[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1325 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1325
To establish a partnership with nations in the Western Hemisphere to
promote economic competitiveness, democratic governance, and security,
and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
April 26, 2023
Mr. Risch (for himself and Mr. Menendez) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish a partnership with nations in the Western Hemisphere to
promote economic competitiveness, democratic governance, and security,
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 ``Western Hemisphere Partnership Act
of 2023''.
SEC. 2. UNITED STATES POLICY IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE.
It is the policy of the United States to promote economic
competitiveness, democratic governance, and security in the Western
Hemisphere by--
(1) encouraging stronger economic relations, respect for
property rights, the rule of law, and enforceable investment
rules and labor and environmental standards;
(2) advancing the principles and practices expressed in the
Charter of the Organization of American States, the American
Declaration on the Rights and Duties of Man, and the Inter-
American Democratic Charter; and
(3) enhancing the capacity and technical capabilities of
democratic partner nation government institutions, including
civilian law enforcement, the judiciary, attorneys general, and
security forces.
SEC. 3. PROMOTING SECURITY AND THE RULE OF LAW IN THE WESTERN
HEMISPHERE.
(a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the United
States should strengthen security cooperation with democratic partner
nations in the Western Hemisphere to promote a secure hemisphere and to
address the negative impacts of transnational criminal organizations
and malign external state actors.
(b) Collaborative Efforts.--The Secretary of State, in coordination
with the heads of other relevant Federal agencies, should support the
improvement of security conditions and the rule of law in the Western
Hemisphere through collaborative efforts with democratic partners
that--
(1) enhance the institutional capacity and technical
capabilities of defense and security institutions in democratic
partner nations to conduct national or regional security
missions, including through regular bilateral and multilateral
engagements, foreign military sales and financing,
international military education, and training programs, and
other means;
(2) provide technical assistance and material support
(including, as appropriate, radars, vessels, and communications
equipment) to relevant security forces to disrupt, degrade, and
dismantle organizations involved in illicit narcotics
trafficking, transnational criminal activities, illicit mining,
and illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, and other
illicit activities;
(3) enhance the institutional capacity and technical
capabilities of relevant civilian law enforcement, attorneys
general, and judicial institutions to--
(A) strengthen the rule of law and transparent
governance; and
(B) improve regional cooperation to disrupt,
degrade, and dismantle transnational organized criminal
networks and terrorist organizations, including through
training, anticorruption initiatives, anti-money
laundering programs, and strengthening cyber
capabilities and resources;
(4) enhance port management and maritime security
partnerships and airport management and aviation security
partnerships to disrupt, degrade, and dismantle transnational
criminal networks and facilitate the legitimate flow of people,
goods, and services;
(5) strengthen cooperation to improve border security
across the Western Hemisphere, dismantle human smuggling and
trafficking networks, and increase cooperation to demonstrably
strengthen migration management systems;
(6) counter the malign influence of state and non-state
actors and misinformation and disinformation campaigns;
(7) disrupt illicit domestic and transnational financial
networks;
(8) foster mechanisms for cooperation on emergency
preparedness and rapid recovery from natural disasters,
including by--
(A) supporting regional preparedness, recovery, and
emergency management centers to facilitate rapid
response to survey and help maintain planning on
regional disaster anticipated needs and possible
resources; and
(B) training disaster recovery officials on latest
techniques and lessons learned from United States
experiences; and
(9) foster regional mechanisms for early warning and
response to pandemics in the Western Hemisphere, including
through--
(A) improved cooperation with and research by the
United States Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention through regional pandemic response centers;
(B) personnel exchanges for technology transfer and
skills development; and
(C) surveying and mapping of health networks to
build local health capacity.
(c) Limitations on Use of Technologies.--Operational technologies
transferred pursuant to subsection (b) to partner governments for
intelligence, defense, or law enforcement purposes shall be used solely
for the purposes for which the technology was intended. The United
States shall take all necessary steps to ensure that the use of such
operational technologies is consistent with United States law,
including protections of freedom of expression, freedom of movement,
and freedom of association.
SEC. 4. PROMOTING DIGITALIZATION AND CYBERSECURITY IN THE WESTERN
HEMISPHERE.
(a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the United
States should support digitalization and expand cybersecurity
cooperation in the Western Hemisphere to promote regional economic
prosperity and security.
(b) Promotion of Digitalization and Cybersecurity.--The Secretary
of State, in coordination with the heads of other relevant Federal
agencies, should promote digitalization and cybersecurity in the
Western Hemisphere through collaborative efforts with democratic
partners that--
(1) promote digital connectivity and facilitate e-commerce
by expanding access to information and communications
technology (ICT) supply chains that adhere to high-quality
security and reliability standards, including--
(A) to open market access on a national treatment,
nondiscriminatory basis; and
(B) to strengthen the cybersecurity and cyber
resilience of partner countries;
(2) advance the provision of digital government services
(e-government) that, to the greatest extent possible, promote
transparency, lower business costs, and expand citizens' access
to public services and public information; and
(3) develop robust cybersecurity partnerships to--
(A) promote the inclusion of components and
architectures in information and communications
technology (ICT) supply chains from participants in
initiatives that adhere to high-quality security and
reliability standards;
(B) share best practices to mitigate cyber threats
to critical infrastructure from ICT architectures by
technology providers with close ties to, or that are
susceptible to pressure from, governments or security
services without reliable legal checks on governmental
powers;
(C) effectively respond to cybersecurity threats,
including state-sponsored threats; and
(D) to strengthen resilience against cyberattacks
and cybercrime.
SEC. 5. PROMOTING ECONOMIC AND COMMERCIAL PARTNERSHIPS IN THE WESTERN
HEMISPHERE.
(a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the United
States should enhance economic and commercial ties with democratic
partners to promote prosperity in the Western Hemisphere by modernizing
and strengthening trade capacity-building and trade facilitation
initiatives, encouraging market-based economic reforms, strengthening
labor and environmental standards, and encouraging transparency and
adherence to the rule of law in investment dealings.
(b) In General.--The Secretary of State, in coordination with the
United States Trade Representative, the Chief Executive Officer of the
Development Finance Corporation, and the heads of other relevant
Federal agencies, should support the improvement of economic conditions
in the Western Hemisphere through collaborative efforts with democratic
partners that--
(1) facilitate a more open, transparent, and competitive
environment for United States businesses and promote robust and
comprehensive trade capacity-building and trade facilitation
by--
(A) reducing trade and nontariff barriers between
the countries in the region, establishing a mechanism
for pursuing Mutual Recognition Agreements and
Formalized Regulatory Cooperation Agreements in
priority sectors of the economy;
(B) establishing a forum for discussing and
evaluating technical and other assistance needs to help
establish streamlined ``single window'' processes to
facilitate movement of goods and common customs
arrangements and procedures to lower costs of goods in
transit and speed to destination;
(C) building relationships and exchanges between
relevant regulatory bodies in the United States and
democratic partners in the Western Hemisphere to
promote best practices and transparency in rulemaking,
implementation, and enforcement, and provide training
and assistance to help improve supply chain management
in the Western Hemisphere;
(D) establishing regional fora for identifying,
raising, and addressing supply chain management issues,
including infrastructure needs and strengthening of
investment rules and regulatory frameworks;
(E) establishing a dedicated program of trade
missions and reverse trade missions to increase
commercial contacts and ties between the United States
and Western Hemisphere partner countries; and
(F) strengthening labor and environmental standards
in the region;
(2) establish frameworks or mechanisms to review and
address the long-term financial sustainability and national
security implications of foreign investments in strategic
sectors or services;
(3) establish competitive and transparent infrastructure
project selection and procurement processes that promote
transparency, open competition, financial sustainability, and
robust adherence to global standards and norms; and
(4) advance robust and comprehensive energy production and
integration, including through a more open, transparent, and
competitive environment for United States companies competing
in the Western Hemisphere, including by--
(A) facilitating further development of integrated
regional energy markets;
(B) improving management of grids, including
technical capability to ensure the functionality, safe
and responsible management, and quality of service of
electricity providers, carriers, and management and
distribution systems;
(C) facilitating private sector-led development of
reliable and affordable power generation capacity;
(D) establishing a process for surveying grid
capacity and management focused on identifying
electricity service efficiencies and establishing
cooperative mechanisms for providing technical
assistance for--
(i) grid management, power pricing, and
tariff issues;
(ii) establishing and maintaining
appropriate regulatory best practices; and
(iii) proposals to establish regional power
grids for the purpose of promoting the sale of
excess supply to consumers across borders;
(E) assessing the viability and effectiveness of
decentralizing power production and transmission and
building micro-grid power networks to improve, when
feasible, access to electricity, particularly in rural
and underserved communities where centralized power
grid connections may not be feasible in the short to
medium term; and
(F) exploring opportunities to partner with the
private sector and multilateral institutions, such as
the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank,
to promote universal access to reliable and affordable
electricity in the Western Hemisphere.
SEC. 6. PROMOTING TRANSPARENCY AND DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE IN THE WESTERN
HEMISPHERE.
(a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the United
States should support efforts to strengthen the capacity of democratic
institutions and processes in the Western Hemisphere to promote a more
transparent, democratic, and prosperous region.
(b) In General.--The Secretary of State, in coordination with the
Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development
and heads of other relevant Federal agencies, should support
transparent, accountable, and democratic governance in the Western
Hemisphere through collaborative efforts with democratic partners
that--
(1) strengthen the capacity of national electoral
institutions to ensure free, fair, and transparent electoral
processes, including through pre-election assessment missions,
technical assistance, and independent local and international
election monitoring and observation missions;
(2) enhance the capabilities of democratically elected
national legislatures, parliamentary bodies, and autonomous
regulatory institutions to conduct oversight;
(3) strengthen the capacity of subnational government
institutions to govern in a transparent, accountable, and
democratic manner, including through training and technical
assistance;
(4) combat corruption at local and national levels,
including through trainings, cooperation agreements, and
bilateral or multilateral anticorruption mechanisms that
strengthen attorneys general and prosecutors' offices; and
(5) strengthen the capacity of civil society to conduct
oversight of government institutions, build the capacity of
independent professional journalism, facilitate substantive
dialogue with government and the private sector to generate
issue-based policies, and mobilize local resources to carry out
such activities.
SEC. 7. WESTERN HEMISPHERE DEFINED.
In this Act, the term ``Western Hemisphere'' does not include Cuba,
Nicaragua, or Venezuela, except for purposes of section 6.
<all>