[Senate Report 112-170] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] Calendar No. 412 112th Congress Report SENATE 2d Session 112-170 ====================================================================== INTERNATIONAL PROTECTING GIRLS BY PREVENTING CHILD MARRIAGE ACT OF 2011 _______ May 23, 2012.--Ordered to be printed Mr. Kerry, from the Committee on Foreign Relations, submitted the following R E P O R T [To accompany S. 414] The Committee on Foreign Relations, having had under consideration the bill (S. 414) to protect girls in developing countries through the prevention of child marriage, and for other purposes, reports favorably thereon and recommends that the bill do pass. CONTENTS Page I. Purpose..........................................................1 II. Committee Action.................................................1 III. Discussion.......................................................1 IV. Cost Estimate....................................................2 V. Evaluation of Regulatory Impact..................................4 VI. Changes in Existing Law..........................................4 I. PURPOSE The purpose of S. 414 is to protect girls in developing countries through the prevention of child marriage. II. COMMITTEE ACTION Senator Durbin introduced S. 414 on February 17, 2011. On February 14, 2012, the committee ordered the bill, without amendment, reported favorably by voice vote. III. DISCUSSION The stated purpose of S. 414 is to protect girls in developing countries through the prevention of child marriage. The bill finds that child marriage is a violation of article 16 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and its practice undermines U.S. investments in foreign assistance to promote education and skills building for girls, reduce maternal and child mortality, halt the transmission of HIV/AIDS, and prevent gender-based violence. Through S. 414, the President is authorized to provide assistance to prevent the incidence of child marriage in developing countries, and to promote the educational, health, economic, social, and legal empowerment of girls and women. Priority should be given to areas or regions in developing countries in which 40 percent or more of girls under the age of 18 are married. The committee intends for the bill to support activities that expand and replicate successful community-based programs to prevent the incidence of child marriage and that establish pilot projects to prevent child marriage. The bill does not authorize any new funds. S. 414 requires the President to establish a multi-year strategy to prevent child marriage in developing countries, which shall be submitted to Congress not later than one year after the date of enactment of this Act. Not later than three years after the date of enactment of this Act, the President shall submit to Congress a report that includes a description of the implementation of said strategy, examples of best practices or programs to prevent child marriage in developing countries, and an assessment of current U.S. funded efforts to prevent child marriage in developing countries. The committee intends for the President to work with the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development to collect data on the incidence of child marriage in countries that receive U.S. foreign or development assistance, as well as on the impact of the incidence of child marriage and the age at marriage on progress in meeting key development goals. Section 7 of the bill amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to include in the annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices of the Department of State a description of child marriage in countries where child marriage is prevalent at rates at or above 40 percent in at least one sub-national region. V. COST ESTIMATE In accordance with Rule XXVI, paragraph 11(a) of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the committee provides this estimate of the costs of this legislation prepared by the Congressional Budget Office. United States Congress, Congressional Budget Office, Washington, DC, May 14, 2012. Hon. John F. Kerry, Chairman, Committee on Foreign Relations, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC. Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has prepared the enclosed cost estimate for S. 414, the International Protecting Girls by Preventing Child Marriage Act of 2011. If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Sunita D'Monte. Sincerely, Douglas W. Elmendorf. cc: Hon. Richard G. Lugar, Ranking Minority Member ------ Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate May 14, 2012. S. 414 International Protecting Girls by Preventing Child Marriage Act of 2011 AS ORDERED REPORTED BY THE SENATE COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS ON FEBRUARY 14, 2012 SUMMARY S. 414 would authorize the President to provide assistance to developing countries to reduce the incidence of child marriage and would require him to develop and implement a multiyear strategy to prevent such marriages and promote the empowerment of girls. CBO estimates that implementing the bill would have a discretionary cost of $23 million over the 2013- 2017 period, assuming appropriation of the necessary amounts. Pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply to this legislation because it would not affect direct spending or revenues. S. 414 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) and would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal governments. ESTIMATED COST TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT The estimated budgetary impact of S. 414 is shown in the following table. The costs of this legislation fall within budget function 150 (international affairs). Changes in Spending Due to S. 414 By Fiscal Year, in Millions of Dollars ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2013-2017 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Estimated Authorization Level...................... 8 8 8 8 8 40 Estimated Outlays.................................. * 3 6 7 7 23 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Note: * = LESS THAN $500,000. BASIS OF ESTIMATE For this estimate, CBO assumes that S. 414 will be enacted by the end of 2012, that the necessary amounts will be appropriated each year, and that outlays will follow historical spending patterns for existing programs. Based on information from the U.S. Agency for International Development about similar programs to prevent child marriage and gender-based violence, CBO estimates that the agency would require annual appropriations of about $7 million a year for assistance to foreign countries to reduce the incidence of child marriage. In addition, the agency would require annual appropriations of about $600,000 a year to hire three people to design and administer the programs, develop the strategy, and report to the Congress. Assuming appropriation of the necessary amounts, CBO estimates that implementing the bill would cost $23 million over the 2013-2017 period. (The remainder of the estimated authorization amounts would be spent after 2017.) PAY-AS-YOU-GO CONSIDERATIONS None. INTERGOVERNMENTAL AND PRIVATE-SECTOR IMPACT S. 414 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in UMRA and would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal governments. ESTIMATE PREPARED BY Federal Costs: Sunita D'Monte Impact on State, Local, and Tribal Governments: J'nell L. Blanco Impact on the Private Sector: Marin Randall ESTIMATE APPROVED BY Theresa Gullo, Deputy Assistant Director for Budget Analysis V. EVALUATION OF REGULATORY IMPACT Pursuant to Rule XXVI, paragraph 11(b) of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the committee has determined that there is no regulatory impact as a result of this legislation. VI. CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW In compliance with Rule XXVI, paragraph 12 of the Standing Rules of the Senate, changes in existing law made by the bill, as reported, are shown as follows (existing law proposed to be omitted is enclosed in black brackets, new matter is printed in italic, existing law in which no change is proposed is shown in roman). Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 * * * * * * * Sec. 116. Human Rights.--(a) * * * * * * * (g) The report required by subsection (d) shall include, for each country in which child marriage is prevalent, a description of the status of the practice of child marriage in such country. In this subsection, the term ``child marriage'' means the marriage of a girl or boy, not yet the minimum age for marriage stipulated in law or under the age of 18 if no such law exists, in the country in which such girl or boy is a resident. * * * * * * * Sec. 502A. * * * [Repealed--1996] Sec. 502B. Human Rights.--(a)(1) * * * * * * * * * * (j) The report required by subsection (b) shall include for each country in which child marriage is prevalent, a description of the status of the practice of child marriage in such country. In this subsection, the term ``child marriage'' means the marriage of a girl or boy, not yet the minimum age for marriage stipulated in law or under the age of 18 if no such law exists, in the country in which such girl or boy is a resident.