This bill provides funding through FY2026 and provides statutory authority for an office and related initiatives within the Department of State to advance U.S. foreign policy concerning the status of women and girls.
Specifically, the bill provides statutory authority for an Office of Global Women's Issues. The office, headed by an Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues, must advise on foreign policy and international programs relating to equal opportunities for and the advancement of women and girls. Additionally, the bill provides statutory authority for the Women's Global Development and Prosperity Initiative, which promotes women in the workforce and otherwise supports economic advancement for women internationally.
The bill prohibits the office, ambassador, or initiative from using funding to lobby other countries to change their abortion laws or policies or include abortion as a programmatic requirement.
The State Department must report annually on the program, including compliance with the abortion-related funding restrictions.
[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2878 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
117th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 2878
To codify in statute the establishment of the Office of Global Women's
Issues and the Women's Global Development and Prosperity Initiative,
and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
September 28, 2021
Mr. Hagerty (for himself, Mr. Graham, Mrs. Capito, Mr. Rubio, Mr.
Daines, Mrs. Blackburn, Mr. Braun, and Mr. Portman) introduced the
following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on
Foreign Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To codify in statute the establishment of the Office of Global Women's
Issues and the Women's Global Development and Prosperity Initiative,
and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. OFFICE OF GLOBAL WOMEN'S ISSUES AND THE WOMEN'S GLOBAL
DEVELOPMENT AND PROSPERITY INITIATIVE.
Chapter 1 of part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22
U.S.C. 2151 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``SEC. 138. OFFICE OF GLOBAL WOMEN'S ISSUES AND THE WOMEN'S GLOBAL
DEVELOPMENT AND PROSPERITY INITIATIVE.
``(a) In General.--The Secretary of State shall establish, in the
Office of the Secretary of State, the Office of Global Women's Issues
(referred to in this section as the `Office').
``(b) Purpose; Duties.--
``(1) Purpose.--The purpose of the Office is to advance
equal opportunity for women and the status of women and girls
in United States foreign policy.
``(2) Duties.--In carrying out the purpose described in
paragraph (1), the Office--
``(A)(i) shall advise the Secretary of State and
provide input on all activities, policies, programs,
and funding relating to equal opportunity for women and
the advancement of women and girls internationally to
all bureaus and offices of the Department of State; and
``(ii) may, as appropriate, provide to the
international programs of other Federal agencies input
on all activities, policies, programs, and funding
relating to equal opportunity for women and the
advancement of women and girls internationally;
``(B)(i) shall work to ensure that efforts to
advance equal opportunity for women and men and women's
and girls' empowerment are fully integrated into the
programs, structures, processes, and capacities of all
bureaus and offices of the Department of State; and
``(ii) may, as appropriate, work to ensure that
efforts to advance equal opportunity for women and men
and women's and girls' empowerment are fully integrated
into the international programs of other Federal
agencies;
``(C) shall implement the Women's Global
Development and Prosperity Initiative, in accordance
with subsection (c); and
``(D) may not engage in any activities not
described in subparagraphs (A) through (C).
``(c) Women's Global Development and Prosperity Initiative.--
``(1) Establishment.--The Secretary of State shall
establish the Women's Global Development and Prosperity
Initiative (referred to in this subsection as the `Initiative')
to carry out the activities described in paragraphs (2) through
(4).
``(2) Women prospering in the workforce.--The Initiative
shall advance women in the workforce by improving their access
to quality vocational education and skills training, which will
enable them to secure jobs in their local economies.
``(3) Women succeeding as entrepreneurs.--The Initiative
shall promote women's entrepreneurship and increasing access to
capital, financial services, markets, technical assistance, and
mentorship.
``(4) Women enabled in the economy.--The Initiative shall
identify and reduce the binding constraints in economic and
property laws and practices that prevent women's full and free
participation in the global economy and promote foundational
legal reforms, including--
``(A) ensuring that women can fully participate in
the workforce and engage in economic activities by--
``(i) ending impunity for violence against
women;
``(ii) ensuring that women have the
authority to sign legal documents, such as
contracts and court documents; and
``(iii) addressing unequal access to courts
and administrative bodies for women, whether
officially or through lack of proper
enforcement;
``(B) ensuring women's equal access to credit and
capital to start and grow their businesses, savings,
and investments, including prohibiting discrimination
in access to credit on the basis of sex or marital
status;
``(C) lifting restrictions on women's right to own,
manage, and make decisions relating to the use of
property, including repealing limitations on
inheritance and ensuring the ability to transfer,
purchase, or lease such property;
``(D) addressing constraints on women's freedom of
movement, including sex-based restrictions on obtaining
passports and identification documents; and
``(E) promoting the free and equal participation of
women in the economy with regard to working hours,
occupations, and occupational tasks.
``(d) Supervision.--The Office shall be headed by an Ambassador-at-
Large for Global Women's Issues and the Women's Global Development and
Prosperity Initiative (referred to in this section as the
`Ambassador'), who shall--
``(1) be appointed by the President, with the advice and
consent of the Senate;
``(2) report directly to the Secretary; and
``(3) have the rank and status of Ambassador-at-Large.
``(e) Coordination.--United States Government efforts to advance
women's economic empowerment globally shall be closely aligned and
coordinated with the Initiative.
``(f) Abortion Neutrality.--
``(1) Prohibitions.--The Office, the Initiative, and the
Ambassador may not--
``(A) lobby other countries, including through
multilateral mechanisms and foreign nongovernmental
organizations--
``(i) to change domestic laws or policies
with respect to abortion; or
``(ii) to include abortion as a
programmatic requirement of any foreign
activities; or
``(B) provide Federal funding appropriated for
foreign assistance to pay for or to promote abortion.
``(2) Limitations on use of funds.--Amounts appropriated
for the Office or the Initiative may not be used--
``(A) to lobby other countries, including through
multilateral mechanisms and foreign nongovernmental
organizations--
``(i) to change domestic laws or policies
with respect to abortion; or
``(ii) to include abortion as a
programmatic requirement of any foreign
activities; or
``(B) to provide Federal foreign assistance funding
to pay for or to promote abortion.
``(3) Construction.--Nothing in this subsection may be
construed to prevent--
``(A) the funding of activities for the purpose of
treating injuries or illnesses caused by legal or
illegal abortions; or
``(B) agencies or officers of the United States
from engaging in activities in opposition to policies
of coercive abortion or involuntary sterilization.
``(g) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this section, and not less frequently than annually
thereafter, the Secretary of State shall--
``(1) submit a written report to the Committee on
Appropriations of the Senate, the Committee on Foreign
Relations of the Senate, the Committee on Appropriations of the
House of Representatives, and the Committee on Foreign Affairs
of the House of Representatives that describes the
implementation of this section, including--
``(A) measures taken to ensure compliance with
subsection (f); and
``(B) with respect to funds appropriated pursuant
to subsection (h)--
``(i) amounts awarded to prime recipients
and subrecipients since the end of the previous
reporting period; and
``(ii) descriptions of each program for
which such funds are used; and
``(2) make such report publicly available.
``(h) Funding.--
``(1) In general.--There shall be reserved to carry out
this section, from funds made available for development
assistance programs of the United States Agency for
International Development, $200,000,000, for each of the fiscal
years 2022 through 2026, which shall be--
``(A) deposited into the Women's Global Development
and Prosperity Fund (W-GDP);
``(B) administered by the United States Agency for
International Development;
``(C) expended solely for the purpose, duties, and
activities set forth in subsections (b) and (c); and
``(D) expended, to the greatest extent practicable,
in support of removing legal barriers to women's
economic freedom in accordance with the findings of the
W-GDP Women's Economic Freedom Index report published
by the Council of Economic Advisers in February 2020.
``(2) Requirement.--Notwithstanding paragraph (1), amounts
reserved under paragraph (1) for fiscal year 2023, or for any
later fiscal year, may not be obligated or expended unless the
most recent report submitted pursuant to subsection (g)(1)
includes the information required under subparagraphs (A) and
(B) of subsection (g)(1).
``(3) Oversight.--The expenditure of amounts reserved under
paragraph (1) shall be jointly overseen by--
``(A) the United States Agency for International
Development;
``(B) the Ambassador; and
``(C) the Initiative.''.
<all>
Introduced in Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
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