American Values Act

Bill: 117-s-239
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Risch, James E. [R-ID]
Introduced: 2021-02-04
Policy area: International Affairs
Subjects: Abortion

Family planning and birth control

Foreign aid and international relief

Medical research

Peace Corps

Public participation and lobbying

Research administration and funding
Latest action: action_date: 2021-02-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.

Summaries:
action_date: 2021-02-04
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p><b>American Values Act</b></p> <p>This bill expands and makes permanent certain restrictions that prohibit the use of U.S. foreign assistance to pay for the performance or promotion of abortion services overseas.</p> <p>Current law generally prohibits the use of foreign assistance for abortions through language included in appropriations bills. This bill specifically prohibits the use of any funds under the Foreign Assistance Act for (1) abortions or involuntary sterilization as methods of family planning, or (2) biomedical research that relates to these practices as methods of family planning. In addition, the bill makes permanent prohibitions on the use of such funds to (1) lobby for or against abortion, or (2) fund any organization or program that supports or participates in coercive abortion or involuntary sterilization. The bill also makes permanent a prohibition on the use of funds made available to the Peace Corps to pay for abortions.<br /></p>

tv_txt: II 117th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 239 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES February 4, 2021 Mr. Risch (for himself, Mr. Rubio , Mr. Young , Mr. Cruz , and Mr. Paul ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations A BILL To permanently enact certain appropriations Act restrictions on the use of funds for abortions and involuntary sterilizations, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the American Values Act . 2. Permanent enactment of certain general provisions (a) Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 Section 104(f) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 ( 22 U.S.C. 2151b(f) ) is amended to read as follows: (f) Prohibition on use of funds for abortions and involuntary sterilizations None of the funds authorized to be appropriated or otherwise made available to carry out this Act may be made available— (1) to pay for the performance of abortions as a method of family planning or to motivate or coerce any person to practice abortions; (2) to pay for the performance of involuntary sterilization as a method of family planning or to coerce or provide any financial incentive to any person to undergo sterilizations; (3) to pay for biomedical research which relates in whole or in part, to methods of, or the performance of, abortions or involuntary sterilization as a means of family planning; (4) to lobby for or against abortion; or (5) to any organization or program which, as determined by the President, supports or participates in the management of a program of coercive abortion or involuntary sterilization. . (b) Peace Corps Act Section 301(b) of the Peace Corps Act ( 22 U.S.C. 2501a(b) ) is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph: (3) Subject to section 614 of the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, 2014 (division E of Public Law 113–76 ; 128 Stat. 227), none of the funds authorized to be appropriated or otherwise made available to carry out this Act may be used to pay for abortions. .