I 
117TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 8711 
To strengthen the bilateral partnership between the United States and Ecua-
dor in support of democratic institutions and rule of law, sustainable 
and inclusive economic growth, and conservation. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
AUGUST 12, 2022 
Mr. SIRES (for himself, Mr. CASTRO of Texas, Mr. VARGAS, Ms. TITUS, Mr. 
ESPAILLAT, and Ms. SALAZAR) introduced the following bill; which was 
referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
A BILL 
To strengthen the bilateral partnership between the United 
States and Ecuador in support of democratic institutions 
and rule of law, sustainable and inclusive economic 
growth, and conservation. 
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. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘United States-Ecuador Partnership Act of 2022’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
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Sec. 2. Findings. 
Sec. 3. Sense of Congress. 
Sec. 4. Facilitating economic and commercial ties. 
Sec. 5. Promoting inclusive economic development. 
Sec. 6. Combating illicit economies, corruption, and negative foreign influence. 
Sec. 7. Strengthening democratic governance. 
Sec. 8. Fostering conservation and stewardship. 
Sec. 9. Authorization to transfer excess Coast Guard vessels. 
Sec. 10. Reporting requirements. 
Sec. 11. Sunset. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find-
ings: 
(1) The United States and Ecuador have a his-
tory of bilateral cooperation grounded in mutual re-
spect, shared democratic values, and mutual security 
interests. 
(2) On February 7, 2021, and April 11, 2021, 
Ecuador held democratic elections that included par-
ties from across the political spectrum, paving the 
way for continued progress towards strengthening 
democratic institutions. 
(3) The United States and Ecuador share stra-
tegic interests in strengthening Ecuador’s demo-
cratic institutions, generating inclusive economic 
growth, and building capacity in law enforcement, 
anti-corruption, and conservation efforts. 
(4) The United States and Ecuador historically 
have enjoyed strong commercial, investment, and 
economic ties, yet Ecuador continues to face signifi-
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cant challenges to inclusive economic development, 
including— 
(A) the heavy economic toll of the COVID– 
19 pandemic; 
(B) vulnerabilities with respect to the 
growing role of the People’s Republic of China 
in the financing and refinancing of Ecuador’s 
debts, and in strategic infrastructure projects 
and sectors of the Ecuadorian economy; and 
(C) the need to develop and strengthen 
open and transparent economic policies that 
strengthen Ecuador’s integration with global 
markets, inclusive economic growth, and oppor-
tunities for upward social mobility for the Ec-
uadorian people. 
(5) Since its establishment in December 2019, 
the United States Development Finance Corporation 
has provided more than $440,000,000 in financing 
to Ecuador. 
(6) Ecuador’s justice system has taken impor-
tant steps to fight corruption and criminality and to 
increase accountability. However, enduring chal-
lenges to the rule of law in Ecuador, including the 
activities of transnational criminal organizations, il-
licit mining, illegal, unreported, and unregulated 
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(IUU) fishing, and undemocratic actors, present on-
going risks for political and social stability in Ecua-
dor. 
(7) The activities undertaken by the Govern-
ment of the People’s Republic of China in Ecuador, 
including its development of the ECU–911 video 
surveillance and facial recognition system, financing 
of the corruptly managed and environmentally dele-
terious Coca Codo Sinclair Dam, and support for il-
legal, unreported, and unregulated fishing practices 
around the Galapagos Islands, pose risks to demo-
cratic governance and biodiversity in the country. 
(8) Ecuador, which is home to several of the 
Earth’s most biodiverse ecosystems, including the 
Galapagos Islands, the headwaters of the Amazon 
river, the Condor mountain range, and the Yasuni 
Biosphere Reserve, has seen a reduction in its 
rainforests between 1990 and 2016, due in part to 
the incursion of criminal networks into protected 
areas. 
(9) On March 24, 2021, the Senate unani-
mously approved Senate Resolution 22 (117th Con-
gress), reaffirming the partnership between the 
United States and the Republic of Ecuador, and rec-
ognizing the restoration and advancement of eco-
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nomic relations, security, and development opportu-
nities in both nations. 
(10) On August 13, 2021, the United States 
and Ecuador celebrated the entry into force of the 
Protocol to the Trade and Investment Council 
Agreement between the Government of the United 
States of America and the Government of the Re-
public of Ecuador Relating to Trade Rules and 
Transparency, recognizing the steps Ecuador has 
taken to decrease unnecessary regulatory burden 
and create a more transparent and predictable legal 
framework for foreign direct investment in recent 
years. 
SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
It is the sense of Congress that— 
(1) the United States should take additional 
steps to strengthen its bilateral partnership with Ec-
uador, including by developing robust trade and in-
vestment frameworks, increasing law enforcement 
cooperation, renewing the activities of the United 
States Agency for International Development in Ec-
uador, and supporting Ecuador’s response to and re-
covery from the COVID–19 pandemic, as necessary 
and appropriate; and 
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(2) strengthening the United States-Ecuador 
partnership presents an opportunity to advance core 
United States national security interests and work 
with other democratic partners to maintain a pros-
perous, politically stable, and democratic Western 
Hemisphere that is resilient to malign foreign influ-
ence. 
SEC. 4. FACILITATING ECONOMIC AND COMMERCIAL TIES. 
The Secretary of State, in coordination with the Sec-
retary of Commerce, the United States Trade Representa-
tive, the Secretary of the Treasury, and the heads of other 
relevant Federal departments and agencies, as appro-
priate, shall develop and implement a strategy to strength-
en commercial and economic ties between the United 
States and Ecuador by— 
(1) promoting cooperation and information 
sharing to encourage awareness of and increase 
trade and investment opportunities between the 
United States and Ecuador; 
(2) supporting efforts by the Government of 
Ecuador to promote a more open, transparent, and 
competitive business environment, including by low-
ering trade barriers, implementing policies to reduce 
trading times, and improving efficiencies to expedite 
customs operations for importers and exporters of 
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all sizes, in all sectors, and at all entry ports in Ec-
uador; 
(3) establishing frameworks or mechanisms to 
review the long term financial sustainability and se-
curity implications of foreign investments in Ecua-
dor in strategic sectors or services; 
(4) establishing competitive and transparent in-
frastructure project selection and procurement proc-
esses in Ecuador that promote transparency, open 
competition, financial sustainability, and robust ad-
herence to global standards and norms; 
(5) developing programs to help the Govern-
ment of Ecuador improve efficiency and trans-
parency 
in 
customs 
administration, 
including 
through support for the Government of Ecuador’s 
ongoing efforts to digitize its customs process and 
accept electronic documents required for the import, 
export, and transit of goods under specific inter-
national standards, as well as related training to ex-
pedite customs, security, efficiency, and competitive-
ness; 
(6) spurring digital transformation that would 
advance— 
(A) the provision of digitized government 
services with the greatest potential to improve 
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transparency, lower business costs, and expand 
citizens’ access to public services and public in-
formation; 
(B) the provision of transparent and af-
fordable access to the internet and digital infra-
structure; and 
(C) best practices to mitigate the risks to 
digital infrastructure by doing business with 
communication networks and communications 
supply chains with equipment and services from 
companies with close ties to or susceptible to 
pressure from governments or security services 
without reliable legal checks on governmental 
powers; and 
(7) identifying, as appropriate, a role for the 
United States International Development Finance 
Corporation, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, 
the United States Agency for International Develop-
ment, and the United States private sector in sup-
porting efforts to increase private sector investment 
and strengthen economic prosperity. 
SEC. 5. PROMOTING INCLUSIVE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. 
The Administrator of the United States Agency for 
International Development, in coordination with the Sec-
retary of State and the heads of other relevant Federal 
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departments and agencies, as appropriate, shall develop 
and implement a strategy and related programs to support 
inclusive economic development across Ecuador’s national 
territory by— 
(1) facilitating increased access to public and 
private financing, equity investments, grants, and 
market analysis for small and medium-sized busi-
nesses; 
(2) providing technical assistance to local gov-
ernments to formulate and enact local development 
plans that invest in Indigenous and Afro-Ecuadorian 
communities; 
(3) connecting rural agricultural networks, in-
cluding Indigenous and Afro-Ecuadorian agricultural 
networks, to consumers in urban centers and export 
markets, including through infrastructure construc-
tion and maintenance programs that are subject to 
audits and carefully designed to minimize potential 
environmental harm; 
(4) partnering with local governments, the pri-
vate sector, and local civil society organizations, in-
cluding 
organizations 
representing 
marginalized 
communities and faith-based organizations, to pro-
vide skills training and investment in support of ini-
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tiatives that provide economically viable, legal alter-
natives to participating in illegal economies; and 
(5) connecting small scale fishing enterprises to 
consumers and export markets, in order to reduce 
vulnerability to organized criminal networks. 
SEC. 6. COMBATING ILLICIT ECONOMIES, CORRUPTION, 
AND NEGATIVE FOREIGN INFLUENCE. 
The Secretary of State shall develop and implement 
a strategy and related programs to increase the capacity 
of Ecuador’s justice system and law enforcement authori-
ties to combat illicit economies, corruption, transnational 
criminal organizations, and the harmful influence of ma-
lign foreign and domestic actors by— 
(1) providing technical assistance and support 
to specialized units within the Attorney General’s of-
fice to combat corruption and to promote and pro-
tect internationally recognized human rights in Ec-
uador, including the Transparency and Anti-Corrup-
tion Unit, the Anti-Money Laundering Unit, the 
Task Force to Combat Corruption in Central Amer-
ica, and the Environmental Crimes Unit; 
(2) strengthening bilateral assistance and com-
plementary support through multilateral anti-corrup-
tion mechanisms, as necessary and appropriate, to 
counter corruption and recover assets derived from 
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corruption, including through strengthening inde-
pendent inspectors general to track and reduce cor-
ruption; 
(3) improving the technical capacity of prosecu-
tors and financial institutions in Ecuador to combat 
corruption by— 
(A) detecting and investigating suspicious 
financial transactions, and conducting asset for-
feitures and criminal analysis; and 
(B) combating money laundering, financial 
crimes, and extortion; 
(4) providing technical assistance and material 
support (including, as appropriate, radars, vessels, 
and communications equipment) to vetted specialized 
units of Ecuador’s national police and the armed 
services to disrupt, degrade, and dismantle organiza-
tions 
involved 
in 
illicit 
narcotics 
trafficking, 
transnational criminal activities, illicit mining, and 
illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing, among 
other illicit activities; 
(5) providing technical assistance to address 
challenges related to Ecuador’s penitentiary and cor-
rections system; 
(6) strengthening the regulatory framework of 
mining through collaboration with key Ecuadorian 
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institutions, such as the Interior Ministry’s Special 
Commission for the Control of Illegal Mining and 
the National Police’s Investigative Unit on Mining 
Crimes, and providing technical assistance in sup-
port of their law enforcement activities; 
(7) providing technical assistance to judges, 
prosecutors, and ombudsmen to increase capacity to 
enforce laws against human smuggling and traf-
ficking, illicit mining, illegal logging, illegal, unregu-
lated, and unreported (IUU) fishing, and other illicit 
economic activities; 
(8) providing support to the Government of Ec-
uador to prevent illegal, unreported, and unregulated 
fishing, including through expanding detection and 
response capabilities, and the use of dark vessel 
tracing technology; 
(9) supporting multilateral efforts to stem ille-
gal, unreported, and unregulated fishing with neigh-
boring countries in South America and within the 
South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management 
Organisation; 
(10) assisting the Government of Ecuador’s ef-
forts to protect defenders of internationally recog-
nized human rights, including through the work of 
the Office of the Ombudsman of Ecuador, and by 
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encouraging the inclusion of Indigenous and Afro- 
Ecuadorian communities and civil society organiza-
tions in this process; 
(11) supporting efforts to improve trans-
parency, uphold accountability, and build capacity 
within the Office of the Comptroller General; 
(12) enhancing the institutional capacity and 
technical capabilities of defense and security institu-
tions of Ecuador to conduct national or regional se-
curity missions, including through regular bilateral 
and multilateral cooperation, foreign military financ-
ing, international military education, and training 
programs, consistent with applicable Ecuadorian 
laws and regulations; 
(13) enhancing port management and maritime 
security partnerships to disrupt, degrade, and dis-
mantle transnational criminal networks and facili-
tate the legitimate flow of people, goods, and serv-
ices; and 
(14) strengthening cybersecurity cooperation— 
(A) to effectively respond to cybersecurity 
threats, including state-sponsored threats; 
(B) to share best practices to combat such 
threats; 
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(C) to help develop and implement infor-
mation architectures that respect individual pri-
vacy rights and reduce the risk that data col-
lected through such systems will be exploited by 
malign state and non-state actors; 
(D) 
to 
strengthen 
resilience 
against 
cyberattacks, misinformation, and propaganda; 
and 
(E) to strengthen the resilience of critical 
infrastructure. 
SEC. 7. STRENGTHENING DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE. 
(a) STRENGTHENING DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE.— 
The Secretary of State, in coordination with the Adminis-
trator of the United States Agency for International De-
velopment, should develop and implement initiatives to 
strengthen democratic governance in Ecuador by sup-
porting— 
(1) measures to improve the capacity of na-
tional and subnational government institutions to 
govern through transparent, inclusive, and demo-
cratic processes; 
(2) efforts that measurably enhance the capac-
ity of political actors and parties to strengthen 
democratic institutions and the rule of law; 
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(3) initiatives to strengthen democratic govern-
ance, including combating political, administrative, 
and judicial corruption and improving transparency 
of the administration of public budgets; and 
(4) the efforts of civil society organizations and 
independent media— 
(A) to conduct oversight of the Govern-
ment of Ecuador and the National Assembly of 
Ecuador; 
(B) to promote initiatives that strengthen 
democratic governance, anti-corruption stand-
ards, and public and private sector trans-
parency; and 
(C) to foster political engagement between 
the Government of Ecuador, including the Na-
tional Assembly of Ecuador, and all parts of 
Ecuadorian society, including women, indige-
nous communities, and Afro-Ecuadorian com-
munities. 
(b) LEGISLATIVE STRENGTHENING.—The Adminis-
trator of the United States Agency for International De-
velopment, working through the Consortium for Elections 
and Political Process Strengthening or any equivalent or 
successor mechanism, shall develop and implement pro-
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