I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 5570 
To establish and implement a multi-year Legal Gold and Mining Partnership 
Strategy to reduce the negative environmental and social impacts of 
illicit gold mining in the Western Hemisphere, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 19, 2023 
Mr. MILLS (for himself and Ms. KAMLAGER-DOVE) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in ad-
dition to the Committee on Financial Services, for a period to be subse-
quently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To establish and implement a multi-year Legal Gold and 
Mining Partnership Strategy to reduce the negative envi-
ronmental and social impacts of illicit gold mining in 
the Western Hemisphere, 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 ‘‘United States Legal 
Gold and Mining Partnership Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress makes the following findings: 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:33 Sep 21, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5570.IH
H5570
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
(1) The illicit mining, trafficking, and commer-
cialization of gold in the Western Hemisphere— 
(A) negatively affects the region’s economic 
and social dynamics; 
(B) strengthens transnational criminal or-
ganizations and other international illicit actors; 
(C) perpetuates human rights abuses and 
land occupation against indigenous commu-
nities; and 
(D) can cause significant environmental 
destruction. 
(2) A lack of economic opportunities, corrup-
tion, and the weak rule of law promote illicit activi-
ties, such as illicit gold mining, which increases the 
vulnerability of individuals in mining areas, includ-
ing indigenous communities, who have been sub-
jected to trafficking in persons, other human rights 
abuses, and population displacement in relation to 
mining activity, particularly in the artisanal and 
small-scale mining sector. 
(3) Illicit gold mining in Latin America often 
involves and benefits transnational criminal organi-
zations, drug trafficking organizations, terrorist 
groups, and other illegal armed groups that extort 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:33 Sep 21, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5570.IH
H5570
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
miners and enter into illicit partnerships with them 
in order to gain revenue from the illicit activity. 
(4) Illicit gold supply chains are international in 
nature and frequently involve— 
(A) the smuggling of gold and supplies, 
such as mercury; 
(B) trade-based money laundering; and 
(C) other cross-border flows of illicit as-
sets. 
(5) In Latin America, mineral traders and ex-
porters, local processors, and shell companies linked 
to transnational criminal networks and illegally 
armed groups all play a key role in the trafficking, 
laundering, and commercialization of illicit gold from 
the region. 
(6) According to a report on illegally mined 
Gold in Latin America by the Global Initiative 
Against Transnational Organized Crime— 
(A) more than 70 percent of the gold 
mined in several Latin American countries, 
such as Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, is mined 
through illicit means; and 
(B) about 80 percent of the gold mined in 
Venezuela is mined through illicit means and a 
large percentage of such gold is sold— 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:33 Sep 21, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5570.IH
H5570
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
(i) to Mibiturven, a joint venture op-
erated by the Maduro regime composed of 
Minerven, a gold processor that has been 
designated by the Office of Foreign Assets 
Control of the Department of the Treas-
ury, pursuant to Executive Order 13850 
(relating to blocking property of additional 
persons contributing to the situation in 
Venezuela), and Marilyns Proje Yatirim, 
S.A., a Turkish company; or 
(ii) through other trafficking and 
commercialization networks from which the 
Maduro regime benefits financially. 
(7) Illegal armed groups and foreign terrorist 
organizations, such as the Eje´rcito de Liberacio´n 
Nacional (National Liberation Army—ELN), work 
with transnational criminal organizations in Ven-
ezuela that participate in the illicit mining, traf-
ficking, and commercialization of gold. 
(8) Transnational criminal organizations based 
in Venezuela, such as El Tren de Aragua, have ex-
panded their role in the illicit mining, trafficking, 
and commercialization of gold to increase their 
criminal profits. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:33 Sep 21, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5570.IH
H5570
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
(D) the Committee on Financial Services 
of the House of Representatives . 
(2) ARTISANAL
AND
SMALL-SCALE
MINING; 
ASM.—The terms ‘‘artisanal and small-scale mining’’ 
and ‘‘ASM’’ refer to a form of mining common in 
the developing world that— 
(A) ranges from employing rudimentary, 
simple, and low-cost extractive technologies and 
manual labor-intensive techniques to being 
highly mechanized, using large earth-moving 
equipment and high through-put processing 
centers; 
(B) is frequently subject to limited regula-
tion; and 
(C) often features harsh and dangerous 
working conditions. 
(3) ILLICIT ACTORS.—The term ‘‘illicit actors’’ 
includes— 
(A) any person included on any list of— 
(i) United States-designated foreign 
terrorist organizations; 
(ii) specially designated global terror-
ists (as defined in section 594.310 of title 
31, Code of Federal Regulations); 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:33 Sep 21, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5570.IH
H5570
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
(iii) significant foreign narcotics traf-
fickers (as defined in section 808 of the 
Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation 
Act (21 U.S.C. 1907); or 
(iv) blocked persons, as maintained by 
the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the 
Department of the Treasury; and 
(B) drug trafficking organizations. 
(4) KEY
STAKEHOLDERS.—The term ‘‘key 
stakeholders’’ means private sector organizations, in-
dustry representatives, and civil society groups that 
represent communities in areas affected by illicit 
mining and trafficking of gold, including indigenous 
groups, that are committed to the implementation of 
the Legal Gold and Mining Partnership Strategy. 
(5) LEGAL
GOLD
AND
MINING
PARTNERSHIP 
STRATEGY; STRATEGY.—The terms ‘‘Legal Gold and 
Mining Partnership Strategy’’ and ‘‘Strategy’’ mean 
the strategy developed pursuant to section 4. 
(6) RELEVANT
FEDERAL
DEPARTMENTS
AND 
AGENCIES.—The term ‘‘relevant Federal depart-
ments and agencies’’ means— 
(A) the Department of State; 
(B) the Department of the Treasury; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:33 Sep 21, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00007
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5570.IH
H5570
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
(C) the Department of Homeland Security, 
including U.S. Customs and Border Protection 
and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforce-
ment; 
(D) the Department of Justice, including 
the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the 
Drug Enforcement Administration; 
(E) the Department of the Interior; 
(F) the United States Agency for Inter-
national Development; and 
(G) other Federal agencies designated by 
the President. 
SEC. 4. LEGAL GOLD AND MINING PARTNERSHIP STRAT-
EGY. 
(a) STRATEGY REQUIRED.—The Secretary of State, 
in coordination with the heads of relevant Federal depart-
ments and agencies, shall develop a comprehensive, multi- 
year strategy, which shall be known as the Legal Gold and 
Mining Partnership Strategy (referred to in this section 
as the ‘‘Strategy’’), to combat illicit gold mining in the 
Western Hemisphere. 
(b) ELEMENTS.—The Strategy shall include policies, 
programs, and initiatives— 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:33 Sep 21, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00008
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5570.IH
H5570
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
(1) to interrupt the linkages between ASM and 
illicit actors that profit from ASM in the Western 
Hemisphere; 
(2) to deter ASM in protected indigenous land 
and environmentally protected areas, such as na-
tional parks and conservation zones, to prevent min-
ing-related contamination of ancestral indigenous 
land and critical natural resources, such as water re-
sources, soil, tropical forests, and other flora and 
fauna, and aerosol contamination linked to detri-
mental health impacts; 
(3) to counter the financing and enrichment of 
actors involved in the illicit mining, trafficking, and 
commercialization of gold, and the abetting of their 
activities by— 
(A) promoting the exercise of due diligence 
and the use of responsible sourcing methods in 
the purchase and trade of ASM; 
(B) preventing and prohibiting foreign per-
sons who control commodity trading chains 
linked to illicit actors from enjoying the benefits 
of access to the territory, markets or financial 
system of the United States, and halting any 
such ongoing activity by such foreign persons; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:33 Sep 21, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00009
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5570.IH
H5570
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
(C) combating related impunity afforded to 
illicit actors by building the capacity of inves-
tigative and anti-corruption offices and address-
ing corruption in government institutions; and 
(D) supporting the capacity of financial in-
telligence units, customs agencies, and other 
government institutions focused on anti-money 
laundering initiatives and combating the financ-
ing of criminal activities and terrorism to exer-
cise oversight consistent with the threats posed 
by illicit gold mining; 
(4) to build the capacity of foreign civilian law 
enforcement institutions in the Western Hemisphere 
to effectively counter— 
(A) linkages between illicit gold mining, il-
licit actors, money laundering, and other finan-
cial crimes, including trade-based money laun-
dering; 
(B) linkages between illicit gold mining, il-
licit actors, trafficking in persons, and forced or 
coerced labor, including sex work and child 
labor; 
(C) the cross-border trafficking of illicit 
gold, and the mercury, cyanide, explosives, and 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:33 Sep 21, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00010
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5570.IH
H5570
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
other hazardous materials used in illicit gold 
mining; and 
(D) surveillance and investigation of illicit 
and related activities that are related to or are 
indicators of illicit gold mining activities; 
(5) to ensure the successful implementation of 
the existing Memoranda of Understanding signed 
with the Governments of Peru and of Colombia in 
2017 and 2018, respectively, to expand bilateral co-
operation to combat illicit gold mining; 
(6) to work with governments in the Western 
Hemisphere, bolster the effectiveness of anti-money 
laundering efforts to combat the financing of illicit 
actors in Latin America and the Caribbean and 
counter the laundering of proceeds related to illicit 
gold mining by— 
(A) fostering international and regional co-
operation and facilitating intelligence sharing, 
as appropriate, to identify and disrupt financial 
flows related to the illicit gold mining, traf-
ficking, and commercialization of gold and 
other minerals and illicit metals; and 
(B) supporting the formulation of strate-
gies to ensure the compliance of reporting insti-
tutions involved in the mining sector and to 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:33 Sep 21, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00011
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5570.IH
H5570
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
promote transparency in mining-sector trans-
actions; 
(7) to support foreign government efforts— 
(A) to increase regulations of the ASM sec-
tor; 
(B) to facilitate licensing and formalization 
processes for ASM miners; 
(C) to create and implement environmental 
safeguards to reduce the negative environmental 
impact of mining on sensitive ecosystems; and 
(D) to develop mechanisms to support reg-
ulated artisanal mining as a job growth area; 
(8) to engage the mining industry to encourage 
the building of technical expertise in best practices, 
environmental safeguards, and access to new tech-
nologies; 
(9) to support the establishment of gold com-
modity supply chain due diligence, responsible 
sourcing, tracing and tracking capacities, and stand-
ards-compliant commodity certification systems in 
countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, in-
cluding efforts recommended in the OECD Due Dili-
gence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of 
Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High Risk 
Areas, Third Edition (2016); 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:33 Sep 21, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00012
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5570.IH
H5570
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
(10) to engage with civil society, including the 
indigenous communities that are directly impacted, 
to reduce the negative environmental impacts of 
ASM, particularly— 
(A) the use of mercury in preliminary re-
fining and in extracting gold; 
(B) the destruction of tropical forests; 
(C) the construction of illegal and unregu-
lated dams and the resulting valley floods; 
(D) the pollution of water resources and 
soil; and 
(E) the release of dust, which can contain 
toxic chemicals and heavy metals that can cause 
severe health problems; 
(11) to aid and encourage ASM miners— 
(A) to formalize their business activities, 
including through skills training, technical and 
business assistance, and access to financing, 
loans, and credit; 
(B) to utilize environmentally safe and sus-
tainable mining practices, including by scaling 
up the use of mercury-free gold refining and ex-
tracting technologies, and mining methods and 
technologies that do not result in deforestation, 
forest destruction, air pollution, water and soil- 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:33 Sep 21, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00013
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5570.IH
H5570
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
contamination, and other negative environ-
mental impacts associated with ASM; 
(C) to reduce the costs associated with for-
malization and compliance with mining regula-
tions; 
(D) to fully break away from the influence 
of illicit actors who leverage the control of terri-
tory and use violence to extort miners and push 
them into illicit arrangements; 
(E) to adopt and utilize environmentally 
safe and sustainable mining practices, includ-
ing— 
(i) mercury-free gold refining and ex-
tracting technologies; and 
(ii) extractive techniques that do not 
result in— 
(I) forest clearance and water 
contamination; or 
(II) the release of dust or uncon-
trolled tailings containing toxic chemi-
cals; 
(F) to pursue alternative livelihoods out-
side the mining sector; and 
(G) to fully access public social services in 
ASM-dependent communities; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:33 Sep 21, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00014
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5570.IH
H5570
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
(12) to support and encourage socioeconomic 
development programs, law enforcement capacity- 
building programs, and support for relevant inter-
national initiatives, including by providing assistance 
to achieve such ends by implementing the Strategy; 
(13) to interrupt the illicit gold trade in Nica-
ragua, including through the use of United States 
punitive measures against the government led by 
President Daniel Ortega and Vice-President Rosario 
Murillo and their collaborators pursuant to Execu-
tive Order 14088 (relating to taking additional steps 
to address the national emergency with respect to 
the situation in Nicaragua), which was issued on Oc-
tober 24, 2022; 
(14) to assist local journalists with investiga-
tions of illicit mining, trafficking, and commer-
cialization of gold and its supplies in the Western 
Hemisphere; and 
(15) to promote responsible sourcing and due 
diligence at all levels of gold supply chains. 
(c) CHALLENGES ASSESSED.—The Strategy shall in-
clude an assessment of the challenges posed by, and policy 
recommendations to address— 
(1) linkages between ASM sector production 
and trade, particularly relating to gold, to the activi-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:33 Sep 21, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00015
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5570.IH
H5570
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
ties of illicit actors, including linkages that help to 
finance or enrich such illicit actors or abet their ac-
tivities; 
(2) linkages between illicit or grey market 
trade, and markets in gold and other metals or min-
erals and legal trade and commerce in such commod-
ities, notably with respect to activities that abet the 
entry of such commodities into legal commerce, in-
cluding— 
(A) illicit cross-border trafficking, includ-
ing with respect to goods, persons and illegal 
narcotics; 
(B) money-laundering; 
(C) the financing of illicit actors or their 
activities; and 
(D) the extralegal entry into the United 
States of— 
(i) metals or minerals, whether of 
legal foreign origin or not; and 
(ii) the proceeds of such metals or 
minerals; 
(3) linkages between the illicit mining, traf-
ficking, and commercialization of gold, diamonds, 
and precious metals and stones, and the financial 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:33 Sep 21, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00016
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5570.IH
H5570
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
and political activities of the regime of Nicola´s 
Maduro of Venezuela; 
(4) factors that— 
(A) produce linkages between ASM miners 
and illicit actors, prompting some ASM miners 
to utilize mining practices that are environ-
mentally damaging and unsustainable, notably 
mining or related ore processing practices 
that— 
(i) involve the use of elemental mer-
cury; or 
(ii) result in labor, health, environ-
mental, and safety code infractions and 
workplace hazards; and 
(B) lead some ASM miners to operate in 
the extralegal or poorly regulated informal sec-
tor, and often prevent such miners from im-
proving the socioeconomic status of themselves 
and their families and communities, or hinder 
their ability to formalize their operations, en-
hance their technical and business capacities, 
and access finance of fair market prices for 
their output; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:33 Sep 21, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00017
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5570.IH
H5570
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
(5) mining-related trafficking in persons and 
forced or coerced labor, including sex work and child 
labor; and 
(6) the use of elemental mercury and cyanide in 
ASM operations, including the technical aims and 
scope of such usage and its impact on human health 
and the environment, including flora, fauna, water 
resources, soil, and air quality. 
(d) FOREIGN ASSISTANCE.—The Strategy shall de-
scribe— 
(1) existing foreign assistance programs that 
address elements of the Strategy; and 
(2) additional foreign assistance resources need-
ed to fully implement the Strategy. 
(e) SUBMISSION.—Not later than 180 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall sub-
mit the Strategy to the appropriate congressional commit-
tees. 
(f) BRIEFING.—Not later than 180 days after sub-
mission of the Strategy, and semiannually thereafter for 
the following 3 years, the Secretary of State, or the Sec-
retary’s designee, shall provide a briefing to the appro-
priate congressional committees regarding the implemen-
tation of the strategy, including efforts to leverage inter-
national support and develop a public-private partnership 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:33 Sep 21, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00018
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5570.IH
H5570
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
to build responsible gold value chains with other govern-
ments. 
SEC. 5. CLASSIFIED BRIEFING ON ILLICIT GOLD MINING IN 
VENEZUELA AND NICARAGUA. 
Not later than 90 days after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the Secretary of State, or the Secretary’s 
designee, in coordination with the Director of National In-
telligence, shall provide a classified briefing to the appro-
priate congressional committees, the Select Committee on 
Intelligence of the Senate, and the Permanent Select Com-
mittee on Intelligence of the House of Representatives 
that describes— 
(1) the activities related to illicit gold mining, 
including the illicit mining, trafficking, and commer-
cialization of gold— 
(A) inside Venezuelan territory carried out 
by illicit actors, including defectors from the 
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia 
(FARC) and members of the National Libera-
tion Army (ELN); and 
(B) inside Nicaragua carried out by state- 
owned mining companies such as Empresa 
Nicaraguense de Minas (ENIMINAS); 
(2) Venezuela’s illicit gold trade with foreign 
governments, including the Government of the Re-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:33 Sep 21, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00019
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5570.IH
H5570
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
public of Turkey and the Government of the Islamic 
Republic of Iran; and 
(3) Nicaragua’s illicit gold trade with foreign 
governments, including the Venezuelan regime and 
the Government of Russia. 
SEC. 6. INVESTIGATION OF THE ILLICIT GOLD TRADE IN 
VENEZUELA. 
The Secretary of State, in coordination with the Sec-
retary of the Treasury, the Attorney General, and allied 
and partner governments in the Western Hemisphere, 
shall seek to— 
(1) lead a coordinated international effort to 
carry out financial investigations to identify and 
track assets taken from the people and institutions 
in Venezuela that are linked to money laundering 
and illicit activities, including mining-related activi-
ties, by sharing financial investigations intelligence, 
as appropriate and as permitted by law; and 
(2) provide technical assistance to help eligible 
governments in Latin America establish legislative 
and regulatory frameworks that bolster legal mecha-
nisms to disrupt illicit mining, including by sup-
porting the capacity to impose and effectively imple-
ment targeted sanctions on— 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:33 Sep 21, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00020
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5570.IH
H5570
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
(A) officials of the Maduro regime or any 
successor thereof not installed through free or 
fair elections who are directly engaged in the il-
licit mining, trafficking, and commercialization 
of gold; and 
(B) foreign persons engaged in the laun-
dering of illicit gold assets linked to designated 
terrorist and drug trafficking organizations. 
SEC. 7. LEVERAGING INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT. 
In implementing the Legal Gold and Mining Partner-
ship Strategy pursuant to section 4, the President should 
direct United States representatives accredited to relevant 
multilateral institutions and development banks and 
United States ambassadors in the Western Hemisphere to 
use the influence of the United States to foster inter-
national cooperation to achieve the objectives of this Act, 
including— 
(1) marshaling resources and political support; 
and 
(2) encouraging the development of policies and 
consultation with key stakeholders to accomplish 
such objectives and provisions. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:33 Sep 21, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00021
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5570.IH
H5570
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
SEC. 8. PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP TO BUILD RESPON-
SIBLE GOLD VALUE CHAINS. 
(a) BEST PRACTICES.—The Administrator of the 
United States Agency for International Development (re-
ferred to in this section as the ‘‘Administrator’’), in co-
ordination with the Governments of Colombia, of Ecuador, 
and of Peru, and with other democratically elected govern-
ments in the region, shall consult with the Government 
of Switzerland regarding best practices developed through 
the Swiss Better Gold Initiative, a public-private partner-
ship that aims to improve transparency and traceability 
in the international gold trade. 
(b) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall coordi-
nate with the Governments of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, 
and other democratically elected governments in the re-
gion determined by the Administrator to establish a pub-
lic-private partnership to advance the best practices identi-
fied in subsection (a), including supporting programming 
in participating countries that will— 
(1) support formalization and compliance with 
appropriate environmental and labor standards in 
ASM gold mining; 
(2) increase access to financing for ASM gold 
miners who are taking significant steps to formalize 
their operations and comply with labor and environ-
mental standards; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
02:41 Sep 24, 2023
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00022
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H5570.IH
H5570
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB