I
107TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 4073
To amend the Microenterprise for Self-Reliance Act of 2000 and the Foreign
Assistance Act of 1961 to increase assistance for the poorest people
in developing countries under microenterprise assistance programs under
those Acts, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 20, 2002
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey introduced the following bill; which was referred
to the Committee on International Relations
A BILL
To amend the Microenterprise for Self-Reliance Act of 2000
and the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to increase
assistance for the poorest people in developing countries
under microenterprise assistance programs under those
Acts, 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. AMENDMENTS TO THE MICROENTERPRISE FOR
SELF-RELIANCE ACT OF 2000.
(a) PURPOSES.—Section 103 of the Microenterprise
for Self-Reliance Act of 2000 (Public Law 106–309) is
amended—
(1) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the
end;
(2) in paragraph (5), by striking the period at
the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(6) to encourage the United States Agency for
International Development to develop, assess, and
implement effective outreach methods and tools to
ensure that at least 50 percent of all microenterprise
assistance authorized under this title, and the
amendments made by this title, are used to assist
the poorest of the poor.’’.
(b) DEFINITIONS.—Section 104 of such Act is
amended by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(5) POOREST
OF
THE
POOR.—The terms
‘poorest of the poor’ and ‘poorest people in devel-
oping countries’ means those persons living in the
bottom 50 percent below the poverty line as estab-
lished by the national government of the country or
those persons whose average daily living expenses
are equal to, or less than, the equivalent of $1 per
day.’’.
(c) USAID AS GLOBAL LEADER AND COORDINATOR
OF BILATERAL AND MULTILATERAL MICROENTERPRISE
ASSISTANCE ACTIVITIES.—Section 109 of the Microenter-
prise for Self-Reliance Act of 2000 (Public Law 106–309)
is amended by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(c) ROLE OF PEACE CORPS IN PROMOTING THE
USE OF MICROENTERPRISE OPPORTUNITIES.—The Ad-
ministrator of the United States Agency for International
Development, in conjunction with the Director of the
Peace Corps, shall take the following actions to increase
the involvement of the Peace Corps in microenterprise ini-
tiatives:
‘‘(1) Ensure that the training of all Peace
Corps volunteers after the effective date of this sub-
section includes, where appropriate, basic instruction
in how to promote, implement, and utilize micro-
enterprise initiatives and the use of poverty assess-
ment tools.
‘‘(2) Establish a specialized training program
for Peace Corps volunteers under which the volun-
teers are able to acquire specialized knowledge and
skills about microenterprise, with an emphasis on
how to train indigenous persons to successfully de-
velop, organize, implement, and manage a micro-
enterprise program.
‘‘(3) Establish, as a goal of the Peace Corps,
that at least 50 percent of all Peace Corps volun-
teers trained during calendar year 2004 and each
subsequent calendar year will receive basic instruc-
tion in how to promote, implement, and utilize
microenterprise initiatives and use of poverty assess-
ment tools.’’.
SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS TO THE MICROENTERPRISE DEVEL-
OPMENT 
GRANT 
ASSISTANCE 
PROGRAM
UNDER THE FOREIGN ASSISTANCE ACT OF
1961.
(a) AUTHORIZATION.—Section 131(b)(3) of such Act
(22 U.S.C. 2152a(b)(3)) is amended in the first sentence
by inserting at the end before the period the following:
‘‘or whose average daily living expenses are equal to, or
less than, $1 per day’’.
(b) MONITORING SYSTEM.—Section 131(c) of such
Act (22 U.S.C. 2152a(c)) is amended—
(1) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the
end;
(2) in paragraph (4), by striking the period at
the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(5) adopts the widespread use of proven and
effective poverty assessment tools to successfully
identify the poorest of the poor and ensure that they
receive needed microenterprise credits, loans, and as-
sistance, including the use of—
‘‘(A) the Participatory Wealth Ranking
(‘PWR’);
‘‘(B) the CASHPOR House Index (‘CHI’);
‘‘(C) other poverty assessment tools devel-
oped by USAID and determined to be appro-
priate by the Administrator; or
‘‘(D) any combination of poverty assess-
ment tools described in subparagraphs (A)
through (C).’’.
(c) LEVEL OF ASSISTANCE.—Section 131(d) of such
Act (22 U.S.C. 2152a(d)) is amended by inserting ‘‘and
$200,000,000 for fiscal year 2003 and $225,000,000 for
fiscal year 2004’’ after ‘‘fiscal years 2001 and 2002’’.
(d) DEFINITIONS.—Section 131(e) of such Act (22
U.S.C. 2152a(e)) is amended by adding at the end the
following:
‘‘(5) POOREST
OF
THE
POOR.—The terms
‘poorest of the poor’ and ‘poorest people in devel-
oping countries’ means those persons living in the
bottom 50 percent below the poverty line as estab-
lished by the national government of the country or
those persons whose average daily living expenses
are equal to, or less than, the equivalent of $1 per
day.’’.
Æ