Honoring OCEANIA Act

I 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 3373 To strengthen United States engagement in the Oceania region and enhance the security and resilience of allies and partners of the Oceania commu- nity, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MAY 20, 2021 Mr. BERA (for himself, Mr. YOUNG, and Mr. CASE) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in ad- dition to the Committees on Veterans’ Affairs, Natural Resources, Armed Services, Financial Services, the Judiciary, Transportation and Infra- structure, and Homeland Security, for a period to be subsequently deter- mined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned A BILL To strengthen United States engagement in the Oceania region and enhance the security and resilience of allies and partners of the Oceania community, 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; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 3 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 4 ‘‘Honoring Our Commitment to Elevate America’s Neigh- 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:07 Jul 03, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3373.IH H3373 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 3373 IH bor Islands and Allies Act of 2021’’ or the ‘‘Honoring 1 OCEANIA Act’’. 2 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 3 this Act is as follows: 4 Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. Sec. 2. Statement of policy. Sec. 3. Oceania strategic roadmap. Sec. 4. Review of USAID programming in Oceania. Sec. 5. Oceania development finance strategy. Sec. 6. Oceania disaster preparedness. Sec. 7. Oceania infrastructure resilience program. Sec. 8. Oceania Peace Corps partnerships. Sec. 9. Oceania Youth Engagement Coordinator. Sec. 10. Improving health care access for veterans in freely associated states. Sec. 11. Public health capacity-building in Oceania. Sec. 12. Oceania Security Dialogue. Sec. 13. Oceania Restoration and Hazards Removal Program. Sec. 14. Report on countering illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing in Oceania. Sec. 15. Oceania maritime security initiative. Sec. 16. Coordinator for displaced persons. Sec. 17. Oceania anticorruption program. Sec. 18. Imposition of sanctions with respect to corruption in Oceania. Sec. 19. Report on financial intelligence resources of the Department of the Treasury in Oceania. Sec. 20. Definitions. SEC. 2. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 5 It shall be the policy of the United States— 6 (1) to elevate the countries of Oceania, includ- 7 ing the people and the protection of their cultural, 8 historical, and environmental resources, as a stra- 9 tegic priority of the United States Government in all 10 national security and economic considerations; 11 (2) to promote civil society, the rule of law, and 12 democratic governance across Oceania as part of a 13 free and open Indo-Pacific region; 14 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:07 Jul 03, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3373.IH H3373 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 3373 IH (3) to broaden and deepen relationships with 1 the Freely Associated States of the Republic of 2 Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the 3 Federated States of Micronesia through robust de- 4 fense, diplomatic, economic, and development ex- 5 changes that promote the goals of individual states 6 and the entire region; 7 (4) to work with the governments of Pacific Is- 8 lands countries, Australia, France, Japan, New Zea- 9 land, the Republic of Korea, and the United King- 10 dom to advance shared alliance goals of the Oceania 11 region concerning health, environmental protection, 12 disaster resilience and preparedness, illegal, unre- 13 ported, and unregulated fishing (commonly referred 14 to as ‘‘IUU fishing’’), maritime security, and eco- 15 nomic development; 16 (5) to invest in a whole-of-government United 17 States strategy that will enhance youth engagement 18 and advance long-term growth and development 19 throughout Oceania, especially as it relates to pro- 20 tecting marine resources and fisheries, addressing 21 the existential global climate crisis, and strength- 22 ening the resilience of countries of the Oceania re- 23 gion against current and future threats resulting 24 from extreme weather and severe changes in the en- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:07 Jul 03, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3373.IH H3373 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 3373 IH vironment that pose a threat to livelihoods, public 1 health, and safety; 2 (6) to participate, wherever possible and appro- 3 priate, in existing regional organizations and inter- 4 national structures to support the Boe Declaration 5 on Regional Security and advance the national secu- 6 rity and economic goals of the United States and 7 countries of the Oceania region; 8 (7) to deter and combat acts of malign foreign 9 influence and corruption aimed at undermining the 10 political, environmental, social, and economic sta- 11 bility of the people and governments of countries of 12 Oceania; 13 (8) to improve the local capacity of the coun- 14 tries of Oceania to address public health challenges 15 and improve global health security, particularly as it 16 relates to domestic violence, substance use disorders, 17 obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular-related dis- 18 eases, malnutrition, and endemic tropical diseases, 19 as well as global pandemic diseases, such as 20 coronaviruses, influenza viruses, HIV/AIDS, and the 21 Zika virus; 22 (9) to help the countries of Oceania access mar- 23 ket-based private sector investments that adhere to 24 best practices regarding transparency, debt sustain- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:07 Jul 03, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3373.IH H3373 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 3373 IH ability, and environmental and social safeguards as 1 an alternative to state-directed investments by au- 2 thoritarian governments; 3 (10) to ensure the people and communities of 4 Oceania remain safe from the risks of old and de- 5 grading munitions hazards, marine plastics, and 6 other marine debris that threaten health and liveli- 7 hoods; and 8 (11) to work cooperatively with all governments 9 in Oceania to promote the dignified return of all the 10 remains of members of the United States Armed 11 Forces that are missing in action from previous con- 12 flicts in the Indo-Pacific region. 13 SEC. 3. OCEANIA STRATEGIC ROADMAP. 14 (a) OCEANIA STRATEGIC ROADMAP.—Not later than 15 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 16 Secretary of State shall submit to the appropriate congres- 17 sional committees a strategic roadmap for strengthening 18 United States engagement with the countries specified in 19 subsection (c) to address shared concerns and promote 20 shared goals in pursuit of security and resiliency for the 21 countries of Oceania. 22 (b) ELEMENTS.—The strategic roadmap required by 23 subsection (a) shall include the following: 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:07 Jul 03, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3373.IH H3373 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 3373 IH (1) An assessment of the regional goals and 1 concerns shared by the countries specified in sub- 2 section (c), including a review of issues related to 3 anticorruption, maritime security, environmental 4 protection, fisheries management, foreign economic 5 assistance and development, and disaster resilience 6 and preparedness. 7 (2) A review of ongoing programs and initia- 8 tives by the governments of the countries specified 9 in subsection (c) and the United States in pursuit of 10 those shared regional goals and concerns, including 11 with respect to the issues described in paragraph 12 (1). 13 (3) A review of ongoing programs and initia- 14 tives by regional organizations and other related 15 intergovernmental structures aimed at addressing 16 the issues described in paragraph (1). 17 (4) A plan for aligning United States programs 18 and resources in pursuit of the shared regional goals 19 and concerns with respect to the issues described in 20 paragraph (1). 21 (5) Recommendations for additional United 22 States authorities, personnel, programs, or resources 23 necessary to execute the strategic roadmap. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:07 Jul 03, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3373.IH H3373 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 3373 IH (6) Any other elements the Secretary considers 1 appropriate. 2 (c) COUNTRIES SPECIFIED.—The countries specified 3 in this subsection are the following: 4 (1) Australia. 5 (2) France. 6 (3) Japan. 7 (4) New Zealand. 8 (5) The Republic of Korea. 9 (6) The United Kingdom. 10 SEC. 4. REVIEW OF USAID PROGRAMMING IN OCEANIA. 11 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State, in coordi- 12 nation with the Administrator of the United States Agen- 13 cy for International Development (in this section referred 14 to as ‘‘USAID’’), shall include the countries of Oceania 15 in existing strategic planning and multi-sector program 16 evaluation processes, including the Department of State’s 17 Integrated Country Strategies and USAID’s Country De- 18 velopment Cooperation Strategies, the Joint Strategic 19 Plan, and the Journey to Self-Reliance Country Road- 20 maps. 21 (b) PROGRAMMATIC CONSIDERATIONS.—Evaluations 22 and considerations for countries of Oceania in the pro- 23 gram planning and strategic development processes under 24 subsection (a) should include— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:07 Jul 03, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3373.IH H3373 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 3373 IH (1) descriptions of the diplomatic and develop- 1 ment challenges of the Indo-Pacific countries of Oce- 2 ania as those challenges relate to the strategic, eco- 3 nomic, and humanitarian interests of the United 4 States; 5 (2) reviews of existing Department of State and 6 USAID programs to address the diplomatic and de- 7 velopment challenges of those countries evaluated 8 under paragraph (1); 9 (3) descriptions of the barriers, if any, to in- 10 creasing Department of State and USAID program- 11 ming to countries of Oceania, including— 12 (A) the relative income level of the coun- 13 tries of Oceania relative to other regions where 14 there is high demand for United States foreign 15 assistance to support development needs; 16 (B) the relative capacity of the countries of 17 Oceania to absorb United States foreign assist- 18 ance for diplomatic and development needs 19 through partner governments and civil society 20 institutions; and 21 (C) any other factor that the Secretary or 22 Administrator determines may constitute a bar- 23 rier to deploying or increasing United States 24 foreign assistance to the countries of Oceania; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:07 Jul 03, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3373.IH H3373 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 3373 IH (4) assessments of the presence of, degree of 1 international development by, partner country in- 2 debtedness to, and political influence of malign for- 3 eign governments, such as the Government of the 4 People’s Republic of China, and non-state actors; 5 (5) assessments of new foreign economic assist- 6 ance modalities that could assist in strengthening 7 United States foreign assistance in the countries of 8 Oceania, including the deployment of technical as- 9 sistance and asset recovery tools to partner govern- 10 ments and civil society institutions to help develop 11 the capacity and expertise necessary to achieve self- 12 sufficiency; 13 (6) an evaluation of the existing budget and re- 14 source management processes for the mission and 15 work of the Department of State and USAID with 16 respect to programming in the countries of Oceania; 17 (7) an explanation of how the Secretary and the 18 Administrator will use existing programming proc- 19 esses, including those with respect to development of 20 an Integrated Country Strategy, a Country Develop- 21 ment Cooperation Strategy, the Joint Strategic 22 Plan, and the Journey to Self-Reliance Country 23 Roadmaps, to advance the long-term growth, govern- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:07 Jul 03, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3373.IH H3373 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 3373 IH ance, economic development, and resilience of the 1 countries of Oceania; and 2 (8) any recommendations about appropriate 3 budgetary, resource management, and programmatic 4 changes necessary to assist in strengthening United 5 States foreign assistance programming in the coun- 6 tries of Oceania. 7 (c) OCEANIA DEFINED.—In this section, the term 8 ‘‘Oceania’’ includes such independent countries of Oceania 9 as are identified by the Secretary of State and the Admin- 10 istrator of the United States Agency for International De- 11 velopment. 12 SEC. 5. OCEANIA DEVELOPMENT FINANCE STRATEGY. 13 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Chief Executive Officer of the 14 United States International Development Finance Cor- 15 poration (in this section referred to as the ‘‘Corporation’’), 16 in consultation with the Administrator of the United 17 States Agency for International Development, shall estab- 18 lish a strategy for supporting the development goals of the 19 countries of Oceania using market-based private invest- 20 ment wherever there is appropriate capacity to absorb pri- 21 vate financing. 22 (b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the strategy required 23 by subsection (a) is to ensure that the United States Gov- 24 ernment is fully utilizing existing development finance au- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:07 Jul 03, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3373.IH H3373 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 3373 IH thorities to support efforts of the countries of Oceania to 1 access market-based private investment, including authori- 2 ties provided under the Better Utilization of Investments 3 Leading to Development Act of 2018 (22 U.S.C. 9601 et 4 seq.), and consistent with section 1412(c) of that Act (22 5 U.S.C. 9612(c)), to support sustainability, resilience, and 6 development. 7 (c) OBJECTIVES.—In developing the strategy re- 8 quired by subsection (a), the Chief Executive Officer of 9 the Corporation shall consider the following, to the max- 10 imum extent practicable: 11 (1) How the full range of financing products 12 and technical assistance tools available to the Cor- 13 poration can be used to help counter malign foreign 14 influence in Oceania that entraps host countries with 15 developmen [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]