[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3469 Placed on Calendar Senate (PCS)]
<DOC>
Calendar No. 249
117th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 3469
To establish a review of United States multilateral aid.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
January 10, 2022
Mr. Risch introduced the following bill; which was read the first time
January 18, 2022
Read the second time and placed on the calendar
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish a review of United States multilateral aid.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Multilateral Aid
Review Act of 2022''.
(b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is as
follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Purpose.
Sec. 3. Appropriate congressional committees defined.
Sec. 4. Objectives.
Sec. 5. Scope.
Sec. 6. Report on Review.
Sec. 7. United States Multilateral Review Task Force.
Sec. 8. United States Multilateral Aid Review Peer Review Group.
Sec. 9. Termination of authorities.
SEC. 2. PURPOSE.
The purpose of this Act is to establish a United States
Multilateral Aid Review (referred to in this Act as the ``Review'') to
publicly assess the value of United States Government investments in
multilateral entities.
SEC. 3. APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES DEFINED.
In this Act, the term ``appropriate congressional committees''
means--
(1) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate;
(2) the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate;
(3) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of
Representatives;
(4) the Committee on Financial Services of the House of
Representatives; and
(5) the Committee on Appropriations of the House of
Representatives.
SEC. 4. OBJECTIVES.
The objectives of the Review are--
(1) to provide a tool to guide the United States
Government's decision making and prioritization with regard to
funding multilateral entities;
(2) to provide a methodological basis for allocating
budgetary resources to entities that advance relevant United
States foreign policy objectives;
(3) to incentivize improvements in the performance of
multilateral entities to achieve better outcomes, including in
developing, fragile, and crisis-afflicted regions; and
(4) to protect United States taxpayer investments in
foreign assistance by promoting transparency with regard to the
funding of multilateral entities.
SEC. 5. SCOPE.
The Review shall assess, at a minimum, the following multilateral
entities to which the United States Government contributes voluntary or
assessed funding, whether cash or in-kind:
(1) The World Bank Group, including the International Bank
for Reconstruction and Development, the International
Development Association, and the International Finance
Corporation.
(2) The regional development banks, including the Asian
Development Bank, the African Development Bank, the Inter-
American Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction
and Development, and the North American Development Bank.
(3) Climate Investment Funds.
(4) The Food and Agriculture Organization.
(5) Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
(6) The Global Environment Facility.
(7) The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and
Malaria.
(8) The Green Climate Fund.
(9) The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation for
Agriculture.
(10) The International Civil Aviation Organization.
(11) The International Committee of the Red Cross.
(12) The International Fund for Agricultural Development.
(13) The International Labour Organization.
(14) The International Organization for Migration.
(15) The International Telecommunication Union.
(16) The Joint UN Program on HIV/AIDS.
(17) The Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the
Montreal Protocol.
(18) The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for
Human Rights.
(19) The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees.
(20) The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
Development.
(21) The Organization of American States.
(22) The Pacific Forum Fisheries Agency.
(23) The Pan American Health Organization.
(24) The United Nations Children's Fund.
(25) The United Nations Department of Economic and Social
Affairs.
(26) The United Nations Development Programme.
(27) The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the
Empowerment of Women.
(28) The United Nations Environment Programme.
(29) The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change.
(30) The United Nations Office for Project Services.
(31) The United Nations Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs.
(32) The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
(33) The United Nations Population Fund.
(34) The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for
Palestine Refugees in the Near East.
(35) The United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of
Torture.
(36) The World Food Program.
(37) The World Health Organization.
(38) The World Meteorological Organization.
SEC. 6. REPORT ON REVIEW.
(a) Submission.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 21 months after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Task Force established under
section 7, in regular consultation with the Peer Review Group
established under section 8, shall submit a report to the
appropriate congressional committees that describes the
findings of the Review.
(2) Publication.--The Secretary of State shall publish the
report described in paragraph (1) on the internet website of
the Department of State not later than 15 days after the date
on which the report is submitted to the appropriate
congressional committees.
(b) Methodology.--
(1) Use of criteria.--The Task Force shall establish an
analytical framework and assessment scorecard for the Review
using the criteria set forth in subsection (c).
(2) Consultation with congress.--
(A) Submission of methodology.--Not later than 90
days after the appointments to the Peer Review Group
are made pursuant to section 8(b), the Task Force shall
submit the methodology for the Review to the
appropriate congressional committees.
(B) Consideration of congressional views.--The Task
Force may not proceed with the Review until 30 days
after the methodology to the appropriate congressional
committees, taking into consideration the views of the
Chairmen and Ranking Members of each of the appropriate
congressional committees.
(3) Publication of criteria and methodology.--The Secretary
of State shall publish the final criteria and methodology for
the Review on the internet website of the Department of State
not later than 60 days after submitting the proposed
methodology to the appropriate congressional committees
pursuant to paragraph (2)(A).
(c) Assessment Criteria.--The assessment scorecard shall include
the following criteria:
(1) Relationship of stated goals to actual results.--The
extent to which the stated mission, goals, and objectives of
the entity have been achieved during the review period,
including--
(A) an identification of the stated mission, goals,
and objectives of each entity;
(B) an evaluation of the extent to which the entity
met its stated implementation timelines and achieved
declared results; and
(C) an evaluation of whether the entity optimizes
resources to achieve the stated mission, goals, and
objectives of the entity.
(2) Responsible management.--The extent to which management
of the entity follows best management practices, including--
(A) an evaluation of the ratio of management and
administrative expenses to program expenses, including
an evaluation of entity resources spent on
nonprogrammatic expenses;
(B) an evaluation of program expense growth,
including a comparison of the annual growth of program
expenses to the annual growth of management and
administrative expenses; and
(C) an evaluation of whether the entity has
established appropriate levels of senior management
compensation.
(3) Accountability and transparency.--The extent to which
the policies and procedures of the entity follow best practices
of accountability and transparency, taking into consideration
credible reporting regarding unauthorized conversion or
diversion of entity resources, and including an evaluation of
whether the entity has--
(A) established and enforced--
(i) appropriate auditing procedures;
(ii) appropriate rules to reduce the risk
of conflicts of interest among the senior
leadership of the entity; and
(iii) appropriate whistleblower policies;
(B) established and maintained--
(i) appropriate records retention policies
and guidelines;
(ii) best practices with respect to
transparency and public disclosure; and
(iii) best practices with respect to
disclosure of the compensation of senior
leadership officials.
(4) Alignment with united states foreign policy
objectives.--The extent to which the policies and practices of
the entity align with relevant United States foreign policy
objectives, including an evaluation of--
(A) the entity's stated mission, goals, and
objectives in comparison to relevant United States
foreign policy objectives;
(B) any significant divergence between the actions
of the entity and relevant United States foreign policy
objectives; and
(C) whether continued participation by the United
States in the entity contributes a net benefit towards
achieving relevant United States foreign policy
objectives, including the reasons for such conclusion.
(5) Multilateral approach compared to bilateral approach.--
The extent to which pursuing relevant United States foreign
policy objectives through a multilateral approach is effective
and cost-efficient compared to, or complementary to, a
bilateral approach, including an evaluation of--
(A) whether relevant United States foreign policy
objectives are effectively pursued through the entity,
compared to existing or potential bilateral approaches,
including the criteria used in the evaluation; and
(B) whether relevant United States foreign policy
objectives are pursued on a cost-effective basis
through the entity, including the amount of funding
leveraged from non-United States Government sources,
compared to existing or potential bilateral approaches.
(6) Redundancies and overlap.--The extent to which the
mission, goals, and objectives of the entity overlap with, or
complement, the mission, goals, objectives, and programs of
other multilateral institutions to which the United States
Government contributes voluntary or assessed funding, whether
cash or in-kind, including--
(A) a comparison of the extent to which relevant
United States foreign policy objectives are effectively
pursued on a cost-effective basis through each of the
overlapping entities; and
(B) whether continued participation in each entity
contributes a benefit towards achieving United States
foreign policy objectives.
SEC. 7. UNITED STATES MULTILATERAL REVIEW TASK FORCE.
(a) Establishment.--The President shall establish an interagency
Multilateral Review Task Force (referred to in this Act as the ``Task
Force'') to review and assess United States participation in
multilateral entities identified in section 5 and to develop and submit
the report required under section 6 to the appropriate congressional
committees.
(b) Leadership.--The Task Force shall be chaired by the Secretary
of State, who may delegate his or her responsibilities under this Act
to an appropriate senior Senate-confirmed Department of State official.
(c) Membership.--The President may appoint to the interagency Task
Force senior Senate-confirmed officials from the Department of State,
the Department of the Treasury, the United States Agency for
International Development, the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Energy,
and any other relevant executive branch department or agency.
(d) Consultation.--In preparing the report under section 6,
including the initial review of methodology, the Task Force shall
consult regularly with the Peer Review Group established under section
8.
SEC. 8. UNITED STATES MULTILATERAL AID REVIEW PEER REVIEW GROUP.
(a) Establishment.--There is established the United States
Multilateral Aid Review Peer Review Group (referred to in this Act as
the ``Peer Review Group'').
(b) Membership.--
(1) Composition.--The Peer Review Group shall be composed
of 8 nongovernmental volunteer members, of whom--
(A) 2 shall be appointed by the majority leader of
the Senate;
(B) 2 shall be appointed by the minority leader of
the Senate;
(C) 2 shall be appointed by the Speaker of the
House of Representatives; and
(D) 2 shall be appointed by the minority leader of
the House of Representatives.
(2) Appointment criteria.--The members of the Peer Review
Group shall have appropriate expertise and knowledge of the
multilateral entities subject to the Review established by this
Act. In making appointments to the Peer Review Group, potential
conflicts of interest should be taken into account.
(3) Date.--The appointments to the Peer Review Group shall
be made not later than 30 days after the date on which the Task
Force is established pursuant to section 7(a), and the terms of
the members so appointed shall begin on such date.
(4) Chairman and vice chairman.--The Peer Review Group
shall select a Chairman and Vice Chairman from among the
members of the Peer Review Group.
(c) Expert Analysis.--The Peer Review Group shall meet regularly
with the Task Force, including regarding the initial review of
methodology, to offer their expertise of the funding and performance of
multilateral entities.
(d) Review of Report.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days before submitting
the report required under section 6(a), the Task Force shall
submit a draft of the report to--
(A) the Peer Review Group; and
(B) the appropriate congressional committees.
(2) Review.--The Peer Review Group shall--
(A) review the draft report submitted under
paragraph (1); and
(B) not later than 90 days before the submission of
the report required under section 6(a), provide to the
Task Force and to the appropriate congressional
committees--
(i) an analysis of the conclusions of the
report;
(ii) an analysis of the established
methodologies used to reach such conclusions;
(iii) an analysis of the evidence used to
reach such conclusions; and
(iv) any additional comments to improve the
evaluations and analysis of the report.
(e) Period of Appointment; Vacancies.--
(1) In general.--Each member of the Peer Review Group shall
be appointed for a 2-year term.
(2) Vacancies.--Any vacancy in the Peer Review Group--
(A) shall not affect the powers of the Peer Review
Group; and
(B) shall be filled in the same manner as the
original appointment.
(f) Meetings.--
(1) In general.--The Peer Review Group shall meet at the
call of the Chairman.
(2) Initial meeting.--The Peer Review Group shall hold its
first meeting not later than 30 days after its last member is
appointed.
(3) Quorum.--A majority of the members of the Peer Review
Group shall constitute a quorum, but a lesser number of members
may hold meetings.
SEC. 9. TERMINATION OF AUTHORITIES.
The authorities and requirements provided under this Act shall
terminate on the date that is 2 years after the date of the enactment
of this Act.
Calendar No. 249
117th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 3469
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish a review of United States multilateral aid.
_______________________________________________________________________
January 18, 2022
Read the second time and placed on the calendar