Title: Caribbean Basin Security Initiative Authorization Act
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
Caribbean Basin Security Initiative Authorization Act
This bill authorizes the allocation of certain funds for purposes related to the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative, requires the Department of State to develop a strategy for prioritizing efforts to increase disaster response and resilience in the Caribbean, and establishes monitoring and reporting requirements.
Funds for carrying out the initiative shall be used for purposes that include (1) promoting citizen safety, security, and the rule of law in the Caribbean; (2) prioritizing efforts to combat corruption; and (3) promoting the rule of law in the Caribbean and countering influence from authoritarian regimes.
The State Department shall develop a strategy that incorporates specific, measurable benchmarks demonstrating a prioritization of efforts to increase disaster response and resilience through carrying out specified coordination, resilience, and preparedness programs in beneficiary countries. The State Department must also submit an implementation plan that includes a timeline and stated objectives for such actions to be taken.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4133 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4133

     To authorize appropriations for the Caribbean Basin Security 
 Initiative, enhance the United States-Caribbean security partnership, 
        prioritize disaster resilience, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 24, 2021

  Mr. Espaillat (for himself, Mr. Green of Tennessee, Mr. Meeks, Mr. 
    McCaul, and Mr. Sires) introduced the following bill; which was 
              referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To authorize appropriations for the Caribbean Basin Security 
 Initiative, enhance the United States-Caribbean security partnership, 
        prioritize disaster resilience, 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 ``Caribbean Basin Security Initiative 
Authorization Act''.

SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE CARIBBEAN BASIN 
              SECURITY INITIATIVE.

    (a) Authorization.--There is authorized to be appropriated 
$74,800,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2026 to carry out the 
Caribbean Basin Security Initiative to achieve the purposes described 
in subsection (b).
    (b) Purposes.--The purposes described in this subsection are the 
following:
            (1) To promote citizen safety, security, and the rule of 
        law in the Caribbean through increased strategic engagement 
        with the governments of beneficiary countries and with elements 
        of local civil society, including the private sector, in such 
        countries.
            (2) To carry out the promotion of such safety, security, 
        and the rule of law through efforts including the following:
                    (A) Capacity building for law enforcement and 
                military units, including professionalization, anti-
                corruption and human rights training, vetting, and 
                community-based policing.
                    (B) Maritime and aerial security cooperation, 
                including assistance to strengthen Caribbean maritime 
                and aerial interdiction operations capability and the 
                provision of support systems and equipment, training, 
                and maintenance.
                    (C) Border and port security cooperation, including 
                support to strengthen capacity for screening and to 
                intercept narcotics, weapons, bulk cash, and other 
                contraband at airports and seaports.
                    (D) Support for justice sector reform and 
                strengthening of the rule of law, including capacity 
                building for prosecutors, judges, and other justice 
                officials, and support to increase the efficacy of 
                criminal courts.
                    (E) Cybersecurity and cybercrime cooperation, 
                including capacity-building and support for 
                cybersecurity systems.
                    (F) Countering transnational criminal organizations 
                and local gang activity, including capacity-building, 
                equipment, and support for operations targeting the 
                finances and illegal activities of transnational 
                criminal networks and local gangs such as their 
                recruitment of at-risk youth, and the provision of 
                assistance to populations vulnerable to being victims 
                of extortion and crime by criminal networks.
                    (G) Strengthening special prosecutorial offices and 
                providing technical assistance to combat corruption, 
                money laundering, financial crimes, extortion, and 
                human rights crimes, and conduct asset forfeitures and 
                criminal analysis.
                    (H) Strengthening the ability of the security 
                sector to respond to and become more resilient in the 
                face of natural disasters, including by carrying out 
                training exercises to ensure critical infrastructure 
                and ports are able to come back online rapidly 
                following disasters and providing preparedness training 
                to police and first responders.
                    (I) Supporting training for civilian police and 
                appropriate security services in criminal 
                investigations, best practices for citizen security, 
                and the protection of human rights.
                    (J) Improving community and law enforcement 
                cooperation to improve effectiveness and 
                professionalism of police and increase mutual trust.
                    (K) Increasing economic opportunities for at-risk 
                youth and vulnerable populations, including workforce 
                development training and remedial education programs 
                for at-risk youth.
                    (L) Improving juvenile justice sectors through 
                regulatory reforms, separating youth from traditional 
                prison systems, and improving support and services in 
                juvenile detention centers.
            (3) To prioritize efforts to combat corruption and include 
        anti-corruption components to programs, including by--
                    (A) strengthening national justice systems and 
                attorneys general and supporting independent media and 
                investigative reporting;
                    (B) supporting multilateral anti-corruption 
                mechanisms; and
                    (C) encouraging cooperative agreements between the 
                Department of State, other relevant Federal departments 
                and agencies, and the attorneys general of relevant 
                countries to fight corruption in the Caribbean.
            (4) To promote the rule of law in the Caribbean and counter 
        malign influence from authoritarian regimes, including China 
        and Russia, by:
                    (A) Monitoring security assistance from 
                authoritarian regimes and taking steps necessary to 
                ensure that this assistance does not undermine or 
                jeopardize U.S. security assistance.
                    (B) Evaluating and, as appropriate, restricting 
                United States involvement in investment and 
                infrastructure projects financed by authoritarian 
                regimes that might obstruct or otherwise impact United 
                States security assistance to beneficiary countries.
                    (C) Monitoring and restricting equipment and 
                support from high risk vendors for telecommunications 
                infrastructure in beneficiary countries.
                    (D) Countering disinformation by promoting 
                transparency and accountability from beneficiary 
                countries.
                    (E) Eliminating corruption linked to investment and 
                infrastructure facilitated by authoritarian regimes 
                through support for investment screening, competitive 
                tendering and bidding processes, the implementation of 
                investment law, and contractual transparency.
            (5) To promote strategic engagement with the governments of 
        beneficiary countries through effective branding and messaging 
        of United States assistance and security cooperation, including 
        by developing a public diplomacy strategy for educating 
        citizens of beneficiary countries about United States 
        assistance and security cooperation programs and benefits.

SEC. 3. STRATEGY TO IMPROVE DISASTER RESILIENCE.

    (a) Prioritization.--During the 5-year period beginning on the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall, in 
consultation with the Administrator of the United States Agency for 
International Development and the President and Chief Executive Officer 
of the Inter-American Foundation, prioritize efforts to increase 
disaster response and resilience by carrying out programs in 
beneficiary countries for the following purposes:
            (1) Encouraging coordination between beneficiary countries 
        and relevant Federal departments and agencies to provide 
        expertise and information sharing.
            (2) Supporting sharing of best practices on disaster 
        resilience including constructing resilient infrastructure and 
        rebuilding after natural disasters.
            (3) Improving rapid-response mechanisms and cross-
        government organizational preparedness for natural disasters.
    (b) Strategy.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall, in coordination 
with the Administrator of the United States Agency for International 
Development and in consultation with the President and Chief Economic 
Officer of the Inter-American Foundation, submit to the appropriate 
congressional committees a strategy that incorporates specific, 
measurable benchmarks to achieve the purposes described in subsection 
(a) and to inform citizens of beneficiary countries about the extent 
and benefits of United States assistance to such countries. In 
developing such strategy, the Secretary of State shall also consult 
with nongovernmental organizations in beneficiary countries and in the 
United States.
    (c) Annual Progress Update.--The Secretary, in coordination with 
the Administrator, shall annually submit to the appropriate 
congressional committees a written description of the progress made as 
of the date of such submission in meeting the benchmarks included in 
the strategy submitted pursuant to subsection (b).

SEC. 4. MONITORING AND REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.

    Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the Secretary of State, in coordination with the Administrator of 
the United States Agency for International Development, shall submit to 
the appropriate congressional committees an implementation plan that 
includes a timeline and stated objectives for actions to be taken with 
respect to the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative. The plan shall also 
include the following elements:
            (1) A multi-year strategy with a timeline, overview of 
        objectives, and anticipated outcomes for the region and for 
        each beneficiary country, with respect to each program area 
        described in section 2.
            (2) Specific, measurable benchmarks to track the progress 
        of the Initiative towards accomplishing the outcomes described 
        pursuant to paragraph (1).
            (3) A plan for the delineation of the roles to be carried 
        out by the Department of State, the United States Agency for 
        International Development, the Department of Justice, the 
        Department of Defense, and any other Federal department or 
        agency in carrying out the Initiative, to prevent overlap and 
        unintended competition between activities and resources.
            (4) A plan to coordinate and track all activities carried 
        out under the Initiative between all relevant Federal 
        departments and agencies, in accordance with the publication 
        requirements described in section 4 of the Foreign Aid 
        Transparency and Accountability Act of 2016 (Public Law 114-
        191; 22 U.S.C. 2394c).
            (5) The results achieved during the previous year--
                    (A) of monitoring and evaluation measures to track 
                the progress of the Initiative in accomplishing the 
                benchmarks included pursuant to paragraph (2); and
                    (B) of the implementation of the strategy and plans 
                described in paragraphs (1), (3), and (4).
            (6) A description of the process for co-locating Caribbean 
        Basin Security Initiative projects funded by the United States 
        Agency for International Development and the Bureau of 
        International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs of the 
        Department of State, to ensure that crime prevention funding 
        and enforcement funding are used in the same localities as 
        necessary.

SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) 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.
            (2) Beneficiary countries.--The term ``beneficiary 
        countries'' means the beneficiary countries of the Caribbean 
        Basin Security Initiative.
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