to respond to changing objec-
tives, approaches, and needs of developing countries and 
changing United States foreign policy and national secu-
rity interests. 
(e) CONSULTATION.—In developing and imple-
menting the strategy required under subsection (b), the 
President should consult with the Committee on Foreign 
Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Com-
mittee on Foreign Relations of the Senate, nongovern-
mental stakeholders, international financial institutions, 
other international organizations involved in humanitarian 
assistance and development efforts, and developing coun-
tries. 
(f) TRANSMISSION TO CONGRESS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the President 
shall transmit to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
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of the House of Representatives and the Committee 
on Foreign Relations of the Senate a copy of the 
strategy required under subsection (b). The strategy 
shall be transmitted in unclassified form, but may 
contain a classified annex if necessary. 
(2) AVAILABILITY
TO
PUBLIC.—Upon trans-
mission of the strategy to Congress under paragraph 
(1), the President shall publish the strategy (other 
than the classified annex, if any) on the White 
House website. 
SEC. 3. MONITORING AND EVALUATION OF UNITED STATES 
FOREIGN ASSISTANCE. 
Chapter 1 of part III of the Foreign Assistance Act 
of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2351 et seq.) is amended by inserting 
after section 608 the following new section: 
‘‘SEC. 609. MONITORING AND EVALUATION OF UNITED 
STATES FOREIGN ASSISTANCE. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The President shall develop and 
implement a rigorous system to monitor and evaluate the 
effectiveness and efficiency of United States foreign assist-
ance. The system shall include a method of coordinating 
the evaluation activities of each Federal department or 
agency primarily responsible for carrying out United 
States foreign assistance programs with evaluation activi-
ties carried out by other such Federal departments and 
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agencies, and when possible with other international bilat-
eral and multilateral agencies and entities. 
‘‘(b) REQUIREMENTS.—In carrying out subsection 
(a), the President shall ensure that the head of each Fed-
eral department or agency described in subsection (a)— 
‘‘(1) establishes measurable performance goals, 
including gender-sensitive goals, for United States 
foreign assistance programs carried out by the Fed-
eral department or agency; 
‘‘(2) establishes criteria for selection of such 
United States foreign assistance programs to be sub-
ject to various evaluation methodologies, with par-
ticular emphasis on criteria for selection of programs 
and projects to be subject to impact evaluation; 
‘‘(3) establishes an organization unit with ade-
quate staff and funding to budget, plan, and conduct 
appropriate performance monitoring and improve-
ment and evaluation activities with respect to such 
United States foreign assistance programs; 
‘‘(4) establishes a process for applying the les-
sons learned and results from evaluation activities, 
including the use and results of impact evaluation 
research, into future budgeting, planning, program-
ming, design and implementation of such United 
States foreign assistance programs; and 
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‘‘(5) establishes a policy to publish all evalua-
tion plans and reports relating to such United States 
foreign assistance programs. 
‘‘(c) ANNUAL EVALUATION PLAN.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out subsection 
(a), the President shall ensure that the head of each 
Federal department or agency described in sub-
section (a) develops an annual evaluation plan of 
United States foreign assistance programs carried 
out by the department or agency stating how the de-
partment or agency will meet the requirements of 
this section. 
‘‘(2) CONSULTATION.—In preparing the evalua-
tion plan, the head of each Federal department or 
agency described in subsection (a) shall consult with 
the heads of other appropriate Federal departments 
and agencies, governments of host countries, inter-
national and indigenous nongovernmental organiza-
tions, and other relevant stakeholders. 
‘‘(3) SUBMISSION
TO
CONGRESS.—Not later 
than 180 days after the date of the enactment of 
this section, and annually thereafter, the head of 
each Federal department or agency described in sub-
section (a) shall submit to the appropriate congres-
sional committees and the United States foreign as-
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sistance evaluation advisory council established 
under subsection (h) a copy of the evaluation plan. 
‘‘(d) CAPACITY BUILDING.— 
‘‘(1) FOR FEDERAL DEPARTMENTS AND AGEN-
CIES.—The President shall enhance the performance 
monitoring and improvement and evaluation capacity 
of each Federal department and agency described in 
subsection (a) by increasing and improving training 
and education opportunities, including adopting best 
practices and up-to-date evaluation methodologies to 
provide the best evidence available for assessing the 
results of United States foreign assistance programs. 
‘‘(2) FOR RECIPIENT COUNTRIES.—The Presi-
dent is authorized to provide assistance to increase 
the capacity of the governments of countries receiv-
ing United States foreign assistance to design and 
conduct performance monitoring and improvement 
and evaluation activities. 
‘‘(e) BUDGETARY PLANNING.—The head of each 
Federal department or agency described in subsection (a) 
shall include in the annual budget of the department or 
agency a funding amount to conduct performance moni-
toring and improvement and evaluations of United States 
foreign assistance programs, projects, or activities. 
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‘‘(f) UNITED STATES FOREIGN ASSISTANCE EVAL-
UATION ADVISORY COUNCIL.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The President shall estab-
lish a United States foreign assistance evaluation 
advisory council to— 
‘‘(A) provide guidance on the conduct of 
evaluations for United States foreign assistance 
programs, projects, and activities; 
‘‘(B) facilitate publication of common indi-
cators to be used for measuring the outcomes 
and impacts of United States foreign assist-
ance; 
‘‘(C) facilitate publication of best practices 
reports for different types of United States for-
eign assistance; and 
‘‘(D) provide advice in the planning and 
coordination of United States foreign assistance 
evaluation to avoid duplication of efforts. 
‘‘(2) MEMBERSHIP.—The advisory council shall 
be composed of not less than 7 members appointed 
by the President from among private individuals who 
are familiar and experienced in monitoring and eval-
uating foreign assistance programs, with at least 2 
members having specialized expertise in outcome and 
impact evaluation methodologies. 
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‘‘(3) CHAIRPERSON.—The chairperson of the 
advisory council shall be designated by the President 
at the time of appointment. 
‘‘(4) TERM.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Each member shall be 
appointed for a term of 4 years, except as pro-
vided in subparagraph (B). 
‘‘(B) VACANCIES.—Any member appointed 
to fill a vacancy occurring prior to the expira-
tion of the term for which the member’s prede-
cessor was appointed shall be appointed for the 
remainder of that term and may be appointed 
for an additional term of 4 years. 
‘‘(5) MEETINGS.—The advisory council shall 
meet not less than four times each year. The chair-
person of the advisory council shall call a meeting of 
the advisory council upon request by four or more 
members of the advisory council. The meetings of 
the advisory council shall be made open to the public 
and minutes, comments, reports and other related 
documents shall be published in the Federal Register 
in a timely fashion. 
‘‘(6) TERMINATION.—Section 14(a)(2) of the 
Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.; re-
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lating to the termination of advisory committees) 
shall not apply to the advisory council. 
‘‘(7) REPORT.—Not later than two years after 
the date of the enactment of this section, and every 
two years thereafter, the advisory council shall pre-
pare and submit to the President and the appro-
priate congressional committees a report that sum-
marizes the activities of the advisory council, includ-
ing the advisory council’s assessment of the perform-
ance monitoring and improvement and evaluation 
programs of each Federal department or agency de-
scribed in subsection (a). 
‘‘(g) REPORT.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than one year 
after the date of the enactment of this section, and 
annually thereafter, the President shall transmit to 
the appropriate congressional committees a report 
on— 
‘‘(A) the use of funds to carry out evalua-
tions under this section; 
‘‘(B) the status and results of evaluations 
under this section; and 
‘‘(C) the use of results and lessons learned 
from evaluations under this section, including 
actions taken in response to recommendations 
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included in current and previous evaluations, 
such as the improvement or continuation of a 
program, project, or activity. 
‘‘(2) PUBLICATION.—The report shall also be 
published in the Federal Register and made avail-
able on the public website of each Federal depart-
ment or agency described in subsection (a). 
‘‘(h) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) APPROPRIATE
CONGRESSIONAL
COMMIT-
TEES.—The term ‘appropriate congressional com-
mittees’ means the Committee on Foreign Affairs of 
the House of Representatives and the Committee on 
Foreign Relations of the Senate. 
‘‘(2) EVALUATION; 
OUTCOME
AND
IMPACT 
EVALUATION.— 
‘‘(A) EVALUATION.—The term ‘evaluation’ 
means the systematic and objective determina-
tion and assessment of the design, implementa-
tion, and results of an on-going or completed 
program, project, or activity. 
‘‘(B) OUTCOME
AND
IMPACT
EVALUA-
TION.—The term ‘outcome and impact evalua-
tion’ means an assessment of the impact and 
outcome of the outputs of a program, project, 
or activity. 
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‘‘(3) IMPACT
EVALUATION
RESEARCH.—The 
term ‘impact evaluation research’ means the applica-
tion of research methods and statistical analysis to 
measure the extent to which change in a population- 
based outcome or impact can be attributed to United 
States program, project, or activity intervention in-
stead of other environmental factors, including 
change in political climate and other donor assist-
ance. 
‘‘(4) IMPACTS.—The term ‘impacts’ means the 
positive and negative, direct and indirect, intended 
and unintended long-term effects produced by a pro-
gram, project, or activity. 
‘‘(5) OUTCOMES.—The term ‘outcomes’ means 
the likely or achieved immediate and intermediate ef-
fects of the outputs of a program, project, or activ-
ity. 
‘‘(6) OUTPUTS.—The term ‘outputs’ means— 
‘‘(A) the products, capital, goods, and serv-
ices that result from a program, project, or ac-
tivity; or 
‘‘(B) the changes resulting from the pro-
gram, project, or activity that are relevant to 
the achievement of outcomes. 
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‘‘(7) RESULTS.—The term ‘results’ means the 
positive or negative, direct or indirect, intended or 
unintended outputs, outcomes, and impacts of a pro-
gram, project, or activity. 
‘‘(8) PERFORMANCE
MONITORING
AND
IM-
PROVEMENT.—The term ‘performance monitoring 
and improvement’ means a continuous process of 
collecting, analyzing, and using data to compare how 
well a program, project, or activity is being imple-
mented against expected results and program costs 
and to make appropriate improvements accordingly. 
‘‘(9) UNITED STATES FOREIGN ASSISTANCE.— 
The term ‘United States foreign assistance’ means— 
‘‘(A) assistance authorized under this Act; 
and 
‘‘(B) assistance authorized under any other 
provision of law that is classified under budget 
function 150 (International Affairs). 
‘‘(i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Of the amounts authorized 
to be appropriated for each United States foreign 
assistance program for each of the fiscal years 2010 
and 2011, not less than 5 percent of such amounts 
are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this 
section for such fiscal year. 
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‘‘(2) AVAILABILITY.—Amounts authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section for a fiscal 
year are in addition to amounts otherwise available 
for such purposes.’’. 
SEC. 4. TRANSPARENCY OF UNITED STATES FOREIGN AS-
SISTANCE. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that the American taxpayers and recipients of 
United States foreign assistance should, to the maximum 
extent practicable, have full access to information on 
United States foreign assistance. 
(b) INFORMATION AVAILABLE TO PUBLIC.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The President shall publish 
in the Federal Register and make publicly available 
on the websites of appropriate Federal departments 
and agencies comprehensive, timely, comparable, and 
accessible information on United States foreign as-
sistance a detailed program-by-program basis and 
country-by-country basis. 
(2) SCOPE.—To ensure transparency, account-
ability, and effectiveness of United States foreign as-
sistance, the information on United States foreign 
assistance published and made available under para-
graph (1) shall include planning, allocations and dis-
bursement, terms, contracting, monitoring, and eval-
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uation elements with respect to activities carried out 
under such United States foreign assistance. 
(3) AVAILABILITY TO BE IN TIMELY MANNER.— 
The President shall direct the head of each Federal 
department and agency providing United States for-
eign assistance to ensure that the information re-
quired under this subsection shall be made available 
in a timely manner. 
(c) MULTILATERAL EFFORTS.—In order to best as-
sess the use and impact of United States foreign assist-
ance in relation to funding provided by other donor na-
tions and recipient countries, the President should fully 
engage with and participate in the International Aid 
Transparency Initiative, established on September 4, 
2008, at the Accra High Level Forum on Aid Effective-
ness. 
(d) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘‘United 
States foreign assistance’’ has the meaning given the term 
in section 609(h) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 
(as added by section 3 of this Act). 
SEC. 5. REPEALS OF OBSOLETE AUTHORIZATIONS OF AS-
SISTANCE; CONFORMING AMENDMENTS. 
(a) REPEALS.—The following provisions of the For-
eign Assistance Act of 1961 are hereby repealed: 
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(1) Section 125 (22 U.S.C. 2151w; relating to 
general development assistance). 
(2) Section 219 (22 U.S.C. 2179; relating to 
prototype desalting plant). 
(3) Title V of chapter 2 of part I (22 U.S.C. 
2201; relating to disadvantaged children in Asia). 
(4) Section 466 (22 U.S.C. 2286; relating to 
debt-for-nature exchanges pilot program for sub-Sa-
haran Africa). 
(5) Sections 494, 495, and 495B through 495K 
(22 U.S.C. 2292c, 2292f, and 2292h through 
2292q; relating to certain international disaster as-
sistance authorities). 
(6) Section 546 (22 U.S.C. 2347c; relating to 
certain international military education and training 
authorities). 
(7) Section 638(b) (22 U.S.C. 2398(b); relating 
to exclusions). 
(8) Section 648 (22 U.S.C. 2407; relating to 
certain miscellaneous provisions). 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—(1) Section 135 of 
the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2152h) 
is amended by striking ‘‘section 135’’ and inserting ‘‘sec-
tion 136.’’ 
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(2) Section 638 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 
1961 (22 U.S.C. 2398) is amended by striking ‘‘(a) No 
provision’’ and inserting ‘‘No provision’’. 
Æ 
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