Global Democracy Promotion Act
States that, with respect to eligibility for assistance under part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, foreign nongovernmental organizations shall not be ineligible for such assistance solely on the basis of health or medical services provided by such organizations with non-U.S. government funds if such services do not violate the laws of the country in which they are being provided and would not violate U.S. federal law if provided in the United States.
Declares in addition that foreign nongovernmental organizations shall not be subject to requirements relating to the use of non-U.S. government funds for advocacy and lobbying activities other than those that apply to U.S. nongovernmental organizations receiving assistance under part I of such Act.
[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2740 Introduced in House (IH)]
114th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2740
To prohibit the application of certain restrictive eligibility
requirements to foreign nongovernmental organizations with respect to
the provision of assistance under part I of the Foreign Assistance Act
of 1961.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 11, 2015
Mrs. Lowey (for herself, Ms. Lee, Mr. Ted Lieu of California, Mr.
Engel, Ms. Slaughter, Mr. Levin, Mrs. Lawrence, Mr. Blumenauer, Ms.
Tsongas, Ms. Judy Chu of California, Ms. Pingree, Ms. Norton, Mr.
Deutch, Mr. Rangel, Mr. Farr, Mr. Rush, Mrs. Napolitano, Mr. Schiff,
Mr. Sherman, Mr. Keating, Ms. Esty, Ms. Bonamici, Ms. Jackson Lee, Ms.
Clark of Massachusetts, Mr. Courtney, Mr. DeFazio, Ms. Speier, Mrs.
Capps, Mr. Cardenas, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Capuano, Mr. Conyers, Ms. Castor
of Florida, Ms. DeLauro, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, Mr. Cicilline, Ms.
Schakowsky, Ms. Moore, Mr. Connolly, Ms. DelBene, Mr. Price of North
Carolina, Mr. Crowley, Mr. Takai, Ms. Frankel of Florida, Mr. Ellison,
Mr. Smith of Washington, Mr. Yarmuth, Mr. Takano, Mr. Welch, Mrs.
Beatty, Ms. Brown of Florida, Mr. Beyer, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Quigley,
Mr. DeSaulnier, Mr. Bera, Mr. Loebsack, Mr. Peters, Mr. David Scott of
Georgia, Ms. McCollum, Mr. Sean Patrick Maloney of New York, Mr.
Gallego, Mr. McGovern, Mr. Scott of Virginia, Ms. Brownley of
California, Mr. Al Green of Texas, Ms. Linda T. Sanchez of California,
Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Mr. McNerney, Ms. DeGette, Miss Rice of New
York, Ms. Duckworth, Mr. Israel, Mr. McDermott, Ms. Titus, Mrs. Davis
of California, Mr. Polis, Ms. Clarke of New York, Mr. Lowenthal, Ms.
Matsui, Ms. Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico, Mr. Kilmer, Mr.
Grayson, Mr. Thompson of California, Ms. Edwards, Ms. Sinema, Mrs.
Carolyn B. Maloney of New York, Mr. Pallone, Ms. Meng, Mr. Nadler, Mr.
Tonko, Mrs. Watson Coleman, Mr. Cummings, Mr. Honda, Mr. Pocan, Mr.
Murphy of Florida, Mr. Cleaver, Ms. Kaptur, Mr. Hastings, Mr. Swalwell
of California, Ms. Wilson of Florida, Mr. O'Rourke, Mr. Carson of
Indiana, Mr. Heck of Washington, Mr. Ruiz, Mrs. Dingell, Ms. Bass, Mr.
Clay, Mr. Sires, Mr. Danny K. Davis of Illinois, Mr. Jeffries, Mr.
Kennedy, Ms. Kuster, Mr. Gutierrez, Ms. Eshoo, Mr. Moulton, Mr. Himes,
Mr. Cohen, Mr. Perlmutter, and Mr. Foster) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To prohibit the application of certain restrictive eligibility
requirements to foreign nongovernmental organizations with respect to
the provision of assistance under part I of the Foreign Assistance Act
of 1961.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Global Democracy Promotion Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) It is a fundamental principle of American medical
ethics and practice that health care providers should, at all
times, deal honestly and openly with patients. Any attempt to
subvert the private and sensitive physician-patient
relationship would be intolerable in the United States and is
an unjustifiable intrusion into the practices of health care
providers when attempted in other countries.
(2) Freedom of speech is a fundamental American value. The
ability to exercise the right to free speech, which includes
the ``right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to
petition the government for a redress of grievances'' is
essential to a thriving democracy and is protected under the
United States Constitution.
(3) The promotion of democracy is a principal goal of
United States foreign policy and critical to achieving
sustainable development. It is enhanced through the
encouragement of democratic institutions and the promotion of
an independent and politically active civil society in
developing countries.
(4) Limiting eligibility for United States development and
humanitarian assistance upon the willingness of a foreign
nongovernmental organization to forgo its right to use its own
funds to address, within the democratic process, a particular
issue affecting the citizens of its own country directly
undermines a key goal of United States foreign policy and would
violate the United States Constitution if applied to United
States-based organizations.
(5) Similarly, limiting the eligibility for United States
assistance on a foreign nongovernmental organization's
willingness to forgo its right to provide, with its own funds,
medical services that are legal in its own country and would be
legal if provided in the United States constitutes
unjustifiable interference with the ability of independent
organizations to serve the critical health needs of their
fellow citizens and demonstrates a disregard and disrespect for
the laws of sovereign nations as well as for the laws of the
United States.
SEC. 3. ASSISTANCE FOR FOREIGN NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS UNDER PART
I OF THE FOREIGN ASSISTANCE ACT OF 1961.
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, regulation, or policy,
in determining eligibility for assistance authorized under part I of
the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.), foreign
nongovernmental organizations--
(1) shall not be ineligible for such assistance solely on
the basis of health or medical services, including counseling
and referral services, provided by such organizations with non-
United States Government funds if such services do not violate
the laws of the country in which they are being provided and
would not violate United States Federal law if provided in the
United States; and
(2) shall not be subject to requirements relating to the
use of non-United States Government funds for advocacy and
lobbying activities other than those that apply to United
States nongovernmental organizations receiving assistance under
part I of such Act.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
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