[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3509 Referred in Senate (RFS)]
113th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3509
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
December 13 (legislative day, December 11), 2013
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To direct the Secretary of State to submit to Congress a report on the
status of post-earthquake recovery and development efforts in Haiti.
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 ``Assessing Progress in Haiti Act of
2013''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) On January 12, 2010, a massive earthquake struck near
the Haitian capital city of Port-au-Prince, leaving an
estimated 220,000 people dead, including 103 United States
citizens, 101 United Nations personnel, and nearly 18 percent
of the nation's civil service, as well as 300,000 injured,
115,000 homes destroyed, and 1,500,000 people displaced.
(2) According to the Post Disaster Needs Assessment
conducted by the Government of Haiti, with technical assistance
from the United Nations, the World Bank, the Inter-American
Development Bank, the Economic Commission for Latin America and
the Caribbean, and the European Commission, an estimated 15
percent of the population were directly affected by the
disaster and related damages and economic losses totaled
$7,804,000,000.
(3) Even before the earthquake, Haiti had some of the
lowest socioeconomic indicators and the second highest rate of
income disparity in the world, conditions that have further
complicated post-earthquake recovery efforts and, according to
the World Bank, have significantly reduced the prospects of
economic growth spurring broader poverty reduction.
(4) According to the World Food Program, more than
6,700,000 people in Haiti (out of a population of about
10,000,000) are considered food insecure nationally.
(5) In October 2010, an unprecedented outbreak of cholera
in Haiti resulted in over half a million reported cases and
over 8,000 deaths to date, further straining the capacity of
Haiti's public health sector and increasing the urgency of
resettlement and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) efforts.
(6) The international community, led by the United States
and the United Nations, mounted an unprecedented humanitarian
response in Haiti, with donors pledging approximately
$10,400,000,000 for humanitarian relief and recovery efforts,
including debt relief, supplemented by $3,100,000,000 in
private charitable contributions, of which approximately
$6,400,000,000 has been disbursed and an additional
$3,800,000,000 has been committed as of September 30, 2013.
(7) The emergency response of the men and women of the
United States Government, led by the United States Agency for
International Development (USAID) and the United States
Southern Command, as well as of cities, towns, individuals,
businesses, and philanthropic organizations across the United
States, was particularly swift and resolute.
(8) Since 2010, a total of $1,300,000,000 in United States
assistance has been allocated for humanitarian relief and
$2,300,000,000 has been allocated for recovery, reconstruction,
and development assistance in Haiti, including $1,140,000,000
in emergency appropriations and $95,000,000 that has been
obligated specifically to respond to the cholera epidemic.
(9) Of the $3,600,000,000 in United States assistance
allocated for Haiti, $651,000,000 was apportioned to the USAID
to support an ambitious recovery plan, including the
construction of a power plant to provide electricity for the
new Caracol Industrial Park (CIP) in northern Haiti, a new port
near the CIP, and permanent housing in new settlements in the
Port-au-Prince, St-Marc, and Cap-Haitien areas.
(10) On October 9, 2013, the Committee on Foreign Affairs
of the House of Representatives held an oversight hearing on
the status and effectiveness of post-earthquake United States
aid to Haiti, following a House of Representatives-mandated,
year-long Government Accountability Office (GAO) report that
was highly critical of some aspects of USAID's recovery effort.
(11) According to GAO, as of June 30, 2013, USAID had
disbursed just 31 percent of its reconstruction funds in Haiti,
the port project was 2 years behind schedule and over budget by
an estimated $189,000,000, the housing project has been reduced
by 80 percent, and the sustainability of the power plant, the
port, and the housing projects were all at risk.
(12) GAO further found that Congress has not been provided
with sufficient information to ensure that it is able to
conduct effective oversight at a time when most funding remains
to be disbursed, and specifically recommends that a periodic
reporting mechanism be instituted to fill this information gap.
(13) Donors have encountered significant challenges in
implementing recovery programs and nearly 4 years after the
earthquake an estimated 171,974 people remain displaced in
camps, unemployment remains high, corruption is rampant, land
rights remain elusive, allegations of wage violations are
widespread, the business climate is unfavorable, and government
capacity remains weak.
(14) For Haiti to achieve stability and long term economic
growth, donor assistance will have to be carefully coordinated
with a commitment by the Haitian Government to transparency, a
market economy, rule of law, and democracy.
SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY.
It is the policy of the United States to support the sustainable
rebuilding and development of Haiti in a manner that--
(1) promotes efforts that are led by and support the
Haitian people and the Haitian Government at all levels so that
Haitians lead the course of reconstruction and development of
Haiti;
(2) builds the long term capacity of the Government of
Haiti and Haitian civil society;
(3) reflects the priorities and particular needs of both
women and men so they may participate equally and to their
maximum capacity;
(4) respects and helps restore Haiti's natural resources,
as well as builds community-level resilience to environmental
and weather-related impacts;
(5) provides timely and comprehensive reporting on goals
and progress, as well as transparent post program evaluations
and contracting data;
(6) prioritizes the local procurement of goods and services
in Haiti where appropriate; and
(7) promotes the holding of free, fair, and timely
elections in accordance with democratic principles and the
Haitian Constitution.
SEC. 4. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that transparency, accountability,
democracy, and good governance are integral factors in any
congressional decision regarding United States assistance, including
assistance to Haiti.
SEC. 5. REPORT.
(a) In General.--Not later than 120 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act and every 180 days thereafter through September
30, 2016, the Secretary of State shall submit to Congress a report on
the status of post-earthquake recovery and development efforts in
Haiti.
(b) Contents.--The report required by subsection (a) shall
include--
(1) a summary of the Haiti Rebuilding and Development
Strategy, including any significant changes to the strategy
over the reporting period and an explanation thereof;
(2) a breakdown of the work that the United States
Government agencies other than USAID and the Department of
State are conducting in the Haiti recovery effort, and the cost
of that assistance;
(3) an assessment of the progress of United States efforts
to advance the objectives of the Haiti Rebuilding and
Development Strategy through the ``Post-Earthquake USG Haiti
Strategy: Toward Renewal and Economic Opportunity'' produced by
the Department of State, compared to what remains to be
achieved to meet specific goals, including--
(A) a description of any significant changes to the
Strategy over the reporting period and an explanation
thereof;
(B) an assessment of progress, or lack thereof,
over the reporting period toward meeting the goals and
objectives, benchmarks, and timeframes specified in the
Strategy, including--
(i) a description of progress toward
designing and implementing a coordinated and
sustainable housing reconstruction strategy
that addresses land ownership, secure land
tenure, water and sanitation, and the unique
concerns of vulnerable populations such as
women and children, as well as neighborhood and
community revitalization, housing finance, and
capacity building for the Government of Haiti
to implement an effective housing policy;
(ii) a description of efforts to construct
and sustain the proposed port, as well as an
assessment of the current projected timeline
and cost for completion; and
(iii) a description of efforts to attract
and leverage the investments of private sector
partners to the CIP, including by addressing
any policy impediments;
(C) a description of the quantitative and
qualitative indicators used to evaluate the progress
toward meeting the goals and objectives, benchmarks,
and timeframes specified in Strategy at the project
level;
(D) the amounts committed, obligated, and expended
on programs and activities to implement the Strategy,
by sector and by implementing partner at the prime and
subprime levels (in amounts of not less than $25,000);
and
(E) a description of the risk mitigation measures
put in place to limit the exposure of United States
assistance provided under the Strategy to waste, fraud,
and abuse;
(4) a description of measures taken to strengthen, and an
assessment of, Haitian governmental and non-governmental
organizational capacity to undertake and sustain United States-
supported recovery programs;
(5) a description of United States efforts to consult and
engage with Haitian Government ministries and local authorities
on the establishment of goals and timeframes, and on the design
and implementation of new programs under the Post-Earthquake
USG Haiti Strategy: Toward Renewal and Economic Opportunity;
(6) a description of efforts to consult and engage with
Haitian civil society and grassroots organizations on the
establishment of goals and timeframes, and on the design and
implementation of new programs under the Post-Earthquake USG
Haiti Strategy: Toward Renewal and Economic Opportunity, as
well as efforts to coordinate with and engage the Haitian
diaspora;
(7) consistent with the Government of Haiti's ratification
of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption, a
description of United States and Haitian Government efforts to
strengthen Haitian Government institutions established to
address corruption, as well as related efforts to promote
public accountability, meet public outreach and disclosure
obligations, and support civil society participation in anti-
corruption efforts;
(8) a description of efforts to leverage public-private
partnerships and increase the involvement of the Haitian
private sector in recovery and development activities and
coordinate programs with the private sector and other donors;
(9) a description and assessment of efforts to address the
particular needs of vulnerable populations, including
internally displaced persons, women, children, orphans, and
persons with disabilities, in the design and implementation of
new programs and infrastructure;
(10) an description of the impact that agriculture and
infrastructure programs are having on the food security,
livelihoods, and land tenure security of smallholder farmers,
particularly women;
(11) a description of mechanisms for communicating the
progress of recovery and development efforts to the Haitian
people, including a description of efforts to provide
documentation, reporting and procurement information in Haitian
Creole; and
(12) a description of the steps Haiti is taking to
strengthen its capacity to receive individuals who are removed,
excluded, or deported from the United States.
Passed the House of Representatives December 12, 2013.
Attest:
KAREN L. HAAS,
Clerk.