H. R. 2617—569 
the issuance or refusal of visas or permits to enter the United 
States shall not be considered confidential. 
(d) EXTRACTION OF NATURAL RESOURCES.— 
(1) ASSISTANCE.—Funds appropriated by this Act shall be 
made available to promote and support transparency and 
accountability of expenditures and revenues related to the 
extraction of natural resources, including by strengthening 
implementation and monitoring of the Extractive Industries 
Transparency Initiative, implementing and enforcing section 
8204 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (Public 
Law 110–246; 122 Stat. 2052) and the amendments made by 
such section, and to prevent the sale of conflict diamonds, 
and for technical assistance to promote independent audit 
mechanisms and support civil society participation in natural 
resource management. 
(2) PUBLIC DISCLOSURE AND INDEPENDENT AUDITS.— 
(A) The Secretary of the Treasury shall instruct the 
executive director of each international financial institution 
to use the voice and vote of the United States to oppose 
any assistance by such institutions (including any loan, 
credit, grant, or guarantee) to any country for the extraction 
and export of a natural resource if the government of 
such country has in place laws, regulations, or procedures 
to prevent or limit the public disclosure of company pay-
ments as required by United States law, and unless such 
government has adopted laws, regulations, or procedures 
in the sector in which assistance is being considered that: 
(1) accurately account for and publicly disclose payments 
to the government by companies involved in the extraction 
and export of natural resources; (2) include independent 
auditing of accounts receiving such payments and the 
public disclosure of such audits; and (3) require public 
disclosure of agreement and bidding documents, as appro-
priate. 
(B) The requirements of subparagraph (A) shall not 
apply to assistance for the purpose of building the capacity 
of such government to meet the requirements of such 
subparagraph. 
DEMOCRACY PROGRAMS 
SEC. 7032. (a) FUNDING.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Of the funds appropriated by this Act 
under the headings ‘‘Development Assistance’’, ‘‘Economic Sup-
port Fund’’, ‘‘Democracy Fund’’, ‘‘Assistance for Europe, Eurasia 
and Central Asia’’, and ‘‘International Narcotics Control and 
Law Enforcement’’, $2,900,000,000 should be made available 
for democracy programs. 
(2) PROGRAMS.—Of the funds made available for democracy 
programs under the headings ‘‘Economic Support Fund’’ and 
‘‘Assistance for Europe, Eurasia and Central Asia’’ pursuant 
to paragraph (1), not less than $117,040,000 shall be made 
available to the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and 
Labor, Department of State. 
(b) AUTHORITIES.— 
(1) AVAILABILITY.—Funds made available by this Act for 
democracy programs pursuant to subsection (a) and under the
H. R. 2617—570 
heading ‘‘National Endowment for Democracy’’ may be made 
available notwithstanding any other provision of law, and with 
regard to the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), any 
regulation. 
(2) BENEFICIARIES.—Funds made available by this Act for 
the NED are made available pursuant to the authority of 
the National Endowment for Democracy Act (title V of Public 
Law 98–164), including all decisions regarding the selection 
of beneficiaries. 
(c) DEFINITION
OF DEMOCRACY PROGRAMS.—For purposes of 
funds appropriated by this Act, the term ‘‘democracy programs’’ 
means programs that support good governance, credible and 
competitive elections, freedom of expression, association, assembly, 
and religion, human rights, labor rights, independent media, and 
the rule of law, and that otherwise strengthen the capacity of 
democratic 
political 
parties, 
governments, 
nongovernmental 
organizations and institutions, and citizens to support the develop-
ment of democratic states and institutions that are responsive and 
accountable to citizens. 
(d) PROGRAM PRIORITIZATION.—Funds made available pursuant 
to this section that are made available for programs to strengthen 
government institutions shall be prioritized for those institutions 
that demonstrate a commitment to democracy and the rule of law. 
(e) RESTRICTIONS ON FOREIGN GOVERNMENT INTERFERENCE.— 
(1) PRIOR
APPROVAL.—With respect to the provision of 
assistance for democracy programs in this Act, the organiza-
tions implementing such assistance, the specific nature of the 
assistance, and the participants in such programs shall not 
be subject to prior approval by the government of any foreign 
country. 
(2) DISCLOSURE OF IMPLEMENTING PARTNER INFORMATION.— 
If the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Administrator 
of the United States Agency for International Development, 
determines that the government of the country is undemocratic 
or has engaged in or condoned harassment, threats, or attacks 
against organizations implementing democracy programs, any 
new bilateral agreement governing the terms and conditions 
under which assistance is provided to such country shall not 
require the disclosure of the names of implementing partners 
of democracy programs, and the Secretary of State and the 
USAID Administrator shall expeditiously seek to negotiate 
amendments to existing bilateral agreements, as necessary, 
to conform to this requirement. 
(f) CONTINUATION OF CURRENT PRACTICES.—USAID shall con-
tinue to implement civil society and political competition and con-
sensus building programs abroad with funds appropriated by this 
Act in a manner that recognizes the unique benefits of grants 
and cooperative agreements in implementing such programs. 
(g) DIGITAL SECURITY
AND COUNTERING DISINFORMATION.— 
Funds appropriated by this Act shall be made available to advance 
digital security and counter disinformation as described under this 
section in the explanatory statement described in section 4 (in 
the matter preceding division A of this consolidated Act). 
(h) INFORMING THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR DEMOCRACY.— 
The Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, 
Department of State, and the Assistant Administrator for Develop-
ment, Democracy, and Innovation, USAID, shall regularly inform
H. R. 2617—571 
the NED of democracy programs that are planned and supported 
with funds made available by this Act and prior Acts making 
appropriations for the Department of State, foreign operations, and 
related programs. 
(i) PROTECTION
OF CIVIL SOCIETY ACTIVISTS
AND JOURNAL-
ISTS.—Of the funds appropriated by this Act under the headings 
‘‘Economic Support Fund’’ and ‘‘Democracy Fund’’, not less than 
$30,000,000 shall be made available to support and protect civil 
society activists and journalists who have been threatened, har-
assed, or attacked, including journalists affiliated with the United 
States Agency for Global Media. 
(j) INTERNATIONAL FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND INDEPENDENT 
MEDIA.—Of the funds appropriated by this Act under the heading 
‘‘Economic Support Fund’’, not less than $20,000,000 shall be made 
available for programs to protect international freedom of expression 
and independent media, as described under this section in House 
Report 117–401. 
(k) DAVID E. PRICE LEGISLATIVE STRENGTHENING PROGRAM.— 
Funds appropriated by this Act under the heading ‘‘Democracy 
Fund’’ shall be made available for legislative strengthening pro-
grams: Provided, That such funds shall be subject to prior consulta-
tion with, and the regular notification procedures of, the Committees 
on Appropriations: Provided further, That such programs shall here-
after be collectively named the ‘‘David E. Price Legislative Strength-
ening Program’’. 
INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM 
SEC. 7033. (a) INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM OFFICE.— 
Funds appropriated by this Act under the heading ‘‘Diplomatic 
Programs’’ shall be made available for the Office of International 
Religious Freedom, Department of State. 
(b) ASSISTANCE.—Funds appropriated by this Act under the 
headings ‘‘Economic Support Fund’’, ‘‘Democracy Fund’’, and ‘‘Inter-
national Broadcasting Operations’’ shall be made available for inter-
national religious freedom programs and funds appropriated by 
this Act under the headings ‘‘International Disaster Assistance’’ 
and ‘‘Migration and Refugee Assistance’’ shall be made available 
for humanitarian assistance for vulnerable and persecuted ethnic 
and religious minorities: Provided, That funds made available by 
this Act under the headings ‘‘Economic Support Fund’’ and ‘‘Democ-
racy Fund’’ pursuant to this section shall be the responsibility 
of the Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, 
in consultation with other relevant United States Government offi-
cials, and shall be subject to prior consultation with the Committees 
on Appropriations. 
(c) AUTHORITY.—Funds appropriated by this Act and prior Acts 
making appropriations for the Department of State, foreign oper-
ations, and related programs under the heading ‘‘Economic Support 
Fund’’ may be made available notwithstanding any other provision 
of law for assistance for ethnic and religious minorities in Iraq 
and Syria. 
(d) DESIGNATION OF NON-STATE ACTORS.—Section 7033(e) of 
the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs 
Appropriations Act, 2017 (division J of Public Law 115–31) shall 
continue in effect during fiscal year 2023.
H. R. 2617—572 
SPECIAL PROVISIONS 
SEC. 7034. (a) VICTIMS OF WAR, DISPLACED CHILDREN, AND 
DISPLACED BURMESE.—Funds appropriated in title III of this Act 
that are made available for victims of war, displaced children, 
displaced Burmese, and to combat trafficking in persons and assist 
victims of such trafficking may be made available notwithstanding 
any other provision of law. 
(b) FORENSIC ASSISTANCE.— 
(1) Of the funds appropriated by this Act under the heading 
‘‘Economic Support Fund’’, not less than $20,000,000 shall be 
made available for forensic anthropology assistance related to 
the exhumation and identification of victims of war crimes, 
crimes against humanity, and genocide, which shall be adminis-
tered by the Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights, 
and Labor, Department of State: Provided, That such funds 
shall be in addition to funds made available by this Act and 
prior Acts making appropriations for the Department of State, 
foreign operations, and related programs for assistance for coun-
tries. 
(2) Of the funds appropriated by this Act under the heading 
‘‘International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement’’, not 
less than $10,000,000 shall be made available for DNA forensic 
technology programs to combat human trafficking in Central 
America and Mexico. 
(c) WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME.—Funds managed by the Bureau 
for Humanitarian Assistance, United States Agency for Inter-
national Development, from this or any other Act, may be made 
available as a general contribution to the World Food Programme, 
notwithstanding any other provision of law. 
(d) DIRECTIVES AND AUTHORITIES.— 
(1) RESEARCH AND TRAINING.—Funds appropriated by this 
Act under the heading ‘‘Assistance for Europe, Eurasia and 
Central Asia’’ shall be made available to carry out the Program 
for Research and Training on Eastern Europe and the Inde-
pendent States of the Former Soviet Union as authorized by 
the Soviet-Eastern European Research and Training Act of 
1983 (22 U.S.C. 4501 et seq.). 
(2) GENOCIDE
VICTIMS
MEMORIAL
SITES.—Funds appro-
priated by this Act and prior Acts making appropriations for 
the Department of State, foreign operations, and related pro-
grams under the headings ‘‘Economic Support Fund’’ and 
‘‘Assistance for Europe, Eurasia and Central Asia’’ may be 
made available as contributions to establish and maintain 
memorial sites of genocide, subject to the regular notification 
procedures of the Committees on Appropriations. 
(3) PRIVATE SECTOR PARTNERSHIPS.—Of the funds appro-
priated by this Act under the headings ‘‘Development Assist-
ance’’ and ‘‘Economic Support Fund’’ that are made available 
for private sector partnerships, including partnerships with 
philanthropic foundations, up to $50,000,000 may remain avail-
able until September 30, 2025: Provided, That funds made 
available pursuant to this paragraph may only be made avail-
able following prior consultation with, and the regular notifica-
tion procedures of, the Committees on Appropriations. 
(4) ADDITIONAL AUTHORITY.—Of the amounts made avail-
able by this Act under the heading ‘‘Diplomatic Programs’’,