BLUE Pacific Act

I 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 2967 To establish a comprehensive, long-term United States strategy and policy for the Pacific Islands, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MAY 4, 2021 Mr. CASE (for himself, Mr. YOUNG, Mr. BERA, and Mr. SHERMAN) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Af- fairs, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, and Nat- ural Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speak- er, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the ju- risdiction of the committee concerned A BILL To establish a comprehensive, long-term United States strat- egy and policy for the Pacific Islands, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE AND TABLE OF CONTENTS. 3 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 4 ‘‘Boosting Long-term U.S. Engagement in the Pacific 5 Act’’ or the ‘‘BLUE Pacific Act’’. 6 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 7 this Act is as follows: 8 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:02 Jun 23, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2967.IH H2967 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 2967 IH Sec. 1. Short title and table of contents. Sec. 2. Findings. Sec. 3. Statement of policy. Sec. 4. Definitions. Sec. 5. Authority to consolidate reports; form of reports. TITLE I—UNITED STATES ENGAGEMENT AND COUNTERING TRANSNATIONAL CRIME Sec. 101. Diplomatic presence in the Pacific Islands. Sec. 102. International Law Enforcement Academy for the Pacific Islands. Sec. 103. Security assistance for the Pacific Islands. Sec. 104. Countering transnational crime. Sec. 105. Coordination with regional allies. TITLE II—DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES Sec. 201. Trade development with the Pacific Islands. Sec. 202. Trade capacity building initiative for the Pacific Islands. Sec. 203. Emergency preparedness initiative for the Pacific Islands. Sec. 204. Peace Corps in the Pacific Islands. Sec. 205. Public health in the Pacific Islands. Sec. 206. Education assistance. Sec. 207. Climate resilient development in the Pacific Islands. Sec. 208. Coordination with other Federal agencies and cooperation and partici- pation of nongovernmental United States entities. TITLE III—PROMOTION OF SHARED VALUES Sec. 301. Press freedom in the Pacific Islands. Sec. 302. U.S. Agency For Global Media. Sec. 303. Gender equality. Sec. 304. Pacific Islands Leadership Development Initiative. Sec. 305. Civil society engagement and development. SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 1 Congress finds the following: 2 (1) The Pacific Islands— 3 (A) are home to roughly 10 million resi- 4 dents, including over 8.6 million in Papua New 5 Guinea, constituting diverse and dynamic cul- 6 tures and peoples; 7 (B) are spread across an expanse of the 8 Pacific Ocean equivalent to 15 percent of the 9 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:02 Jun 23, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2967.IH H2967 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 2967 IH Earth’s surface, including the three sub-regions 1 of Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia; and 2 (C) face shared challenges in development 3 that have distinct local contexts, including cli- 4 mate change and rising sea levels, geographic 5 distances from major markets, and vulnerability 6 to external shocks such as natural disasters. 7 (2) The United States is a Pacific country with 8 longstanding ties and shared values and interests 9 with the Pacific Islands, including through the Com- 10 pacts of Free Association with the Freely Associated 11 States, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the 12 Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of 13 Palau. 14 (3) The United States has vital national secu- 15 rity interests in the Pacific Islands, including— 16 (A) protecting regional peace and security 17 that fully respects the sovereignty of all nations; 18 (B) advancing economic prosperity free 19 from coercion through trade and sustainable de- 20 velopment; and 21 (C) supporting democracy, good govern- 22 ance, the rule of law, and human rights and 23 fundamental freedoms. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:02 Jun 23, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2967.IH H2967 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 2967 IH (4) Successive United States administrations 1 have recognized the importance of the Pacific region, 2 including the Pacific Islands, in high-level strategic 3 documents, including the following: 4 (A) The 2015 National Security Strategy, 5 which first declared the rebalance to Asia and 6 the Pacific, affirmed the United States as a Pa- 7 cific nation, and paved the way for subsequent 8 United States engagement with the Pacific Is- 9 lands, including several new policies focused on 10 conservation and resilience to climate change 11 announced in September 2016. 12 (B) The 2017 National Security Strategy, 13 which includes a commitment to ‘‘shore up 14 fragile partner states in the Pacific Islands re- 15 gion to reduce their vulnerability to economic 16 fluctuations and natural disasters’’. 17 (C) The 2019 Indo-Pacific Strategy Re- 18 port, which identified the Pacific Islands as 19 ‘‘critical to U.S. strategy because of our shared 20 values, interests, and commitments’’ and com- 21 mitted the United States to ‘‘building capacity 22 and resilience to address maritime security; Ille- 23 gal, Unreported, and Unregulated fishing; drug 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:02 Jun 23, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2967.IH H2967 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 2967 IH trafficking; and resilience to address climate 1 change and disaster response’’. 2 (5) The United States has deepened its diplo- 3 matic engagement with the Pacific Islands through 4 several recent initiatives, including— 5 (A) the Pacific Pledge, which provided an 6 additional $100,000,000 in 2019 and 7 $200,000,000 in 2020, on top of the approxi- 8 mately $350,000,000 that the United States 9 provides annually to the region to support 10 shared priorities in economic and human devel- 11 opment, climate change, and more; and 12 (B) the Small and Less Populous Island 13 Economies (SALPIE) Initiative launched in 14 March 2021 to strengthen United States col- 15 laboration with island countries and territories, 16 including in the Pacific Islands, on COVID–19 17 economic challenges, long-term economic devel- 18 opment, climate change, and other shared inter- 19 ests. 20 (6) The Boe Declaration on Regional Security, 21 signed by leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum in 22 2018, affirmed that climate change ‘‘remains the 23 single greatest threat to the livelihoods, security, and 24 wellbeing of the peoples of the Pacific’’ and asserted 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:02 Jun 23, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2967.IH H2967 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 2967 IH ‘‘the sovereign right of every Member to conduct its 1 national affairs free of external interference and co- 2 ercion’’. 3 (7) The Asian Development Bank has estimated 4 that the Pacific Islands region needs upwards of 5 $2.8 billion a year in investment needs through 6 2030, in addition to $300 million a year for climate 7 mitigation and adaptation over the same period. 8 (8) The Pacific Islands swiftly enacted effective 9 policies to prevent and contain the spread of the 10 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (commonly referred to as 11 ‘‘COVID–19’’) pandemic to their populations. The 12 United States has provided over $130,000,000 in as- 13 sistance to the Pacific Islands for their COVID–19 14 response. However, priorities must be met to ensure 15 continued success in preventing the spread of the 16 COVID–19 pandemic, achieving swift and wide- 17 spread vaccinations, and pursuing long-term eco- 18 nomic recovery in the Pacific Islands, including 19 through— 20 (A) expanding testing capacity and acquisi- 21 tion of needed medical supplies, including avail- 22 able COVID–19 vaccines and supporting vac- 23 cination efforts, through a reliable supply chain; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:02 Jun 23, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2967.IH H2967 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 2967 IH (B) planning for lifting of lockdowns and 1 reopening of economic and social activities; and 2 (C) mitigating and recovering from the im- 3 pacts of the COVID–19 pandemic on the health 4 system and the reliance on food and energy im- 5 ports as well as lost tourism revenue and other 6 economic and food security damages caused by 7 the pandemic. 8 (9) Since 1966, thousands of Peace Corps vol- 9 unteers have proudly served in the Pacific Islands, 10 building strong people-to-people relationships and 11 demonstrating the United States commitment to 12 peace and development in the region. Prior to the 13 COVID–19 pandemic, the Peace Corps maintained 14 presence in four countries of the Pacific Islands. 15 Peace Corps volunteers continue to be in high de- 16 mand in the Pacific Islands and have been requested 17 across the region. 18 SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 19 It is the policy of the United States— 20 (1) to develop and commit to a comprehensive, 21 multifaceted, and principled United States policy in 22 the Pacific Islands that— 23 (A) promotes peace, security, and pros- 24 perity for all countries through a rules-based 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:02 Jun 23, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2967.IH H2967 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 2967 IH regional order that respects the sovereignty and 1 political independence of all nations; 2 (B) preserves the Pacific Ocean as an open 3 and vibrant corridor for international maritime 4 trade and promotes trade and sustainable devel- 5 opment that supports inclusive economic growth 6 and autonomy for all nations and addresses so- 7 cioeconomic challenges related to public health, 8 education, renewable energy, digital 9 connectivity, and more; 10 (C) supports regional efforts to address the 11 challenges posed by climate change, including 12 by strengthening resilience to natural disasters 13 and through responsible stewardship of natural 14 resources; 15 (D) improves civil society, strengthens 16 democratic governance and the rule of law, and 17 promotes human rights and the preservation of 18 the region’s unique cultural heritages; 19 (E) assists the Pacific Islands in pre- 20 venting and containing the spread of the 21 COVID–19 pandemic and in pursuing long- 22 term economic recovery; and 23 (F) supports existing regional architecture 24 and international norms; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:02 Jun 23, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2967.IH H2967 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 2967 IH (2) to support the vision, values, and objectives 1 of existing regional multilateral institutions and 2 frameworks, such as the Pacific Islands Forum and 3 the Pacific Community, including— 4 (A) the 2014 Framework for Pacific Re- 5 gionalism; 6 (B) the 2018 Boe Declaration on Regional 7 Security; and 8 (C) the Boe Declaration Action Plan; 9 (3) to extend and renew the provisions of the 10 Compacts of Free Association and related United 11 States law that will expire in 2023 for the Republic 12 of the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of 13 Micronesia and in 2024 for the Republic of Palau 14 unless they are extended and renewed; and 15 (4) to work closely with United States allies 16 and partners with existing relationships and inter- 17 ests in the Pacific Islands, including Australia, 18 Japan, New Zealand, and Taiwan, in advancing 19 common goals. 20 SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 21 In this Act: 22 (1) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT- 23 TEES.—Except as otherwise provided, the term ‘‘ap- 24 propriate congressional committees’’ means— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:02 Jun 23, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2967.IH H2967 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 2967 IH (A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of 1 the House of Representatives; and 2 (B) the Committee on Foreign Relations of 3 the Senate. 4 (2) PACIFIC ISLANDS.—The terms ‘‘Pacific Is- 5 lands’’ means the Cook Islands, the Republic of Fiji, 6 the Republic of Kiribati, the Republic of the Mar- 7 shall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, 8 the Republic of Nauru, Niue, the Republic of Palau, 9 the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, the 10 Independent State of Samoa, the Solomon Islands, 11 the Kingdom of Tonga, Tuvalu, and the Republic of 12 Vanuatu. 13 SEC. 5. AUTHORITY TO CONSOLIDATE REPORTS; FORM OF 14 REPORTS. 15 (a) AUTHORITY TO CONSOLIDATE REPORTS.—Any 16 reports required to be submitted to the appropriate con- 17 gressional committees under this Act that are subject to 18 deadlines for submission consisting of the same units of 19 time may be consolidated into a single report that is sub- 20 mitted to appropriate congressional committees pursuant 21 to such deadlines and that contains all information re- 22 quired under such reports. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:02 Jun 23, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2967.IH H2967 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 2967 IH (b) FORM OF REPORTS.—Each report required by 1 this Act shall be submitted in unclassified form but may 2 contain a classified annex. 3 TITLE I—UNITED STATES EN- 4 GAGEMENT AND COUN- 5 TERING TRANSNATIONAL 6 CRIME 7 SEC. 101. DIPLOMATIC PRESENCE IN THE PACIFIC IS- 8 LANDS. 9 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con- 10 gress that— 11 (1) the strategic importance of the Pacific Is- 12 lands necessitates an examination of whether United 13 States diplomatic, economic, and development en- 14 gagement and presence in the Pacific Islands region 15 is sufficient to effectively support United States ob- 16 jectives and meaningful participation in regional 17 fora; 18 (2) improving shared understanding of and 19 jointly combatting the transnational challenges perti- 20 nent to the Pacific Islands region with countries of 21 the Pacific Islands and regional partners such as 22 Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and Taiwan is vi- 23 tally important to our shared long-term interests of 24 stability, security, and prosperity; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:02 Jun 23, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2967.IH H2967 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 12 •HR 2967 IH (3) the United States should seek to participate 1 in and support efforts to coordinate a regional re- 2 sponse toward maritime security, including through 3 continued United States and Pacific Islands partic [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]