Global Fragility Act of 2019

I 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 1580 To enhance stabilization of conflict-affected areas and prevent violence and fragility globally, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MARCH 7, 2019 Mr. ENGEL (for himself, Mr. MCCAUL, Mr. SMITH of Washington, Mrs. WAG- NER, Mr. KEATING, and Mr. ROONEY of Florida) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in ad- dition to the Committee on Appropriations, for a period to be subse- quently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned A BILL To enhance stabilization of conflict-affected areas and pre- vent violence and fragility globally, and for other pur- poses. 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. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Global Fragility Act 4 of 2019’’. 5 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 6 Congress finds the following: 7 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:51 Mar 21, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1580.IH H1580 pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 1580 IH (1) According to the United Nations, an un- 1 precedented 68.5 million people around the world, 2 the highest level ever recorded, are currently forcibly 3 displaced from their homes. 4 (2) According to the World Bank, violence and 5 violent conflict are now the leading causes of dis- 6 placement and food insecurity worldwide, driving 80 7 percent of humanitarian needs, with the same con- 8 flicts accounting for the majority of forcibly dis- 9 placed persons every year since 1991. 10 (3) According to the Institute for Economics 11 and Peace, violence containment costs the global 12 economy $14.76 trillion a year, or 12.4 percent of 13 the world’s GDP. 14 (4) Violence and violent conflict underpin many 15 of the United States Government’s key national se- 16 curity challenges. Notably, violent conflicts allow for 17 environments in which terrorist organizations recruit 18 and thrive, while the combination of violence, cor- 19 ruption, poverty, poor governance, and underdevelop- 20 ment often enables transnational gangs and criminal 21 networks to wreak havoc and commit atrocities 22 worldwide. 23 (5) According to research by the University of 24 Maryland and University of Pittsburgh, exposure to 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:51 Mar 21, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1580.IH H1580 pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 1580 IH violence increases support for violence and violent 1 extremism. Research increasingly finds exposure to 2 violence as a predictor of future participation in vio- 3 lence, including violent extremism. 4 (6) United States foreign policy and assistance 5 efforts in highly violent and fragile states remain 6 governed by an outdated patchwork of authorities 7 that prioritize responding to immediate needs rather 8 than solving the problems that cause them. 9 (7) Lessons learned over the past 20 years, doc- 10 umented by the 2013 Special Inspector General for 11 Iraq Reconstruction Lessons Learned Study, the 12 2016 Fragility Study Group report, and the 2018 13 Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Lessons 14 Learned Study on Stabilization, show that effective, 15 sustained United States efforts to reduce violence 16 and stabilize fragile and violence-affected states re- 17 quire clearly defined goals and strategies, adequate 18 long-term funding, rigorous and iterative conflict 19 analysis, coordination across the United States Gov- 20 ernment, including strong civil-military coordination, 21 attention to the problem of corruption, and integra- 22 tion with and leadership from national and sub-na- 23 tional partners, including local civil society organiza- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:51 Mar 21, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1580.IH H1580 pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 1580 IH tions, traditional justice systems, and local govern- 1 ance structures. 2 (8) The ‘‘Stabilization Assistance Review’’ re- 3 leased in 2018 by the Departments of State and De- 4 fense and the United States Agency for Inter- 5 national Development states, ‘‘The United States 6 has strong national security and economic interests 7 in reducing levels of violence and promoting stability 8 in areas affected by armed conflict.’’. The Review 9 further states, ‘‘Stabilization is an inherently polit- 10 ical endeavor that requires aligning U.S. Govern- 11 ment efforts – diplomatic engagement, foreign as- 12 sistance, and defense – toward supporting locally le- 13 gitimate authorities and systems to peaceably man- 14 age conflict and prevent violence.’’. 15 SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 16 It is the policy of the United States to— 17 (1) ensure that all relevant Federal depart- 18 ments and agencies coordinate to achieve coherent, 19 long-term goals for programs designed to stabilize 20 conflict-affected areas and prevent violence and fra- 21 gility globally, including when implementing the 22 Global Fragility Initiative established pursuant to 23 section 6; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:51 Mar 21, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1580.IH H1580 pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 1580 IH (2) seek to improve global, regional, and local 1 coordination of relevant international and multilat- 2 eral development and donor organizations regarding 3 efforts to stabilize conflict-affected areas and pre- 4 vent violence and fragility globally, and, where prac- 5 ticable and appropriate, align such efforts with mul- 6 tilateral goals and indicators; 7 (3) expand and enhance the effectiveness of 8 United States foreign assistance programs and ac- 9 tivities to stabilize conflict-affected areas and pre- 10 vent violence and fragility globally; 11 (4) support the research and development of ef- 12 fective approaches to stabilize conflict-affected areas 13 and prevent violence and fragility globally, and data 14 collection efforts relevant to such approaches; and 15 (5) improve the tools and authorities for assess- 16 ment, monitoring, and evaluation needed to enable 17 learning and adaptation by such relevant Federal de- 18 partments and agencies working to stabilize conflict- 19 affected areas and prevent violence and fragility 20 globally. 21 SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 22 (a) STABILIZATION AND PREVENTION FUND.— 23 (1) IN GENERAL.— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:51 Mar 21, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1580.IH H1580 pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 1580 IH (A) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is estab- 1 lished in the Treasury of the United States a 2 fund to be known as the ‘‘Stabilization and Pre- 3 vention Fund’’ (in this subsection referred to as 4 the ‘‘Fund’’), to be administered by the Depart- 5 ment of State and the United States Agency for 6 International Development (USAID), and con- 7 sisting of amounts authorized to be— 8 (i) transferred pursuant to subpara- 9 graph (B); and 10 (ii) appropriated pursuant to para- 11 graph (2). 12 (B) TRANSFER AUTHORIZATION.—There is 13 authorized to be transferred to the Fund the 14 unobligated balance of any amounts in the Re- 15 lief and Recovery Fund (including amounts pro- 16 vided in section 7071 of division F of the Con- 17 solidated Appropriations Act, 2019; Public Law 18 116–6) as of the date of the enactment of this 19 Act. Pursuant to the completion of such trans- 20 fer, the Relief and Recovery Fund is hereby 21 abolished, and any reference to the Relief and 22 Recovery Fund in any law, regulation, rule, or 23 other document of the United States Govern- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:51 Mar 21, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1580.IH H1580 pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 1580 IH ment shall be deemed to be a reference to the 1 Fund. 2 (2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 3 There is authorized to be appropriated to the Fund 4 $200,000,000 for each of the five fiscal years begin- 5 ning with the first fiscal year that begins after the 6 date of the enactment of this Act. Amounts author- 7 ized to be appropriated pursuant to this paragraph 8 are authorized to remain available until expended. 9 (3) PURPOSES OF THE FUND.— 10 (A) IN GENERAL.—Amounts authorized to 11 be appropriated to the Fund shall be used for 12 any of the following: 13 (i) To support stabilization of conflict- 14 affected areas and prevent violence and 15 fragility globally, including through the 16 Global Fragility Initiative established pur- 17 suant to section 6. 18 (ii) To provide assistance to areas lib- 19 erated or at risk from, or under the control 20 of, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, 21 other terrorist organizations, or violent ex- 22 tremist organizations, including for sta- 23 bilization assistance for vulnerable ethnic 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:51 Mar 21, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1580.IH H1580 pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 1580 IH and religious minority communities af- 1 fected by conflict. 2 (B) ADDITION.—Amounts authorized to be 3 appropriated to the Fund are in addition to any 4 amounts otherwise made available for the pur- 5 poses described in subparagraph (A). 6 (4) CONGRESSIONAL NOTIFICATION.—Funds 7 may not be obligated under this section unless the 8 congressional committees specified in section 634A 9 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 10 2394–1) are notified of the amount and nature of 11 such proposed obligation at least 15 days in advance 12 of such proposed obligation, in accordance with the 13 procedures applicable to notifications regarding 14 reprogrammings pursuant to such section. 15 (b) COMPLEX CRISES FUND.— 16 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in 17 the Treasury of the United States a fund to be 18 known as the ‘‘Complex Crises Fund’’ (in this sub- 19 section referred to as the ‘‘Fund’’), to be adminis- 20 tered by USAID. 21 (2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 22 There is authorized to be appropriated to the Fund 23 $30,000,000 for each of the five fiscal years begin- 24 ning with the first fiscal year that begins after the 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:51 Mar 21, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1580.IH H1580 pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 1580 IH date of the enactment of this Act. Amounts author- 1 ized to be appropriated pursuant to this paragraph 2 are authorized to remain available until expended. 3 (3) PURPOSES OF THE FUND.— 4 (A) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any 5 other provision of law, except section 620M of 6 the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 7 2378d), amounts in the Fund may be used to 8 carry out the provisions of the Foreign Assist- 9 ance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.) to 10 support programs and activities to prevent or 11 respond to emerging or unforeseen foreign chal- 12 lenges and complex crises overseas, including 13 through the Global Fragility Initiative estab- 14 lished pursuant to section 6. 15 (B) ADDITION.—Amounts authorized to be 16 appropriated to the Fund are in addition to any 17 amounts otherwise made available for the pur- 18 poses described in subparagraph (A). 19 (4) LIMITATIONS.— 20 (A) IN GENERAL.—Amounts in the Fund 21 may not be expended for lethal assistance or to 22 respond to natural disasters. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:51 Mar 21, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1580.IH H1580 pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 1580 IH (B) ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.—Not 1 more than five percent of amounts in the Fund 2 may be used for administrative expenses. 3 (5) CONGRESSIONAL NOTIFICATION.—Not later 4 than five days before amounts from the Fund are 5 obligated, the Administrator of the United States 6 Agency for International Development shall submit 7 notification of such obligation to— 8 (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations of 9 the Senate; 10 (B) the Committee on Appropriations of 11 the Senate; 12 (C) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of 13 the House of Representatives; and 14 (D) the Committee on Appropriations of 15 the House of Representatives. 16 (6) WAIVER.—Notification in accordance with 17 paragraph (5) may be waived if— 18 (A) notification by the deadline specified in 19 such paragraph would pose a substantial risk to 20 human health or welfare; and 21 (B) the congressional committees specified 22 in such paragraph— 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:51 Mar 21, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1580.IH H1580 pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 1580 IH (i) are notified not later than three 1 days after an obligation of amounts from 2 the Fund; and 3 (ii) are provided with an explanation 4 of the emergency circumstances that neces- 5 sitated such waiver. 6 (c) OTHER FUNDING AND COST MATCHING.—The 7 Global Fragility Initiative established pursuant to section 8 6— 9 (1) may be supported by funds other than 10 funds authorized to be appropriated pursuant to this 11 section; and 12 (2) shall seek to leverage funds from sources 13 other than the United States Government in order 14 to promote coordination and cost-matching to the 15 maximum extent practicable. 16 SEC. 5. SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING ASSISTANCE FOR 17 THE GLOBAL FRAGILITY INITIATIVE. 18 It is the sense of Congress that the President, the 19 Secretary of State, the Administrator of USAID, the Sec- 20 retary of Defense, and the heads of other relevant Federal 21 departments and agencies should work with the appro- 22 priate congressional committees to provide sufficient types 23 and levels of funding to— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:51 Mar 21, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1580.IH H1580 pbinns on DSK79D2C42PROD with BILLS 12 •HR 1580 IH (1) allow for more adaptive and responsive pol- 1 icy and program planning, implementation, and scal- 2 ing under the Global Fragility Initiative established 3 pursuant to section 6, including through more flexi- 4 ble funding mechanisms and exemptions from spe- 5 cific and minimum funding levels when such exemp- 6 tions would make such programs better able to re- 7 spond to local needs, the results of monitoring and 8 evaluation, or changed circumstances in relevant 9 countries; 10 (2) better integrate the initiative and other con- 11 flict and violence reduction objectives and activities 12 into other policy and program areas, where appro- 13 priate; and 14 (3) support transparent and accountable multi- 15 lateral funds, initiatives, and strategies to enhance 16 and better coordinate both private and public efforts 17 to stabilize conflict-affected areas and prevent v [Text truncated for display. 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