What This Bill Does
This bill creates a program called the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative. The Secretary of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development will work together in Caribbean countries to improve security, fight crime, strengthen law enforcement and courts, and prepare for natural disasters.
##
Who It Affects
* 13 Caribbean nations (Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago)
* The Secretary of State
* The U.S. Agency for International Development
* U.S. law enforcement and military agencies
* Congress
##
Key Provisions
* The U.S. will work with Caribbean governments and local organizations to promote citizen safety, security, and the rule of law (Sec. 3(b)(1))
* The U.S. will help Caribbean countries fight international crime organizations and gangs through maritime security cooperation, border protection, and targeting criminal finances and recruitment (Sec. 3(b)(2))
* The U.S. will strengthen Caribbean law enforcement, courts, and anti-corruption efforts by training police and judges, building court capacity, and combating money laundering and human trafficking (Sec. 3(b)(3))
* The U.S. will help Caribbean security forces prepare for and respond to natural disasters through training exercises and emergency preparedness programs (Sec. 3(b)(5))
* The Secretary of State must submit a detailed implementation plan to Congress within 180 days explaining how the program will work, which agencies have which responsibilities, and what success will look like (Sec. 4(a) and 4(b))
* The Secretary of State must submit annual progress reports to Congress describing results achieved and funding spent (Sec. 4(c))
##
What Changes
If this bill becomes law, the U.S. government will officially authorize and fund a coordinated security and disaster preparedness partnership with 13 Caribbean nations. U.S. agencies will provide training, equipment, and technical assistance to help these countries fight transnational crime, improve their justice systems, address corruption, and strengthen their ability to respond to hurricanes and other natural disasters.
The bill also says the U.S. will monitor and work to counter the influence of certain authoritarian countries (China, Russia, Iran, Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba) in Caribbean nations' security and infrastructure projects.
##
Important Definitions
* **Beneficiary countries:** The 13 Caribbean nations listed above that participate in the program. The President or Secretary of State can add or remove countries by notifying Congress in writing.
* **Appropriate congressional committees:** The Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, the Senate Committee on Appropriations, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, and the House Committee on Appropriations.
* **Rule of law:** Not explicitly defined in the bill.
##
Effective Date
The bill does not specify an effective date. It begins a 5-year authorization period from the date it becomes law.
II
Calendar No. 49
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
S. 841
To authorize the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative, to enhance the United
States-Caribbean security partnership, to prioritize natural disaster resil-
ience, and for other purposes.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
MARCH 16, 2023
Mr. KAINE (for himself, Mr. RUBIO, and Mr. CARDIN) introduced the fol-
lowing bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on For-
eign Relations
MAY 4, 2023
Reported by Mr. MENENDEZ, with an amendment
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic]
A BILL
To authorize the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative, to en-
hance the United States-Caribbean security partnership,
to prioritize natural disaster resilience, 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
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•S 841 RS
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
1
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Caribbean Basin Secu-
2
rity Initiative Authorization Act’’.
3
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
4
In this Act:
5
(1)
APPROPRIATE
CONGRESSIONAL
COMMIT-
6
TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com-
7
mittees’’ means—
8
(A) the Committee on Foreign Relations
9
and the Committee on Appropriations of the
10
Senate; and
11
(B) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and
12
the Committee on Appropriations of the House
13
of Representatives.
14
(2) BENEFICIARY COUNTRIES.—
15
(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘beneficiary
16
countries’’ means—
17
(i) Antigua and Barbuda;
18
(ii) the Bahamas;
19
(iii) Barbados;
20
(iv) Dominica;
21
(v) the Dominican Republic;
22
(vi) Grenada;
23
(vii) Guyana;
24
(viii) Jamaica;
25
(ix) Saint Lucia;
26
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•S 841 RS
(x) Saint Kitts and Nevis,;
1
(xi) Saint Vincent and the Grena-
2
dines;
3
(xii) Suriname; and
4
(xiii) Trinidad and Tobago; and
5
(B) UPDATES.—The President or the Sec-
6
retary of State may add or remove one or more
7
countries from the list under subparagraph (A)
8
upon written notification to the appropriate
9
congressional committees.
10
SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION FOR THE CARIBBEAN BASIN SECU-
11
RITY INITIATIVE.
12
(a) AUTHORIZATION FOR THE CARIBBEAN BASIN SE-
13
CURITY INITIATIVE.—The Secretary of State and the Ad-
14
ministrator of the United States Agency for International
15
Development may carry out an initiative, to be known as
16
the ‘‘Caribbean Basin Security Initiative’’, in beneficiary
17
countries to achieve the purposes described in subsection
18
(b).
19
(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes described in this sub-
20
section are the following:
21
(1) To promote citizen safety, security, and the
22
rule of law in the Caribbean through increased stra-
23
tegic engagement with—
24
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•S 841 RS
(A) the governments of beneficiary coun-
1
tries; and
2
(B) elements of local civil society, including
3
the private sector, in such countries.
4
(2) To counter transnational criminal organiza-
5
tions and local gangs in beneficiary countries, in-
6
cluding through—
7
(A) maritime and aerial security coopera-
8
tion, including—
9
(i) assistance to strengthen capabili-
10
ties of maritime and aerial interdiction op-
11
erations in the Caribbean; and
12
(ii) the provision of support systems
13
and equipment, training, and maintenance;
14
(B) cooperation on border and port secu-
15
rity, including support to strengthen capacity
16
for screening and intercepting narcotics, weap-
17
ons, bulk cash, and other contraband at air-
18
ports and seaports; and
19
(C) capacity building and the provision of
20
equipment
and
support
for
operations
tar-
21
geting—
22
(i) the finances and illegal activities of
23
such organizations and gangs; and
24
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•S 841 RS
(ii) the recruitment by such organiza-
1
tions and gangs of at-risk youth.
2
(3) To advance law enforcement and justice sec-
3
tor capacity building and rule of law initiatives in
4
beneficiary countries, including by—
5
(A) strengthening special prosecutorial of-
6
fices and providing technical assistance—
7
(i) to combat corruption, money laun-
8
dering, human, firearms, and wildlife traf-
9
ficking, financial crimes, extortion, and
10
human rights crimes; and
11
(ii) to conduct asset forfeitures and
12
criminal analysis;
13
(B) supporting training for civilian police
14
and appropriate security services in criminal in-
15
vestigations, best practices for citizen security,
16
and the protection of human rights;
17
(C) supporting capacity building for law
18
enforcement
and
military
units,
including
19
professionalization, anti-corruption and human
20
rights training, vetting, and community-based
21
policing;
22
(D) supporting justice sector reform and
23
strengthening of the rule of law, including—
24
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•S 841 RS
(i) capacity building for prosecutors,
1
judges, and other justice officials; and
2
(ii) support to increase the efficacy of
3
criminal courts; and
4
(E)
strengthening
cybersecurity
and
5
cybercrime
cooperation,
including
capacity
6
building and support for cybersecurity systems.
7
(4) To promote crime prevention efforts in ben-
8
eficiary countries, particularly among at-risk-youth
9
and
other
vulnerable
populations,
including
10
through—
11
(A) improving community and law enforce-
12
ment cooperation to improve the effectiveness
13
and professionalism of police and increase mu-
14
tual trust;
15
(B) increasing economic opportunities for
16
at-risk youth and vulnerable populations, in-
17
cluding through workforce development training
18
and remedial education programs for at-risk
19
youth;
20
(C)
improving
juvenile
justice
sectors
21
through regulatory reforms, separating youth
22
from traditional prison systems, and improving
23
support and services in juvenile detention cen-
24
ters; and
25
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•S 841 RS
(D) the provision of assistance to popu-
1
lations vulnerable to being victims of extortion
2
and crime by criminal networks.
3
(5) To strengthen the ability of the security
4
sector in beneficiary countries to respond to and be-
5
come more resilient in the face of natural disasters,
6
including by—
7
(A) carrying out training exercises to en-
8
sure critical infrastructure and ports are able to
9
come back online rapidly following natural dis-
10
asters; and
11
(B) providing preparedness training to po-
12
lice and first responders.
13
(6) To prioritize efforts to combat corruption
14
and include anti-corruption components in programs
15
in beneficiary countries, including by—
16
(A) building the capacity of national jus-
17
tice systems and attorneys general to prosecute
18
and try acts of corruption;
19
(B) provide technical and financial assist-
20
ance to independent media and investigative re-
21
porting;
22
(C) increasing the capacity of national law
23
enforcement services to carry out anti-corrup-
24
tion investigations; and
25
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•S 841 RS
(D) encouraging cooperative agreements
1
among the Department of State, other relevant
2
Federal departments and agencies, and the at-
3
torneys general of relevant countries.
4
(7) To promote the rule of law in beneficiary
5
countries and counter malign influence from authori-
6
tarian regimes, including China, Russia, Iran, Ven-
7
ezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba, by—
8
(A) monitoring security assistance from
9
such authoritarian regimes and taking steps
10
necessary to ensure that such assistance does
11
not undermine or jeopardize United States se-
12
curity assistance;
13
(B) evaluating and, as appropriate, re-
14
stricting the involvement of the United States
15
in investment and infrastructure projects fi-
16
nanced by authoritarian regimes that might ob-
17
struct or otherwise impact United States secu-
18
rity assistance to beneficiary countries;
19
(C) monitoring and restricting equipment
20
and support from high-risk vendors of tele-
21
communications
infrastructure
in
beneficiary
22
countries;
23
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•S 841 RS
(D)
countering
disinformation
by
pro-
1
moting transparency and accountability from
2
beneficiary countries; and
3
(E) eliminating corruption linked to invest-
4
ment and infrastructure facilitated by authori-
5
tarian regimes through support for investment
6
screening, competitive tendering and bidding
7
processes, the implementation of investment
8
law, and contractual transparency.
9
(8) To support the effective branding and mes-
10
saging of United States security assistance and co-
11
operation in beneficiary countries, including by de-
12
veloping and implementing a public diplomacy strat-
13
egy for informing citizens of beneficiary countries
14
about the benefits to their respective countries of
15
United States security assistance and cooperation
16
programs.
17
(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is
18
authorized to be appropriated to the Department of State
19
and the United States Agency for International Develop-
20
ment $74,800,000 for each of fiscal years 2023 through
21
2027 to carry out the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative
22
to achieve the purposes described in subsection (b).
23
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•S 841 RS
SEC. 4. IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.
1
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the
2
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State,
3
in coordination with the Administrator of the United
4
States Agency for International Development, shall submit
5
to the appropriate congressional committees an implemen-
6
tation plan that includes a timeline and stated objectives
7
for actions to be taken in beneficiary countries with re-
8
spect to the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative.
9
(b) ELEMENTS.—The implementation plan required
10
by subsection (a) shall include the following elements:
11
(1) A multi-year strategy with a timeline, over-
12
view of objectives, and anticipated outcomes for the
13
region and for each beneficiary country, with respect
14
to each purpose described in section 3.
15
(2) Specific, measurable benchmarks to track
16
the progress of the Caribbean Basin Security Initia-
17
tive toward accomplishing the outcomes included
18
under paragraph (1).
19
(3) A plan for the delineation of the roles to be
20
carried out by the Department of State, the United
21
States Agency for International Development, the
22
Department of Justice, the Department of Defense,
23
and any other Federal department or agency in car-
24
rying out the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative, to
25
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•S 841 RS
prevent overlap and unintended competition between
1
activities and resources.
2
(4) A plan to coordinate and track all activities
3
carried out under the Caribbean Basin Security Ini-
4
tiative among all relevant Federal departments and
5
agencies, in accordance with the publication require-
6
ments described in section 4 of the Foreign Aid
7
Transparency and Accountability Act of 2016 (22
8
U.S.C. 2394c).
9
(5) A description of the process for co-locating
10
projects of the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative
11
funded by the United States Agency for Inter-
12
national Development and the Bureau of Inter-
13
national Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs of
14
the Department of State to ensure that crime pre-
15
vention funding and enforcement funding are used
16
in the same localities as necessary.
17
(6) An assessment of steps taken, as of the
18
date on which the plan is submitted, to increase re-
19
gional coordination and collaboration between the
20
law enforcement agencies of beneficiary countries
21
and the Haitian National Police, and a framework
22
with benchmarks for increasing such coordination
23
and collaboration, in order to address the urgent se-
24
curity crisis in Haiti.
25
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•S 841 RS
(c) ANNUAL PROGRESS UPDATE.—Not later than 1
1
year after the date on which the implementation plan re-
2
quired by subsection (a) is submitted, and annually there-
3
after, the Secretary of State, in coordination with the Ad-
4
ministrator of the United States Agency for International
5
Development, shall submit to the appropriate congres-
6
sional committees a written description of results achieved
7
through the Caribbean Basin Security Imitative, including
8
with respect to—
9
(1) the implementation of the strategy and
10
plans described in paragraphs (1), (3), and (4) of
11
subsection (b);
12
(2) compliance with, and progress related to,
13
meeting the benchmarks described in paragraph (2)
14
of subsection (b); and
15
(3) funding statistics for the Caribbean Basin
16
Security
Initiative
for
the
preceding
year,
17
disaggregated by country.
18
SEC. 5. PROGRAMS AND STRATEGY TO INCREASE NATURAL
19
DISASTER RESPONSE AND RESILIENCE.
20
(a) PROGRAMS.—During the 5-year period beginning
21
on the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary
22
of State, in consultation with the Administrator of the
23
United States Agency for International Development, the
24
President and Chief Executive Officer of the Inter-Amer-
25
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•S 841 RS
ican Foundation, and the Chief Executive Officer of the
1
United States International Development Finance Cor-
2
poration, shall promote natural disaster response and re-
3
silience in beneficiary countries by carrying out programs
4
for the following purpos
[Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]