Foreign Prison Conditions Improvement Act of 2013

Bill: 113-s-657
Sponsor: Sen. Leahy, Patrick J. [D-VT]
Introduced: 2013-03-22 in the Senate
Policy area: International Affairs
Subjects: Congressional oversight
Correctional facilities and imprisonment
Department of State
Detention of persons
Diplomacy, foreign officials, Americans abroad
Federal officials
Foreign aid and international relief
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Government information and archives
Human rights
Sanctions

Summary:
action_date: 2013-03-22
text: 
Foreign Prison Conditions Improvement Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of State to report annually to Congress for 6 years describing prison and detention facility conditions in at least 30 countries receiving U.S. assistance or under U.S. sanction selected as a result of the Secretary's determination that such conditions raise the most serious human rights or humanitarian concerns.
 
Urges the Secretary and the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to provide assistance to eliminate inhumane conditions in prisons and other detention facilities. Prohibits such funds from being used to construct new prisons.
 
Directs the Secretary to enter into negotiations to achieve the purposes of this Act with a government listed in the report as not making significant compliance efforts. Authorizes the Secretary and the Administrator to restructure or reduce U.S. assistance to such government in order to achieve such purposes.
 
Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish within the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor a full-time equivalent Deputy Assistant Secretary level position to advance the purposes of this Act; and (2) provide training for Foreign Service officers in assessing foreign prison and detention facility conditions.

action_date: 2013-11-14
text: 

(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

 
Foreign Prison Conditions Improvement Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of State to report annually to Congress for 6 years describing prison and detention facility conditions in at least 30 countries receiving U.S. assistance or under U.S. sanction selected as a result of the Secretary's determination that such conditions raise the most serious human rights or humanitarian concerns.
 
Urges the Secretary and the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to provide assistance to eliminate inhumane conditions in prisons and other detention facilities. Prohibits such funds from being used to construct new prisons.
 
Directs the Secretary to enter into negotiations to achieve the purposes of this Act with a government listed in the report as not making significant compliance efforts. Authorizes the Secretary and the Administrator to restructure or reduce U.S. assistance to such government in order to achieve such purposes.
 
Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish within the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor a full-time equivalent Deputy Assistant Secretary level position to advance the purposes of this Act; and (2) provide training for Foreign Service officers in assessing foreign prison and detention facility conditions.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2013-11-14
text: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 246.
action_date: 2013-11-14
text: Committee on Foreign Relations. Reported by Senator Menendez without amendment. Without written report.
action_date: 2013-11-14
text: Committee on Foreign Relations. Reported by Senator Menendez without amendment. Without written report.
action_date: 2013-04-16
text: Committee on Foreign Relations. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
action_date: 2013-03-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
action_date: 2013-03-22
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S2335-2336)
action_date: 2013-03-22
text: Introduced in Senate