246 
(1) CARIBBEAN COUNTRIES.—The term ‘‘Carib-
bean countries’’ means countries in the Caribbean re-
gion, but does not include Cuba or Venezuela. 
(2) CARIBBEAN GOVERNMENTS.—The term ‘‘Car-
ibbean governments’’ means the national governments 
of the Caribbean countries. 
(c) STATEMENT OF POLICY.—It is the policy of the 
United States to help Caribbean countries— 
(1) achieve greater energy security and improve 
domestic energy resource mobilization; 
(2) lower their dependence on imported fuels; 
(3) eliminate the use of diesel, heavy fuel oil, 
other petroleum products, and coal for the generation 
of electricity; 
(4) increase production of renewable energy; and 
(5) meet the greenhouse gas mitigation goals of 
their national determined contributions to the Paris 
Agreement. 
(d) STRATEGY.— 
(1) SUBMISSION.—Not later than 120 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
State, in coordination with the Administrator of the 
United States Agency for International Development 
(USAID), shall submit to the appropriate congres-
sional committees a multi-year strategy that describes 
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how the Department of State will promote regional 
cooperation with Caribbean countries— 
(A) to lower dependence on imported fuels, 
grow domestic clean energy production in the re-
gion, strengthen regional energy security, and 
lower energy sector greenhouse gas emissions; 
(B) to decrease dependence on oil in the 
transportation sector; 
(C) to increase energy efficiency, energy 
conservation, and investment in alternatives to 
imported fuels; 
(D) to improve grid reliability and mod-
ernize electricity transmission networks; 
(E) to advance deployment of innovative so-
lutions to expand community and individuals’ 
access to electricity; 
(F) to help reform energy markets to en-
courage good regulatory governance and to pro-
mote a climate of private sector investment; and 
(G) to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions 
from the energy and transportation sector. 
(2) ELEMENTS.—The strategy required under 
subsection (a) shall include— 
(A) a thorough review and inventory of 
United States Government activities that are 
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being carried out bilaterally, regionally, and in 
coordination with multilateral institutions— 
(i) to promote energy and climate secu-
rity in the Caribbean region; and 
(ii) to reduce the region’s reliance on 
oil for electricity generation; 
(B) opportunities for marshaling regional 
cooperation— 
(i) to overcome market barriers result-
ing from the small size of Caribbean energy 
markets; 
(ii) to address the high transportation 
and infrastructure costs faced by Caribbean 
countries; 
(iii) to ensure greater donor coordina-
tion between governments, multilateral in-
stitutions, multilateral banks, and private 
investors; and 
(iv) to expand regional financing op-
portunities to allow for lower cost energy 
entrepreneurship; 
(C) measures to ensure that each Caribbean 
government has— 
(i) an independent utility regulator or 
equivalent; 
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(ii) affordable access by third party in-
vestors to its electrical grid with minimal 
regulatory interference; 
(iii) effective energy efficiency and en-
ergy conservation; 
(iv) programs to address technical and 
nontechnical issues; 
(v) a plan to eliminate major market 
distortions; 
(vi) cost-reflective tariffs; and 
(vii) no tariffs or other taxes on clean 
energy solutions; and 
(D) recommendations for how United States 
policy, technical, and economic assistance can be 
used in the Caribbean region— 
(i) to advance renewable energy devel-
opment and the incorporation of renewable 
technologies into existing energy grids and 
the development and deployment of micro- 
grids where appropriate and feasible to 
boost energy security and reliability, par-
ticularly to underserved communities; 
(ii) to increase the generation of clean 
energy sufficiently to replace and allow for 
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the retirement of obsolete fossil fuel energy 
generation units in Caribbean countries; 
(iii) to create regional financing op-
portunities to allow for lower cost energy 
entrepreneurship; 
(iv) to deploy transaction advisors in 
the region to help attract private investment 
and break down any market or regulatory 
barriers; and 
(v) to establish a mechanism for each 
host government to have access to inde-
pendent legal advice— 
(I) to speed the development of en-
ergy-related contracts; and 
(II) to better protect the interests 
of Caribbean governments and citizens. 
(3) CONSULTATION.—In devising the strategy 
under this subsection, the Secretary of State shall 
work with the Secretary of Energy and shall consult 
with— 
(A) the Secretary of the Interior; 
(B) the Secretary of Commerce; 
(C) the Secretary of the Treasury; 
(D) the Board of Directors of the Export- 
Import Bank of the United States; 
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(E) the Board of Directors of the Develop-
ment Finance Corporation; 
(F) the Administrator of the United States 
Agency for International Development; 
(G) the Caribbean governments; 
(H) the Inter-American Development Bank; 
(I) the World Bank Group; and 
(J) the Caribbean Electric Utility Services 
Corporation. 
SEC. 250. UNITED STATES-CARIBBEAN RESILIENCE PART-
NERSHIP. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following findings: 
(1) The United States shares with the Caribbean 
a collective vulnerability to natural disasters, which 
affects the lives and the economies of our citizens. 
(2) The April 9, 2021, eruption of the La 
Soufriere volcano is another reminder of the devasta-
tion caused by the many natural disasters the Carib-
bean confronts each year and the region’s vulner-
ability to external shocks. Hurricane Dorian, the 
largest storm to hit the region, wiped out large parts 
of the northern Bahamas in 2019, and Hurricanes 
Maria and Irma devastated multiple islands across 
the region in 2017, including Puerto Rico. According 
to IMF research, of the 511 plus disasters worldwide 
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to hit small states since 1950, around two-thirds 
(324) have been in the Caribbean. 
(3) This region is seven times more likely to ex-
perience a natural disaster than elsewhere. And, when 
one occurs, it will incur as much as six times more 
damage. 
(4) Extreme weather events and other environ-
mental impacts will only worsen over the coming 
years, and if not addressed, we will see only increas-
ing economic shocks on these countries, driving irreg-
ular migration. 
(5) While the United States has considerable ex-
pertise and capacity in assisting countries with dis-
aster response, there remains a need for stronger part-
nerships that build regional resilience through effi-
cient and interoperable platforms, protecting people 
and speeding recovery. 
(6) The People’s Republic of China has dramati-
cally increased its engagement in the Caribbean in 
the past five years, including offering loans and 
grants related to disaster response and resilience and 
sought to acquire property rights in the Caribbean 
that would be detrimental to United States national 
security interests. 
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(7) In 2019, the United States launched a new 
U.S.-Caribbean Resilience Partnership to deepen co-
operation and investment to strengthen our disaster 
resilience throughout the Caribbean region, includ-
ing— 
(A) to streamline early warning response 
networks and formalize communication channels; 
(B) to enhance, encourage, and work col-
laboratively on further developing aviation dis-
aster resilience plans and partnerships; 
(C) to prioritize regional technical exchange 
in energy planning, risk reduction, and resil-
ience; 
(D) to increase communications network 
interoperability between Caribbean partners and 
the United States; 
(E) to utilize storm surge mapping data 
and share real-time information in preparation 
for potential damage resulting from tropical cy-
clones and tsunamis; 
(F) 
to 
use 
meteorological 
services 
to 
strengthen and deepen physical and communica-
tions infrastructure, data collection networks, 
and human and technical capacity throughout 
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the region, as well as interactions with the pub-
lic; 
(G) to understand that while the use of 
international and military and civil defense as-
sets in disaster response may only be considered 
as a last resort, when local, national, and inter-
national civilian capabilities are overwhelmed, 
civil-military coordination should occur, in sup-
port of the affected nation; 
(H) to develop a framework that would gov-
ern the deployment of international military and 
civil defense assets in disaster response when 
local, national, and international civilian capa-
bilities are overwhelmed, in support of the af-
fected nation; 
(I) to seek common mechanisms for ensur-
ing rapid disaster response and recovery, includ-
ing waiving or expediting diplomatic clearances, 
waiving of or reducing customs fees, stream-
lining overflight and airspace clearance, and en-
suring that the first responders have the ability 
to rapidly respond to disasters in other coun-
tries; 
(J) to promote the integration and coordi-
nation of regional response mechanisms in the 
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Caribbean, including through the Caribbean Dis-
aster Emergency Management Agency, the Re-
gional Security System, United States Govern-
ment Agencies, and allies in ways that facilitate 
more effective and efficient planning, mitigation, 
response, and resilience to natural disasters; 
(K) to share best practices in improved 
building codes with national disaster organiza-
tions, including building better programs, at re-
gional, national and community levels; and 
(L) to promote community-based disaster 
preparedness and mitigation activities, particu-
larly in underserved communities, with the aim 
of increasing broad public participation and re-
silience. 
(b) POLICY.—It is the policy of the United States to 
help Caribbean countries— 
(1) increase their resilience and adapt to natural 
disasters and the impacts of severe weather events and 
a changing environment; 
(2) partner with United States Federal, State, 
and local agencies and engage in technical coopera-
tion, dialogue, and assistance activities; 
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(3) harmonize standards and practices related to 
paragraphs (1) and (2) to promote increased invest-
ment and integration; 
(4) increase investment from United States com-
panies in the Caribbean on resilience-building, adap-
tation, and climate-related mitigation efforts; 
(5) promote regional cooperation and ensure ef-
forts by the United States, Caribbean countries, and 
international partners complement each other; and 
(6) further assist with the efforts described in 
subsection (a)(7). 
(c) STRATEGY.—Not later than 180 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in co-
ordination with the heads of other Federal departments and 
agencies, shall submit to the appropriate congressional com-
mittees a multi-year strategy that describes how the Depart-
ment of State will achieve the policies described in sub-
section (b). 
(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There are 
authorized to be appropriated for activities, programs, tech-
nical assistance, and engagement under this section the fol-
lowing: 
(1) $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2022. 
(2) $25,000,000 for fiscal year 2023. 
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(3) $30,000,000 for fiscal year 2024 and each 
fiscal year thereafter. 
(e) REPORTING AND MONITORING.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Of the amounts authorized to 
be appropriated each fiscal year pursuant to sub-
section (d), at least five percent of all programming 
funding allocation shall support and be directed to-
ward reporting, monitoring, and assessment of effec-
tiveness. 
(2) ENGAGEMENT
AND
COLLABORATION.—The 
Department of State shall ensure that at least 20 per-
cent of amounts authorized to be appropriated pursu-
ant to subsection (d) directly support the training of, 
engagement with, collaboration with, and exchange of 
expertise on resilience between United States Federal, 
State, and local officials and their Caribbean govern-
ment counterparts. Such amounts should also sup-
port, as appropriate, increased academic, civil soci-
ety, media, and private sector engagement in the 
fields of resilience-building, adaptation, and mitiga-
tion. 
SEC. 251. COUNTERING CHINA’S EDUCATIONAL AND CUL-
TURAL DIPLOMACY IN LATIN AMERICA. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
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(1) According to a report by the National En-
dowment for Democracy, China has spent the equiva-
lent of billions of dollars to shape public opinion and 
perceptions around the world through thousands of 
people-to-people exchanges, cultural activities, edu-
cational programs, and the development of media en-
terprises and information initiatives with global 
reach. 
(2) Educational and exchange programs are a 
core element of United States public diplomacy, ele-
vating our culture, policies, and interests worldwide. 
(3) These programs provide students with access 
to international knowledge, an opportunity to learn 
foreign languages, and a unique environment for de-
veloping cultural understanding, all of which are val-
uable skills in today’s global economy. 
(4) 90 percent of ECA’s appropriation is spent 
in the United States or invested directly in American 
citizens or American organizations. 
(b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress 
that— 
(1) China’s efforts to mold public opinion and 
influence educational institutions undermine United 
States’ influence in Latin America and the Caribbean 
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and threaten democratic institutions and practices in 
the region; 
(2) the United States Government should expand 
current educational and cultural exchange programs 
in Latin America and the Caribbean, which are cost- 
effective and strengthen people-to-people diplomacy, to 
promote national security and foreign policy interests 
of the United States; and 
(3) educational exchanges foster linguistic, cul-
tural, and educational skills that advance United 
States economic competitiveness, strengthen alliances, 
and support democracies worldwide. 
(c) STRATEGY.—Not later than 180 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, acting 
through the Assistant Secretary of State for Educational 
and Cultural Affairs, and in coordination with the Assist-
ant Administrator for the Bureau of Economic Growth, 
Education, and Environment at the United States Agency 
for International Development, shall devise a strategy— 
(1) to evaluate and expand existing programs 
and, as necessary, design and implement new edu-
cational, professional, and cultural exchanges and 
other programs to— 
(A) create and sustain mutual under-
standing with other countries necessary to ad-
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vance United States foreign policy goals by culti-
vating people-to-people ties among current and 
future global leaders that build enduring net-
works and personal relationships; and 
(B) promote United States national secu-
rity interests and values, including through the 
expansion of exchange visitor programs such as 
international visitor leadership programs and 
the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative, as 
well as professional capacity building programs 
that prioritize building skills in entrepreneur-
ship, promoting transparency, and technology; 
(2) to ensure that exchange programs for Ameri-
cans abroad and international visitors attract a di-
verse pool of participants, including from underrep-
resented, marginalized, and low-income communities; 
and 
(3) to evaluate, expand, and strengthen existing 
programs, and, as necessary, design and implement 
new basic and higher education programs in Latin 
America and the Caribbean, in accordance with the 
United States Strategy on International Basic Edu-
cation and the United States Agency for Inter-
national Development Education Policy, to enable all 
young adults, youth, and children to acquire the qual-
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ity education and skills needed to be productive mem-
bers in society, which will lead to better individual 
and societal outcomes. 
(d) REPORT WITH INTELLIGENCE ASSESSMENT.—Not 
later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the Secretary of State shall, in coordination with the 
Director of National Intelligence, submit to the appropriate 
congressional committees a report that assesses the nature 
and impact of the People’s Republic of China’s educational 
and cultural sector activity in Latin America and the Car-
ibbean, its impact on United States’ strategic interests, and 
recommendations for the United States Government to ex-
pand people-to-people ties. 
SEC. 252. NARCOTICS TRAFFICKING IN LATIN AMERICA AND 
THE CARIBBEAN. 
It is the sense of Congress that— 
(1) narcotics trafficking continues to pose a secu-
rity threat to the countries and peoples of Latin 
America and the Caribbean; 
(2) other forms of transnational organized crime, 
including arms trafficking, human smuggling, money 
laundering, and illicit financing, are drivers of irreg-
ular migration; 
(3) narcotics trafficking is fueled by governments 
that fail to curb the illicit drug trade by adequately 
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regulating the legal trade of non-fentanyl opioids and 
precursor 
chemicals 
used 
to 
produce 
fentanyl, 
fentanyl analogs, and other synthetic drugs; 
(4) further, governments that do not cooperate 
sufficiently on financial investigations and prosecu-
tions, withhold information with respect to money 
laundering crimes, or are determined to facilitate il-
licit activities, particularly by transnational orga-
nized criminal organizations, should be held account-
able; 
(5) as noted in the International Narcotics Con-
trol Strategy Report 2020, China ‘‘has not cooperated 
sufficiently on financial investigations and does not 
provide adequate responses to requests for financial 
investigation information’’; 
(6) the United States should apply economic and 
other targeted financial sanctions with respect to in-
dividuals engaged in financial crimes and money 
laundering that fosters narcotics trafficking in the 
countries of Latin America and the Caribbean; and 
(7) the United States should look to policies to 
hold accountable countries that fail to sufficiently in-
vestigate financial crimes and money laundering that 
foster narcotics trafficking in the countries of Latin 
America and the Caribbean. 
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