INTRODUCTION OF THE LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE FOR TRANSATLANTIC ENGAGEMENT (LITE) ACT; Congressional Record Vol. 166, No. 48
(Extensions of Remarks - March 12, 2020)
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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E312]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
INTRODUCTION OF THE LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE FOR TRANSATLANTIC ENGAGEMENT
(LITE) ACT
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HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS
of florida
in the house of representatives
Thursday, March 12, 2020
Mr. HASTINGS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Leadership
Institute for Transatlantic Engagement (LITE) Act--a bill that will
create an institute to assist in strengthening ties with our allies,
protect democratic institutions, and support visionary leadership on
both sides of the Atlantic.
In the 116th Congress, under my leadership as chair, the Commission
on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the U.S. Helsinki
Commission, has held events on the importance of international election
observation, good governance, and focused on democratic backsliding in
particular countries as part of our continued commitment to the
underlying principles of the Helsinki Final Act adopted by the 57 North
American, European, and Eurasian countries that make up the region of
the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
We identified numerous challenges in western leadership that are
putting our democracies and the transatlantic partnership at risk,
including as continuing disparities in wealth, health, employment,
education, justice, and other sectors that lead citizens to question
whether democracy can deliver. Common to among these issues is the role
leaders can play in ensuring laws are equitable, transparent, and
enforced; elections are free and fair; and laying the groundwork to
ensure the same protections, rights, and laws, are extended to all in
their constituencies.
The LITE Act will establish an institute to assist western
democracies in living up to these ideals and restoring faith in
democracy, by equipping transatlantic policymakers with legislative,
communications, conflict resolution and other leadership tools to
strengthen democratic institutions in their societies and the
transatlantic relationship. Given demographic change on both sides of
the Atlantic, the activities of LITE, as established by this
legislation, will also include a focus on inclusive and
intergenerational solutions to current challenges with the goal of
empowering individuals across generations and from diverse backgrounds
with the knowledge, tools, opportunity, and access to fully participate
in their democracies. In addition, LITE will seek to reunify
communities by assisting leaders with strategies that build resilience
against the exploitation of community grievances that can lead to
dangerous divisions in our societies.
In February, we hosted young parliamentarians from the OSCE region
here in the U.S. Congress to discuss how we can strengthen their
political inclusion to advance peace and security efforts. Last year,
we held hearings featuring European lawmakers, and on global
leadership, democracy and public diplomacy. These hearings were the
capstone in a decade of events that began in 2009 whereby the
Commission has convened U.S. and European policymakers under the banner
of the Transatlantic Minority Political Leadership Conference and
Transatlantic Inclusion Leaders Network to support increased political
representation in western democracies. As we celebrate the tenth
anniversary of these efforts that have been pivotal in strengthening
international relations over the past decade, I hope you will join me
in supporting LITE to further codify leadership exchanges and knowledge
building between diverse and young transatlantic policy makers as a
means to sustain our democratic futures.
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