Title: Women’s Global Empowerment, Development and Prosperity Act of 2020
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
Women's Global Empowerment, Development and Prosperity Act of 2020
This bill provides statutory authority for the Women's Global Empowerment, Development and Prosperity Initiative at the Department of State. The objectives of the initiative shall be to advance women in the workforce, promote women entrepreneurs, and aid women's participation in the global economy.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3301 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3301

   To promote the empowerment, development, and prosperity of women 
                   globally, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 13, 2020

  Mrs. Shaheen (for herself and Mr. Graham) introduced the following 
  bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign 
                               Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To promote the empowerment, development, and prosperity of women 
                   globally, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Women's Global Empowerment, 
Development and Prosperity Act of 2020''.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE WOMEN'S GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT AND PROSPERITY 
              INITIATIVE.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of State shall establish within the 
Office of Women's Empowerment an office for the Women's Global 
Development and Prosperity Initiative (W-GDP) to lead and coordinate 
efforts related to the objectives set forth in subsection (b).
    (b) Objectives.--The W-GDP Initiative should be based on the 
following three pillars:
            (1) Women prospering in the workforce.--Advance women in 
        the workforce by improving access to quality vocational 
        education and skills training, enabling women to secure jobs in 
        their local economies.
            (2) Women succeeding as entrepreneurs.--Promote women's 
        entrepreneurship and increase access to capital, markets, 
        technical assistance, and mentorship.
            (3) Women enabled in the economy.--Identify and reduce the 
        legal, regulatory, and cultural barriers that constrain women's 
        full and free participation in the global economy and promote 
        improved practices.
    (c) Sense of Congress on Enabling Women in the Economy.--It is the 
sense of Congress that, recognizing the breadth of work necessary to 
address the overall enabling environment and supporting efforts related 
to the third pillar set forth under subsection (b)(3), it should be the 
policy of the United States to ensure that the United States Government 
promotes the following five types of foundational legal reforms:
            (1) Accessing institutions.--Lifting barriers that prevent 
        women from fully participating in the workforce, ensuring 
        women's authority to sign legal documents such as contracts and 
        court documents, and addressing unequal access to courts and 
        administrative bodies for women, whether officially, through 
        lack of proper enforcement, or through the unequal access of 
        education that may prevent women's literacy.
            (2) Building credit.--Ensuring women's equal access to 
        credit and capital to start and grow their businesses, and 
        prohibiting discrimination in access to credit on the basis of 
        gender or marital status.
            (3) Owning and managing property.--Lifting restrictions on 
        women's possessing and managing property, including limitations 
        on inheritance and the ability to transfer, purchase, or lease 
        property.
            (4) Traveling freely.--Addressing constraints on women's 
        freedom of movement, including restrictions on obtaining 
        passports on the basis of gender.
            (5) Removing restrictions on employment.--Eliminating 
        barriers that limit working hours, occupations, or tasks on the 
        basis of gender.
    (d) Policy Alignment.--The Women's Global Development and 
Prosperity Initiative shall be closely aligned and coordinated with 
ongoing United States Government efforts to advance women's empowerment 
globally, including requirements under the Women, Peace, and Security 
Act of 2017 (Public Law 115-68) and the Women's Entrepreneurship and 
Economic Empowerment Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-428).

SEC. 3. LEVERAGING UNITED STATES ASSISTANCE.

    The Secretary of State, in coordination with the Ambassador-at-
Large overseeing the Office of Women's Empowerment and the heads of 
relevant Federal agencies, including those set forth in section 5(b), 
may work with the private sector and nongovernmental organizations to 
leverage public and private capital to complement W-GDP Initiative 
programs and related efforts, including financing infrastructure 
investments and supporting capacity building activities, and enter into 
cost-sharing, cost-matching, and other cooperative agreements to 
support and finance such programs.

SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) In General.--There is authorized to be appropriated not less 
than $200,000,000 for fiscal year 2021 and for each fiscal year 
thereafter until 2025 for a W-GDP Fund, established at the United 
States Agency for International Development, with a focus on sourcing 
and scaling the most impactful programs for women's economic 
empowerment and ensuring there is not duplication of effort with other 
departments and agencies.
    (b) Appropriations Requirement.--Funds authorized to be 
appropriated by this section shall only be made available subject to 
the availability of appropriations.
    (c) Oversight.--Funds authorized to be appropriated by this section 
shall be jointly overseen by the United States Agency for International 
Development and the Ambassador described in section 6.

SEC. 5. INTERAGENCY STEERING GROUP.

    (a) Establishment.--The President shall establish a steering group 
(the ``Steering Group''), with representation from appropriate Federal 
departments and agencies, to carry out the policy goals of this Act. 
The President shall designate a chair or co-chairs to lead the 
activities of the Steering Group in coordination with the Ambassador-
at-Large.
    (b) Membership.--The Steering Group shall include representatives 
from--
            (1) the Department of State;
            (2) the Department of the Treasury;
            (3) the Department of Commerce;
            (4) the Department of Labor;
            (5) the Department of Defense;
            (6) the United States Agency for International Development 
        (USAID);
            (7) the Millennium Challenge Corporation;
            (8) the Peace Corps;
            (9) the United States International Development Finance 
        Corporation (DFC);
            (10) the Inter-American Foundation;
            (11) the United States African Development Foundation;
            (12) the components of the executive offices of the 
        President, including the Office of Management and Budget, and 
        the Office of the United States Trade Representative; and
            (13) other Federal agencies, as determined appropriate by 
        guidelines developed by the co-chairs.

SEC. 6. OFFICE OF WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT.

    (a) Establishment.--The Secretary of State shall establish in the 
Office of the Secretary of the Department of State the Office of 
Women's Empowerment. The Office shall be headed by an Ambassador-at-
Large, who shall be appointed by the President, by and with the advice 
and consent of the Senate. The Ambassador shall report directly to the 
Secretary and shall have the rank and status of Ambassador-at-Large.
    (b) Purpose.--In addition to the duties described in this Act and 
duties determined by the Secretary of State, the Ambassador shall 
coordinate efforts of the United States Government as directed by the 
Secretary regarding approaches that promote equality and advance the 
status and development of women and girls in United States foreign 
policy.
    (c) Duties.--
            (1) In general.--The Ambassador shall--
                    (A) direct activities, policies, programs, and 
                funding relating to gender equality and the advancement 
                of women and girls internationally;
                    (B) actively promote and advance the integration of 
                gender analysis into the formulation of policy, 
                programs, structures, process, and capacities 
                throughout the bureaus and offices of the Department of 
                State and in the international programs of other 
                Federal agencies;
                    (C) direct United States Government resources, as 
                appropriate, to respond to needs for promoting gender 
                equality and the empowerment of women in United States 
                Government foreign policies and international programs;
                    (D) design, support, and implement activities 
                regarding--
                            (i) the empowerment of women 
                        internationally, including for the prevention 
                        of and response to gender-based violence 
                        internationally;
                            (ii) the policies and goals of the Women, 
                        Peace, and Security Act of 2017 (Public Law 
                        115-68) and the Women's Entrepreneurship and 
                        Economic Empowerment Act of 2018 (Public Law 
                        115-428);
                            (iii) the Global Women's Development and 
                        Prosperity (W-GDP) Initiative as described in 
                        section 2; and
                            (iv) the reduction of legal, regulatory, 
                        and cultural barriers that constrain women 
                        worldwide;
                    (E) ensure that programs, projects, and activities 
                designed to promote and empower women internationally 
                are subject to rigorous monitoring and evaluation, and 
                oversee the development of indicators and standards for 
                such monitoring and evaluation, with the intent of 
                using these across relevant Federal agencies;
                    (F) partner, consult, and coordinate with other 
                governments, bilateral and multilateral institutions, 
                nongovernmental organizations, and private-sector 
                partners, and represent the United States in diplomatic 
                and multilateral fora as appropriate, to advance the 
                objectives of this Act;
                    (G) serve as the principal advisor to the Secretary 
                of State regarding gender equality, women's 
                empowerment, and gender-based violence as a foreign 
                policy matter; and
                    (H) undertake other relevant duties that the 
                Secretary of State shall determine, as appropriate.
            (2) Information sharing and transparency.--The Office of 
        Women's Empowerment shall--
                    (A) be the central repository of data on all United 
                States programs, projects, and activities that relate 
                to empowering, promoting, including, and advancing 
                women worldwide; and
                    (B) produce a full accounting of United States 
                Government spending on such programs, projects, and 
                activities not later than one year after the date of 
                the enactment of this Act.
    (d) Service of Current Senior Official.--A senior official 
appointed by the President as an Ambassador-at-Large and confirmed by 
the Senate for a position that addresses global women's issues may also 
serve in the Ambassador-at-Large position established under this 
section.

SEC. 7. SENIOR COORDINATOR FOR GENDER EQUALITY AND WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established in the United States 
Agency for International Development the position of Senior Coordinator 
for Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment. The Senior Coordinator 
shall--
            (1) report to the Administrator of the United States Agency 
        for International Development; and
            (2) conduct duties as directed by the Administrator to 
        promote the purposes of this Act.
    (b) In General.--The Senior Coordinator--
            (1) in consultation with the Ambassador-at-Large described 
        in section 6, shall coordinate activities, policies, programs, 
        and funding of the Agency relating to gender equality and 
        women's empowerment;.
            (2) shall actively promote and advance the integration of 
        gender analysis into the programs, structures, processes, and 
        capacities of all bureaus and offices of the Agency as dictated 
        by the Agency's Gender Equality and Female Empowerment Policy;
            (3) may design, support, and implement activities led by 
        the Agency regarding gender equality and women's empowerment, 
        including for the prevention and response to gender-based 
        violence internationally;
            (4) shall serve as the principal advisor to the 
        Administrator on gender equality, women's empowerment, and 
        gender-based violence;
            (5) shall track and analyze monitoring and evaluation data 
        and findings on gender equality and women's empowerment 
        programs of the Agency; and
            (6) shall partner, consult, and coordinate with other 
        governments, bilateral and multilateral institutions, 
        nongovernmental organizations, and private-sector partners to 
        advance the objectives of this Act.

SEC. 8. REPORTING TO CONGRESS.

    (a) Annual Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter until 2025, the 
President shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a 
report that--
            (1) summarizes and evaluates the implementation of United 
        States diplomatic efforts and foreign assistance programs, 
        projects, and activities to advance the policy objectives set 
        forth in section 2;
            (2) describes the nature and extent of the coordination 
        among the relevant departments and agencies;
            (3) describes the monitoring and evaluation tools, 
        mechanisms, and common indicators to assess progress made on 
        the policy objectives of this Act;
            (4) describes partnerships and collaborations with the 
        private sector, including amount of funding leveraged by United 
        States contributions to support the objectives described in 
        section 2; and
            (5) describes partnerships, consultation, and coordination 
        being undertaken with other governments, bilateral and 
        multilateral institutions, and nongovernmental organizations.
    (b) Briefing.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Ambassador and 
Senior Coordinator shall provide to the appropriate congressional 
committees a briefing on barriers preventing gender equality and 
women's inclusion and empowerment worldwide and response strategies, 
programming, and associated outcomes.

SEC. 9. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Agency.--The term ``Agency'' means the United States 
        Agency for International Development.
            (2) Ambassador.--The term ``Ambassador'' means the 
        Ambassador-at-Large overseeing the Office of Women's 
        Empowerment appointed by the President pursuant to section 
        6(a).
            (3) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
        ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
                    (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the 
                Senate;
                    (B) the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate;
                    (C) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House 
                of Representatives; and
                    (D) the Committee on Appropriations of the House of 
                Representatives.
            (4) Gender analysis.--The term ``gender analysis'' refers 
        to the definition as outlined in the Women's Entrepreneurship 
        and Economic Empowerment Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-428), 
        namely to undertake analysis of ``quantitative and qualitative 
        information to identify, understand, and explain gaps between 
        men and women''.
            (5) Office.--The term ``Office'' means the Office of 
        Women's Empowerment established by the Secretary of State 
        pursuant to section 6(a).
            (6) Senior coordinator.--The term ``Senior Coordinator'' 
        means the Senior Coordinator for Gender Equality and Women's 
        Empowerment at the Agency.
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