Global Malnutrition Prevention and Treatment Act of 2021
Bill: H.R.4693 | Sponsor: Rep. McCaul, Michael T. (R-TX)
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
Global Malnutrition Prevention and Treatment Act of 2021
This act sets out programs and otherwise directs the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to carry out activities to prevent and treat malnutrition globally.
Specifically, USAID may leverage resources to address malnutrition through the Global Nutrition Coordination Plan (an interagency effort to strengthen the impact of U.S. investments in nutrition) and its role on the board of directors of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation. USAID must also select countries based on specified malnutrition-related indicators for purposes of targeting malnutrition prevention and treatment programs and update the selection within five years.
Additionally, USAID may
The act also requires USAID to provide to Congress an implementation plan and annual reports concerning its programs for treating and preventing malnutrition.
The act's provisions terminate seven years after its enactment.

[117th Congress Public Law 214]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



[[Page 2251]]

                     GLOBAL MALNUTRITION PREVENTION 
                        AND TREATMENT ACT OF 2021

[[Page 136 STAT. 2252]]

Public Law 117-214
117th Congress

                                 An Act


 
To advance targeted and evidence-based interventions for the prevention 
and treatment of global malnutrition and to improve the coordination of 
 such programs, and for other purposes. <<NOTE: Oct. 19, 2022 -  [H.R. 
                                4693]>> 

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, <<NOTE: Global 
Malnutrition Prevention and Treatment Act of 2021. 22 USC 9301 note.>> 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Global Malnutrition Prevention and 
Treatment Act of 2021''.
SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF EFFORTS TO PREVENT AND TREAT MALNUTRITION 
                    GLOBALLY.

    (a) In General.--The Administrator, in coordination with the heads 
of other relevant Federal departments and agencies, is authorized and 
encouraged to support efforts to prevent and treat malnutrition 
globally, including by--
            (1) targeting resources and nutrition interventions to 
        support the most vulnerable populations susceptible to severe 
        malnutrition, including children under the age of 5 and pregnant 
        and lactating women;
            (2) increasing coverage, particularly in priority countries, 
        of nutrition interventions that include coordinated deployment 
        of prenatal nutrient supplements, breastfeeding support, vitamin 
        A supplementation, specialized nutritious food products for the 
        treatment of acute malnutrition, and other evidence-based 
        interventions, as appropriate;
            (3) increasing the use of context and country-appropriate 
        fortification of staples and condiments with essential 
        nutrients;
            (4) advancing evidence-based programs and interventions 
        carried out using data-driven approaches, best practices, and 
        targeted to country-specific contexts and needs;
            (5) supporting partner governments to develop policies to 
        prevent and treat malnutrition;
            (6) leveraging investments to strengthen health systems, 
        including to support community health workers to advance 
        improved nutrition outcomes;
            (7) improve diets through safe, affordable, nutritious foods 
        in the food system; and
            (8) ensuring rigorous monitoring and evaluation of such 
        efforts.

    (b) External Coordination Efforts Related to Nutrition Programs.--
The Administrator, in coordination with the heads of other relevant 
Federal departments and agencies, should coordinate, as appropriate, 
with bilateral and multilateral donors, governments

[[Page 136 STAT. 2253]]

of partner countries, United Nations agencies, civil society 
organizations, nongovernmental organizations, including faith-based 
organizations, and the private sector to prevent and treat malnutrition 
globally, including by supporting efforts to--
            (1) build the capacity of local and community-based 
        organizations and governments of partner countries to ensure 
        sustainability of nutrition interventions;
            (2) expand research and innovation to identify and increase 
        effective and evidence-based nutrition interventions based on 
        country-specific contexts;
            (3) improve coordination and structure of supply chains for 
        nutrition interventions;
            (4) expand domestic resource mobilization and domestic 
        financing for nutrition interventions; and
            (5) seek to leverage additional resources and encourage 
        investment into innovative and multi-stakeholder finance 
        partnerships to advance burden sharing in nutrition-related 
        assistance.

    (c) Interagency Efforts.--In carrying out subsections (a) and (b), 
the Administrator, in coordination with the heads of other relevant 
Federal departments and agencies, consistent with the Global Nutrition 
Coordination Plan, shall seek to leverage additional resources to 
prevent and treat malnutrition globally, including by--
            (1) increasing cooperation among relevant Federal 
        departments and agencies represented in the Global Nutrition 
        Coordination Plan to better leverage grants, technical 
        assistance, debt, equity, loan guaranties, and public-private 
        partnerships; and
            (2) utilizing the Administrator's role as a member of the 
        Board of Directors of the United States International 
        Development Finance Corporation to consider opportunities within 
        the Corporation's development impact framework that support 
        improved nutrition outcomes.
SEC. 3. SELECTION OF PRIORITY COUNTRIES.

    (a) In General.--The Administrator, in coordination with the 
Nutrition Leadership Council, shall select foreign countries as priority 
countries for purposes of targeting programs to prevent and treat 
malnutrition globally.
    (b) Criteria.--The selection of priority countries under subsection 
(a) shall be based on the following:
            (1) The prevalence of severe malnutrition among children 
        under the age of 5 and pregnant and lactating women.
            (2) The presence of high-need, underserved, marginalized, 
        vulnerable, or impoverished communities.
            (3) The enabling environment for improved nutrition, 
        including presence of national nutrition plans and demonstration 
        of strong political commitment.
            (4) Any other criteria that the Administrator determines to 
        be appropriate.

    (c) <<NOTE: Deadline.>>  Updates.--The Administrator shall update 
the selection of priority countries under subsection (a) not later than 
5 years after the date of the enactment of this Act.

    (d) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the 
Administrator should continue to undertake nutrition interventions in 
countries not selected as priority countries, particularly

[[Page 136 STAT. 2254]]

in contexts in which opportunities are identified to advance multi-
sectoral development programming and integrate efforts to prevent and 
treat global malnutrition with other priority areas and program 
objectives.
SEC. 4. NUTRITION LEADERSHIP COUNCIL.

    (a) Establishment.--The Administrator is authorized to establish in 
the United States Agency for International Development the Nutrition 
Leadership Council (in this section referred to as the ``Council''), 
which shall coordinate Agency efforts to prevent and treat malnutrition 
globally.
    (b) Duties.--The duties of the Council shall include--
            (1) advancing United States Agency for International 
        Development efforts to prevent and treat malnutrition globally;
            (2) ensuring nutrition interventions, particularly in 
        priority countries, are carried out in close coordination with 
        other relevant United States Government strategies and policies 
        and provisions of law, including--
                    (A) the Global Food Security Act of 2016 (22 U.S.C. 
                9301 et seq.);
                    (B) the Senator Paul Simon Water for the World Act 
                of 2014 (22 U.S.C. 2151 note);
                    (C) the Global Child Thrive Act of 2020 (subtitle I 
                of title XII of division A of Public Law 116-283); and
                    (D) the Global Fragility Act of 2019 (22 U.S.C. 9801 
                et seq.); and
            (3) ensuring nutrition interventions are coordinated with 
        nutrition programs carried out by other relevant Federal 
        departments and agencies.

    (c) Membership.--The Council shall include representatives of the 
following bureaus and independent offices of the United States Agency 
for International Development:
            (1) The Bureau for Global Health.
            (2) The Bureau for Resilience and Food Security.
            (3) The Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance.
            (4) Any other relevant bureau or independent office that the 
        Administrator determines to be appropriate.
SEC. 5. IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.

    (a) <<NOTE: Deadline.>>  In General.--Not later than 260 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator, in 
coordination with the heads of other relevant Federal departments and 
agencies, shall develop and submit to the appropriate congressional 
committees an implementation plan for programs to prevent and treat 
malnutrition globally described in section 2.

    (b) Matters To Be Included.--The implementation plan required by 
subsection (a) shall include the following:
            (1) A description of specific and measurable goals, 
        objectives, and performance metrics with respect to such 
        programs, including clear benchmarks and intended timelines for 
        achieving such goals and objectives.
            (2) A description of monitoring and evaluation plans with 
        respect to such programs, as appropriate.

[[Page 136 STAT. 2255]]

            (3) In priority countries, a description of efforts to 
        ensure that nutrition is adequately addressed in the Country 
        Development Cooperation Strategy to the extent practicable and 
        identify opportunities to expand efforts to prevent and treat 
        malnutrition, including through leveraging existing health and 
        development programs and other ongoing activities.

    (c) Consultation.--The implementation plan required by subsection 
(a) shall be developed in consultation with, as appropriate and to the 
extent possible, representatives of nongovernmental organizations, 
including faith-based organizations, civil society organizations, 
multilateral organizations and donors, relevant private, academic, and 
philanthropic entities, and the appropriate congressional committees.
SEC. 6. REPORT.

    (a) <<NOTE: Time period.>>  In General.--Not later than one year 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for 
5 years, the Administrator shall submit to the appropriate congressional 
committees a report that describes progress made towards preventing and 
treating malnutrition globally.

    (b) <<NOTE: Summaries.>>  Matters To Be Included.--The report 
required by subsection (a) shall include the following:
            (1) A summary of progress made towards achieving the 
        specific and measurable goals, objectives, and performance 
        metrics towards ending global malnutrition.
            (2) In priority countries--
                    (A) a detailed summary of nutrition programs and 
                activities in the previous fiscal year, including a 
                breakdown of the countries to which nutrition resources 
                have been allocated and an estimated number of people 
                reached through nutrition interventions; and
                    (B) an description of the coordination of nutrition 
                programs with other health and development programs and 
                priorities.
            (3) A summary of efforts to expand research and innovation 
        to development and scale up new tools to prevent and treat 
        malnutrition globally.
            (4) <<NOTE: Assessment.>>  An assessment of the 
        collaboration and coordination of nutrition efforts of the 
        United States Agency for International Development with United 
        Nations agencies, the World Bank, other donor governments, host 
        country governments, civil society, and the private sector, as 
        appropriate.
            (5) A description of other donor country and host country 
        financial commitments and efforts to prevent and treat 
        malnutrition.
            (6) An identification of constraints on implementation of 
        programs and activities and lessons learned from programs and 
        activities from the previous fiscal years.

    (c) Inclusion in Other Reports.--The Administrator may include the 
report required by subsection (a) as a component of other 
congressionally mandated reports provided to appropriate congressional 
committees, as appropriate.
SEC. 7. COMPLIANCE WITH THE FOREIGN AID TRANSPARENCY AND 
                    ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 2016.

    Section 2(3) of the Foreign Aid Transparency and Accountability Act 
of 2016 (22 U.S.C. 2394c note) is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (C), by striking ``and'' at the end;

[[Page 136 STAT. 2256]]

            (2) in subparagraph (D), by striking the period at the end 
        and inserting ``; and''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(E) the Global Malnutrition Prevention and 
                Treatment Act of 2021.''.
SEC. 8. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the 
        Administrator of the United States Agency for International 
        Development.
            (2) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
        ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
                    (A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the 
                Committee on Appropriations of the House of 
                Representatives; and
                    (B) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the 
                Committee on Appropriations of the Senate.
            (3) Nutrition leadership council.--The term ``Nutrition 
        Leadership Council'' means Nutrition Leadership Council 
        established by section 4.
            (4) Priority country.--The term ``priority country'' means a 
        foreign country selected under section 3 for purposes of 
        targeting programs to prevent and treat malnutrition globally.
SEC. 9. SUNSET.

    The requirements of this Act and the amendments made by this Act 
shall terminate on the date that is 7 years after the date of the 
enactment of this Act.

    Approved October 19, 2022.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--H.R. 4693:
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CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 168 (2022):
            Apr. 27, considered and passed House.
            Sept. 20, considered and passed Senate.

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