[Pages S427-S428]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS

By Mr. CORNYN (for himself, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Grassley, Mr.
Rubio, Mr. Hagerty, Mr. Risch, and Mrs. Fischer):
S. 434. A bill to amend the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938,
as amended, to modify requirements under that Act relating to
exemptions, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Foreign
Relations.
Mr. CORNYN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to print my bill
for introduction in the Congressional Record. The bill amends the
Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, as amended, to modify
requirements under that act relating to exemptions.
There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be
printed in the Record, as follows:

S. 434

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 ``Preventing Adversary
Influence, Disinformation, and Obscured Foreign Financing Act
of 2023'' or the ``PAID OFF Act of 2023''.

SEC. 2. TREATMENT OF EXEMPTIONS UNDER FARA.

(a) Definition.--Section 1 of the Foreign Agents
Registration Act of 1938, as amended (22 U.S.C. 611) is
amended by adding at the end the following:
``(q) The term `country of concern' means--
``(1) the People's Republic of China;
``(2) the Russian Federation;
``(3) the Islamic Republic of Iran;
``(4) the Democratic People's Republic of Korea;
``(5) the Republic of Cuba; and
``(6) the Syrian Arab Republic.''.
(b) Exemptions.--Section 3 of the Foreign Agents
Registration Act of 1938, as amended (22 U.S.C. 613), is
amended, in the matter preceding subsection (a), by inserting
``, except that the exemptions under subsections (d)(1) and
(h) shall not apply to any agent of a foreign principal that
is a country of concern'' before the colon.
(c) Sunset.--The amendments made by subsections (a) and (b)
shall terminate on October 1, 2026.
______

By Mr. DURBIN:
S. 437. A bill to establish within the Office of Gender Equality and
Women's Empowerment of the United States Agency for International
Development a rural mobility program to promote mobility in rural
communities through access to affordable, fit-for-purpose bicycles,
provide support to sustainably increase access to rural areas, and for
other purposes; to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of
the bill be printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be
printed in the Record, as follows:

S. 437

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 ``Bicycles for Rural African
Transport Act''.

SEC. 2. RURAL MOBILITY PROGRAM IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA.

(a) Establishment.--
(1) In general.--The Administrator of the United States
Agency for International Development (referred to in this Act
as ``USAID'') shall establish, within the Office of Gender
Equality and Women's Empowerment, a rural mobility program
(referred to in this section as the ``Program'') to carry out
the purposes described in paragraph (2), including through
grants made to eligible nongovernmental partner
organizations, prioritizing those organizations with
demonstrated success conducting rural mobility programs in
the region to so carry out such purposes.
(2) Purpose.--The Program shall focus on country-driven
projects within sub-Saharan Africa--
(A) to promote rural communities' access to critical
services and opportunities, including education, health care,
and livelihood opportunities, through access to affordable,
fit-for-purpose bicycles; and
(B) to provide support to sustainably increase access to
critical services, such as education, health care, and
livelihood opportunities in rural areas, including through
support for rural-based mechanics, access to spare parts,
reduction of social and gender-based stigma, and community
project management capacity.
(3) Partnerships.--To the greatest extent practicable, the
Program shall partner with existing entities overseas that
have successful models for providing access to affordable
bicycles to achieve development objectives.
(4) Authorization of appropriations.--To carry out this
section, there is authorized to be appropriated--
(A) $3,000,000 for fiscal year 2024;
(B) $3,000,000 for fiscal year 2025;
(C) $6,000,000 for fiscal year 2026;
(D) $6,000,000 for fiscal year 2027; and
(E) $12,000,000 for fiscal year 2028 and for each fiscal
year thereafter.
(b) Report.--
(1) Prior projects.--Not later than 30 days after the date
of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator of USAID
shall submit a report to the Committee on Foreign Relations
of the Senate, the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate,
the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of
Representatives, and the Committee on Appropriations of the
House of Representatives regarding projects carried out by
USAID during each of the fiscal years 2020, 2021, 2022, and
2023 relating to the purposes described in subsection (a)(2).
The report shall--
(A) identify in which countries USAID embedded rural
bicycle mobility into strategies, programs, and projects of
USAID;
(B) describe the mechanisms by which rural bicycle mobility
was so embedded;
(C) specify the number of bicycles distributed each fiscal
year;
(D) assess the outcomes for and impacts on participants in
such projects; and

[[Page S428]]

(E) assess USAID's efforts to disseminate lessons learned
from such projects.
(2) Current projects.--Not later than December 30, 2025,
and not later than each December 30 thereafter, the
Administrator of USAID shall submit a report to the
congressional committees listed in paragraph (1) regarding
projects carried out by USAID during the immediately
preceding fiscal year. Each such report shall include
information relating to the matters described in
subparagraphs (A) through (E) of paragraph (1).
______

By Mr. PADILLA (for himself, Ms. Collins, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr.
King, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Booker, Mrs. Feinstein,
Mr. Markey, Ms. Warren, Mr. Peters, Mr. Hickenlooper, Mr.
Ossoff, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Wyden, Ms. Baldwin, Ms. Duckworth,
Mr. Casey, and Mr. Lujan):
S. 448. A bill to codify the existing Outdoor Recreation Legacy
Partnership Program of the National Park Service, and for other
purposes; to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Mr. PADILLA. Madam President, I rise to introduce the bipartisan
Outdoors for All Act. This legislation would ensure that access to
local parks and outdoor recreation is equitable and available to all.
The Outdoors for All Act would codify and strengthen the Outdoor
Recreation Legacy Partnership Program at the Interior Department, which
provides grants to build new outdoor recreation spaces, improve
existing parks, and form connections between underserved, urban
communities and the outdoors.
It specifically invests in parks and open spaces in areas where the
majority of Americans live. Any single urban area or two adjacent urban
areas with a population of at least 25,000 can qualify for grants,
which can benefit residents in all 50 States.
These grants would fund projects in park-poor, urban communities, and
the bill would require the National Park Service to prioritize projects
that support underserved communities, provide job-training to youth,
and leverage resources through public-private partnerships.
As our cities grow and the effects of climate change intensify, this
bill will increase equitable access to the many benefits of local
parks, from job creation, to shade and tree cover, the reduction of the
urban heat island effect, and clean air.
Nationwide, 100 million people, including 28 million children, do not
have a park within a half-mile of home. That is almost one-third of
America.
Additionally, in the 100 most populated cities, neighborhoods where
most residents identify as Black, Latino, American Indian/Alaska
Native, or Asian American and Pacific Islander have access to an
average of 44 percent less park acreage than predominantly White
neighborhoods.
For example, in Los Angeles, low-income communities and communities
of color lack equal access to parks--a Los Angeles County survey found
that Compton reported only 0.6 acres of parkland per 1,000 residents,
in contrast to Malibu, which has 55.5 acres of parkland per 1,000
residents.
This bill would address this staggering inequity in Los Angeles and
across the country and make equity and justice a key focus of park
investment and planning.
I thank Senator Collins for introducing this legislation with me in
the Senate and Congresswoman Barragan and Congressman Turner for
leading this effort in the House of Representatives.
I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass the Outdoors for
All Act soon as possible.
______

By Mr. BRAUN (for himself, Mr. Cruz, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Rubio, Mr.
Lankford, Mr. Schmitt, Mr. Tillis, Mr. Hagerty, Mr. Hoeven, Mr.
Kennedy, Mr. Boozman, and Mr. Budd):
S. 459. A bill to amend title 18, United States Code, to provide
enhanced penalties for convicted murderers who kill or target America's
public safety officers; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Mr. BRAUN. Madam President, Indiana has lost several officers in the
line of duty in the last 2 years, like Terre Haute Officer Greg Ferency
and Richmond Officer Seara Burton.
I would like to say a few words about Elwood Police Officer Noah
Shahnavaz, who was killed in the line of duty last year in a little
town in Indiana. He was only 24 years old. He was shot during a routine
traffic stop by a violent career criminal who should have been behind
bars. His parents, Laurie and Matt, remembered their son to my office
with these words:

All that Noah ever wanted to do is help others. Society has
been robbed of the many positive impacts he would have had on
our world.

When a police officer is killed in the line of duty, it sends a shock
wave through the community, and it is happening in far too many places.
I decided after his death that I wanted to take the lead in
reintroducing the Thin Blue Line Act. This bill would make targeting
police officers an aggravating factor in favor of the maximum sentence.
It has already passed through the House of Representatives once before.
We need to do it again in this Congress and get it through the Senate
as well.
Supporting our police shouldn't be a partisan issue. This law
wouldn't apply in every case, but it would make criminals think twice
before targeting our police. We have to do everything we can to protect
those who protect us. The one thing we could do to fight back against
crime is to support those on the frontline. We need to give them the
resources they need and send a clear message to those who wish to do
them harm: If you target a police officer, you are going to pay the
highest price possible.
We need to get that done.

____________________