Happy Earth Gay!
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Happy Earth Gay
Executive Producers: Sherriff Gene, Thomas Staniszweski
Associate Executive Producers: Sir Warren Carroll
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Knighthoods: Warren Carroll
Titles: Sir Gene --> Sherriff of Texas
Art By: MartinJJ
ShowNotes Archive of links and Assets (clips etc) 506.nashownotes.com
New: Directory Archive of Shownotes (includes all audio and video assets used) nashownotes.com
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Chocolate Bacon on a stick
Millionaire's Bacon
We have no motive
We had an obvious patsy manhunt
Only pictures
No height or ethnicity description
Lockdown and door to door implies rogue operatives
Keystone Cops
FBI and CIA ops got mixed up
NK's were to place bombs that were to be 'discovered' by FBI, saving the day at 5pm for the evening news cycle. Obama looks good, Kim Jung-un looks bad, impetus to get rid of gunpowder
Waal Street insiders know about this, which is why markets are trading down sharply
NK Agents double cross FBI, set off bombs and hour early in hopes of becoming heroes to KJU in NK
Chechnyan brothers are CIA ops, who exchange bombs materials with their bomb makers in public places through backpacks. These bombs are then shipped out to the caucuses to destabilize Russia.
They do the exchange drop and when the bombs go off, think it was one of theirs, they freak out and soon get blamed to cover up the double cross NK plot gone wrong
Never let a crisis go to waste
FBI made to look bad by Brennan's CIA
More counter terrorism funding and clampdown
Immigration reform
Ill. man tried to join al-Qaida-linked group
Sun, 21 Apr 2013 07:12
CHICAGO (AP) '-- An Illinois teenager who was friends with a man charged last year with trying to bomb a Chicago bar was arrested at an airport on his way to try to join a terrorist group in war-torn Syria, the FBI said Saturday.
Abdella Ahmad Tounisi was arrested Friday night as he attempted to board a flight from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport to Turkey, which borders Syria, the FBI said. He hoped to join Jabhat al-Nusrah, an al-Qaida-affiliated group fighting Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime in a bloody civil war.
There are no links between Tounisi and the Boston Marathon bombings earlier in the week, the head of the FBI office in Chicago, Cory B. Nelson, said in a statement announcing the arrest.
Tounisi, a U.S. citizen, was snared in an Internet sting after contacting a sham website set up by the FBI that purported to hook up would-be fighters with terrorists, the federal complaint says.
The 18-year-old Aurora man was surprisingly frank about his lack of fighting experience.
"Concerning my fighting skills, to be honest, I do not have any," he allegedly wrote in one email written this year, according to the complaint. "I'm very small ... physically but I pray to Allah that he makes me successful."
At the top of the website were the words, "A Call for Jihad in Syria," and the site invited interested parties to "come and join your lion brothers ... who are fighting under the true banner of Islam." Elsewhere, the site advised users on how to conceal their Internet tracks, the complaint says.
Email responses to Tounisi from an FBI agent posing as a terror-group recruiter referred to Tounisi as "Brother Abdullah" and encouraged him not to despair about his lack of battle skills.
Tounisi is charged with one count of attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. If convicted, he faces a maximum 15-year prison term.
Tounisi was carrying out research online about Jabhat al-Nusrah, or Nursa Front, which is a well-organized rebel faction Assad's regime, the complaint says. In late 2012, the U.S. government designated the group a foreign terrorist organization, describing it as an alias for the group al-Qaida in Iraq.
According to the complaint, Tousini's Internet searches included the keywords "martyrdom operations," as well as the phrases "providing material support what does it mean" and "Terrorism Act 2000" '-- a possible indication that he was concerned about the legal implications of what he was contemplating.
Neither the complaint nor the FBI statement includes the name of an attorney for Tounisi. And there was no public telephone listing for a Tounisi in Aurora, which is just west of Chicago.
The complaint says Tounisi was a close friend of Adel Daoud, a Chicago-area teen who was arrested last year on charges he sought to detonate a device he thought was a bomb outside a downtown bar.
Daoud has pleaded not guilty and is in jail awaiting trial. Daoud's attorney, Thomas Durkin, has raised questions about whether agents employed improper methods in a bid to woo or trick Daoud into committing crimes.
The complaint does not accuse Tounisi of participating in the alleged attack planned by Daoud, though it does contend the two friends discussed possible targets before Daoud's arrest. The complaint in Tounisi's case also does not include new allegations against Daoud.
Tounisi allegedly toyed with the possibility of joining Daoud's alleged plot, the complaint says. But the filing adds that Tounisi eventually opted out when he concluded Daoud's contact may have been working for law enforcement. In filings after Daoud's arrest, prosecutors did say the contact was an FBI informant.
"Tounisi's interest in violent jihad continued, notwithstanding Daoud's arrest," the complaint says.
___
Follow Michael Tarm at www.twitter.com/mtarm
Guess what dude, they just got THE JOKER but they pronounce it "Jo
Kahr" and CBS News just announced he became a naturalized U.S. Citizen
on September 11, 2012.
Nothing to see here at 666 Boylston St. Move along, Move along...
Adam in Pittsburgh
Mother VERBATIM russian and English TV testimonials
BOSTON BOMBING '' Did you notice this? '' YouTube
Source: Stuff Ain't Right » Uncategorized
Sat, 20 Apr 2013 16:29
I'm just an obscure Midwestern singer/songwriter. Sometimes I just look around for stuff that ain't right. I don't endorse or completely agree with everything I put on my blog. I just find them interesting and worth re-posting for folks that might run across them. If you disagree or agree with the views in these articles, then that's your right. You can comment, complain or whatever. I might agree with you or I might not. That's my right, I guess. Either way, there's some stuff out there that ain't right. I think we can agree on that.
Lenco Armored Vehicles - Protecting Our Nation's Defenders'
Fri, 19 Apr 2013 08:48
Lenco Armored Vehicles is the Nation's leading designer and manufacturer of tactical armored security vehicles. Lenco Armored Trucks meet the needs of S.W.A.T., Homeland Security, Counter-Terrorism, Force Protection, Military Police, HAZMAT Team and Dignitary Protection applications. A growing number of high-profile U.S. agencies around the globe are using our armored vehicles for dangerous law enforcement and military operations such as close quarter battle engagements, citizen rescue and personnel/cargo delivery missions.
Our product line includes the Lenco BearCat®; the Lenco B.E.A.R.®; and the Lenco ProCat® Crew Armored Transporter. These Ballistic Engineered Armored Response vehicles are constructed of certified hardened steel armor plate and approved multi-hit ballistic glass. Detailed ballistic specifications are available upon request. Vehicles are also equipped with blast fragmentation resistant floors, specially designed gunports, roof hatches with rotating turrets, gun mount platforms, gear storage and much more. All Lenco Armored Trucks are built on commercially available truck chassis' like Ford and Freightliner, to enable our users with OEM chassis service, parts availability and warranty support.
We invite you to explore our website and our vehicles, and hope that you will take the time to read our product reviews and reference pages. We look forward to working with your agency and answering any questions you may have.
The Volokh Conspiracy >> House-to-House Searches and the Fourth Amendment
Fri, 19 Apr 2013 23:23
Orin Kerr ' April 19, 2013 7:21 pm
Current events in Boston raise the question of whether the Fourth Amendment allows the government to conduct house-to-house searches for an armed and dangerous suspect on the loose. Assume the police enter a home without consent searching for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev; does the entry violate the Fourth Amendment? The answer depends on whether such home entries are ''reasonable'' under the Fourth Amendment, which requires a case-by-case balancing of the government's interest in making the searches and the scope of the privacy invasion. The constitutional question would seem to depend on whether the searches are reasonably limited in scope (such as limited to a specific geographic area), the dangerousness of the suspect (here, very high), and the strength of the government's case that the suspect may be in the area and cannot be caught another way. Fortunately there aren't a lot of cases on anything like we're seeing in Boston, at least as far as I could find. The closest cases I know of involve roadblocks instead of home searches, which is in the ballpark of dragnet searches and seizures but not particularly close on the facts. See, e.g., City of Indianapolis v. Edmond, 531 U.S. 32 (2000) (noting in dicta that ''the Fourth Amendment would almost certainly permit an appropriately tailored roadblock set up to thwart an imminent terrorist attack or to catch a dangerous criminal who is likely to flee by way of a particular route.''); United States v. Paetsch, '-- F.Supp.2d '---, 2012 WL 5213011 (D.Colo. 2012) (dragnet roadblock at intersection to catch bank robber held reasonable under the Fourth Amendment).
Note that caselaw on these sorts of facts are particularly unlikely for reasons beyond the fortunate rarity of their occurrence. The suspect won't have Fourth Amendment standing to bring a suit or a motion to suppress to challenge a search of someone else's house in which he was hiding. See Rakas v. Illinois, 439 U.S. 128 (1978). As a result, only the legitimate residents could bring such actions in a civil case. And if they did bring such suits, qualified immunity would bar recovery unless the violation was clearly established '-- which is unlikely here given the novelty of the facts.
Obama Insist Second Bombing Will Be Tried In Civilian Court
Putin and Obama Plan 2 Meetings to Tackle Tensions | News | The Moscow Times
Tensions High, Obama Agrees to Meet With Putin - NYTimes.com
Dokka Umarov - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sat, 20 Apr 2013 22:33
Doku (Dokka) Khamatovich Umarov (Chechen: ÓÑÐ¼Ð°Ñ ÐÓÐ°Ð½Ñ Ð--оккa; Russian: Ð--Ð¾ÐºÑ Ð¥Ð°Ð¼Ð°ÑÐ¾Ð²Ð¸Ñ Ð£Ð¼Ð°Ñов; also called by the Arabized name of "Dokka Abu Usman"[1]) (born 13 April 1964) is a ChechenIslamist militant in Russia.[2][3] He is responsible for numerous attacks on civilians, earning himself the nickname "Russia's Osama Bin Laden".[4][5][6][7][8] On 3 February 2012, Umarov ordered his subordinates, in a video posted online, to halt attacks on the civilian population of Russia, while leaving military and security personnel as legitimate targets.[9]
Between 2006 and 2007, Umarov was the undergroundPresident of the unrecognized Chechen Republic of Ichkeria (ChRI). He subsequently became the self-proclaimed Emir of the Russian North Caucasus, declaring it an Islamic state of the Caucasus Emirate. He is currently wanted by Russia for the crimes of kidnapping, homicide and treason.[10] He is one of the major rebel leaders in Russia and has claimed responsibility for numerous attacks, including the 2010 Moscow Metro bombings and the 2011 Domodedovo International Airport bombing. The attacks killed 40 and 36 civilians respectively, and injured hundreds.[11]
On 1 August 2010, Umarov resigned his position and appointed Aslambek Vadalov as the new Emir of the Caucasus Emirate. However, on 4 August, he issued a statement "annulling" the previous declaration and stating he would remain in his position.[12] In July 2011, a sharia court ruled in favour of Umarov over the rift, following which the other rebels re-swore allegiance to him.
On 10 March 2011, the United Nations Security Council Al-Qaida and Taliban Sanctions Committee added Umarov to the list of individuals associated with Al-Qaeda.[13]
[edit]Biography[edit]Early lifeUmarov was born to Khamad Umarov of the Malkoy teip (the same clan as the warlord Arbi Barayev and the Chechen ex-foreign minister Ilyas Akhmadov)[14] in April 1964 in the small village of Kharsenoi (Kharsenoy) in Shatoysky District region in southern Chechnya. He graduated from the construction faculty of the Oil Institute in the Chechen capital Grozny with a higher education degree as a construction engineer.[15]
[edit]FamilyDokka Umarov is married, with six children, the youngest of whom was born in 2006.[15] Two of Umarov's brothers, Isa and Musa, have been killed in combat.[16] Since 2003, several of Umarov's relatives (as well as many relatives of the other Chechen separatist leaders),[17] including all of his immediate family, have been kidnapped by "unidentified armed men" (presumably government agents); some of them were promptly released but the others have disappeared and may be dead.[18] Shortly after the Beslan hostage-taking raid in 2004, during which Umarov's close relatives were held for several days at Khankala military base near Grozny,[14]Prosecutor General of RussiaVladimir Ustinov suggested the practice of taking rebel leaders' relatives hostage. In 2005, the Russian leading human rights group Memorial blamed pro-Moscow Chechen forces ("Kadyrovtsy") for a policy of abductions of the rebels' relatives.[19][20] On 5 May 2005, a group of masked attackers kidnapped Umarov's wife, his one-year-old son, and his 74-year-old father Khamad (Hamad).[14] According to the rebel sources, Umarov's family was abducted by the employees of the Oil Regiment (Neftepolk, headed by Adam Delimkhanov) and held in a Kadyrov's personal prison in the village of Tsentoroi.[18] A few months before that, on 24 February, Umarov's brother Ruslan had too been kidnapped by armed men and then allegedly tortured by the FSB at Khankala base.[21][22] Umarov's wife and son were later freed, but his elderly father and the younger brother both disappeared and in April 2007, Umarov declared his father was murdered in captivity.[18][23] In August 2005, Umarov's sister Natalia (Natasha) Khumaidova was abducted in the Chechen town of Urus-Martan;[20][24] she was released days later, after local residents protesting for her return rallied and blocked a federal highway,[14] and in 2003''2004, his cousin Zaurbek Umarov and nephew Roman Atayev were also reportedly detained in Chechnya and in Ingushetia, but then disappeared.[21][25]
[edit]First Chechen War and interwar periodAlthough Umarov was either in Moscow or the Tyumen Oblast[14] when the first Russian-Chechen war began in December 1994, he returned to Chechnya to fulfill what he said was his patriotic duty to fight. Umarov initially served under the command of Ruslan Gelayev. But in 1996, due to disagreements with Gelayev, he left the unit and joined the command of Akhmed Zakayev, who had also left Gelayev's ranks to lead the special forces unit Borz ("Wolf"). In the course of the war, in which his unit was expanded from a battalion to regiment, Umarov was promoted to the rank of brigadier general and won two of Ichkeria's highest awards for valor and bravery: Hero of the Nation (Kyoman Turpal) and Honour of the Nation (Kioman Syi).[15][26]
Following the Khasav-Yurt Accord that ended the first Chechen war in 1996 and the presidential election of Aslan Maskhadov in January 1997, Umarov was named by Maskhadov to head the Chechen Security Council. In that position, he intervened in July 1998 to quash an armed clash between moderates and Islamic radicals in the city of Gudermes.[26] However, he was forced to resign when the Council was disbanded because of persistent rumors of his participation in hostage-taking "business".[14] In 1999, he was accused of the kidnapping of General Gennady Shpigun, the Russian envoy to Chechnya.
[edit]Second Chechen WarUmarov began the current Chechen war in September 1999 as a field commander, again working closely with Ruslan Gelayev in the siege for Grozny.[27] In early 2000 Umarov sustained a serious wound to his face as he was leaving a surrounded Grozny and was hospitalized in a third country alongside Zakayev.[14][26] According to Georgian Intelligence Service, Umarov then led a force of 130''150 fighters in Georgia's Pankisi Gorge before his return to Chechnya in the summer of 2002.
Back in Chechnya, Umarov became the replacement of Isa Munayev on the post of the commander of Southwestern Front, the military region southwest of Grozny that bordered on Georgia and the Russian republic of Ingushetia;[28] he was seen as having been an ally of Vedeno-based Shamil Basayev.[28][29] In 2003 Gelayev led his men in the heavy fighting around the town of Shatoy and according to the Russian sources ordered the bombing of the Ingushetia FSB headquarters in the Ingush capital Magas and the attack on electrical infrastructure facilities in the city of Kislovodsk in Stavropol Krai.[27][30] After death of Gelayev in February 2004, many of his remaining men joined Umarov's command. The next year, together with Basayev, Umarov was one of the leaders of a large-scale raid into neighbouring Ingushetia in the summer of 2004.[27][31] Through 2005, there were numerous incorrect reports of Umarov's death or grave injury. In January, he was reported having been killed in a gun battle with the Russian special forces near the Georgian border. In March, he was reported as having been seriously wounded by a Spetznaz assassination team. In September, the MVD announced it had found "Umarov's grave" and the following month in October he was once again falsely reported dead in the rebel raid on Nalchik, the capital city of Kabardino-Balkaria.[27] In April 2005, Russian special forces destroyed a small guerrilla unit during a battle in a residential area of Grozny after receiving intelligence that Umarov was with them, yet he was not found among the dead.[27] In May 2005, Umarov was reportedly seriously hurt when he stepped on an anti-personnel mine. He was said to have lost a leg in the blast, but turned out to be only lightly injured and participated in an attack on the village of Roshni-Chu three months later.[14] In May 2006, Chechen police discovered his headquarters bunker in the center of the village of Assinovskaya on the border with Ingushetia, however Umarov managed to escape in time.[32] By this time he had already become a vice-president of the separatist government.
[edit]Political career[edit]Chechen presidencyAs vice-president, Umarov was automatically elevated to the position as supreme leader of the ChRI following the death of President of IchkeriaSheikh Abdul Halim on June 17, 2006.[33] Having become president, Umarov also held such posts as the head of the State Defense Council; Amir (commander) of the Madzhlis Shura of the Caucasus; Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria; and finally, Amir of the Mujahideen of the Caucasus. In his first published comments since assuming the role of president, Umarov vowed to expand the conflict to "many regions of Russia", praised his predecessor Sadulayev, indicated that a special unit was being formed to fight Chechnya's "most odious traitors" (a remark believed to refer to the present federal Chechen administration) and stressed that the Chechen rebels would attack only military and police targets within Russia, including in the newly-declared Urals and Volga Region Fronts.[34][35] On June 27, 2006, Umarov appointed the maverick Chechen commander Shamil Basayev to the position of vice-president of the separatist government, simultaneously releasing him from his position as first deputy prime minister;[26] Ichkeria's foreign minister, Usman Firzauli, said that the appointment was meant to force Russia into political negotiations, for if they killed Umarov, then the radical Basayev would have become the official leader of the Chechen separatist movement.[36] However, Basayev was killed soon afterward, in July 2006; on March 19, 2007, Kavkaz Center website reported that Umarov has appointed Supyan Abdullayev as the new vice-president of the ChRI.[37] In October 2007, Umarov made another controversial move when he posthumously restored the disgraced notorious field commander Arbi Barayev to the rank of brigadier general, which was stripped of him by Maskhadov in 1998.
On August 18, 2006, Umarov was falsely announced to have surrendered at the Gudermes residence of Ramzan Kadyrov, the Russians bayed Chechen leader, under a Russian amnesty provision enacted after Basayev's death; however, Russian authorities later reversed it to a claim of surrender of Umarov's "younger brother and former head of body guards" (Umarov maintains he has no younger brother and the later reports identified the allegedly surrendered person as his older brother Akhmad instead; for their part, the Chechen separatists said that the older Umarov disappeared two years before and claimed that the presentation of the Chechen leader's brother was "a PR stunt").[38] Umarov himself has previously called the amnesty as "a hopeless attempt by the Kremlin regime to shroud the real situation... in lies."[39] On November 23, 2006, large numbers of Russian Defense Ministry and the FSB troops, without the participation of Chechen police,[40] supported by helicopters and artillery barrages,[41] were reported to have surrounded Umarov and his forces in a forest near the village of Yandi-Katar in the Achkhoy-Martanovsky District, on the internal border between Ingushetia and Chechnya. According to Kommersant sources, Umarov has been wounded in the operation but managed to escape the pursuit. He then spent the winter months travelling across the mountains to the nearby republic of Kabardino-Balkaria to meet with local jamaats fighting Russian authorities in the region and consolidate the Caucasian Front, the pan-Caucasian Islamic militant network set up by the late President Abdul-Khalim Sadulayev.[42] In April 2007, a group of fighters which might have been personally led by Umarov shot down a Russian troop transport helicopter near Shatoy.[43]
[edit]Leadership of the Caucasus EmirateOn October 7, 2007,[44] Umarov had proclaimed Imarat Kavkaz (Caucasus Emirate, aimed at uniting Northern Caucasus into a single Islamic state) and at once declared himself its Emir, thereby converting the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria into a vilayat (province) of the new emirate. The move to establish the Emirate was quickly condemned by Akhmed Zakayev, by then until recently Umarov's own minister of foreign affairs. Zakayev, living in exile in London, called upon all separatist fighters and politicians to pledge allegiance directly to the Chechen parliament in an attempt to isolate his former subordinate from power.[45] Zakayev expressed regret that Umarov had caved in to pressure from "provocateurs" and committed a "crime" that undermines the legitimacy of the ChRI. In a one-day period two former senior field commanders, Isa Munayev and Sultan Arsayev, issued statements publicly siding with Zakayev and distancing themselves from Umarov.[46] However, all of the prominent active field commanders in Chechnya, with the sole exception of Amir Mansur (Arbi Evmirzayev, the leader of the Islamic Jamaat of Chechnya who was killed in 2010; also some small-time commanders such as Amir Khamza and Amir Surkho of Islamic Brigade of Chechnya and Staraya Sunzha Sabotage Group), had sided with Dokka Umarov on the decision.[47]
Prominent Radio Liberty journalist Andrei Babitsky reported in November 2007 that Umarov had again travelled to the Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria to rest and recuperate for the winter months. Babitsky said that Umarov was in a poor state of health after taking a shrapnel wound to his lower jaw (it is possible Umarov received the wound in 2006 when he broke out of a Russian encirclement on the Chechen/Ingush border[14]) and after his leg was injured in a mine explosion. Pro-Moscow Chechen president Ramzan Kadyrov offered him medical care if Umarov were to "beg for forgiveness".[48] On May 9, 2009, Ramzan Kadyrov announced that Umarov has been reportedly severely wounded once again and four of his bodyguards have been killed in an operation commanded by Kadyrov's cousin and deputy Adam Delimkhanov (early rumors even claimed that Umarov had even been killed and in June the Russian authorities forensically examined the four burned corpses to see whether they included that of Umarov).[49][50] All this was denied by the rebel sources;[51] in next month Umarov himself phoned the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty to say he's alive;[52] and in an interview conducted in July 2009 with Prague Watchdog Umarov maintained that the last time he was wounded was in 1995 during the First Chechen War.[53] On January 19, 2010, Kadyrov announced that he had launched another Delimkhanov-led special operation in Chechnya's mountains to find and eliminate Umarov.[54]
On June 10, 2010, special presidential representative for the fight against international terrorism and organized crime, Anatoly Safonov, said that the detention or destruction of Doku Umarov is a matter for the near future.
[edit]Alleged resignationOn 1 August 2010 Kavkaz Center said Umarov had officially announced his resignation for health reasons and appointed Aslambek Vadalov as his successor. He appointed Vadalov saying "that jihad should be led by younger and more energetic commanders." Although he added that he would "continue to wage jihad and will do his utmost to help the new leadership. [Stepping down] does not mean that I give up jihad. I will do whatever I can by word and deed."[55][56]
On 4 August, he contradicted the claim issued by him on video saying "Due to the situation in the Caucasus I consider that it is impossible for me to quit my duties. The previous declaration is annulled. It is a falsification. I declare that my health is good to serve Allah. And I will serve the word of Allah and work to kill the enemies of Allah in all the time that he gives me to live on this earth." He called the initial video a "fabrication," but did not say why there was a conflict.[57][58]
[edit]Sharia support for leadershipIn July 2011, a sharia court ruled in favour of Umarov[59] to close the rift caused by Umarov's reorganisation of the "armed forces" of Chechnya, the disbanding the so-called "eastern and south-western fronts" and dividing Chechnya into "military sectors." The court asked the rebels to re-swear allegiance to Umarov. Amir Khamzat, the commander of the Riyad-us-Saliheen Martyr Brigade or the organisation's suicide battalion who has been named the commander of the western sector. Hussein Gakayev, who had been named to lead the eastern sector, Aslambek Vadalov and Tarkhan Gaziyev consequently followed suit and re-affirmed their allegiance to Umarov.[60][61]
He then warned Russia that it would be the target of a new strengthened insurgency as he promised a year of "blood and tears"[62] as a result of the new unity.[63]
[edit]Religious beliefs and world view"Barely religious until late in life",[64] Umarov practices traditional Islam, as opposed to "Wahhabis".[65] There is no real record that indicates he has ever followed or is currently a follower of salafism.[66][67] He has always described himself as a "traditionalist". Responding to Russian claims that he was an Islamic extremist, he described himself as a "traditionalist" and said: "Before the start of the first war in 1994, when the occupation began and I understood that war was inevitable, I came here as a patriot. I'm not even sure I knew how to pray properly then. It's ridiculous to say I'm a Wahhabist or a radical Muslim."[16] Umarov denied that the Chechen separatism is linked to al-Qaeda or any other international jihadist groups, saying that the rebels' priority is liberty and independence from Russia and peace for the Caucasus.[26] However, in the same 2007 statement in which Umarov proclaimed the Caucasus Emirate, he expressed solidarity with "brothers in Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia and Palestine" and described "everyone who attacked Muslims" as common enemies of Muslims worldwide.[68] His deputy Anzor Astemirov soon retracted this statement, although saying they still held Israel to be an enemy. Prior to the declaration of his emirate, Umarov was commonly viewed as a staunch Chechen nationalist and had been expected by many observers to rather curb the pan-Islamist tendencies in the separatist movement.[16]
In the video in which Doku Umarov claimed responsibility for the Domodedovo International Airport bombing, calling the major powers in the world "Satanic" he criticized the US and Russia for being hyprocrites, in that if they actually followed their own principles, they would have to surrender world power to China, due to the senior status of Chinese culture and religion.[69] He said, according to the logic of Russia and America, "China should then rule the world. They have the largest and most ancient cultures".[70] He also attacked the USA, Russia, Britain, and Israel for oppressing Muslims.
[edit]Involvement in attacks against civiliansAlthough Umarov announced an end to violence against civilians in 2006, in 2009 he has stated that he does not believe there are any civilians in Russia, but also that civilian casualties would be limited as much as possible.[53] Umarov has personally taken responsibility for attacks in which dozens of civilians have been killed,[11][71] and has been implicated in others. He is currently federally wanted by Russia for alleged crimes including acts of terrorism. During the September 2004 Beslan school hostage crisis Umarov had been incorrectly identified by Russian security forces and some hostages as an on-site leader of the hostage takers,[28] a claim which was later officially refuted; Umarov himself condemned the act and distanced himself from terrorism.[65]
In March 2008, Chechnya's chief prosecutor, Valery Kuznetsov, launched a criminal case against Umarov for "inciting inter-ethnic hatred and calling for the overthrow of the Russian government on the Internet" (the penalty for this is only a fine of up to 500,000 rubles and a ban on holding management positions); according to Kommersant, Umarov was earlier on Russia's wanted list, but all the previous and much more serious charges against him were suspended in 2005 (the paper also noted that Zakayev-led ChRI government in exile is investigating Umarov for "attempting to liquidate the independent Chechen state" by declaring the creation of a Caucasus Emirate).[72][73]
On several occasions, Umarov firmly denied any involvement in indiscriminate attacks against civilians and questioned its legitimacy and value. In a June 2005 interview with Andrei Babitsky, he criticized Basayev for ordering the Beslan raid,[65] saying that most of the Chechen resistance does not consider the Beslan hostage taking was a legitimate response to Russian actions in Chechnya ("if we resort to such methods, I do not think any of us will be able to retain his human face").[74]
Umarov's controversial appointment of Basayev to the post of prime minister in 2006 was precedeed by a public statement rejecting attacks against civilians as a tactic.[75] In another statement in 2004 Umarov wrote: "Our targets are the Russian occupation forces, their military bases, command headquarters and also their local collaborationists who pursue and kill peaceful Muslims. Civil objects and innocent civilians are not our targets."[27]
However, in early 2009 he has been by his own admission personally involved in the re-activation of notorious Riyadus-Salikhin suicide formation, first set-up and led by Basayev between 1999 and 2004; in the next months a string of suicide attacks killed dozens of people (mostly police officers) and critically injured the Ingush president Yunus-bek Yevkurov, raising fears of a new campaign of attacks directed against Russian civilians.[76] In a July 2009 interview with Prague Watchdog, when asked if people should expect a repetition of events like the Beslan and Moscow hostage crises, Umarov responded: "If that is the will of Allah. Shamil [Basayev] did not have the opportunities I have right now. (...) As far as possible we will try to avoid civilian targets, but for me there are no civilians in Russia. Why? Because a genocide of our people is being carried out with their tacit consent."[53]
In December, the Caucasus Emirate (via Kavkaz Center) took responsibility for the derailment of Nevsky Express, an "act of sabotage" which claimed the lives of 27 people (including two civilian government officials and also many other travellers), reportedly conducted on the orders of Umarov.[71][77] The Caucaus Emirate was officially labeled by Russia as a terrorist organization in January 2010.[78] The same month, in a statement about the upcoming "military actions", Umarov said the re-created Riyad-us-Saliheen Brigade of Martyrs will now operate in the Russian cities outside the Caucasus and "the war will come to their [Russians'] homes", possibly indicating the new wave of bombings such as those conducted by the group in Moscow and elsewhere in 2002''2004 under Basayev's orders.[11][79]
On 31 March 2010, Umarov claimed responsibility for personally ordering the Moscow Metro bombings which took the lives of 40 civilians and injured over 60.[80] He also warned that more attacks were to come on Russian soil because of perceived repressions of Chechnya by Prime Minister Putin.[11][81]
On February 7, 2011 Umarov claimed responsibility in a video posted online for ordering a suicide bombing at Domodedovo International Airport, Russia's busiest airport. The bombing killed 36 people, and was described by Umarov as a "special operation," targeting both the Russian people and prime minister Vladimir Putin.[82][83]
On 3 February 2012, Umarov ordered his subordinates, in a video posted online, to halt attacks on the civilian population of Russia, while leaving military and security personnel as legitimate targets.[84] Umarov gave this order in response to nationwide protests against the Russian government.
[edit]Legal statusDoku Umarov is wanted by Russia and the United States for terrorist acts. The United States has offered $5 million for information leading to his capture.[85] Since 10 March 2011, Umarov has also been on the United Nations Security Council Al-Qaida and Taliban Sanctions Committee list of individuals associated with Al-Qaida.[13]
[edit]References^Emir Dokka Abu Usman tells about the crimes of infidels, Kavkaz Center, 14 May 2009^"The avenging Black Widows". CBC. 3 September 2004. Retrieved 31 March 2010. ^Liz Fuller (1 April 2010). "Who Is Doku Umarov?". RFE/RL. Retrieved 25 September 2010. ^Top-Terrorist bekennt sich zu Flughafen-Anschlag Spiegel^PROFILE: Chechnya's top terror suspect Umarov - Russia's "bin Laden" - Worldnews.com^Dokka Umarov|News Magazine Blog^http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/366356,-russias-bin-laden.html^Tschetschenischer Terrorist ¼bernimmt Verantwortung f¼r Flughafen-Anschlag - Panorama^Caucasus Insurgency Head Backs Halt Of Terror Attacks On Russian Civilians. RFE/RL. 3 February 2012.^Profile: Doku Umarov, BBC News, 8 June 2009. Retrieved on 27 February 2010^ abcdChechen terrorist says he ordered Moscow Metro attacksBBC Retrieved on 31 March 2010^"Chechen rebel chief denies quitting". Al Jazeera.^ ab"QI.U.290.11. DOKU KHAMATOVICH UMAROV". Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1267 (1999) concerning Al-Qaeda and the Taliban and Associated Individuals and Entities. 10 March 2011. ^ abcdefghi"Dokka Umarov: A Hawk Flies to the Ichkerian Throne". Prague Watchdog. 20 June 2006. Retrieved 29 June 2006. ^ abcStatement of Presidential Administration of Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, Chechenpress, June 21, 2006^ abcNew Chechen Leader to Push Nationalist Agenda, Institute for War and Peace Reporting, 23-June-06^James Hughes, Chechnya: From Nationalism to Jihad, 2007 (p.120)^ abcDoku Umarov's father killed in Chechnya, Caucasian Knot, 20 April 2007^"Unofficial Places of Detention in the Chechen Republic". Archived from the original on 15 October 2007. Retrieved 1 April 2010. ^ abUmarov's Sister Is Abducted, The Moscow Times, 15 August 2005^ abAuthorised abuse, Caucasian Knot, 24 March 2005^(Russian)ФÐÐ Ð·Ð°Ñ Ð²Ð°ÑиÐ>>а в заÐ>>ожники ÑемÑÑ Ð--оки УмаÑова, Kavkaz Center, 5 May 2005^(Polish)Ojciec przyw"dcy czeczeÅskiego powstania zamordowany, Gazeta Wyborcza, 20 April 2007^Senior rebel's relative abducted, Caucasian Knot, 12 August 2005^Occupants have captured relatives of Dokku Umarov, Chechenpress/Kavkaz Center, 18 March 2005^ abcdeChechnya: A Look At Slain Leader's Legacy And Successor, RFE/RL, 21 June 2006^ abcdefAndrew McGregor (6 January 2006). "Dokku Umarov: the next in line". The Jamestown Foundation. Archived from the original on 17 July 2006. Retrieved 19 August 2006. ^ abc"Profiles: Key siege suspects". BBC News. 7 September 2004. Retrieved 21 June 2006. ^Neil Buckley (18 June 2006). "Russian troops kill Chechen rebel leader". Financial Times. Retrieved 18 June 2006. ^Another fraud by FSB, Kavkaz Center, 28 December 2003^Rebels attacked Ingushetia with Maskhadov's permission, Caucasian Knot, 27 July 2004^Chechnya's Police Find Umarov's Shelter, Kommersant, 15 May 2006^Nick Paton Walsh (June 19, 2006). "Chechnya rebels appoint new leader after killing". The Guardian. Retrieved June 18, 2006. ^"Chechnya: New Separatist Leader Vows To Take Fight To Russia". RFE/RL. June 23, 2006. Retrieved June 29, 2006. ^Richard Sakwa, Putin: Russia's choice, 2007 (p.238)^Valentinas Mite (June 28, 2006). "Chechnya: Basayev Appointment Sends Signal To Russia And Beyond". RFE/RL. Retrieved June 29, 2006. ^KavkazCenter; CRI Vice-President is appointed by the decree of President Dokka Umarov^Sergei Markedonov (August 25, 2006). "An Imperfect Amnesty". Russia Profile. Retrieved November 6, 2006. ^"Chechen rebels surrender". WikiNews. August 18, 2006. Retrieved August 18, 2006. ^"Umarov reportedly wounded". The Jamestown Foundation, Chechnya Weekly, Volume 7, Issue 46 (November 30, 2006). Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved February 27, 2007. ^"Russian artillery tries to flush out Chechen rebel chief". The Scotsman. November 23, 2006. Retrieved November 23, 2006. ^In the Footsteps of Dokka Umarov: Kadyrov's Trip to Kabardino-Balkaria, The Jamestown Foundation's North Caucasus Analysis, May 17, 2007^A helicopter with troopers crashed down in Chechnya, Caucasian Knot, Apr 27, 2007^Two years of Imarat Kavkaz: jihad spreads over Russia's south, Caucasian Knot, Oct 7, 2009^Statement by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, Chechenpress, October 31, 2007^Russia: Is North Caucasus Resistance Still Serious Threat?, RFE/RL, November 1, 2007^Ingush Rebels Extend an Olive Branch to Sufis, The Jamestown Foundation, September 25, 2009^Kadyrov Offers Umarov Medical Care, The Jamestown Foundation, November 15, 2007^Apaev: Chechen authorities can hide information about Doku Umarov's death till June 12, Caucasian Knot, Jun 9, 2009^Kadyrov Says Rebel Leader Injured, Reuters, June 9, 2009^Emir Dokka Abu Usman is not wounded. None of his bodyguards are killed, Kavkaz Center, June 5, 2009^Chechen rebel chief Umarov says he's alive, planning attacks, UNHCR, July 3, 2009^ abc"Our possibilities are endless..." (interview with Dokka Umarov), Prague Watchdog, 6 July 2009. Retrieved on 27 February 2009^Kadyrov Launches Special Operation Targeting Dokka Umarov, The Jamestown Foundation's Eurasia Daily Monitor, January 22, 2010^Chechen rebel leader 'steps down' - Europe - Al Jazeera English^"CE's Emir Dokku Abu Usman resigned and appointed Aslambek Vadalov Emir of the Caucasus Emirate". Kavkaz Center. August 1, 2010. Archived from the original on August 1, 2010. ^Chechen rebel chief denies quitting - Europe - Al Jazeera English^"Emir of the Caucasus Emirate Dokku Abu Usman cancels his resignation, calling it fabricated, and makes special statement on this occasion (video)". Kavkaz Center. August 4, 2010. Retrieved August 4, 2010. ^www.kavkazcenter.com/eng/content/2011/07/25/14812.shtml^Internal divisions resolved, claims Caucasus Emirate - The Long War Journal^Some Chechen Commanders Reaffirm Loyalty To Umarov^Islamist militant warns of 'year of blood' f... JPost - Headlines^Umarov Promises New Chapter in Insurgency | News | The Moscow Times^Ellen Barry (24 June 2010). "U.S. Declares Chechen Militant a Terrorist". The New York Times. ^ abcAndrei Babitsky (July 28, 2005). "Russia: RFE/RL Interviews Chechen Field Commander Umarov". RFE/RL. Retrieved June 19, 2006. ^Wed., 15.04.1431 Hjr / 31.03.2010, 23:30 Djokhar time (July 10, 2008). "Salafists and Sufis square off over Chechnya". Kavkazcenter.com. Retrieved March 31, 2010. ^"Russia: RFE/RL Interviews Chechen Field Commander Umarov '' Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty (C) 2010". Rferl.org. July 28, 2005. Retrieved March 31, 2010. ^Official Release of the Statement by Amir Dokka Umarov about the Declaration of the Caucasus Emirate[dead link]^Simon Shuster / Moscow (Tuesday, Feb. 08, 2011). "After the Airport Attack, Russia's Most Wanted Terrorist Hones His Message". TIME. Retrieved February 9, 2011. ^CÄ°HAN (08-02-2011 13:22). "e§en ayrılık§Ä± lider Umarov, Domodedovo ter¶r saldırısını ¼stlendi". Haber Alemi. Retrieved February 9, 2011. ^ abhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8390258.stm North Caucasus group in Russia, train bomb, web claim, BBC News, 2 December 2009^[1] Name of the Internet terrorist searched in Chechnya is Doku Umarov], Caucasian Knot, 1 April 2008^[2] Umarov Faces Charges of Incitement Via the Internet], The Jamestown Foundation, 3 April 2008^Chechnya: Impact Of Sadulayev's Death Likely To Be Negligible, Radio Liberty, 17 June 2006^Liz Fuller (28 June 2006). "Chechnya: The Rise Of Russia's 'Terrorist No. 1'". RFE/RL. Retrieved 29 June 2006. ^Benjamin Shapiro (21 May 2009). "Caucasus jihad: Terror tactics back on the horizon?". Long War Journal. Retrieved 1 April 2010. ^"By blowing up "Neva-Express" train militants from Northern Caucasus wanted to kill civil servants, Caucasian Knot, 2 December 2009". Southdistr.eng.kavkaz-uzel.ru. Retrieved 1 April 2010. ^Russia's SC labels "Imarat Kavkaz" as terrorist organization, Caucasian Knot, 8 February 2010^Interview of the Caucasus Emirate's Emir Dokka Abu Usman, Kavkaz Center, 17 February 2010^Chechen rebel says he ordered Moscow Metro attacksBBC Retrieved on 31 March 2010^Kavkaza Center website. Release of Video of Dokka Abu Usman, who claimed responsibility for the suicide blasts in Moscow. Retrieved on 31 March 2010.^"Chechen warlord Doku Umarov admits Moscow airport bomb". BBC News. 8 Februarty, 2011. Retrieved 8 Februarty, 2011. ^Doku Umarov: Domodedovo Attack Was My Work, The Huffington Post, 7 February 2011^Caucasus Insurgency Head Backs Halt Of Terror Attacks On Russian Civilians. RFE/RL. 3 February 2012.^"U.S. Offers $5M for Umarov". The Moscow Times. 27 May 2011. [edit]External linksRussian''Chechen conflict
VIDEO-John Kerry mixes up Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan - YouTube
Boston bombing suspects: What the Kyrgyzstan connection means
Sat, 20 Apr 2013 18:20
(Laris Karklis/The Washington Post)
The Tsarnaev family history, now that young brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar are suspects in the Boston marathon bombing, is getting an awful lot of scrutiny. One of the details, as reported by The Washington Post, is that the family lived for a time in the Central Asian nation of Kyrgyzstan, where Dzhokhar may have been born.
The Tsarnaevs are reportedly of Chechen origin, and while the details of how they got to that far-away Central Asian state is not known, the story of Chechens in Kyrgyzstan is a revealing one, a microcosm of the much bigger and more complicated story of Chechnya under two centuries of Russian rule.
In the early 1940s, long before either of the Tsarnaev brothers was born, as German troops pushed into the Soviet Union, separatist Chechen rebels saw their opportunity to win long-sought independence from Moscow, according to Tony Wood's definitive history, ''Chechnya: The Case for Independence.'' But the insurgency was brutally suppressed and, toward the end of the war, Joseph Stalin approved a plan to have about 400,000 Chechens forcibly relocated elsewhere in the Soviet Union's sprawling empire, undermining the entire idea of a regionally distinct Chechen identity. The Chechens, after all, could not declare independence if they were scattered across Eurasia.
Many of those Chechen families ended up on the Central Asian steppes, in Soviet republics we today know as the independent states of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. In 1957, they were allowed to return home to Chechnya, but many fled back to Central Asia during the First Chechen War of 1994 to 1996 or the Second Chechen War of 1999 to 2000.
And what about the Tsarnaevs? Kyrgyzstan officials say that the family lived in the small town of Tokmok near the Kazakh border, The Post's Kathy Lally reports. The officials say that the Tsarnaevs left Kyrgyzstan about 12 years ago for Dagestan, a Russian territory in the Caucasus adjacent to Chechnya, and then moved to the U.S.
To be clear, it's not known for sure whether the Tsarnaevs ended up in Kyrgyzstan as part of the mass deportation of the 1940s. But the legacy of that incident is significant for the larger Chechen story, part of a long and painful history of dispossession that is itself crucial for understanding the conflict in Chechnya and Dagestan, whatever impact it did or did not have on the young Tsarnaev brothers.
Russian citizens among runners at Boston Marathon : The Voice of Russia: News, Breaking news, Politics, Economics, Business, Russia, International current events, Expert opinion, podcasts, Video
Sat, 20 Apr 2013 17:52
Russian diplomats have been sent to Boston to ascertain the situation and to offer whatever assistance is required to Russian citizens according to the General Consul of the Russian Federation in New York, Igor Golubovsky.
They do not yet have information on whether Russians were affected by the explosions in Boston. At the moment there is no information about Russian citizens among the victims.
Meanwhile, a multiple Boston Marathon champion from Russia, Vyacheslav Shabunin, who participated in the Boston Marathon, said he heard explosions, but found out about the tragedy from the television news.
"We were already at the hotel, and we did not directly observe the blasts but we did hear two loud explosions said Shabunin on the TV channel Russia 24. He also said that the finish line, where the bombing took place, was packed with spectators.
List of Russian citizens among runners at Boston Marathon:
Voice of Russia, RIA, B.A.A.
Did Boris Berezovsky Kill Himself? More Compelling, Did He Kill Forbes Editor Paul Klebnikov - Forbes
Sat, 20 Apr 2013 17:51
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Bidzina Ivanishvili - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sat, 20 Apr 2013 17:42
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No Joke: Cops Request "Dunkin Donuts" in Boston Remain Open During $333 Million City Shutdown - | Intellihub.com
Sat, 20 Apr 2013 16:00
By JG VibesIntellihub.comApril 19, 2013
It was reported by Bloomberg Business that it would cost $333 million dollars per day to shut down the city of Boston. The loss of business from this shut down could put many struggling businesses under or put them at risk of being short on their rent.
To add insult to injury, the police have once again proven the age old cliche about cops spending their days arresting potheads and eating donuts.
Even though Boston is under a strict lockdown during the manhunt for bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, Massachusetts-based Dunkin' Donuts remains open to serve first responders, BuzzFeed reports.
A Newton store manager told BuzzFeed, ''There was an automated message going around telling businesses to close, but because we're Dunkin' Donuts, we called the police department and they said we didn't have to.''
''At the direction of authorities, select Dunkin' Donuts restaurants in the Boston area are open to take care of needs of law enforcement and first responders,'' spokeswoman Lindsay Harrington told Boston.com. ''We are encouraging our guests to stay home today and abide by the lockdown, per the Governor's recommendation.''
The problem with this situation really doesn't have as much to do with cops and donuts as it does the arbitrary orders that are being passed down by those in authority. Only those who can directly serve the kings guards are allowed to operate their businesses or move about freely, everyone else is forced to stay indoors, have their houses searched by military agents and be subject to a total police state.
Additional sources:
^http://www.businessinsider.com/boston-dunkin-donuts-stays-open-2013-4#ixzz2Qx3SAP00
******
Read more articles by this author HERE.
J.G. Vibes is the author of an 87 chapter counter-culture textbook called Alchemy of the Modern Renaissance, a staff writer, reporter for Intellihub.com and Executive Producer of the Bob Tuskin Radio Show.You can keep up with his work, which includes free podcasts, free e-books & free audiobooks at his website www.aotmr.com
Federal Register | Designation of Eighteen Individuals Pursuant to the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of Law Accountability Act of 2012
Sat, 20 Apr 2013 23:02
The designations by the Director of OFAC, pursuant to the Magnitsky Act, of the eighteen individuals identified in this notice were effective on April 12, 2013.
Assistant Director, Sanctions Compliance and Evaluation, Office of Foreign Assets Control, Department of the Treasury, Washington, DC 20220, tel.: 202/622-2490.
This document and additional information concerning OFAC are available from OFAC's Web site (www.treas.gov/ofac). Certain general information pertaining to OFAC's sanctions programs is available via facsimile through a 24-hour fax-on-demand service, tel.: 202/622-0077.
On December 14, 2012, the President signed the Magnitsky Act. The Magnitsky Act requires the President to submit to certain congressional committees a list of each person the President has determined meet certain criteria set forth in the Magnitsky Act.
Pursuant to Section 406 of the Magnitsky Act, the President is required to block, with certain exceptions, all property and interests in property of a person who is on the list required by section 404(a) of the Magnitsky Act that are in the United States, that come within the United States, or that are or come within the possession or control of any United States person, of persons listed on the list submitted to those congressional committees. The President delegated certain functions under the Magnitsky Act to the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, on April 5, 2013.
On April 12, 2013, the Director of OFAC designated, pursuant to Section 406 of the Magnitsky Act, eighteen individuals as persons whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to the Magnitsky Act.
The listings for these persons on OFAC's List of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons appear as follows:
Individuals:
1. KRIVORUCHKO, Aleksey (a.k.a. KRIVORUCHKO, Alex; a.k.a. KRIVORUCHKO, Alexei); DOB 25 Aug 1977; POB Moscow Region, Russia (individual) [MAGNIT].
2. KUZNETSOV, Artem (a.k.a. KUZNETSOV, Artyom); DOB 28 Feb 1975; POB Baku, Azerbaijan (individual) [MAGNIT].
3. SILCHENKO, Oleg F.; DOB 25 Jun 1977; POB Samarkand, Uzbekistan (individual) [MAGNIT].
4. STEPANOVA, Olga G.; DOB 29 Jul 1962; POB Moscow, Russia (individual) [MAGNIT].
5. DROGANOV, Aleksey O.; DOB 11 Oct 1975; POB Lesnoi Settlement, Pushkin Area, Moscow Region, Russia (individual) [MAGNIT].
6. KARPOV, Pavel; DOB 27 Aug 1977; POB Moscow, Russia (individual) [MAGNIT].
7. KHIMINA, Yelena; DOB 11 Sep 1953; POB Moscow, Russia (individual) [MAGNIT].
8. KOMNOV, Dmitriy; DOB 17 May 1977; POB Kashira Region, Moscow, Russia (individual) [MAGNIT].
9. LOGUNOV, Oleg; DOB 04 Feb 1962; POB Irkutsk Region, Russia (individual) [MAGNIT].
10. PECHEGIN, Andrey I.; DOB 24 Sep 1965; POB Moscow Region, Russia (individual) [MAGNIT].
11. PODOPRIGOROV, Sergei G.; DOB 08 Jan 1974; POB Moscow, Russia (individual) [MAGNIT].
12. PROKOPENKO, Ivan Pavlovitch; DOB 28 Sep 1973; POB Vinnitsa, Ukraine (individual) [MAGNIT].
13. STASHINA, Yelena (a.k.a. STASHINA, Elena; a.k.a. STASHINA, Helen); DOB 05 Nov 1963; POB Tomsk, Russia (individual) [MAGNIT].
14. TOLCHINSKIY, Dmitri M. (a.k.a. TOLCHINSKY, Dmitry); DOB 11 May 1982; POB Moscow, Russia (individual) [MAGNIT].
15. UKHNALYOVA, Svetlana (a.k.a. UKHNALEV, Svetlana; a.k.a. UKHNALEVA, Svetlana V.); DOB 14 Mar 1973; POB Moscow, Russia (individual) [MAGNIT].
16. VINOGRADOVA, Natalya V.; DOB 16 Jun 1973; POB Michurinsk, Russia (individual) [MAGNIT].
17. BOGATIROV, Letscha (a.k.a. BOGATYREV, Lecha; a.k.a. BOGATYRYOV, Lecha); DOB 14 Mar 1975; POB Atschkoi, Chechen Republic, Russia (individual) [MAGNIT].
18. DUKUZOV, Kazbek; DOB 1974; POB Urus-Martan District, Chechen Republic, Russia (individual) [MAGNIT].
Federal Register | Waiver of Restriction on Assistance to the Central Government of Lebanon
Sat, 20 Apr 2013 23:23
Pursuant to Section 7031(b)(3) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2012 (Div I, Pub. L. 112-74) (''the Act''), and Department of State Delegation of Authority Number 245-1, I hereby determine that it is important to the national interest of the United States to waive the requirements of Section 7031(b)(1) of the Act with respect to Lebanon and I hereby waive this restriction.
This determination and the accompanying Memorandum of Justification shall be reported to the Congress, and the determination shall be published in the Federal Register.
Dated: March 22, 2012.
Thomas R. Nides,
Deputy Secretary, for Management and Resources.
[FR Doc. 2013-09281 Filed 4-18-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-31-P
Federal Register | Waiver of Restriction on Assistance to the Central Government of Libya
Sat, 20 Apr 2013 23:25
Pursuant to Section 7031(b)(3) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2012 (Div I, Pub. L. 112-74) (''the Act''), and Department of State Delegation of Authority Number 245-1, I hereby determine that it is important to the national interest of the United States to waive the requirements of Section 7031(b)(1) of the Act with respect to Libya and I hereby waive this restriction.
This determination and the accompanying Memorandum of Justification shall be reported to the Congress, and the determination shall be published in the Federal Register.
Dated: March 29, 2012.
Thomas R. Nides,
Deputy Secretary for Management and Resources.
This document was received at the Office of the Federal Register April 16, 2013.
[FR Doc. 2013-09277 Filed 4-18-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-31-P
Federal Register | Waiver of Restriction on Assistance to the Central Government of Egypt
Sat, 20 Apr 2013 23:28
Pursuant to Section 7031(b)(3) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2010 (Division F, Pub. L. 112-74) (''the Act''), and Department of State Delegation of Authority Number 245-1, I hereby determine that it is important to the national interest of the United States to waive the requirements of Section 7031(b)(1) of the Act with respect to Egypt and I hereby waive this restriction.
This determination and the accompanying Memorandum of Justification shall be reported to the Congress, and the determination shall be published in the Federal Register.
Dated: April 13, 2012.
Thomas R. Nides,
Deputy Secretaryfor Management and Resources.
This document was received at the Office of the Federal Register April 16, 2013.
[FR Doc. 2013-09270 Filed 4-18-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-31-P
Federal Register | Waiver of Restriction on Assistance to the Central Government of Yemen
Sat, 20 Apr 2013 23:30
Pursuant to Section 7031(b)(3) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2012 (Div. I,Pub. L.112-74) (''the Act''), and Department of State Delegation of Authority Number 245-1, I hereby determine that it is important to the national interest of the United States to waive the requirements of Section 7031(b)(1) of the Act with respect to Yemen and I hereby waive this restriction.
This determination and the accompanying Memorandum of Justification shall be reported to the Congress, and the determination shall be published in the Federal Register.
Dated: March 22, 2012.
Thomas R. Nides,
Deputy Secretaryfor Management and Resources.
This document was received at the Office of the Federal Register April 16, 2013.
[FR Doc. 2013-09303 Filed 4-18-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-31-P
Federal Register | Waiver of Restriction on Assistance to the Central Government of Algeria
Sat, 20 Apr 2013 23:35
Pursuant to Section 7031(b)(3) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2012 (Div. I, Pub. L. 112-74) (''the Act''), and Department of State Delegation of Authority Number 245-1, I hereby determine that it is important to the national interest of the United States to waive the requirements of Section 7031(b)(1) of the Act with respect to Algeria and I hereby waive this restriction.
This determination and the accompanying Memorandum of Justification shall be reported to the Congress, and the determination shall be made published in the Federal Register.
Dated: May 14, 2012.
Thomas R. Nides,
Deputy Secretaryfor Management and Resources.
This document was received at the Office of the Federal Register April 16, 2013.
[FR Doc. 2013-09300 Filed 4-18-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-31-P
Federal Register | Waiver of Restriction on Assistance to the Central Government of Saudi Arabia
Sat, 20 Apr 2013 23:36
Pursuant to Section 7031(b)(3) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2012 (Div. I, P.L.112-74) (''the Act''), and Department of State Delegation of Authority Number 245-1, I hereby determine that it is important to the national interest of the United States to waive the requirements of Section 7031(b)(1) of the Act with respect to Saudi Arabia, and I hereby report the waiver of this restriction.
This determination and the accompanying Memorandum of Justification shall be reported to the Congress, and the determination shall be published in the Federal Register.
Dated: May 29, 2012.
Thomas R. Nides,
Deputy Secretary for Management and Resources.
[FR Doc. 2013-09284 Filed 4-18-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-31-P
Text of S. 1601 (112th): Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2012 (Placed on Calendar in the Senate version) - GovTrack.us
Sun, 21 Apr 2013 08:59
S 1601 PCS
Making appropriations for the Department of State, foreign operations, and related programs for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2012, and for other purposes.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
September 22, 2011
Mr. LEAHY, from the Committee on Appropriations, reported the following original bill; which was read twice and placed on the calendar
Making appropriations for the Department of State, foreign operations, and related programs for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2012, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the following sums are appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for the Department of State, foreign operations, and related programs for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2012, and for other purposes, namely:
TITLE IDEPARTMENT OF STATE AND RELATED AGENCYDEPARTMENT OF STATEAdministration of Foreign Affairsdiplomatic and consular programs(including transfer of funds)For necessary expenses of the Department of State and the Foreign Service not otherwise provided for, $6,877,500,000, of which $1,400,000,000 is for Worldwide Security Protection (to remain available until expended): Provided, That funds made available under this heading shall be allocated as follows:
(1) HUMAN RESOURCES- For necessary expenses for training, human resources management, and salaries, including employment without regard to civil service and classification laws of persons on a temporary basis (not to exceed $700,000), as authorized by section 801 of the United States Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948, $2,387,854,000, to remain available until September 30, 2013, of which not less than $134,700,000 shall be available only for public diplomacy American salaries, and $205,900,000 is for Worldwide Security Protection and shall remain available until expended.
(2) OVERSEAS PROGRAMS- For necessary expenses for the regional bureaus of the Department of State and overseas activities as authorized by law, $2,124,646,000, to remain available until September 30, 2013, of which not less than $360,602,000 shall be available only for public diplomacy international information programs.
(3) DIPLOMATIC POLICY AND SUPPORT- For necessary expenses for the functional bureaus of the Department of State including representation to certain international organizations in which the United States participates pursuant to treaties ratified pursuant to the advice and consent of the Senate or specific Acts of Congress, general administration, and arms control, nonproliferation and disarmament activities as authorized, $865,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2013.
(4) SECURITY PROGRAMS- For necessary expenses for security activities, $1,500,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2013, of which $1,194,100,000 is for Worldwide Security Protection and shall remain available until expended.
(5) FEES AND PAYMENTS COLLECTED- In addition to amounts otherwise made available under this heading--
(A) not to exceed $1,753,991 shall be derived from fees collected from other executive agencies for lease or use of facilities located at the International Center in accordance with section 4 of the International Center Act, and, in addition, as authorized by section 5 of such Act, $520,150, to be derived from the reserve authorized by that section, to be used for the purposes set out in that section;
(B) as authorized by section 810 of the United States Information and Educational Exchange Act, not to exceed $5,000,000, to remain available until expended, may be credited to this appropriation from fees or other payments received from English teaching, library, motion pictures, and publication programs and from fees from educational advising and counseling and exchange visitor programs; and
(C) not to exceed $15,000, which shall be derived from reimbursements, surcharges and fees for use of Blair House facilities.
(6) TRANSFER, REPROGRAMMING, AND SPENDING PLAN-
(A) Notwithstanding any provision of this Act, funds may be reprogrammed within and between subsections under this heading subject to section 7015 of this Act.
(B) Of the amount made available under this heading, not to exceed $10,000,000 may be transferred to, and merged with, funds made available by this Act under the heading 'Emergencies in the Diplomatic and Consular Service', to be available only for emergency evacuations and rewards, as authorized.
(C) Funds appropriated under this heading are available for acquisition by exchange or purchase of passenger motor vehicles as authorized by law and, pursuant to 31 U.S.C. 1108(g), for the field examination of programs and activities in the United States funded from any account contained in this title.
capital investment fundFor necessary expenses of the Capital Investment Fund, $69,915,000, to remain available until expended, as authorized: Provided, That section 135(e) of Public Law 103-236 shall not apply to funds available under this heading.
office of inspector generalFor necessary expenses of the Office of Inspector General, $61,904,000, notwithstanding section 209(a)(1) of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (Public Law 96-465), as it relates to post inspections.
educational and cultural exchange programsFor expenses of educational and cultural exchange programs, as authorized, $612,000,000, to remain available until expended: Provided, That not to exceed $5,000,000, to remain available until expended, may be credited to this appropriation from fees or other payments received from or in connection with English teaching, educational advising and counseling programs, and exchange visitor programs as authorized.
representation allowancesFor representation allowances as authorized, $7,300,000.
protection of foreign missions and officialsFor expenses, not otherwise provided, to enable the Secretary of State to provide for extraordinary protective services, as authorized, $27,744,000, to remain available until September 30, 2013.
embassy security, construction, and maintenanceFor necessary expenses for carrying out the Foreign Service Buildings Act of 1926 (22 U.S.C. 292-303), preserving, maintaining, repairing, and planning for buildings that are owned or directly leased by the Department of State, renovating, in addition to funds otherwise available, the Harry S Truman Building, and carrying out the Diplomatic Security Construction Program as authorized, $795,000,000, to remain available until expended as authorized, of which not to exceed $25,000 may be used for domestic and overseas representation as authorized: Provided, That none of the funds appropriated in this paragraph shall be available for acquisition of furniture, furnishings, or generators for other departments and agencies.
In addition, for the costs of worldwide security upgrades, acquisition, and construction as authorized, $775,000,000, to remain available until expended: Provided, That not later than 45 days after enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit to the Committees on Appropriations the proposed allocation of funds made available under this heading and the actual and anticipated proceeds of sales for all projects in fiscal year 2012.
emergencies in the diplomatic and consular service(including transfer of funds)For necessary expenses to enable the Secretary of State to meet unforeseen emergencies arising in the Diplomatic and Consular Service, $9,300,000, to remain available until expended as authorized, of which not to exceed $1,000,000 may be transferred to, and merged with, funds appropriated by this Act under the heading 'Repatriation Loans Program Account', subject to the same terms and conditions.
repatriation loans program account(including transfer of funds)For the cost of direct loans, $1,447,000, as authorized, of which $710,000 may be made available for administrative expenses necessary to carry out the direct loan program and may be paid to 'Diplomatic and Consular Programs': Provided, That such costs, including the cost of modifying such loans, shall be as defined in section 502 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974.
payment to the american institute in taiwanFor necessary expenses to carry out the Taiwan Relations Act (Public Law 96-8), $21,108,000.
payment to the foreign service retirement and disability fundFor payment to the Foreign Service Retirement and Disability Fund, as authorized, $158,900,000.
International Organizationscontributions to international organizationsFor necessary expenses, not otherwise provided for, to meet annual obligations of membership in international multilateral organizations, pursuant to treaties ratified pursuant to the advice and consent of the Senate, conventions or specific Acts of Congress, $1,585,000,000: Provided, That the Secretary of State shall, at the time of the submission of the President's budget to Congress under section 1105(a) of title 31, United States Code, transmit to the Committees on Appropriations the most recent biennial budget prepared by the United Nations for the operations of the United Nations: Provided further, That the Secretary of State shall notify the Committees on Appropriations of any United Nations action to increase funding for any United Nations program without identifying an offsetting decrease elsewhere in the United Nations budget: Provided further, That notwithstanding any other provision of law, credits to United States assessed contributions to the United Nations Tax Equalization Fund should be used to offset other assessed contributions to the United Nations, subject to the regular notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations: Provided further, That any payment of arrearages under this heading shall be directed toward activities that are mutually agreed upon by the United States and the respective international organization: Provided further, That none of the funds appropriated under this heading shall be available for a United States contribution to an international organization for the United States share of interest costs made known to the United States Government by such organization for loans incurred on or after October 1, 1984, through external borrowings.
contributions for international peacekeeping activitiesFor necessary expenses to pay assessed and other expenses of international peacekeeping activities directed to the maintenance or restoration of international peace and security, $1,900,000,000, of which 15 percent shall remain available until September 30, 2013: Provided, That at least 15 days in advance of voting for a new or expanded mission in the United Nations Security Council (or in an emergency as far in advance as is practicable): (1) the Committees on Appropriations shall be notified of the estimated cost and duration of the mission, the national interest that will be served, the exit strategy, and that the United Nations has taken appropriate measures to prevent United Nations employees, contractor personnel, and peacekeeping forces serving in the mission from trafficking in persons, exploiting victims of trafficking, or committing acts of illegal sexual exploitation or other violations of human rights, and to hold accountable individuals who engage in such acts while participating in the peacekeeping mission, including the prosecution in their home countries of such individuals in connection with such acts; and (2) notification pursuant to section 7015 of this Act is submitted, and the procedures therein followed, setting forth the source of funds that will be used to pay for the cost of the new or expanded mission: Provided further, That funds shall be available for peacekeeping expenses unless the Secretary of State determines that American manufacturers and suppliers are not being given opportunities to provide equipment, services, and material for United Nations peacekeeping activities equal to those being given to foreign manufacturers and suppliers: Provided further, That the Secretary of State shall work with the United Nations and governments contributing peacekeeping troops to develop effective vetting procedures to ensure that troops have not violated human rights: Provided further, That notwithstanding any other provision of law, credits to United States assessed contributions to United Nations peacekeeping missions and to the United Nations Tax Equalization Fund should be used to offset other assessed contributions to the United Nations, subject to the regular notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations.
International CommissionsFor necessary expenses, not otherwise provided for, to meet obligations of the United States arising under treaties, or specific Acts of Congress, as follows:
international boundary and water commission, united states and mexicoFor necessary expenses for the United States Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission, United States and Mexico, and to comply with laws applicable to the United States Section, including not to exceed $6,000 for representation; as follows:
salaries and expensesFor salaries and expenses, not otherwise provided for, $45,000,000.
constructionFor detailed plan preparation and construction of authorized projects, $29,862,000, to remain available until expended, as authorized.
american sections, international commissionsFor necessary expenses, not otherwise provided, for the International Joint Commission and the International Boundary Commission, United States and Canada, as authorized by treaties between the United States and Canada or Great Britain, and the Border Environment Cooperation Commission as authorized by Public Law 103-182, $11,687,000: Provided, That of the amount provided under this heading for the International Joint Commission, $9,000 may be made available for representation expenses.
international fisheries commissionsFor necessary expenses for international fisheries commissions, not otherwise provided for, as authorized by law, $36,300,000: Provided, That the United States share of such expenses may be advanced to the respective commissions pursuant to 31 U.S.C. 3324.
RELATED AGENCYBroadcasting Board of Governorsinternational broadcasting operationsFor necessary expenses to enable the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), as authorized, to carry out international communication activities, and to make and supervise grants for radio and television broadcasting to the Middle East, $740,039,000: Provided, That of the total amount in this heading, not less than $2,500,000 shall be used to expand unrestricted access to information on the Internet through the development and use of circumvention and secure communication technologies: Provided further, That the BBG shall coordinate the use of such technologies with the Secretary of State and the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, as appropriate: Provided further, That the circumvention technologies and programs supported by funds made available by this Act or Public Law 112-10 shall undergo a peer review, to include an assessment of protections against such technologies being used for illicit purposes such as furthering the communications capabilities of extremist groups or their supporters: Provided further, That prior to obligation, the BBG shall submit to the Committees on Appropriations a report detailing planned expenditures for funds made available for such activities: Provided further, That not later than September 30, 2012, the BBG shall submit a report to the Committees on Appropriations listing programs supported by the BBG to promote unrestricted access to information through the Internet, including an assessment of the results of such programs: Provided further, That of the total amount appropriated under this heading, not to exceed $16,000 may be used for official receptions within the United States as authorized, not to exceed $35,000 may be used for representation abroad as authorized, and not to exceed $39,000 may be used for official reception and representation expenses of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: Provided further, That the authority provided by section 504(c) of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 2003 (Public Law 107-228; 22 U.S.C. 6206 note) shall remain in effect through September 30, 2012: Provided further, That the BBG shall notify the Committees on Appropriations within 15 days of any determination by the Board that any of its broadcast entities, including its grantee organizations, provides an open platform for international terrorists or those who support international terrorism, or is in violation of the principles and standards set forth in the United States International Broadcasting Act of 1994 (22 U.S.C. 6202(a) and (b)) or the entity's journalistic code of ethics: Provided further, That reductions and increases to BBG broadcast hours previously justified to Congress, including changes to transmission platforms (shortwave, medium wave, satellite, and television), for all BBG language services shall be subject to the regular notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations: Provided further, That in addition to funds made available under this heading, and notwithstanding any other provision of law, up to $2,000,000 in receipts from advertising and revenue from business ventures, up to $500,000 in receipts from cooperating international organizations, and up to $1,000,000 in receipts from privatization efforts of the Voice of America and the International Broadcasting Bureau, to remain available until expended for carrying out authorized purposes.
broadcasting capital improvementsFor the purchase, rent, construction, and improvement of facilities for radio and television transmission and reception, and purchase and installation of necessary equipment for radio and television transmission and reception, including to Cuba, as authorized, $9,361,000, to remain available until expended, as authorized.
RELATED PROGRAMSThe Asia FoundationFor a grant to The Asia Foundation, as authorized by The Asia Foundation Act (22 U.S.C. 4402), $17,000,000, to remain available until expended, as authorized.
United States Institute of PeaceFor necessary expenses of the United States Institute of Peace, as authorized by the United States Institute of Peace Act, $31,589,000, to remain available until September 30, 2012, which shall not be used for construction activities.
Center for Middle Eastern-Western Dialogue Trust FundFor necessary expenses of the Center for Middle Eastern-Western Dialogue Trust Fund, as authorized by section 633 of the Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2004 (22 U.S.C. 2078), the total amount of the interest and earnings accruing to such Fund on or before September 30, 2012, to remain available until expended.
Eisenhower Exchange Fellowship ProgramFor necessary expenses of Eisenhower Exchange Fellowships, Incorporated, as authorized by sections 4 and 5 of the Eisenhower Exchange Fellowship Act of 1990 (20 U.S.C. 5204-5205), all interest and earnings accruing to the Eisenhower Exchange Fellowship Program Trust Fund on or before September 30, 2012, to remain available until expended: Provided, That none of the funds appropriated herein shall be used to pay any salary or other compensation, or to enter into any contract providing for the payment thereof, in excess of the rate authorized by 5 U.S.C. 5376; or for purposes which are not in accordance with OMB Circulars A-110 (Uniform Administrative Requirements) and A-122 (Cost Principles for Non-profit Organizations), including the restrictions on compensation for personal services.
Israeli Arab Scholarship ProgramFor necessary expenses of the Israeli Arab Scholarship Program, as authorized by section 214 of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1992 and 1993 (22 U.S.C. 2452), all interest and earnings accruing to the Israeli Arab Scholarship Fund on or before September 30, 2012, to remain available until expended.
East-West CenterTo enable the Secretary of State to provide for carrying out the provisions of the Center for Cultural and Technical Interchange Between East and West Act of 1960, by grant to the Center for Cultural and Technical Interchange Between East and West in the State of Hawaii, $16,700,000: Provided, That none of the funds appropriated herein shall be used to pay any salary, or enter into any contract providing for the payment thereof, in excess of the rate authorized by 5 U.S.C. 5376.
National Endowment for DemocracyFor grants made by the Department of State to the National Endowment for Democracy, as authorized by the National Endowment for Democracy Act, $117,764,000, to remain available until expended, of which $100,000,000 shall be allocated in the traditional and customary manner, including for the core institutes, and $25,000,000 shall be for democracy, human rights, and rule of law programs: Provided, That the President of the National Endowment for Democracy shall submit to the Committees on Appropriations not later than 45 days after the date of enactment of this Act a report on the proposed uses of funds under this heading on a regional and country basis.
OTHER COMMISSIONSCommission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroadsalaries and expensesFor necessary expenses for the Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad, $656,000, as authorized by section 1303 of Public Law 99-83.
United States Commission on International Religious Freedomsalaries and expensesFor necessary expenses for the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, as authorized by title II of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (Public Law 105-292), $4,291,000, to remain available until September 30, 2013: Provided, That notwithstanding the expenditure limitation specified in section 208(c)(1) of such Act (22 U.S.C. 6435a(c)(1)), the Commission may expend up to $250,000 of the funds made available under this heading to procure temporary and intermittent services under the authority of section 3109(b) of title 5, United States Code.
Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europesalaries and expensesFor necessary expenses of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, as authorized by Public Law 94-304, $2,715,000, to remain available until September 30, 2013.
Congressional-Executive Commission on the People's Republic of Chinasalaries and expensesFor necessary expenses of the Congressional-Executive Commission on the People's Republic of China, as authorized by title III of the U.S.-China Relations Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 6911-6919), $1,996,000, including not more than $3,000 for the purpose of official representation, to remain available until September 30, 2013.
United States-China Economic and Security Review Commissionsalaries and expensesFor necessary expenses of the United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission, as authorized by section 1238 of the Floyd D. Spence National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2001 (22 U.S.C. 7002), $3,493,000, including not more than $4,000 for the purpose of official representation, to remain available until September 30, 2013: Provided, That the second through sixth provisos under this heading in division F of Public Law 111-117 shall continue in effect during fiscal year 2012 and shall apply as if part of this Act.
TITLE IIUNITED STATES AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENTFunds Appropriated to the Presidentoperating expenses(including transfer of funds)For necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of section 667 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, $1,251,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2013: Provided, That none of the funds appropriated under this heading and under the heading 'Capital Investment Fund' in this title may be made available to finance the construction (including architect and engineering services), purchase, or long-term lease of offices for use by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), unless the USAID Administrator has identified such proposed use of funds in a report submitted to the Committees on Appropriations at least 15 days prior to the obligation of funds for such purposes: Provided further, That contracts or agreements entered into with funds appropriated under this heading may entail commitments for the expenditure of such funds through the following fiscal year: Provided further, That any decision to open a new USAID mission, bureau, center, or office or, except where there is a substantial security risk to mission personnel, to close or significantly reduce the number of personnel of any such mission or office, shall be subject to the regular notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations: Provided further, That the authority of sections 610 and 109 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 may be exercised by the Secretary of State to transfer funds appropriated to carry out chapter 1 of part I of such Act to 'Operating Expenses' in accordance with the provisions of those sections: Provided further, That any reprogramming of funds in excess of $1,000,000 or 10 percent, whichever is less, to the cost categories in the table included under this heading in the report accompanying this Act for funds appropriated under this heading, shall be subject to the regular notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations: Provided further, That of the funds appropriated or made available under this heading, not to exceed $250,000 may be available for representation and entertainment allowances, of which not to exceed $5,000 may be available for entertainment allowances, for USAID during the current fiscal year: Provided further, That no such entertainment funds may be used for the purposes listed in section 7020 of this Act: Provided further, That appropriate steps shall be taken to assure that, to the maximum extent possible, United States-owned foreign currencies are utilized in lieu of dollars.
capital investment fundFor necessary expenses for overseas construction and related costs, and for the procurement and enhancement of information technology and related capital investments, pursuant to section 667 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, $137,000,000, to remain available until expended: Provided, That this amount is in addition to funds otherwise available for such purposes: Provided further, That funds appropriated under this heading shall be available for obligation only pursuant to the regular notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations.
office of inspector generalFor necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of section 667 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, $49,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2013, which sum shall be available for the Office of Inspector General of the United States Agency for International Development.
TITLE IIIBILATERAL ECONOMIC ASSISTANCEFunds Appropriated to the PresidentFor necessary expenses to enable the President to carry out the provisions of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, and for other purposes, to remain available until September 30, 2012, unless otherwise specified herein, as follows:
global health programs(including transfer of funds)For necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of chapters 1 and 10 of part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, for global health activities, in addition to funds otherwise available for such purposes, $2,657,500,000, to remain available until September 30, 2013, and which shall be apportioned directly to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID): Provided, That this amount shall be made available for training, equipment, and technical assistance to build the capacity of public health institutions and organizations in developing countries, and for such activities as: (1) child survival and maternal health programs; (2) immunization and oral rehydration programs; (3) other health, nutrition, water and sanitation programs which directly address the needs of mothers and children, and related education programs; (4) assistance for children displaced or orphaned by causes other than AIDS; (5) programs for the prevention, treatment, control of, and research on HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, polio, malaria, and other infectious diseases including neglected tropical diseases, and for assistance to communities severely affected by HIV/AIDS, including children infected or affected by AIDS; and (6) family planning/reproductive health: Provided further, That funds appropriated under this paragraph shall be made available for a United States contribution to the GAVI Alliance: Provided further, That none of the funds made available in this Act nor any unobligated balances from prior appropriations Acts may be made available to any organization or program which, as determined by the President of the United States, supports or participates in the management of a program of coercive abortion or involuntary sterilization: Provided further, That any determination made under the previous proviso must be made no later than 6 months after enactment of this Act, and must be accompanied by the evidence and criteria utilized to make the determination: Provided further, That none of the funds made available under this Act may be used to pay for the performance of abortion as a method of family planning or to motivate or coerce any person to practice abortions: Provided further, That nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to alter any existing statutory prohibitions against abortion under section 104 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961: Provided further, That none of the funds made available under this Act may be used to lobby for or against abortion: Provided further, That the ninth and tenth provisos under this heading in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2010 (Public Law 111-117) shall apply to funds appropriated under this heading in this Act: Provided further, That for purposes of this or any other Act authorizing or appropriating funds for the Department of State, foreign operations, and related programs, the term 'motivate', as it relates to family planning assistance, shall not be construed to prohibit the provision, consistent with local law, of information or counseling about all pregnancy options: Provided further, That information provided about the use of condoms as part of projects or activities that are funded from amounts appropriated by this Act shall be medically accurate and shall include the public health benefits and failure rates of such use.
In addition, for necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 for the prevention, treatment, and control of, and research on, HIV/AIDS, $5,250,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2015, which shall be apportioned directly to the Department of State: Provided, That of the funds appropriated under this paragraph, not less than $750,000,000 shall be made available, notwithstanding any other provision of law, except for the United States Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Act of 2003 (Public Law 108-25), as amended, for a United States contribution to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund), and shall be expended at the minimum rate necessary to make timely payment for projects and activities: Provided further, That up to 5 percent of the aggregate amount of funds made available to the Global Fund in fiscal year 2012 may be made available to USAID for technical assistance related to the activities of the Global Fund: Provided further, That of the funds appropriated under this paragraph, up to $14,250,000 may be made available, in addition to amounts otherwise available for such purposes, for administrative expenses of the Office of the United States Global AIDS Coordinator.
development assistanceFor necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of sections 103, 105, 106, 214, and sections 251 through 255, and chapter 10 of part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, $2,550,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2013: Provided, That relevant bureaus and offices of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) that support cross-cutting development programs shall coordinate such programs on a regular basis: Provided further, That funds appropriated by this Act shall be made available for water and sanitation supply projects pursuant to the Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005 (Public Law 109-121): Provided further, That funds appropriated by this Act for food security and agricultural development programs may be made available notwithstanding any other provision of law and shall be made available for a United States contribution to the endowment of the Global Crop Diversity Trust pursuant to section 3202 of Public Law 110-246: Provided further, That funds appropriated under this heading shall be made available for programs to improve women's leadership capacity in recipient countries.
international disaster assistanceFor necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of section 491 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 for international disaster relief, rehabilitation, and reconstruction assistance, $850,000,000, to remain available until expended.
transition initiativesFor necessary expenses for international disaster rehabilitation and reconstruction assistance pursuant to section 491 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, $55,000,000, to remain available until expended, to support transition to democracy and to long-term development of countries in crisis: Provided, That such support may include assistance to develop, strengthen, or preserve democratic institutions and processes, revitalize basic infrastructure, and foster the peaceful resolution of conflict: Provided further, That the United States Agency for International Development shall submit a report to the Committees on Appropriations at least 5 days prior to beginning a new program of assistance: Provided further, That if the Secretary of State determines that it is important to the national interests of the United States to provide transition assistance in excess of the amount appropriated under this heading, up to $15,000,000 of the funds appropriated by this Act to carry out the provisions of part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 may be used for purposes of this heading and under the authorities applicable to funds appropriated under this heading: Provided further, That funds made available pursuant to the previous proviso shall be made available subject to prior consultation with the Committees on Appropriations.
complex crises fundFor necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to enable the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), with the concurrence of the Secretary of State, to support programs and activities to prevent or respond to emerging or unforeseen complex crises overseas, $30,000,000, to remain available until expended: Provided, That the administrative authorities of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 shall be applicable to funds appropriated under this heading: Provided further, That funds appropriated under this heading may be made available on such terms and conditions as the USAID Administrator may determine, in consultation with the Committees on Appropriations, for the purposes of preventing or responding to such crises, except that no funds shall be made available to respond to natural disasters: Provided further, That funds appropriated under this heading shall be made available notwithstanding section 10 of Public Law 91-672 and section 15 of the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956: Provided further, That funds appropriated under this heading may be made available notwithstanding any other provision of law, except sections 7007, 7008, and 7018 of this Act: Provided further, That funds appropriated under this heading shall be subject to the regular notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations, except that such notifications shall be transmitted at least 5 days in advance of the obligation of funds.
development credit authority(including transfer of funds)For the cost of direct loans and loan guarantees provided by the United States Agency for International Development, as authorized by sections 256 and 635 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, up to $50,000,000 may be derived by transfer from funds appropriated by this Act to carry out part I of such Act and under the heading 'Assistance for Europe, Eurasia and Central Asia': Provided, That funds provided under this paragraph and funds provided as a gift pursuant to section 635(d) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 shall be made available only for micro and small enterprise programs, urban programs, and other programs which further the purposes of part I of such Act: Provided further, That such costs, including the cost of modifying such direct and guaranteed loans, shall be as defined in section 502 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, as amended: Provided further, That funds made available by this paragraph may be used for the cost of modifying any such guaranteed loans under this Act or prior Acts, and funds used for such costs shall be subject to the regular notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations: Provided further, That the provisions of section 107A(d) (relating to general provisions applicable to the Development Credit Authority) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as contained in section 306 of H.R. 1486 as reported by the House Committee on International Relations on May 9, 1997, shall be applicable to direct loans and loan guarantees provided under this heading, except that the principal amount of loans made or guaranteed under this heading with respect to any single country or borrower shall not exceed $300,000,000: Provided further, That these funds are available to subsidize total loan principal, any portion of which is to be guaranteed, of up to $1,000,000,000.
In addition, for administrative expenses to carry out credit programs administered by the United States Agency for International Development, $8,300,000, which may be transferred to, and merged with, funds made available under the heading 'Operating Expenses' in title II of this Act: Provided, That funds made available under this heading shall remain available until September 30, 2014.
economic support fund(including transfer of funds)For necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of chapter 4 of part II of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, $4,378,560,000, to remain available until September 30, 2013: Provided, That of the funds appropriated under this heading, up to $250,000,000 shall be available for assistance for Egypt, which shall be for programs and activities (including to implement sections 7039(a)(3) and (b) of this Act) to reduce poverty and create jobs, strengthen democracy, and protect human rights, including not less than $35,000,000 for education programs of which not less than $10,000,000 is for scholarships at not-for-profit institutions for Egyptian students with high financial need: Provided further, That funds appropriated under this heading that are made available for assistance for Cyprus shall be used only for scholarships, administrative support of the scholarship program, bicommunal projects, and measures aimed at reunification of the island and designed to reduce tensions and promote peace and cooperation between the two communities on Cyprus: Provided further, That $12,000,000 of the funds made available for assistance for Lebanon under this heading shall be for scholarships at not-for-profit institutions for students in Lebanon with high financial need: Provided further, That of the funds appropriated under this heading, not less than $360,000,000 shall be available for assistance for Jordan, including for programs and activities to reduce poverty and create jobs, strengthen democracy, and protect human rights: Provided further, That up to $30,000,000 of the funds appropriated for fiscal year 2011 under this heading in Public Law 112-10, division B, may be made available for the costs, as defined in section 502 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, of loan guarantees for Tunisia, which are authorized to be provided: Provided further, That amounts that are made available under the previous proviso for the cost of guarantees shall not be considered 'assistance' for the purposes of provisions of law limiting assistance to a country: Provided further, That none of the funds appropriated under this heading may be made available for the Palestinian Authority if Palestine becomes a member or non-member state of the United Nations outside of an agreement negotiated between Israel and the Palestinians: Provided further, That the Secretary may waive the previous proviso if the Secretary certifies to the Committees on Appropriations that to do so is in the national security interests of the United States: Provided further, That of the funds appropriated under this heading, $179,000,000 shall be apportioned directly to the United States Agency for International Development for alternative development/institution building programs in Colombia: Provided further, That of the funds appropriated under this heading that are available for assistance for Colombia, not less than $8,000,000 shall be transferred to, and merged with, funds appropriated under the heading 'Migration and Refugee Assistance' and shall be made available only for assistance to nongovernmental and international organizations that provide assistance to Colombian refugees in neighboring countries: Provided further, That of the funds appropriated under this heading, $15,000,000 may be made available for assistance for Cuba, including humanitarian and democracy assistance, support for economic reform, private sector initiatives, and human rights.
democracy fundFor necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 for the promotion of democracy globally, $114,770,000, to remain available until September 30, 2013, of which $70,910,000 shall be made available for the Human Rights and Democracy Fund of the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, Department of State, and $43,860,000 shall be made available for the Office of Democracy and Governance of the Bureau for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance, United States Agency for International Development.
assistance for europe, eurasia and central asiaFor necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, the FREEDOM Support Act, and the Support for East European Democracy (SEED) Act of 1989, $626,718,000, to remain available until September 30, 2013, which shall be available, notwithstanding any other provision of law, for assistance and for related programs for countries identified in section 3 of the FREEDOM Support Act and section 3(c) of the SEED Act: Provided, That funds appropriated under this heading shall be considered to be economic assistance under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 for purposes of making available the administrative authorities contained in that Act for the use of economic assistance: Provided further, That funds made available for the Southern Caucasus region may be used for confidence-building measures and other activities in furtherance of the peaceful resolution of conflicts, including in Nagorno-Karabakh: Provided further, That of the funds appropriated under this heading, not less than $7,000,000 shall be made available for humanitarian, conflict mitigation, human rights, civil society, and relief and reconstruction assistance for the North Caucasus.
Department of Statemigration and refugee assistanceFor necessary expenses not otherwise provided for, to enable the Secretary of State to carry out the provisions of section 2(a) and (b) of the Migration and Refugee Assistance Act of 1962, and other activities to meet refugee and migration needs; salaries and expenses of personnel and dependents as authorized by the Foreign Service Act of 1980; allowances as authorized by sections 5921 through 5925 of title 5, United States Code; purchase and hire of passenger motor vehicles; and services as authorized by section 3109 of title 5, United States Code, $1,700,000,000, to remain available until expended, of which $20,000,000 shall be made available for refugees resettling in Israel, and not less than $35,000,000 shall be made available to respond to small-scale emergency humanitarian requirements of international and nongovernmental partners.
Independent Agenciespeace corps(including transfer of funds)For necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of the Peace Corps Act (22 U.S.C. 2501-2523), including the purchase of not to exceed five passenger motor vehicles for administrative purposes for use outside of the United States, $375,000,000, of which $5,000,000 is for the Office of Inspector General, to remain available until September 30, 2013: Provided, That the Director of the Peace Corps may transfer to the Foreign Currency Fluctuations Account, as authorized by 22 U.S.C. 2515, an amount not to exceed $5,000,000: Provided further, That funds transferred pursuant to the previous proviso may not be derived from amounts made available for Peace Corps overseas operations: Provided further, That of the funds appropriated under this heading, not to exceed $4,000 may be made available for entertainment expenses: Provided further, That not later than 45 days after enactment of this Act, the Director shall submit a spending plan to the Committees on Appropriations on the proposed uses of funds under this heading: Provided further, That none of the funds appropriated under this heading may be used to pay for abortions, except when the life of the mother would be endangered if the fetus were carried to term, or the pregnancy is the result of an act of rape or incest.
millennium challenge corporation(including transfer of funds)For necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of the Millennium Challenge Act of 2003, $898,200,000 to remain available until expended: Provided, That of the funds appropriated under this heading, up to $105,000,000 may be available for administrative expenses of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (the Corporation): Provided further, That up to 5 percent of the funds appropriated under this heading may be made available to carry out the purposes of section 616 of the Millennium Challenge Act of 2003 for fiscal year 2012: Provided further, That section 605(e)(4) of the Millennium Challenge Act of 2003 shall apply to funds appropriated under this heading: Provided further, That funds appropriated under this heading may be made available for a Millennium Challenge Compact entered into pursuant to section 609 of the Millennium Challenge Act of 2003 only if such Compact obligates, or contains a commitment to obligate subject to the availability of funds and the mutual agreement of the parties to the Compact to proceed, the entire amount of the United States Government funding anticipated for the duration of the Compact: Provided further, That the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation shall notify the Committees on Appropriations not later than 15 days prior to signing any new country compact or new threshold country program; terminating or suspending any country compact or threshold country program; or commencing negotiations for any new compact or threshold country program: Provided further, That funds appropriated by this Act or any prior Act appropriating funds for the Department of State, foreign operations, and related programs that are made available for a Millennium Challenge Compact and that are suspended or terminated by the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation shall be subject to the regular notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations prior to re-obligation: Provided further, That none of the funds appropriated by this Act and prior Acts making appropriations for the Department of State, foreign operations, and related programs under this heading may be used for military assistance or military training, including for assistance for military or paramilitary purposes and for assistance to military forces: Provided further, That of the funds appropriated under this heading, not to exceed $100,000 may be available for representation and entertainment allowances, of which not to exceed $5,000 may be available for entertainment allowances.
inter-american foundationFor necessary expenses to carry out the functions of the Inter-American Foundation in accordance with the provisions of section 401 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1969, $22,500,000, to remain available until September 30, 2013: Provided, That of the funds appropriated under this heading, not to exceed $2,000 may be available for entertainment and representation allowances.
african development foundationFor necessary expenses to carry out title V of the International Security and Development Cooperation Act of 1980 (Public Law 96-533), $30,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2013: Provided, That funds made available to grantees may be invested pending expenditure for project purposes when authorized by the Board of Directors of the Foundation: Provided further, That interest earned shall be used only for the purposes for which the grant was made: Provided further, That notwithstanding section 505(a)(2) of the African Development Foundation Act, in exceptional circumstances the Board of Directors of the Foundation may waive the $250,000 limitation contained in that section with respect to a project and a project may exceed the limitation by up to 10 percent if the increase is due solely to foreign currency fluctuation: Provided further, That the Foundation shall provide a report to the Committees on Appropriations after each time such waiver authority is exercised.
Department of the Treasuryinternational affairs technical assistanceFor necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of section 129 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, $27,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2013, which shall be available notwithstanding any other provision of law.
debt restructuringFor the cost, as defined in section 502 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, of modifying loans and loan guarantees, as the President may determine, for which funds have been appropriated or otherwise made available for programs within the International Affairs Budget Function 150, including the cost of selling, reducing, or canceling amounts owed to the United States as a result of concessional loans made to eligible countries, pursuant to part V of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, $15,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2013.
TITLE IVINTERNATIONAL SECURITY ASSISTANCEDepartment of Stateinternational narcotics control and law enforcement(including transfer of funds)For necessary expenses to carry out section 481 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, $1,056,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2013: Provided, That during fiscal year 2012, the Department of State may also use the authority of section 608 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, without regard to its restrictions, to receive excess property from an agency of the United States Government for the purpose of providing it to a foreign country or international organization under chapter 8 of part I of that Act subject to the regular notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations: Provided further, That the Secretary of State shall provide to the Committees on Appropriations not later than 45 days after the date of enactment of this Act and prior to the initial obligation of funds appropriated under this heading, a report on the proposed uses of all funds under this heading on a country-by-country basis for each proposed program, project, or activity: Provided further, That section 482(b) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 shall not apply to funds appropriated under this heading: Provided further, That assistance provided with funds appropriated under this heading that is made available notwithstanding section 482(b) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 shall be made available subject to the regular notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations: Provided further, That notwithstanding any provision of this or any other Act, funds appropriated in prior years under the headings 'Andean Counterdrug Initiative' and 'Andean Counterdrug Program' shall be available for use in any country for which funds may be made available under this heading without regard to the geographic or purpose limitations under which such funds were originally appropriated, subject to the regular notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations: Provided further, That, notwithstanding any other provision of law, of the funds appropriated under this heading, $5,000,000 should be made available to combat piracy of United States copyrighted materials, consistent with the requirements of section 688(a) and (b) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2008 (division J of Public Law 110-161): Provided further, That not later than 90 days after enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit a report to the Committees on Appropriations detailing the operation and maintenance costs of aircraft utilized in Iraq in support of programs funded under this heading, a justification for not including such costs under the heading 'Diplomatic and Consular Programs', and estimates for overhead costs associated with the Stabilization Operations and Security Sector Reform program: Provided further, That the concurrence of the Secretary of State shall be required for the provision of assistance which is comparable to assistance made available under this heading but which is provided under any other provision of law.
nonproliferation, anti-terrorism, demining and related programsFor necessary expenses for nonproliferation, anti-terrorism, demining and related programs and activities, $685,500,000, to carry out the provisions of chapter 8 of part II of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 for anti-terrorism assistance, chapter 9 of part II of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, section 504 of the FREEDOM Support Act, section 23 of the Arms Export Control Act or the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 for demining activities, the clearance of unexploded ordnance, the destruction of small arms, and related activities, notwithstanding any other provision of law, including activities implemented through nongovernmental and international organizations, and section 301 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 for a voluntary contribution to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and for a United States contribution to the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Preparatory Commission: Provided, That the clearance of unexploded ordnance should prioritize areas where such ordnance was caused by the United States: Provided further, That of the funds made available under this heading, not to exceed $30,000,000, to remain available until expended, may be made available for the Nonproliferation and Disarmament Fund, notwithstanding any other provision of law and subject to prior consultation with, and the regular notification procedures of, the Committees on Appropriations, to promote bilateral and multilateral activities relating to nonproliferation, disarmament and weapons destruction: Provided further, That such funds may also be used for such countries other than the Independent States of the former Soviet Union and international organizations when it is in the national security interest of the United States to do so: Provided further, That funds appropriated under this heading may be made available for the IAEA unless the Secretary of State determines that Israel is being denied its right to participate in the activities of that Agency: Provided further, That funds appropriated under this heading may be made available for public-private partnerships for conventional weapons and mine action by grant, cooperative agreement or contract: Provided further, That funds made available for demining and related activities, in addition to funds otherwise available for such purposes, may be used for administrative expenses related to the operation and management of the demining program: Provided further, That funds appropriated under this heading that are available for 'Anti-terrorism Assistance' and 'Export Control and Border Security' shall remain available until September 30, 2013.
peacekeeping operationsFor necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of section 551 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, $262,000,000: Provided, That funds appropriated under this heading may be used, notwithstanding section 660 of such Act, to provide assistance to enhance the capacity of foreign civilian security forces, including gendarmes, to participate in peacekeeping operations: Provided further, That funds appropriated under this heading may be used to pay assessed expenses of international peacekeeping activities in Somalia and shall be available until September 30, 2013: Provided further, That funds appropriated under this Act should not be used to support any military training or operations that include child soldiers: Provided further, That none of the funds appropriated under this heading shall be obligated or expended except as provided through the regular notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations.
Funds Appropriated to the Presidentinternational military education and trainingFor necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of section 541 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, $105,788,000: Provided, That the civilian personnel for whom military education and training may be provided under this heading may include civilians who are not members of a government whose participation would contribute to improved civil-military relations, civilian control of the military, or respect for human rights: Provided further, That funds made available under this heading for assistance for Angola, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Co.AE3te d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Indonesia, Kenya, Libya, Nepal, Nigeria, and Sri Lanka may only be provided through the regular notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations and any such notification shall include a detailed description of proposed activities: Provided further, That of the funds appropriated under this heading, not to exceed $55,000 may be available for entertainment allowances.
foreign military financing program(including transfer of funds)For necessary expenses for grants to enable the President to carry out the provisions of section 23 of the Arms Export Control Act, $5,346,000,000: Provided, That to expedite the provision of assistance to foreign countries and international organizations, the Secretary of State, following consultation with the Committees on Appropriations and subject to the regular notification procedures of such Committees, may use the funds appropriated under this heading to procure defense articles and services to enhance the capacity of foreign security forces: Provided further, That of the funds appropriated under this heading, not less than $3,075,000,000 shall be available for grants only for Israel, and up to $1,300,000,000 shall be made available for grants only for Egypt, including for border security programs and activities in the Sinai: Provided further, That prior to the obligation of funds appropriated under this heading for assistance for Egypt, the Secretary of State shall certify to the Committees on Appropriations that the Governments of the United States and Egypt have agreed upon the specific uses of such funds, that such funds further the national interests of the United States in Egypt and the region, and that the Government of Egypt has held free and fair elections and is implementing policies to protect the rights of journalists, due process, and freedoms of expression and association: Provided further, That the funds appropriated under this heading for assistance for Israel shall be disbursed within 30 days of enactment of this Act: Provided further, That to the extent that the Government of Israel requests that funds be used for such purposes, grants made available for Israel under this heading shall, as agreed by the United States and Israel, be available for advanced weapons systems, of which not less than $808,725,000 shall be available for the procurement in Israel of defense articles and defense services, including research and development: Provided further, That funds appropriated under this heading estimated to be outlayed for Egypt during fiscal year 2012 may be transferred to an interest bearing account for Egypt in the Federal Reserve Bank of New York within 30 days of enactment of this Act: Provided further, That of the funds appropriated under this heading, $300,000,000 shall be made available for assistance for Jordan: Provided further, That none of the funds made available under this heading shall be made available to support or continue any program initially funded under the authority of section 1206 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006 (Public Law 109-163; 119 Stat. 3456) unless the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, has justified such program to the Committees on Appropriations: Provided further, That funds appropriated or otherwise made available under this heading shall be nonrepayable notwithstanding any requirement in section 23 of the Arms Export Control Act: Provided further, That funds made available under this heading shall be obligated upon apportionment in accordance with paragraph (5)(C) of title 31, United States Code, section 1501(a).
None of the funds made available under this heading shall be available to finance the procurement of defense articles, defense services, or design and construction services that are not sold by the United States Government under the Arms Export Control Act unless the foreign country proposing to make such procurement has first signed an agreement with the United States Government specifying the conditions under which such procurement may be financed with such funds: Provided, That all country and funding level increases in allocations shall be submitted through the regular notification procedures of section 7015 of this Act: Provided further, That funds made available under this heading may be used, notwithstanding any other provision of law, for demining, the clearance of unexploded ordnance, and related activities, and may include activities implemented through nongovernmental and international organizations: Provided further, That none of the funds appropriated under this heading may be made available for assistance for Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Philippines, Indonesia, Haiti, Guatemala, Honduras, Ethiopia, Cambodia, Kenya, Chad, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo except pursuant to the regular notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations: Provided further, That only those countries for which assistance was justified for the 'Foreign Military Sales Financing Program' in the fiscal year 1989 congressional presentation for security assistance programs may utilize funds made available under this heading for procurement of defense articles, defense services or design and construction services that are not sold by the United States Government under the Arms Export Control Act: Provided further, That funds appropriated under this heading shall be expended at the minimum rate necessary to make timely payment for defense articles and services: Provided further, That not more than $62,800,000 of the funds appropriated under this heading may be obligated for necessary expenses, including the purchase of passenger motor vehicles for replacement only for use outside of the United States, for the general costs of administering military assistance and sales, except that this limitation may be exceeded only through the regular notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations: Provided further, That of the funds appropriated under this heading for general costs of administering military assistance and sales, not to exceed $4,000 may be available for entertainment expenses and not to exceed $130,000 may be available for representation allowances: Provided further, That not more than $836,900,000 of funds realized pursuant to section 21(e)(1)(A) of the Arms Export Control Act may be obligated for expenses incurred by the Department of Defense during fiscal year 2012 pursuant to section 43(b) of the Arms Export Control Act, except that this limitation may be exceeded only through the regular notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations: Provided further, That, with respect to the previous proviso, up to $100,000,000 of such funds may be transferred to the Special Defense Acquisition Fund pursuant to section 51 of the Arms Export Control Act.
TITLE VMULTILATERAL ASSISTANCEFunds Appropriated to the Presidentinternational organizations and programsFor necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of section 301 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, and of section 2 of the United Nations Environment Program Participation Act of 1973, $352,950,000: Provided, That section 307(a) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 shall not apply to contributions to the United Nations Democracy Fund.
international financial institutionsglobal environment facilityFor payment to the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development as trustee for the Global Environment Facility by the Secretary of the Treasury, $120,000,000, to remain available until expended.
contribution to the international bank for reconstruction and developmentFor payment to the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development by the Secretary of the Treasury, for the United States share of the paid-in portion of the increases in capital stock, $117,364,344, to remain available until expended.
limitation on callable capital subscriptionsThe United States Governor of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development may subscribe without fiscal year limitation to the callable capital portion of the United States share of increases in capital stock in an amount not to exceed $2,928,990,899.
contribution to the international development associationFor payment to the International Development Association by the Secretary of the Treasury, $1,355,000,000, to remain available until expended.
For payment to the International Development Association by the Secretary of the Treasury for costs incurred under the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative, $167,000,000, to remain available until expended.
contribution to the clean technology fundFor payment to the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development as trustee for the Clean Technology Fund by the Secretary of the Treasury, $350,000,000, to remain available until expended.
contribution to the strategic climate fundFor payment to the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development as trustee for the Strategic Climate Fund by the Secretary of the Treasury, $100,000,000, to remain available until expended.
global agriculture and food security programFor payment to the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program by the Secretary of the Treasury, $200,000,000, to remain available until expended.
contribution to the inter-american development bankFor payment to the Inter-American Development Bank by the Secretary of the Treasury for the United States share of the paid-in portion of the increase in capital stock, $25,000,000, to remain available until expended.
For payment to the Inter-American Investment Corporation by the Secretary of the Treasury, $4,670,000, to remain available until expended.
limitation on callable capital subscriptionsThe United States Governor of the Inter-American Development Bank may subscribe without fiscal year limitation to the callable capital portion of the United States share of such capital stock in an amount not to exceed $4,098,794,833.
contribution to the enterprise for the americas multilateral investment fundFor payment to the Enterprise for the Americas Multilateral Investment Fund by the Secretary of the Treasury, $25,000,000, to remain available until expended.
contribution to the asian development bankFor payment to the Asian Development Bank by the Secretary of the Treasury for the United States share of the paid-in portion of increase in capital stock, $106,586,000, to remain available until expended.
limitation on callable capital subscriptionsThe United States Governor of the Asian Development Bank may subscribe without fiscal year limitation to the callable capital portion of the United States share of such capital stock in an amount not to exceed $2,558,048,769.
contribution to the asian development fundFor payment to the Asian Development Bank's Asian Development Fund by the Secretary of the Treasury, $100,000,000, to remain available until expended.
contribution to the african development bankFor payment to the African Development Bank by the Secretary of the Treasury for the United States share of the paid-in portion of the increase in capital stock, $32,417,720, to remain available until expended.
limitation on callable capital subscriptionsThe United States Governor of the African Development Bank may subscribe without fiscal year limitation to the callable capital portion of the United States share of such capital stock in an amount not to exceed $507,860,808.
contribution to the african development fundFor payment to the African Development Fund by the Secretary of the Treasury, $125,000,000, to remain available until expended.
For payment to the African Development Fund by the Secretary of the Treasury for costs incurred under the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative, $7,500,000, to remain available until expended.
european bank for reconstruction and developmentlimitation on callable capital subscriptionsThe United States Governor of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development may subscribe without fiscal year limitation to the callable capital of the United States share of such capital in an amount not to exceed $1,252,331,952.
contribution to the international fund for agricultural developmentFor payment to the International Fund for Agricultural Development by the Secretary of the Treasury, $30,000,000, to remain available until expended.
TITLE VIEXPORT AND INVESTMENT ASSISTANCEExport-import Bank of the United Statesinspector generalFor necessary expenses of the Office of Inspector General in carrying out the provisions of the Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended, $4,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2013.
program accountThe Export-Import Bank of the United States is authorized to make such expenditures within the limits of funds and borrowing authority available to such corporation, and in accordance with law, and to make such contracts and commitments without regard to fiscal year limitations, as provided by section 104 of the Government Corporation Control Act, as may be necessary in carrying out the program for the current fiscal year for such corporation: Provided, That none of the funds available during the current fiscal year may be used to make expenditures, contracts, or commitments for the export of nuclear equipment, fuel, or technology to any country, other than a nuclear-weapon state as defined in Article IX of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons eligible to receive economic or military assistance under this Act, that has detonated a nuclear explosive after the date of the enactment of this Act: Provided further, That the use of the aggregate loan, guarantee, and insurance authority available to the Export-Import Bank during the current fiscal year should not result in greenhouse gas emissions from the extraction or production of fossil fuels and the use of fossil fuels in electricity generation exceeding the total amount of such emissions resulting from the use of such authority during fiscal year 2010, unless not less than 15 days prior to the use of such authority the Export-Import Bank provides written notification to the Committees on Appropriations that the use of such authority would result in greenhouse gas emissions exceeding such amount and indicating the amount of the increase, and posts such notification on the Bank's Web site: Provided further, That not less than 10 percent of such aggregate should be used for renewable energy technology and end-use energy efficiency technologies: Provided further, That notwithstanding section 1(c) of Public Law 103-428, as amended, sections 1(a) and (b) of Public Law 103-428 shall remain in effect through October 1, 2012: Provided further, That notwithstanding the dates specified in section 7 of the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 (12 U.S.C. 6350 and section 1(c) of Public Law 103-428), the Export-Import Bank of the United States shall continue to exercise its functions in connection with and in furtherance of its objects and purposes through September 30, 2012.
subsidy appropriationFor the cost of direct loans, loan guarantees, insurance, and tied-aid grants as authorized by section 10 of the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945, as amended, not to exceed $58,000,000: Provided, That such costs, including the cost of modifying such loans, shall be as defined in section 502 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974: Provided further, That such funds shall remain available until September 30, 2027, for the disbursement of direct loans, loan guarantees, insurance and tied-aid grants obligated in fiscal years 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015: Provided further, That none of the funds appropriated by this Act or any prior Acts appropriating funds for the Department of State, foreign operations, and related programs for tied-aid credits or grants may be used for any other purpose except through the regular notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations.
administrative expensesFor administrative expenses to carry out the direct and guaranteed loan and insurance programs, including hire of passenger motor vehicles and services as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 3109, and not to exceed $30,000 for official reception and representation expenses for members of the Board of Directors, not to exceed $89,900,000: Provided, That the Export-Import Bank may accept, and use, payment or services provided by transaction participants for legal, financial, or technical services in connection with any transaction for which an application for a loan, guarantee or insurance commitment has been made: Provided further, That notwithstanding subsection (b) of section 117 of the Export Enhancement Act of 1992, subsection (a) thereof shall remain in effect until October 1, 2012: Provided further, That the Export-Import Bank shall charge fees for necessary expenses (including special services performed on a contract or fee basis, but not including other personal services) in connection with the collection of moneys owed the Export-Import Bank, repossession or sale of pledged collateral or other assets acquired by the Export-Import Bank in satisfaction of moneys owed the Export-Import Bank, or the investigation or appraisal of any property, or the evaluation of the legal, financial, or technical aspects of any transaction for which an application for a loan, guarantee or insurance commitment has been made: Provided further, That, in addition to other funds appropriated for administrative expenses, such fees shall be credited to this account, to remain available until expended.
receipts collectedReceipts collected pursuant to the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945, as amended, and the Federal Credit Reform Act of 1990, as amended, in an amount not to exceed the amount appropriated herein, shall be credited as offsetting collections to this account: Provided, That the sums herein appropriated from the General Fund shall be reduced on a dollar-for-dollar basis by such offsetting collections so as to result in a final fiscal year appropriation from the General Fund estimated at $0: Provided further, That amounts collected in fiscal year 2012 in excess of obligations, up to $50,000,000, shall become available on September 1, 2012 and shall remain available until September 30, 2015.
Overseas Private Investment Corporationnoncredit accountThe Overseas Private Investment Corporation is authorized to make, without regard to fiscal year limitations, as provided by 31 U.S.C. 9104, such expenditures and commitments within the limits of funds available to it and in accordance with law as may be necessary: Provided, That the amount available for administrative expenses to carry out the credit and insurance programs (including an amount for official reception and representation expenses which shall not exceed $35,000) shall not exceed $54,990,000: Provided further, That project-specific transaction costs, including direct and indirect costs incurred in claims settlements, and other direct costs associated with services provided to specific investors or potential investors pursuant to section 234 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, shall not be considered administrative expenses for the purposes of this heading.
program accountFor the cost of direct and guaranteed loans, $29,000,000, as authorized by section 234 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, to be derived by transfer from the Overseas Private Investment Corporation Noncredit Account: Provided, That such costs, including the cost of modifying such loans, shall be as defined in section 502 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974: Provided further, That such sums shall be available for direct loan obligations and loan guaranty commitments incurred or made during fiscal years 2012, 2013, and 2014: Provided further, That funds so obligated in fiscal year 2012 remain available for disbursement through 2020; funds obligated in fiscal year 2013 remain available for disbursement through 2021; and funds obligated in fiscal year 2014 remain available for disbursement through 2022: Provided further, That notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation is authorized to undertake any program authorized by title IV of chapter 2 of part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 in Iraq: Provided further, That funds made available pursuant to the authority of the previous proviso shall be subject to the regular notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations.
In addition, such sums as may be necessary for administrative expenses to carry out the credit program may be derived from amounts available for administrative expenses to carry out the credit and insurance programs in the Overseas Private Investment Corporation Noncredit Account and merged with said account.
trade and development agencyFor necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of section 661 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, $50,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2013: Provided, That of the funds appropriated under this heading, not more than $4,000 may be available for representation and entertainment allowances.
TITLE VIIGENERAL PROVISIONSallowances and differentialsSec. 7001. Funds appropriated under title I of this Act shall be available, except as otherwise provided, for allowances and differentials as authorized by subchapter 59 of title 5, United States Code; for services as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 3109; and for hire of passenger transportation pursuant to 31 U.S.C. 1343(b).
unobligated balances reportSec. 7002. Any department or agency of the United States Government to which funds are appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act shall provide to the Committees on Appropriations a quarterly accounting of cumulative unobligated balances and obligated, but unexpended, balances by program, project, and activity, and Treasury Account Fund Symbol of all expired and unexpired funds received by such department or agency in fiscal year 2012 or any previous fiscal year: Provided, That for the purposes of this section, obligated balances shall not include obligations made through bilateral agreements unless further sub-obligated.
consulting servicesSec. 7003. The expenditure of any appropriation under title I of this Act for any consulting service through procurement contract, pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 3109, shall be limited to those contracts where such expenditures are a matter of public record and available for public inspection, except where otherwise provided under existing law, or under existing Executive order issued pursuant to existing law.
embassy constructionSec. 7004. (a) Of funds provided under title I of this Act, except as provided in subsection (b), a project to construct a diplomatic facility of the United States may not include office space or other accommodations for an employee of a Federal agency or department if the Secretary of State determines that such department or agency has not provided to the Department of State the full amount of funding required by subsection (e) of section 604 of the Secure Embassy Construction and Counterterrorism Act of 1999 (as enacted into law by section 1000(a)(7) of Public Law 106-113 and contained in appendix G of that Act; 113 Stat. 1501A-453), as amended by section 629 of the Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2005.
(b) Notwithstanding the prohibition in subsection (a), a project to construct a diplomatic facility of the United States may include office space or other accommodations for members of the United States Marine Corps.
(c) For the purposes of calculating the fiscal year 2012 costs of providing new United States diplomatic facilities in accordance with section 604(e) of the Secure Embassy Construction and Counterterrorism Act of 1999 (22 U.S.C. 4865 note), the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, shall determine the annual program level and agency shares in a manner that is proportional to the Department of State's contribution for this purpose.
(d) Funds appropriated by this Act, and any prior Act making appropriations for the Department of State, foreign operations, and related programs, which may be made available for the acquisition of property for diplomatic facilities in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq, shall be subject to prior consultation with, and the regular notification procedures of, the Committees on Appropriations.
(e) Section 604(e)(1) of the Secure Embassy Construction and Counterterrorism Act of 1999 (22 U.S.C. 4865 note) is amended by striking 'providing new,' and inserting in its place 'providing, maintaining, repairing, and renovating'.
personnel actionsSec. 7005. Any costs incurred by a department or agency funded under title I of this Act resulting from personnel actions taken in response to funding reductions included in this Act shall be absorbed within the total budgetary resources available under title I to such department or agency: Provided, That the authority to transfer funds between appropriations accounts as may be necessary to carry out this section is provided in addition to authorities included elsewhere in this Act: Provided further, That use of funds to carry out this section shall be treated as a reprogramming of funds under section 7015 of this Act and shall not be available for obligation or expenditure except in compliance with the procedures set forth in that section.
local guard contractsSec. 7006. In evaluating proposals for local guard contracts, the Secretary of State shall award contracts in accordance with section 136 of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1990 and 1991 (22 U.S.C. 4864), except that the Secretary may grant authorization to award such contracts on the basis of best value as determined by a cost-technical tradeoff analysis (as described in Federal Acquisition Regulation part 15.101) in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, notwithstanding subsection (c)(3) of such section: Provided, That the authority in this section shall apply to any options for renewal that may be exercised under such contracts that are awarded during the current fiscal year: Provided further, That prior to issuing a solicitation for a contract to be awarded pursuant to the authority under this section, the Secretary of State shall consult with the Committees on Appropriations.
prohibition against direct funding for certain countriesSec. 7007. None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available pursuant to titles III through VI of this Act shall be obligated or expended to finance directly any assistance or reparations for the governments of Cuba, North Korea, Iran, or Syria: Provided, That for purposes of this section, the prohibition on obligations or expenditures shall include direct loans, credits, insurance and guarantees of the Export-Import Bank or its agents.
coups d'etatSec. 7008. None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available pursuant to titles III through VI of this Act shall be obligated or expended to finance directly any assistance to the government of any country whose duly elected head of government is deposed by military coup d'etat or decree, or a coup d'etat or decree that is supported by the military: Provided, That assistance may be resumed to such government if the President determines and certifies to the Committees on Appropriations that subsequent to the termination of assistance a democratically elected government has taken office: Provided further, That the provisions of this section shall not apply to assistance to promote democratic elections or public participation in democratic processes: Provided further, That funds made available pursuant to the previous provisos shall be subject to the regular notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations.
transfer authoritySec. 7009. (a) Department of State and Broadcasting Board of Governors-
(1) Not to exceed 5 percent of any appropriation made available for the current fiscal year for the Department of State under title I of this Act may be transferred between such appropriations, but no such appropriation, except as otherwise specifically provided, shall be increased by more than 10 percent by any such transfers.
(2) Not to exceed 5 percent of any appropriation made available for the current fiscal year for the Broadcasting Board of Governors under title I of this Act may be transferred between such appropriations, but no such appropriation, except as otherwise specifically provided, shall be increased by more than 10 percent by any such transfers.
(3) Any transfer pursuant to this section shall be treated as a reprogramming of funds under section 7015(a) and (b) of this Act and shall not be available for obligation or expenditure except in compliance with the procedures set forth in that section.
(b) Export Financing Transfer Authorities- Not to exceed 5 percent of any appropriation other than for administrative expenses made available for fiscal year 2012, for programs under title VI of this Act may be transferred between such appropriations for use for any of the purposes, programs, and activities for which the funds in such receiving account may be used, but no such appropriation, except as otherwise specifically provided, shall be increased by more than 25 percent by any such transfer: Provided, That the exercise of such authority shall be subject to the regular notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations.
(c) Limitation on Transfers Between Agencies-
(1) None of the funds made available under titles II through V of this Act may be transferred to any department, agency, or instrumentality of the United States Government, except pursuant to a transfer made by, or transfer authority provided in, this Act or any other appropriation Act.
(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), in addition to transfers made by, or authorized elsewhere in, this Act, funds appropriated by this Act to carry out the purposes of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 may be allocated or transferred to agencies of the United States Government pursuant to the provisions of sections 109, 610, and 632 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.
(3) Any agreement entered into by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) or the Department of State with any department, agency, or instrumentality of the United States Government pursuant to section 632(b) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 valued in excess of $1,000,000 and any agreement made pursuant to section 632(a) of such Act, with funds appropriated by this Act and prior Acts making appropriations for the Department of State, foreign operations, and related programs under the headings 'Global Health Programs', 'Development Assistance', and 'Economic Support Fund' shall be subject to the regular notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations: Provided, That the requirement in the previous sentence shall not apply to agreements entered into between USAID and the Department of State.
(d) Transfers Between Accounts- None of the funds made available under titles II through V of this Act may be obligated under an appropriation account to which they were not appropriated, except for transfers specifically provided for in this Act, unless the President, not less than 5 days prior to the exercise of any authority contained in the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to transfer funds, consults with and provides a written policy justification to the Committees on Appropriations.
(e) Audit of Inter-agency Transfers- Any agreement for the transfer or allocation of funds appropriated by this Act, or prior Acts, entered into between the Department of State or USAID and another agency of the United States Government under the authority of section 632(a) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 or any comparable provision of law, shall expressly provide that the Inspector General (IG) for the agency receiving the transfer or allocation of such funds, or other entity with audit responsibility if the receiving agency does not have an IG, shall perform periodic program and financial audits of the use of such funds: Provided, That funds transferred under such authority may be made available for the cost of such audits.
reporting requirementSec. 7010. The Secretary of State shall provide the Committees on Appropriations, not later than April 1, 2012, and for each fiscal quarter, a report in writing on the uses of funds made available under the headings 'Foreign Military Financing Program', 'International Military Education and Training', 'Peacekeeping Operations', and 'Pakistan Counter-Insurgency Fund': Provided, That such report shall include a description of the obligation and expenditure of funds, and the specific country in receipt of, and the use or purpose of the assistance provided by such funds.
availability of fundsSec. 7011. No part of any appropriation contained in this Act shall remain available for obligation after the expiration of the current fiscal year unless expressly so provided in this Act: Provided, That funds appropriated for the purposes of chapters 1, 8, 11, and 12 of part I, section 661, section 667, chapters 4, 5, 6, 8, and 9 of part II of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, section 23 of the Arms Export Control Act, and funds provided under the headings 'Assistance for Europe, Eurasia and Central Asia' and 'Development Credit Authority', shall remain available for an additional 4 years from the date on which the availability of such funds would otherwise have expired, if such funds are initially obligated before the expiration of their respective periods of availability contained in this Act: Provided further, That notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, any funds made available for the purposes of chapter 1 of part I and chapter 4 of part II of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 which are allocated or obligated for cash disbursements in order to address balance of payments or economic policy reform objectives, shall remain available for an additional 4 years from the date on which the availability of such funds would otherwise have expired, if such funds are initially allocated or obligated before the expiration of their respective periods of availability contained in this Act.
limitation on assistance to countries in defaultSec. 7012. No part of any appropriation provided under titles III through VI in this Act shall be used to furnish assistance to the government of any country which is in default during a period in excess of one calendar year in payment to the United States of principal or interest on any loan made to the government of such country by the United States pursuant to a program for which funds are appropriated under this Act unless the President determines, following consultations with the Committees on Appropriations, that assistance for such country is in the national interest of the United States.
prohibition on taxation of united states assistanceSec. 7013. (a) Prohibition on Taxation- None of the funds appropriated under titles III through VI of this Act may be made available to provide assistance for a foreign country under a new bilateral agreement governing the terms and conditions under which such assistance is to be provided unless such agreement includes a provision stating that assistance provided by the United States shall be exempt from taxation, or reimbursed, by the foreign government, and the Secretary of State shall expeditiously seek to negotiate amendments to existing bilateral agreements, as necessary, to conform with this requirement.
(b) Reimbursement of Foreign Taxes- An amount equivalent to 200 percent of the total taxes assessed during fiscal year 2011 on funds appropriated by this Act by a foreign government or entity against commodities financed under United States assistance programs for which funds are appropriated by this Act, either directly or through grantees, contractors and subcontractors shall be withheld from obligation from funds appropriated for assistance for fiscal year 2012 and allocated for the central government of such country and for the West Bank and Gaza program to the extent that the Secretary of State certifies and reports in writing to the Committees on Appropriations that such taxes have not been reimbursed to the Government of the United States.
(c) De Minimis Exception- Foreign taxes of a de minimis nature shall not be subject to the provisions of subsection (b).
(d) Reprogramming of Funds- Funds withheld from obligation for each country or entity pursuant to subsection (b) shall be reprogrammed for assistance to countries which do not assess taxes on United States assistance or which have an effective arrangement that is providing substantial reimbursement of such taxes.
(e) Determinations-
(1) The provisions of this section shall not apply to any country or entity the Secretary of State determines--
(A) does not assess taxes on United States assistance or which has an effective arrangement that is providing substantial reimbursement of such taxes; or
(B) the foreign policy interests of the United States outweigh the purpose of this section to ensure that United States assistance is not subject to taxation.
(2) The Secretary of State shall consult with the Committees on Appropriations at least 15 days prior to exercising the authority of this subsection with regard to any country or entity.
(f) Implementation- The Secretary of State shall issue rules, regulations, or policy guidance, as appropriate, to implement the prohibition against the taxation of assistance contained in this section.
(g) Definitions- As used in this section--
(1) the terms 'taxes' and 'taxation' refer to value added taxes and customs duties imposed on commodities financed with United States assistance for programs for which funds are appropriated by this Act; and
(2) the term 'bilateral agreement' refers to a framework bilateral agreement between the Government of the United States and the government of the country receiving assistance that describes the privileges and immunities applicable to United States foreign assistance for such country generally, or an individual agreement between the Government of the United States and such government that describes, among other things, the treatment for tax purposes that will be accorded the United States assistance provided under that agreement.
reservations of fundsSec. 7014. (a) Funds appropriated under titles II through VI of this Act which are specifically designated may be reprogrammed for other programs within the same account notwithstanding the designation if compliance with the designation is made impossible by operation of any provision of this or any other Act: Provided, That any such reprogramming shall be subject to the regular notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations: Provided further, That assistance that is reprogrammed pursuant to this subsection shall be made available under the same terms and conditions as originally provided.
(b) In addition to the authority contained in subsection (a), the original period of availability of funds appropriated by this Act and administered by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) that are specifically designated for particular programs or activities by this or any other Act shall be extended for an additional fiscal year if the USAID Administrator determines and reports promptly to the Committees on Appropriations that the termination of assistance to a country or a significant change in circumstances makes it unlikely that such designated funds can be obligated during the original period of availability: Provided, That such designated funds that continue to be available for an additional fiscal year shall be obligated only for the purpose of such designation.
(c) Ceilings and specifically designated funding levels contained in this Act shall not be applicable to funds or authorities appropriated or otherwise made available by any subsequent Act unless such Act specifically so directs: Provided, That specifically designated funding levels or minimum funding requirements contained in any other Act shall not be applicable to funds appropriated by this Act.
reprogramming notification requirementsSec. 7015. (a) None of the funds made available in title I of this Act, or in prior appropriations Acts to the agencies and departments funded by this Act that remain available for obligation or expenditure in fiscal year 2012, or provided from any accounts in the Treasury of the United States derived by the collection of fees or of currency reflows or other offsetting collections, or made available by transfer, to the agencies and departments funded by this Act, shall be available for obligation or expenditure through a reprogramming of funds that:
(1) creates new programs;
(2) eliminates a program, project, or activity;
(3) increases funds or personnel by any means for any project or activity for which funds have been denied or restricted;
(4) relocates an office or employees;
(5) closes or opens a mission or post;
(6) creates, reorganizes, or renames bureaus, centers, or offices;
(7) reorganizes programs or activities; or
(8) contracts out or privatizes any functions or activities presently performed by Federal employees; unless the Committees on Appropriations are notified 15 days in advance of such reprogramming of funds.
(b) None of the funds provided under title I of this Act, or provided under previous appropriations Acts to the agency or department funded under title I of this Act that remain available for obligation or expenditure in fiscal year 2012, or provided from any accounts in the Treasury of the United States derived by the collection of fees available to the agency or department funded under title I of this Act, shall be available for obligation or expenditure for activities, programs, or projects through a reprogramming of funds in excess of $1,000,000 or 10 percent, whichever is less, that:
(1) augments existing programs, projects, or activities;
(2) reduces by 10 percent funding for any existing program, project, or activity, or numbers of personnel by 10 percent as approved by Congress; or
(3) results from any general savings, including savings from a reduction in personnel, which would result in a change in existing programs, activities, or projects as approved by Congress; unless the Committees on Appropriations are notified 15 days in advance of such reprogramming of funds.
(c) None of the funds made available under titles II through VI and VIII in this Act under the headings 'Global Health Programs', 'Development Assistance', 'International Organizations and Programs', 'Trade and Development Agency', 'International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement', 'Assistance for Europe, Eurasia and Central Asia', 'Economic Support Fund', 'Democracy Fund', 'Peacekeeping Operations', 'Capital Investment Fund', 'Operating Expenses', 'Conflict Stabilization Operations', 'Office of Inspector General', 'Nonproliferation, Anti-terrorism, Demining and Related Programs', 'Millennium Challenge Corporation', 'Global Security Contingency Fund', 'Foreign Military Financing Program', 'International Military Education and Training', 'Pakistan Counter-Insurgency Capability Fund', and 'Peace Corps', shall be available for obligation for activities, programs, projects, type of materiel assistance, countries, or other operations not justified or in excess of the amount justified to the Committees on Appropriations for obligation under any of these specific headings unless the Committees on Appropriations are notified 15 days in advance: Provided, That the President shall not enter into any commitment of funds appropriated for the purposes of section 23 of the Arms Export Control Act for the provision of major defense equipment, other than conventional ammunition, or other major defense items defined to be aircraft, ships, missiles, or combat vehicles, not previously justified to Congress or 20 percent in excess of the quantities justified to Congress unless the Committees on Appropriations are notified 15 days in advance of such commitment: Provided further, That requirements of this subsection or any similar provision of this or any other Act shall not apply to any reprogramming for an activity, program, or project for which funds are appropriated under titles II through IV of this Act of less than 10 percent of the amount previously justified to the Congress for obligation for such activity, program, or project for the current fiscal year.
(d) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, with the exception of funds transferred to, and merged with, funds appropriated under title I of this Act, funds transferred by the Department of Defense to the Department of State and the United States Agency for International Development for assistance for foreign countries and international organizations, and funds made available for programs authorized by section 1206 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006 (Public Law 109-163), shall be subject to the regular notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations.
(e) The requirements of this section or any similar provision of this Act or any other Act, including any prior Act requiring notification in accordance with the regular notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations, may be waived if failure to do so would pose a substantial risk to human health or welfare: Provided, That in case of any such waiver, notification to the Committees on Appropriations shall be provided as early as practicable, but in no event later than 3 days after taking the action to which such notification requirement was applicable, in the context of the circumstances necessitating such waiver: Provided further, That any notification provided pursuant to such a waiver shall contain an explanation of the emergency circumstances.
(f) None of the funds appropriated under titles III through VI and VIII of this Act shall be obligated or expended for assistance for Serbia, Sudan, South Sudan, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Cuba, Iran, Haiti, Libya, Ethiopia, Nepal, Colombia, Burma, Yemen, Mexico, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Somalia, Sri Lanka, or Cambodia except as provided through the regular notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations.
notification on excess defense equipmentSec. 7016. Prior to providing excess Department of Defense articles in accordance with section 516(a) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, the Department of Defense shall notify the Committees on Appropriations to the same extent and under the same conditions as other committees pursuant to subsection (f) of that section: Provided, That before issuing a letter of offer to sell excess defense articles under the Arms Export Control Act, the Department of Defense shall notify the Committees on Appropriations in accordance with the regular notification procedures of such Committees if such defense articles are significant military equipment (as defined in section 47(9) of the Arms Export Control Act) or are valued (in terms of original acquisition cost) at $7,000,000 or more, or if notification is required elsewhere in this Act for the use of appropriated funds for specific countries that would receive such excess defense articles: Provided further, That such Committees shall also be informed of the original acquisition cost of such defense articles.
limitation on availability of funds for international organizations and programsSec. 7017. Subject to the regular notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations, funds appropriated under titles III through VI of this Act and prior Acts making appropriations for the Department of State, foreign operations, and related programs, which are returned or not made available for organizations and programs because of the implementation of section 307(a) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, shall remain available for obligation until September 30, 2013.
prohibition on funding for abortions and involuntary sterilizationSec. 7018. None of the funds made available to carry out part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended, may be obligated or expended for any country or organization if the President certifies that the use of such funds by any such country or organization would violate any provisions related to abortions and involuntary sterilizations in section 104(f)(1), (2), and (3) of such Act.
allocationsSec. 7019. (a) Funds provided in this Act shall be made available for programs and countries in the amounts contained in the respective tables included in the report accompanying this Act.
(b) For the purposes of implementing this section and only with respect to the tables included in the report accompanying this Act, the Secretary of State, the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development and the Broadcasting Board of Governors, as appropriate, may propose deviations to the amounts referenced in subsection (a), subject to the regular notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations.
prohibition of payment of certain expensesSec. 7020. None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act under the headings 'International Military Education and Training' or 'Foreign Military Financing Program' for Informational Program activities or under the headings 'Global Health Programs', 'Development Assistance', and 'Economic Support Fund' may be obligated or expended to pay for--
(1) alcoholic beverages; or
(2) entertainment expenses for activities that are substantially of a recreational character, including but not limited to entrance fees at sporting events, theatrical and musical productions, and amusement parks.
prohibition on assistance to governments supporting international terrorismSec. 7021. (a) Lethal Military Equipment Exports-
(1) None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by titles III through VI of this Act may be available to any foreign government which provides lethal military equipment to a country the government of which the Secretary of State has determined supports international terrorism for purposes of section 6(j) of the Export Administration Act of 1979: Provided, That the prohibition under this section with respect to a foreign government shall terminate 12 months after that government ceases to provide such military equipment: Provided further, That this section applies with respect to lethal military equipment provided under a contract entered into after October 1, 1997.
(2) Assistance restricted by paragraph (1) or any other similar provision of law, may be furnished if the President determines that to do so is important to the national interests of the United States.
(3) Whenever the President makes a determination pursuant to paragraph (2), the President shall submit to the Committees on Appropriations a report with respect to the furnishing of such assistance, including a detailed explanation of the assistance to be provided, the estimated dollar amount of such assistance, and an explanation of how the assistance furthers United States national interests.
(b) Bilateral Assistance-
(1) Funds appropriated for bilateral assistance in titles III through VI of this Act and funds appropriated under any such title in prior acts making appropriations for the Department of State, foreign operations, and related programs, shall not be made available to any foreign government which the President determines--
(A) grants sanctuary from prosecution to any individual or group which has committed an act of international terrorism; or
(B) otherwise supports international terrorism.
(2) The President may waive the application of paragraph (1) to a government if the President determines that national security or humanitarian reasons justify such waiver: Provided, That the President shall publish each such waiver in the Federal Register and, at least 15 days before the waiver takes effect, shall notify the Committees on Appropriations of the waiver (including the justification for the waiver) in accordance with the regular notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations.
authorization requirementsSec. 7022. Funds appropriated by this Act, except funds appropriated under the heading 'Trade and Development Agency', may be obligated and expended notwithstanding section 10 of Public Law 91-672, section 15 of the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956, section 313 of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1994 and 1995 (Public Law 103-236), and section 504(a)(1) of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 414(a)(1)).
definition of program, project, and activitySec. 7023. For the purpose of titles II through VI of this Act 'program, project, and activity' shall be defined at the appropriations Act account level and shall include all appropriations and authorizations Acts funding directives, ceilings, and limitations with the exception that for the following accounts: 'Economic Support Fund' and 'Foreign Military Financing Program', 'program, project, and activity' shall also be considered to include country, regional, and central program level funding within each such account; for the development assistance accounts of the United States Agency for International Development 'program, project, and activity' shall also be considered to include central, country, regional, and program level funding, either as:
(1) justified to the Congress; or
(2) allocated by the executive branch in accordance with a report, to be provided to the Committees on Appropriations within 30 days of the enactment of this Act, as required by section 653(a) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.
authorities for the peace corps, inter-american foundation and african development foundationSec. 7024. Unless expressly provided to the contrary, provisions of this or any other Act, including provisions contained in prior Acts authorizing or making appropriations for the Department of State, foreign operations, and related programs, shall not be construed to prohibit activities authorized by or conducted under the Peace Corps Act, the Inter-American Foundation Act or the African Development Foundation Act: Provided, That the agency shall promptly report to the Committees on Appropriations whenever it is conducting activities or is proposing to conduct activities in a country for which assistance is prohibited.
commerce, trade and surplus commoditiesSec. 7025. (a) None of the funds appropriated or made available pursuant to titles III through VI of this Act for direct assistance and none of the funds otherwise made available to the Export-Import Bank and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation shall be obligated or expended to finance any loan, any assistance or any other financial commitments for establishing or expanding production of any commodity for export by any country other than the United States, if the commodity is likely to be in surplus on world markets at the time the resulting productive capacity is expected to become operative and if the assistance will cause substantial injury to United States producers of the same, similar, or competing commodity: Provided, That such prohibition shall not apply to the Export-Import Bank if in the judgment of its Board of Directors the benefits to industry and employment in the United States are likely to outweigh the injury to United States producers of the same, similar, or competing commodity, and the Chairman of the Board so notifies the Committees on Appropriations: Provided further, That this subsection shall not prohibit--
(1) activities in a country that is eligible for assistance from the International Development Association, is not eligible for assistance from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and does not export on a consistent basis the agricultural commodity with respect to which assistance is furnished; or
(2) activities in a country the President determines is recovering from widespread conflict, a humanitarian crisis, or a complex emergency.
(b) None of the funds appropriated by this or any other Act to carry out chapter 1 of part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 shall be available for any testing or breeding feasibility study, variety improvement or introduction, consultancy, publication, conference, or training in connection with the growth or production in a foreign country of an agricultural commodity for export which would compete with a similar commodity grown or produced in the United States: Provided, That this subsection shall not prohibit--
(1) activities designed to increase food security in developing countries where such activities will not have a significant impact on the export of agricultural commodities of the United States;
(2) research activities intended primarily to benefit American producers;
(3) activities in a country that is eligible for assistance from the International Development Association, is not eligible for assistance from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and does not export on a consistent basis the agricultural commodity with respect to which assistance is furnished; or
(4) activities in a country the President determines is recovering from widespread conflict, a humanitarian crisis, or a complex emergency.
separate accountsSec. 7026. (a) Separate Accounts for Local Currencies-
(1) If assistance is furnished to the government of a foreign country under chapters 1 and 10 of part I or chapter 4 of part II of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 under agreements which result in the generation of local currencies of that country, the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) shall--
(A) require that local currencies be deposited in a separate account established by that government;
(B) enter into an agreement with that government which sets forth--
(i) the amount of the local currencies to be generated; and
(ii) the terms and conditions under which the currencies so deposited may be utilized, consistent with this section; and
(C) establish by agreement with that government the responsibilities of USAID and that government to monitor and account for deposits into and disbursements from the separate account.
(2) USES OF LOCAL CURRENCIES- As may be agreed upon with the foreign government, local currencies deposited in a separate account pursuant to subsection (a), or an equivalent amount of local currencies, shall be used only--
(A) to carry out chapter 1 or 10 of part I or chapter 4 of part II of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (as the case may be), for such purposes as--
(i) project and sector assistance activities; or
(ii) debt and deficit financing; or
(B) for the administrative requirements of the United States Government.
(3) PROGRAMMING ACCOUNTABILITY- USAID shall take all necessary steps to ensure that the equivalent of the local currencies disbursed pursuant to subsection (a)(2)(A) from the separate account established pursuant to subsection (a)(1) are used for the purposes agreed upon pursuant to subsection (a)(2).
(4) TERMINATION OF ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS- Upon termination of assistance to a country under chapter 1 or 10 of part I or chapter 4 of part II of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (as the case may be), any unencumbered balances of funds which remain in a separate account established pursuant to subsection (a) shall be disposed of for such purposes as may be agreed to by the government of that country and the United States Government.
(5) REPORTING REQUIREMENT- The USAID Administrator shall report on an annual basis as part of the justification documents submitted to the Committees on Appropriations on the use of local currencies for the administrative requirements of the United States Government as authorized in subsection (a)(2)(B), and such report shall include the amount of local currency (and United States dollar equivalent) used and/or to be used for such purpose in each applicable country.
(b) Separate Accounts for Cash Transfers-
(1) If assistance is made available to the government of a foreign country, under chapter 1 or 10 of part I or chapter 4 of part II of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as cash transfer assistance or as nonproject sector assistance, that country shall be required to maintain such funds in a separate account and not commingle them with any other funds.
(2) APPLICABILITY OF OTHER PROVISIONS OF LAW- Such funds may be obligated and expended notwithstanding provisions of law which are inconsistent with the nature of this assistance including provisions which are referenced in the Joint Explanatory Statement of the Committee of Conference accompanying House Joint Resolution 648 (House Report No. 98-1159).
(3) NOTIFICATION- At least 15 days prior to obligating any such cash transfer or nonproject sector assistance, the President shall submit a notification through the regular notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations, which shall include a detailed description of how the funds proposed to be made available will be used, with a discussion of the United States interests that will be served by the assistance (including, as appropriate, a description of the economic policy reforms that will be promoted by such assistance).
(4) EXEMPTION- Nonproject sector assistance funds may be exempt from the requirements of subsection (b)(1) only through the regular notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations.
eligibility for assistanceSec. 7027. (a) Assistance Through Nongovernmental Organizations- Section 123 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151u) is amended by adding the following new subsection at the end:
'(i)(1) Restrictions contained in this or any other Act with respect to assistance for a country shall not be construed to restrict assistance in support of programs of nongovernmental organizations from--
'(A) funds made available to carry out this chapter and chapters 10, 11, and 12 of part I and chapter 4 of part II; or
'(B) funds made available for economic assistance activities under the Support for East European Democracy (SEED) Act of 1989 (22 U.S.C. 5401 et seq.).
'(2) The President shall submit to Congress, in accordance with section 634A, advance notice of an intent to obligate funds under the authority of this subsection to furnish assistance in support of programs of nongovernmental organizations.
'(3) This subsection shall not apply--
'(A) with respect to section 620A of this Act or any comparable provision of law prohibiting assistance to governments that support international terrorism; or
'(B) with respect to section 116 of this Act or any comparable provision of law prohibiting assistance to the government of a country that violates internationally recognized human rights.
'(4) Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to alter any existing statutory prohibitions against abortion or involuntary sterilization contained in this or any other Act.'.
(b) Public Law 480- During fiscal year 2012, restrictions contained in this or any other Act with respect to assistance for a country shall not be construed to restrict assistance under the Food for Peace Act (Public Law 83-480, as amended): Provided, That none of the funds appropriated to carry out title I of such Act and made available pursuant to this subsection may be obligated or expended except as provided through the regular notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations.
impact on jobs in the united statesSec. 7028. None of the funds appropriated under titles III through VI of this Act may be obligated or expended to provide--
(1) any financial incentive to a business enterprise currently located in the United States for the purpose of inducing such an enterprise to relocate outside the United States if such incentive or inducement is likely to reduce the number of employees of such business enterprise in the United States because United States production is being replaced by such enterprise outside the United States; or
(2) assistance for any program, project, or activity that contributes to the violation of internationally recognized workers rights, as defined in section 507(4) of the Trade Act of 1974, of workers in the recipient country, including any designated zone or area in that country: Provided, That the application of section 507(4)(D) and (E) of such Act should be commensurate with the level of development of the recipient country and sector, and shall not preclude assistance for the informal sector in such country, micro and small-scale enterprise, and smallholder agriculture.
international financial institutionsSec. 7029. (a) None of the funds appropriated under title V of this Act may be made as payment to any international financial institution while the United States executive director to such institution is compensated by the institution at a rate which, together with whatever compensation such executive director receives from the United States, is in excess of the rate provided for an individual occupying a position at level IV of the Executive Schedule under section 5315 of title 5, United States Code, or while any alternate United States executive director to such institution is compensated by the institution at a rate in excess of the rate provided for an individual occupying a position at level V of the Executive Schedule under section 5316 of title 5, United States Code.
(b) Of the funds appropriated under title V of this Act that are available for payments to international financial institutions, 10 percent should not be obligated for any such institution until the Secretary of the Treasury reports to the Committees on Appropriations that the institution is implementing effective practices to protect whistleblowers (including the institution's employees and others affected by the institution's operations) from retaliation for internal and lawful public disclosures, including--
(1) best practices for legal burdens of proof;
(2) access to independent adjudicative bodies, including external arbitration based on consensus selection and shared costs;
(3) results that eliminate the effects of proven retaliation; and
(4) a minimum of a 6-month statute of limitations for reporting retaliation.
(c) The Secretary of the Treasury shall instruct the United States executive director of each international financial institution to oppose any loan, grant, strategy or policy of such institution that would require user fees or service charges on poor people for primary education or primary healthcare, including prevention, care and treatment for HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, and infant, child, and maternal health, in connection with such institution's financing programs.
(d) The Secretary of the Treasury shall instruct the United States Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund (the Fund) to use the voice and vote of the United States to oppose any loan, project, agreement, memorandum, instrument, plan, or other program of the Fund to a Heavily Indebted Poor Country that imposes budget caps or restraints that do not allow the maintenance of or an increase in governmental spending on healthcare or education; and to promote government spending on healthcare, education, agriculture and food security, or other critical safety net programs in all of the Fund's activities with respect to Heavily Indebted Poor Countries.
(e) The Secretary of the Treasury shall instruct the United States executive directors of the international financial institutions to use the voice and vote of the United States to oppose any assistance by such institutions, using funds appropriated or made available pursuant to titles III through VI of this Act, for the production or extraction of any commodity or mineral for export, if it is in surplus on world markets and if the assistance will cause substantial injury to United States producers of the same, similar, or competing commodity.
(f) For the purposes of this Act 'international financial institutions' shall mean the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the International Development Association, the International Finance Corporation, the Inter-American Development Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Asian Development Bank, the Asian Development Fund, the Inter-American Investment Corporation, the North American Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the African Development Bank and the African Development Fund.
debt-for-developmentSec. 7030. In order to enhance the continued participation of nongovernmental organizations in debt-for-development and debt-for-nature exchanges, a nongovernmental organization which is a grantee or contractor of the United States Agency for International Development may place in interest bearing accounts local currencies which accrue to that organization as a result of economic assistance provided under title III of this Act and, subject to the regular notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations, any interest earned on such investment shall be used for the purpose for which the assistance was provided to that organization.
authority to engage in debt buybacks or salesSec. 7031. (a) Loans Eligible for Sale, Reduction, or Cancellation-
(1) AUTHORITY TO SELL, REDUCE, OR CANCEL CERTAIN LOANS- Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the President may, in accordance with this section, sell to any eligible purchaser any concessional loan or portion thereof made before January 1, 1995, pursuant to the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, to the government of any eligible country as defined in section 702(6) of that Act or on receipt of payment from an eligible purchaser, reduce or cancel such loan or portion thereof, only for the purpose of facilitating--
(A) debt-for-equity swaps, debt-for-development swaps, or debt-for-nature swaps; or
(B) a debt buyback by an eligible country of its own qualified debt, only if the eligible country uses an additional amount of the local currency of the eligible country, equal to not less than 40 percent of the price paid for such debt by such eligible country, or the difference between the price paid for such debt and the face value of such debt, to support activities that link conservation and sustainable use of natural resources with local community development, and child survival and other child development, in a manner consistent with sections 707 through 710 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, if the sale, reduction, or cancellation would not contravene any term or condition of any prior agreement relating to such loan.
(2) TERMS AND CONDITIONS- Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the President shall, in accordance with this section, establish the terms and conditions under which loans may be sold, reduced, or canceled pursuant to this section.
(3) ADMINISTRATION- The Facility, as defined in section 702(8) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, shall notify the administrator of the agency primarily responsible for administering part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 of purchasers that the President has determined to be eligible, and shall direct such agency to carry out the sale, reduction, or cancellation of a loan pursuant to this section: Provided, That such agency shall make adjustment in its accounts to reflect the sale, reduction, or cancellation.
(4) LIMITATION- The authorities of this subsection shall be available only to the extent that appropriations for the cost of the modification, as defined in section 502 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, are made in advance.
(b) Deposit of Proceeds- The proceeds from the sale, reduction, or cancellation of any loan sold, reduced, or canceled pursuant to this section shall be deposited in the United States Government account or accounts established for the repayment of such loan.
(c) Eligible Purchasers- A loan may be sold pursuant to subsection (a)(1)(A) only to a purchaser who presents plans satisfactory to the President for using the loan for the purpose of engaging in debt-for-equity swaps, debt-for-development swaps, or debt-for-nature swaps.
(d) Debtor Consultations- Before the sale to any eligible purchaser, or any reduction or cancellation pursuant to this section, of any loan made to an eligible country, the President should consult with the country concerning the amount of loans to be sold, reduced, or canceled and their uses for debt-for-equity swaps, debt-for-development swaps, or debt-for-nature swaps.
(e) Availability of Funds- The authority provided by subsection (a) may be used only with regard to funds appropriated by this Act under the heading 'Debt Restructuring'.
special provisionsSec. 7032. (a) Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Victims of War, Displaced Children, and Displaced Burmese- Funds appropriated under titles III through VI of this Act that are made available for assistance for Afghanistan may be made available notwithstanding section 7012 of this Act or any similar provision of law and section 660 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, and funds appropriated under titles III and VI of this Act that are made available for assistance for Pakistan, Iraq, and Lebanon and for victims of war, displaced children, displaced Burmese, and to assist victims of trafficking in persons and, subject to the regular notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations, to combat such trafficking, may be made available notwithstanding any other provision of law except section 620M of the Foreign Assistance Act, as amended by this Act.
(b) Waiver-
(1) The President may waive the provisions of section 1003 of Public Law 100-204 if the President determines and certifies in writing to the President pro tempore of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the Committees on Appropriations that it is important to the national security interests of the United States.
(2) PERIOD OF APPLICATION OF WAIVER- Any waiver pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be effective for no more than a period of 6 months at a time and shall not apply beyond 12 months after the enactment of this Act.
(3) Not later than 30 days after enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit to the Committees on Appropriations specific recommendations on appropriate actions to be taken with respect to the Palestine Liberation Organization's status in the United States, especially about the closing of its office, if Palestine seeks to become a member or non-member state of the United Nations outside an agreement negotiated between Israel and the Palestinians.
(c) Small Business- In entering into multiple award indefinite-quantity contracts with funds appropriated by this Act, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) may provide an exception to the fair opportunity process for placing task orders under such contracts when the order is placed with any category of small or small disadvantaged business.
(d) Reconstituting Civilian Police Authority- In providing assistance with funds appropriated by this Act under section 660(b)(6) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, support for a nation emerging from instability may be deemed to mean support for regional, district, municipal, or other sub-national entity emerging from instability, as well as a nation emerging from instability.
(e) Extension of Authority- The Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 1990 (Public Law 101-167) is amended--
(1) In section 599D (8 U.S.C. 1157 note)--
(A) in subsection (b)(3), by striking 'and 2011' and inserting '2011, and 2012'; and
(B) in subsection (e), by striking 'June 1, 2011' each place it appears and inserting 'October 1, 2012'; and
(2) in section 599E (8 U.S.C. 1255 note) in subsection (b)(2), by striking '2011' and inserting '2012'.
(f) World Food Program- Funds managed by the Bureau for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance, USAID, from this or any other Act, shall be made available as a general contribution to the World Food Program, notwithstanding any other provision of law.
(g) Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration- Notwithstanding any other provision of law, regulation or Executive order, funds appropriated by this Act and prior Acts making appropriations for the Department of State, foreign operations, and related programs under the headings 'Economic Support Fund', 'Peacekeeping Operations', 'International Disaster Assistance', and 'Transition Initiatives' should be made available to support programs to disarm, demobilize, and reintegrate into civilian society former members of foreign terrorist organizations: Provided, That the Secretary of State shall consult with the Committees on Appropriations prior to the obligation of funds pursuant to this subsection: Provided further, That for the purposes of this subsection the term 'foreign terrorist organization' means an organization designated as a terrorist organization under section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
(h) Contingencies- During fiscal year 2012, the President may use up to $75,000,000 under the authority of section 451 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, notwithstanding any other provision of law.
(i) Consolidation of Reports- The Secretary of State, in coordination with the USAID Administrator, shall submit to the Committees on Appropriations not later than 90 days after enactment of this Act recommendations for the consolidation or combination of reports (including plans and strategies) that are called for by any provision of law to be submitted to the Congress and that are substantially duplicative of others called for by any other provision of law: Provided, That reports are considered 'substantially duplicative' if they are required to address at least more than half of the same substantive factors, criteria and issues that are required to be addressed by any other report, and any such consolidated report must address all the substantive factors, criteria and issues required to be addressed in each of the individual reports: Provided further, That reports affected by this subsection are those within the purview of, or prepared primarily by, the Department of State and USAID and that relate to matters addressed under this Act or any other Act authorizing or appropriating funds for use by, or actions of, the Department of State or USAID.
(j) Promotion of Democracy-
(1) Funds made available by this Act that are made available for the promotion of democracy may be made available notwithstanding any other provision of law, and with regard to the National Endowment for Democracy, any regulation.
(2) For the purposes of funds appropriated by this Act, the term 'promotion of democracy' means programs that support good governance, human rights, independent media, and the rule of law, and otherwise strengthen the capacity of democratic political parties, governments, nongovernmental organizations and institutions, and citizens to support the development of democratic states, institutions, and practices that are responsive and accountable to citizens.
(3) With respect to the provision of assistance for democracy, human rights and governance activities in this Act, the organizations implementing such assistance and the specific nature of that assistance shall not be subject to the prior approval by the government of any foreign country.
(4) Of the funds appropriated under the heading 'Economic Support Fund', up to $25,000,000 shall be made available to the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor for programs to promote human rights by expanding open and uncensored access to information and communication through the Internet, mobile phones, and other connection technologies including digital safety training, policy and advocacy, and the development of circumvention and secure communication technologies, as identified in the Department of State's Internet freedom strategy: Provided, That funds made available by this section should be matched by sources other than the United States Government, as appropriate: Provided further, That the Secretary of State shall coordinate the uses of circumvention and secure communications technologies with the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Broadcasting Board of Governors, as appropriate: Provided further, That the circumvention technologies and programs supported by funds made available by this Act, Public Law 111-117 or Public Law 112-10 shall undergo a peer review, to include an assessment of the protection against such technologies being used for illicit purposes, including to further the communications capabilities of extremist groups or their supporters: Provided further, That prior to the obligation of funds, the Secretary of State shall submit to the Committees on Appropriations a report detailing planned expenditures of funds made available for activities to promote Internet freedom: Provided further, That not later than September 30, 2012, the Secretary of State, in coordination with the USAID Administrator, shall submit a report to the Committees on Appropriations listing programs supported by the Department of State and USAID to promote Internet freedom, including an assessment of the results of such programs, and detailing how such programs further, and are coordinated with cyber diplomacy and the United States International Strategy for Cyberspace.
(k) Accountability Review Boards- The authority provided by section 301(a)(3) of the Omnibus Diplomatic Security and Antiterrorism Act of 1986 (22 U.S.C. 4831(a)(3)) shall remain in effect through September 30, 2012.
(l) Partner Vetting- The provisions of section 7034(o) of division F of Public Law 111-117 shall remain in effect through fiscal year 2012.
(m) Motor Vehicle Pollution Control- Not later than 90 days after enactment of this Act, the head of each United States Government agency that receives funds appropriated by this Act shall establish a policy to eliminate unnecessary idling of motor vehicles owned or leased by such department or agency, and provide a copy of such policy to the Committees on Appropriations including an estimate of the amount of annual fuel savings that will result from such policy: Provided, That such policy may include exceptions to accommodate important security, health, or safety concerns, and if necessary to perform an important job function, ensure safe operating conditions, or to operate a motor vehicle in accordance with manufacturer specifications.
(n) Protections and Remedies for Employees of Diplomatic Missions and International Organizations- The Secretary of State shall implement section 203(a)(2) of the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 (Public Law 110-457): Provided, That in determining whether to suspend the issuance of A-3 or G-5 visas to applicants seeking to work for officials of a diplomatic mission or international organization, the Secretary shall consider whether a final court judgment has been issued against a current or former employee of such mission or organization (and the time period for a final appeal has expired) or whether the Department of State has requested that immunity of individual diplomats or family members be waived to permit criminal prosecution: Provided further, That the Secretary should continue to assist in obtaining payment of final court judgments awarded to A-3 and G-5 visa holders, including encouraging the sending states to provide compensation directly to victims: Provided further, That the Secretary shall include, in a manner the Secretary deems appropriate, all trafficking cases involving A-3 or G-5 visa holders in the Trafficking in Persons annual report for which a final civil judgment has been issued (and the time period for final appeal has expired) or the Department of Justice has determined that the United States Government would seek to indict the diplomat or a family member but for diplomatic immunity.
(o) Modification of Amendment- Section 620J of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (Limitation on Assistance to Security Forces) is amended as follows:
(1) by redesignating the section as section 620M;
(2) in subsection (a), by striking 'evidence' and inserting 'information' and by striking 'gross violations' and inserting 'a gross violation';
(3) in subsection (b), by striking 'measures' and inserting 'steps'; and
(4) by adding the following subsections:
'(d) Credible Information- Not later than 180 days after the enactment of this section, the Secretary shall establish, and periodically update, procedures to--
'(1) ensure that for each country the Department of State has a current list of all security force units receiving United States training, equipment, or other types of assistance;
'(2) facilitate receipt by the Department of State and United States embassies of information from individuals and organizations outside the United States Government about gross violations of human rights by security force units;
'(3) routinely request and obtain such information from the Department of Defense, the Central Intelligence Agency, and other United States Government sources;
'(4) ensure that such information is evaluated and preserved;
'(5) ensure that when vetting an individual for eligibility to receive United States training the individual's unit is also vetted;
'(6) seek to identify the unit involved when credible information of a gross violation exists but the identity of the unit is lacking; and
'(7) make publicly available, to the maximum extent practicable, the identity of those units for which the Secretary has credible information.
'(e) Report- The Secretary shall provide a copy of the procedures to the Committees on Appropriations.'
(p) Sections Repealed- Sections 494, 495, and 495B through 495K of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 are hereby repealed.
(q) Annuitant Waiver-
(1) Section 824 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 4064) is amended in subsection (g)--
(A) in paragraph (1)(B), by inserting 'to positions in the Response Readiness Corps,' before 'or to posts vacated'; and
(B) in paragraph (2), by striking '2011' and inserting in lieu thereof '2013'.
(2) Section 61 of the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 (22 U.S.C. 2733) is amended in subsection (a)--
(A) in paragraph (1), by inserting 'to positions in the Response Readiness Corps,' before 'or to posts vacated'; and
(B) in paragraph (2), by striking '2011' and inserting in lieu thereof '2013'.
(3) Section 625 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2385) is amended in subsection (j)(1)--
(A) in subparagraph (A), by inserting 'to positions in the Response Readiness Corps,' before 'or to posts vacated'; and
(B) in subparagraph (B), by striking '2011' and inserting in lieu thereof '2013'.
(r) Incentives for Critical Posts- The authority contained in section 1115(d) of Public Law 111-32 shall remain in effect through fiscal year 2012.
(s) Reports Repealed- Section 4(b) of Public Law 79-264; section 51(a)(2) of Public Law 84-885; sections 133(d), 620C(c) and 620F(c) of Public Law 87-195; section 807 of Public Law 98-164; section 704(c) of Public Law 101-179; section 104 of Public Law 102-511; section 560(g) of Public Law 103-87; sections 514(a) and 527(f) of Public Law 103-236; section 605(c) of Appendix G, Public Law 106-113; sections 3203 and 3204(f) of division B of Public Law 106-246; section 564(g)(4) of Public Law 106-429; section 304(f) of Public Law 107-173; sections 694(a), 694(b), 702, 704 and 1321 of Public Law 107-228; and section 409(c) of Public Law 108-447 are hereby repealed.
(t) Fee- Section 1(b)(2) of the Passport Act of June 4, 1920 (22 U.S.C. 214(b)(2)) is amended by striking '2011' and inserting instead '2012'.
(u) Conflict Stabilization Operations Authority- Of the funds appropriated in title I of this Act under the heading 'Diplomatic and Consular Programs', up to $35,000,000, to remain available until expended, may be made available pursuant to the authorities under the heading 'Civilian Stabilization Initiative' in title I of division F of Public Law 111-117: Provided, That the third and fourth proviso under such heading shall not apply to funds made available under this subsection.
(v) Transfer of Authority-
(1) The State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 is amended in section 1(c)(1) (22 U.S.C. 2651a(c)(1)) by striking '24' and inserting instead '26'.
(2) The Secretary of State may transfer any authority, duty, or function assigned by statute to the Coordinator for Counterterrorism, the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization, or the Coordinator for International Energy Affairs (or to their respective offices) to such other officials or offices of the Department of State as the Secretary may determine from time to time, following consultation with the Committees on Appropriations.
(w) Country Expenditures- Except to respond to humanitarian crises or natural or man-made disasters, or to promote democracy or protect human rights, funds appropriated under the headings 'Global Health Programs', 'Development Assistance', 'Economic Support Fund', 'Millennium Challenge Corporation', and 'International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement' shall not be made available for programs and activities in any country whose government is not increasing its own budgetary expenditures for such programs and activities.
(x) Personnel- The authority provided by section 1113 of Public Law 111-32 shall remain in effect through fiscal year 2012: Provided, That none of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act or any other Act making appropriations for the Department of State, foreign operations, and related programs may be used to implement phase 3 of such authority.
(y) International Child Abductions- The Secretary of State may withhold funds appropriated by this Act under the heading 'Economic Support Fund' for assistance for the central government of any country that the Secretary determines is not taking appropriate steps to comply with the Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abductions, done at the Hague on October 25, 1980: Provided, That the Secretary shall report to the Committees on Appropriations within 15 days of making any such determination.
arab league boycott of israelSec. 7033. It is the sense of the Congress that--
(1) the Arab League boycott of Israel, and the secondary boycott of American firms that have commercial ties with Israel, is an impediment to peace in the region and to United States investment and trade in the Middle East and North Africa;
(2) the Arab League boycott, which was regrettably reinstated in 1997, should be immediately and publicly terminated, and the Central Office for the Boycott of Israel immediately disbanded;
(3) all Arab League states should normalize relations with their neighbor Israel;
(4) the President and the Secretary of State should continue to vigorously oppose the Arab League boycott of Israel and find concrete steps to demonstrate that opposition by, for example, taking into consideration the participation of any recipient country in the boycott when determining to sell weapons to said country; and
(5) the President should report to Congress annually on specific steps being taken by the United States to encourage Arab League states to normalize their relations with Israel to bring about the termination of the Arab League boycott of Israel, including those to encourage allies and trading partners of the United States to enact laws prohibiting businesses from complying with the boycott and penalizing businesses that do comply.
palestinian statehoodSec. 7034. (a) Limitation on Assistance- None of the funds appropriated under titles III through VI of this Act may be provided to support a Palestinian state unless the Secretary of State determines and certifies to the appropriate congressional committees that--
(1) the governing entity of a new Palestinian state--
(A) has demonstrated a firm commitment to peaceful co-existence with the State of Israel;
(B) is taking appropriate measures to counter terrorism and terrorist financing in the West Bank and Gaza, including the dismantling of terrorist infrastructures, and is cooperating with appropriate Israeli and other appropriate security organizations; and
(2) the Palestinian Authority (or the governing entity of a new Palestinian state) is working with other countries in the region to vigorously pursue efforts to establish a just, lasting, and comprehensive peace in the Middle East that will enable Israel and an independent Palestinian state to exist within the context of full and normal relationships, which should include--
(A) termination of all claims or states of belligerency;
(B) respect for and acknowledgment of the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and political independence of every state in the area through measures including the establishment of demilitarized zones;
(C) their right to live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries free from threats or acts of force;
(D) freedom of navigation through international waterways in the area; and
(E) a framework for achieving a just settlement of the refugee problem.
(b) Sense of Congress- It is the sense of Congress that the governing entity should enact a constitution assuring the rule of law, an independent judiciary, and respect for human rights for its citizens, and should enact other laws and regulations assuring transparent and accountable governance.
(c) Waiver- The President may waive subsection (a) if the President determines that it is important to the national security interests of the United States to do so.
(d) Exemption- The restriction in subsection (a) shall not apply to assistance intended to help reform the Palestinian Authority and affiliated institutions, or the governing entity, in order to help meet the requirements of subsection (a), consistent with the provisions of section 7038 of this Act ('Limitation on Assistance for the Palestinian Authority').
restrictions concerning the palestinian authoritySec. 7035. None of the funds appropriated under titles II through VI of this Act may be obligated or expended to create in any part of Jerusalem a new office of any department or agency of the United States Government for the purpose of conducting official United States Government business with the Palestinian Authority over Gaza and Jericho or any successor Palestinian governing entity provided for in the Israel-PLO Declaration of Principles: Provided, That this restriction shall not apply to the acquisition of additional space for the existing Consulate General in Jerusalem: Provided further, That meetings between officers and employees of the United States and officials of the Palestinian Authority, or any successor Palestinian governing entity provided for in the Israel-PLO Declaration of Principles, for the purpose of conducting official United States Government business with such authority should continue to take place in locations other than Jerusalem: Provided further, That as has been true in the past, officers and employees of the United States Government may continue to meet in Jerusalem on other subjects with Palestinians (including those who now occupy positions in the Palestinian Authority), have social contacts, and have incidental discussions.
prohibition on assistance to the palestinian broadcasting corporationSec. 7036. None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be used to provide equipment, technical support, consulting services, or any other form of assistance to the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation.
assistance for the west bank and gazaSec. 7037. (a) Oversight- For fiscal year 2012, 30 days prior to the initial obligation of funds for the bilateral West Bank and Gaza Program, the Secretary of State shall certify to the Committees on Appropriations that procedures have been established to assure the Comptroller General of the United States will have access to appropriate United States financial information in order to review the uses of United States assistance for the Program funded under the heading 'Economic Support Fund' for the West Bank and Gaza.
(b) Vetting- Prior to the obligation of funds appropriated by this Act under the heading 'Economic Support Fund' for assistance for the West Bank and Gaza, the Secretary of State shall take all appropriate steps to ensure that such assistance is not provided to or through any individual, private or government entity, or educational institution that the Secretary knows or has reason to believe advocates, plans, sponsors, engages in, or has engaged in, terrorist activity nor, with respect to private entities or educational institutions, those that have as a principal officer of the entity's governing board or governing board of trustees any individual that has been determined to be involved in, or advocating terrorist activity or determined to be a member of a designated foreign terrorist organization: Provided, That the Secretary of State shall, as appropriate, establish procedures specifying the steps to be taken in carrying out this subsection and shall terminate assistance to any individual, entity, or educational institution which the Secretary has determined to be involved in or advocating terrorist activity.
(c) Prohibition-
(1) None of the funds appropriated under titles III through VI of this Act for assistance under the West Bank and Gaza Program may be made available for the purpose of recognizing or otherwise honoring individuals who commit, or have committed acts of terrorism.
(2) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, none of the funds made available by this or prior appropriations act, including funds made available by transfer, may be made available for obligation for security assistance for the West Bank and Gaza until the Secretary of State reports to the Committees on Appropriations on the benchmarks that have been established for security assistance for the West Bank and Gaza and reports on the extent of Palestinian compliance with such benchmarks.
(d) Audits-
(1) The Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development shall ensure that Federal or non-Federal audits of all contractors and grantees, and significant subcontractors and sub-grantees, under the West Bank and Gaza Program, are conducted at least on an annual basis to ensure, among other things, compliance with this section.
(2) Of the funds appropriated by this Act up to $500,000 may be used by the Office of Inspector General of the United States Agency for International Development for audits, inspections, and other activities in furtherance of the requirements of this subsection: Provided, That such funds are in addition to funds otherwise available for such purposes.
(e) Subsequent to the certification specified in subsection (a), the Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct an audit and an investigation of the treatment, handling, and uses of all funds for the bilateral West Bank and Gaza Program, including all funds provided as cash transfer assistance, in fiscal year 2012 under the heading 'Economic Support Fund', and such audit shall address--
(1) the extent to which such Program complies with the requirements of subsections (b) and (c); and
(2) an examination of all programs, projects, and activities carried out under such Program, including both obligations and expenditures.
(f) Funds made available in this Act for West Bank and Gaza shall be subject to the regular notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations.
(g) Not later than 180 days after enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit a report to the Committees on Appropriations updating the report contained in section 2106 of chapter 2 of title II of Public Law 109-13.
limitation on assistance for the palestinian authoritySec. 7038. (a) Prohibition of Funds- None of the funds appropriated by this Act to carry out the provisions of chapter 4 of part II of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 may be obligated or expended with respect to providing funds to the Palestinian Authority.
(b) Waiver- The prohibition included in subsection (a) shall not apply if the President certifies in writing to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the President pro tempore of the Senate, and the Committees on Appropriations that waiving such prohibition is important to the national security interests of the United States.
(c) Period of Application of Waiver- Any waiver pursuant to subsection (b) shall be effective for no more than a period of 6 months at a time and shall not apply beyond 12 months after the enactment of this Act.
(d) Report- Whenever the waiver authority pursuant to subsection (b) is exercised, the President shall submit a report to the Committees on Appropriations detailing the justification for the waiver, the purposes for which the funds will be spent, and the accounting procedures in place to ensure that the funds are properly disbursed: Provided, That the report shall also detail the steps the Palestinian Authority has taken to arrest terrorists, confiscate weapons and dismantle the terrorist infrastructure.
(e) Certification- If the President exercises the waiver authority under subsection (b), the Secretary of State must certify and report to the Committees on Appropriations prior to the obligation of funds that the Palestinian Authority has established a single treasury account for all Palestinian Authority financing and all financing mechanisms flow through this account, no parallel financing mechanisms exist outside of the Palestinian Authority treasury account, and there is a single comprehensive civil service roster and payroll.
(f) Prohibition to Hamas and the Palestine Liberation Organization-
(1) None of the funds appropriated in titles III through VI of this Act may be obligated for salaries of personnel of the Palestinian Authority located in Gaza or may be obligated or expended for assistance to Hamas or any entity effectively controlled by Hamas, any power-sharing government of which Hamas is a member, or a government over which Hamas exercises undue influence.
(2) Notwithstanding the limitation of subsection (1), assistance may be provided to a power-sharing government only if the President certifies and reports to the Committees on Appropriations that such government, including all of its ministers or such equivalent, has publicly accepted and is complying with the principles contained in section 620K(b)(1)(A) and (B) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended.
(3) The President may exercise the authority in section 620K(e) of the Foreign Assistance Act as added by the Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act of 2006 (Public Law 109-446) with respect to this subsection.
(4) Whenever the certification pursuant to paragraph (2) is exercised, the Secretary of State shall submit a report to the Committees on Appropriations within 120 days of the certification and every quarter thereafter on whether such government, including all of its ministers or such equivalent are continuing to comply with the principles contained in section 620K(b)(1)(A) and (B) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended: Provided, That the report shall also detail the amount, purposes and delivery mechanisms for any assistance provided pursuant to the abovementioned certification and a full accounting of any direct support of such government.
(5) None of the funds appropriated under titles III through VI of this Act may be obligated for assistance for the Palestine Liberation Organization.
near eastSec. 7039. (a) Egypt-
(1) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, funds appropriated by this Act under the heading 'Foreign Military Financing Program' for assistance for Egypt may be transferred to, and merged with, funds appropriated for assistance for Egypt under the heading 'Economic Support Fund': Provided, That such transfer may only be made following consultation with, and subject to the regular notification procedures of, the Committees on Appropriations.
(2)(A) None of the funds appropriated by this Act may be made available for assistance for the central Government of Egypt unless the Secretary of State certifies to the Committees on Appropriations that such government is meeting its obligations under the 1979 Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty.
(B) The Secretary of State may waive paragraph (2)(A) if the Secretary determines and reports to the Committees on Appropriations that to do so is important to the national interests of the United States: Provided, That any such determination and report shall include a detailed justification for such waiver.
(3)(A) Funds appropriated under the heading 'Economic Support Fund' in this and prior Acts (including previously obligated funds), may be made available, notwithstanding any other provision of law, for an Egypt initiative, particularly for the specific costs referred to in the authorities referenced herein, for the purpose of improving the lives of the Egyptian people through education, investment in jobs and skills (including secondary and vocational education), and access to finance for small and medium enterprise with emphasis on expanding opportunities for women, as well as other appropriate market-reform and economic growth activities: Provided, That the provisions of title VI of Public Law 103-306 pertaining to funds for Jordan shall be deemed to apply to any such initiative and to funds available under this section to carry out such an initiative in the same manner as such cited provisions apply to Jordan, subject to the following provisos: Provided further, That subparagraph (b)(2) shall be deemed not to apply and the amount made available pursuant to this section as set forth in the report accompanying this Act and incorporated herein shall be deemed to apply in lieu of the figure in subparagraph (b)(1): Provided further, That the authority to reduce debt shall include authority to exchange an outstanding obligation for a new obligation and to permit both principal and interest payments on new obligations to be deposited into a fund established for such purpose, to be used in accordance with purposes set forth in an agreement between the United States and Egypt: Provided further, That the authority of this paragraph shall only be made available after the Secretary of State certifies to the Committees on Appropriations that the Government of Egypt has held free and fair elections and is implementing policies to protect the rights of journalists, due process, and freedoms of expression and association.
(b) Enterprise Funds- Up to $60,000,000 of funds appropriated under the heading 'Economic Support Fund' in this Act and prior acts making appropriations for the Department of State, foreign operations, and related programs (and including previously obligated funds), that are available for assistance for Egypt, up to $20,000,000 of such funds that are available for assistance for Tunisia, up to $60,000,000 of such funds that are available for assistance for Pakistan, and up to $60,000,000 of such funds that are available for assistance for Jordan, respectively, may be made available notwithstanding any other provision of law, to establish and operate one or more enterprise funds for Egypt, Tunisia, Pakistan, and Jordan, respectively: Provided, That provisions contained in section 201 of the Support for East European Democracy (SEED) Act of 1989 (excluding the provisions of subsections (b)(c)(d)(3) and (f) of that section), shall be deemed to apply to any such fund or funds, and to funds made available to such fund or funds, in order to enable such fund or funds to provide assistance for purposes of this section: Provided further, That section 7077 of division F of Public Law 111-117 shall apply to any such fund or funds established pursuant to this subsection: Provided further, That not more than 5 percent of the funds made available pursuant to this subsection should be available for administrative expenses of such fund or funds and not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter until each fund is dissolved, each fund shall submit to the Committees on Appropriations a report detailing the administrative expenses of such fund: Provided further, That each fund shall be governed by a Board of Directors comprised of six private United States citizens and three private citizens of each country, respectively, who have had international business careers and demonstrated expertise in international and emerging markets investment activities: Provided further, That not later than 1 year after the entry into force of the initial grant agreement under this section and annually thereafter, each fund shall prepare and make available to the public on an Internet Web site administered by the fund a detailed report on the fund's activities during the previous year: Provided further, That the authority of any such fund or funds to provide assistance shall cease to be effective on December 31, 2022: Provided further, That funds made available pursuant to this section shall be subject to prior consultation with the Committees on Appropriations.
(c) Iran-
(1) It is the policy of the United States to seek to prevent Iran from achieving the capability to produce or otherwise manufacture nuclear weapons, including by supporting international diplomatic efforts to halt Iran's uranium enrichment program, and the President should fully implement and enforce the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996, as amended (Public Law 104-172) as a means of encouraging foreign governments to require state-owned and private entities to cease all investment in, and support of, Iran's energy sector and all exports of refined petroleum products to Iran.
(2) None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available in this Act under the heading 'Export-Import Bank of the United States' may be used by the Export-Import Bank of the United States to provide any new financing (including loans, guarantees, other credits, insurance, and reinsurance) to any person that is subject to sanctions under paragraph (2) or (3) of section 5(a) of the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-172).
(3) The reporting requirements in section 7043(c) in division F of Public Law 111-117 shall continue in effect during fiscal year 2012 as if part of this Act: Provided, That the date in subsecton (c)(1) shall be deemed to be 'September 31, 2012'.
(d) Iraq-
(1) Funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act for assistance for Iraq shall be made available in a manner that utilizes Iraqi entities to the maximum extent practicable, and in accordance with the Department of State's April 9, 2009 'Guidelines for Government of Iraq Financial Participation in United States Government-Funded Civilian Foreign Assistance Programs and Projects'.
(2) None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be used by the Government of the United States to enter into a permanent basing rights agreement between the United States and Iraq.
(3) Funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act for security-related programs in Iraq may only be made available if the Secretary of State certifies to the Committees on Appropriations that the Government of Iraq has committed to contributing to, and sustaining, such programs, including details on the manner in which such contributions and sustainment will be achieved.
(4) Of the funds appropriated by this Act for assistance for Iraq under the heading 'Economic Support Fund', not less than $10,000,000 shall be made available for programs and activities for which policy justifications and decisions shall be the responsibility of the United States Chief of Mission in Iraq.
(e) Lebanon-
(1) None of the funds appropriated by this Act may be made available for assistance for the Government of Lebanon if such government is controlled by a foreign terrorist organization.
(2) Funds appropriated under the heading 'Foreign Military Financing Program' in this Act for assistance for Lebanon may be made available only to professionalize the Lebanese Armed Forces and to strengthen border security and combat terrorism, including training and equipping the Lebanese Armed Forces to secure Lebanon's borders, interdicting arms shipments, preventing the use of Lebanon as a safe haven for terrorist groups, and to implement United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701: Provided, That funds may not be made available for obligation until the Secretary of State provides the Committees on Appropriations a detailed spending plan: Provided further, That such plan shall not be considered as meeting the notification requirements under section 7015 of this Act or under section 634A of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.
(f) Libya-
(1) Of the funds appropriated by this Act under the heading 'Economic Support Fund', not less than $20,000,000 should be made available to promote democracy, transparent and accountable governance, human rights, transitional justice, and the rule of law in Libya, and for exchange programs between Libyan and American students: Provided, That such funds shall be made available, to the maximum extent practicable, on a cost matching basis.
(2) None of the funds appropriated by this Act may be made available for assistance for Libya for the rehabilitation or reconstruction of infrastructure except on a loan basis with terms favorable to the United States, and only following consultation with the Committees on Appropriations.
(g) Morocco- Of the funds appropriated by this Act under the heading 'Foreign Military Financing Program' for assistance for Morocco, $1,000,000 shall be withheld from obligation until the Secretary of State submits a report to the Committees on Appropriations on steps being taken by the Government of Morocco to--
(1) respect the right of individuals to peacefully express their opinions regarding the status and future of the Western Sahara and to document violations of human rights; and
(2) provide unimpeded access to human rights organizations, journalists, and representatives of foreign governments to the Western Sahara.
(h) Syria- Notwithstanding any other provision of law, funds appropriated by this Act shall be made available to promote democracy and protect human rights in Syria: Provided, That a portion of such funds should be programmed in coordination with the Government of Turkey and other governments in the region, as appropriate.
aircraft transfer and coordinationSec. 7040. (a) Transfer Authority- Notwithstanding any other provision of law or regulation, aircraft procured with funds appropriated by this Act and prior Acts making appropriations for the Department of State, foreign operations, and related programs under the headings 'Diplomatic and Consular Programs', 'International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement', 'Andean Counterdrug Initiative' and 'Andean Counterdrug Programs' may be used for any other program and in any region, including for the transportation of active and standby Civilian Response Corps personnel and equipment during a deployment: Provided, That the responsibility for policy decisions and justification for the use of such transfer authority shall be the responsibility of the Secretary of State and the Deputy Secretary of State and this responsibility shall not be delegated.
(b) Property Disposal- The authority provided in subsection (a) shall apply only after a determination by the Secretary of State to the Committees on Appropriations that the equipment is no longer required to meet programmatic purposes in the designated country or region: Provided, That any such transfer shall be subject to prior consultation with, and the regular notification procedures of, the Committees on Appropriations.
(c) Aircraft Coordination-
(1) The uses of aircraft purchased or leased by the Department of State and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) with funds made available in this Act or prior Acts making appropriations for the Department of State, foreign operations, and related programs shall be coordinated under the authority of the appropriate Chief of Mission: Provided, That such aircraft may be used to transport, on a reimbursable or non-reimbursable basis, Federal and non-Federal personnel supporting the Department of State and USAID programs and activities: Provided further, That official travel for other agencies for other purposes may be supported on a reimbursable basis, or without reimbursement when traveling on a space available basis.
(2) The requirement and authorities of this subsection shall only apply to aircraft, the primary purpose of which is the transportation of personnel.
western hemisphereSec. 7041. (a) Central America and the Caribbean- Funds appropriated by this Act shall be made available for the Central America Regional Security Initiative (CARSI) and for the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI) to strengthen the capacity and professionalism of civilian law enforcement and judicial institutions.
(b) Colombia-
(1) ASSISTANCE-
(A) Funds appropriated by this Act and made available to the Department of State for counter-narcotics or other law enforcement assistance for the Government of Colombia may be used to support a unified campaign against narcotics trafficking and organizations designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and successor organizations, and to take actions to protect human health and welfare in emergency circumstances, including undertaking rescue operations: Provided, That no United States Armed Forces personnel or United States civilian contractor employed by the United States will participate in any combat operation in connection with assistance made available by this Act for Colombia: Provided further, That the President shall ensure that if any helicopter procured with funds in this Act or prior Acts making appropriations for the Department of State, foreign operations, and related programs, is used to aid or abet the operations of any illegal self-defense group, paramilitary organization, illegal security cooperative or successor organizations in Colombia, such helicopter shall be immediately returned to the United States: Provided further, That none of the funds appropriated by this Act or prior Acts making appropriations for the Department of State, foreign operations, and related programs may be made available for assistance for the Colombian Departamento Administrativo de Seguridad (DAS) or successor organizations.
(B) None of the funds appropriated by this Act under the heading 'International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement' that are available for assistance for Colombia for the procurement of chemicals for aerial drug eradication may be made available unless the Secretary of State certifies to the Committees on Appropriations that any complaints of harm to health or licit crops caused by such aerial eradication are thoroughly investigated and evaluated, and fair compensation is paid in a timely manner for meritorious claims: Provided further, That the Secretary shall submit a report to the Committees on Appropriations not later than 6 months after enactment of this Act and 6 months thereafter detailing the complaints made during the previous 6 months, the investigations conducted, and the amount of compensation, if any: Provided further, That such funds may not be made available for such purposes unless voluntary eradication programs are not feasible and programs are being implemented by the United States Agency for International Development, the Government of Colombia, or other organizations, in consultation and coordination with local communities, to provide alternative sources of income in areas where security permits for small-acreage growers and communities whose illicit crops are targeted for aerial eradication: Provided further, That none of the funds appropriated by this Act for assistance for Colombia shall be made available for the cultivation or processing of African oil palm, if doing so would contribute to significant loss of native species, disrupt or contaminate natural water sources, reduce local food security, or cause the forced displacement of local people: Provided further, That funds appropriated by this Act may not be used for aerial drug eradication in Colombia's national parks or reserves unless the Secretary of State certifies to the Committees on Appropriations that there are no effective alternatives and the eradication is in accordance with Colombian laws.
(2) APPLICABILITY OF FISCAL YEAR 2009 PROVISIONS-
(A) IN GENERAL- Except as provided in paragraph (2), the provisions of subsections (b) through (f) of section 7046 of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2009 (division H of Public Law 111-8), as amended by section 7046 (b)(2)(A) of division F of Public Law 111-117, shall apply to funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act for assistance for Colombia.
(B) EXCEPTIONS- The following provisions of section 7046 of division H of Public Law 111-8 shall apply to funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act for assistance for Colombia as follows:
(i) Subsection (b)(1)(B) is amended as follows:
(I) By striking clause (i) and inserting the following:
'(i) The Colombian Armed Forces are suspending those members, of whatever rank, who have been credibly alleged to have violated human rights, or to have aided, abetted or benefitted from paramilitary organizations or successor armed groups; all such cases are promptly referred to civilian jurisdiction for investigation and prosecution, and the Colombian Armed Forces are no longer opposing civilian judicial jurisdiction in such cases; and the Colombian Armed Forces are cooperating fully with civilian prosecutors and judicial authorities.'.
(II) By striking clause (iv) and inserting the following:
'(iv) The Government of Colombia is respecting the rights of human rights defenders, journalists, trade unionists, and other social activists, and the rights and territory of indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities; and the Colombian Armed Forces are implementing procedures to distinguish between civilians, including displaced persons, and combatants, in their operations.'.
(ii) Subsection (b)(2) shall be applied by substituting 'July 31, 2012' for the date contained therein;
(iii) Subsection (c) shall be applied by substituting 'September 30, 2012' for the date contained therein; and
(iv) Subsection (d)(1) shall be applied by substituting 'fiscal year 2012' for the fiscal year contained therein.
(C) REPORT- Not later than 90 days after enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit a report to the Committees on Appropriations detailing any United States funding, assistance or other support for the DAS, its officials, employees, affiliates and contractors during the period 2002 through 2010, including but not limited to training, equipment, information sharing, technical assistance, and facilities construction: Provided, That to the maximum extent possible the report shall be provided in unclassified form, but may also include a classified annex.
(c) Guatemala-
(1) Of the funds appropriated in this Act under the heading 'International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement' not less than $5,000,000 shall be made available for a United States contribution to the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG).
(2) Funds appropriated under the heading 'International Military Education and Training' (IMET) that are available for assistance for the Guatemalan Army may only be made available for expanded IMET.
(3) None of the funds appropriated under the heading 'Foreign Military Financing Program' may be made available for assistance for the Guatemalan Army, except that such funds may be made available for the Army Corps of Engineers only to improve disaster response capabilities and to participate in international peacekeeping operations.
(d) Haiti-
(1) The Government of Haiti shall be eligible to purchase defense articles and services under the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2751 et seq.), for the Coast Guard.
(2) Funds appropriated under the heading 'Economic Support Fund' in this Act and prior Acts that are made available for assistance for Haiti shall be made available, to the maximum extent practicable, in a manner that emphasizes the participation of Haitian civil society organizations and directly improves the security, economic and social well-being, and political status, of Haitian women and girls.
(e) Honduras- Funds appropriated by this Act that are available for assistance for police forces in Honduras may not be made available until the Secretary of State certifies to the Committees on Appropriations that the Government of Honduras is investigating, prosecuting, and punishing police officers who have violated human rights and the Honduran police are cooperating with civilian judicial authorities in such cases.
(f) Mexico- Funds appropriated by this Act that are available to support anti-crime and counter-narcotics efforts in Mexico shall be made available to strengthen the capacity of civilian law enforcement and judicial institutions.
(g) Trade Capacity- Of the funds appropriated by this Act, not less than $10,000,000 under the heading 'Development Assistance' and not less than $10,000,000 under the heading 'Economic Support Fund' shall be made available for labor and environmental capacity building activities relating to free trade agreements with countries of Central America, Peru and the Dominican Republic.
serbiaSec. 7042. (a) Funds appropriated by this Act may be made available for assistance for the central Government of Serbia after May 31, 2012, if the Secretary of State has submitted the report required in subsection (c).
(b) After May 31, 2012, the Secretary of the Treasury should instruct the United States executive directors of the international financial institutions to support loans and assistance to the Government of Serbia subject to the condition in subsection (c).
(c) The report referred to in subsection (a) is a report by the Secretary of State to the Committees on Appropriations that the Government of Serbia is cooperating with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, including apprehending and transferring indictees and providing investigators access to witnesses, documents, and other information.
(d) This section shall not apply to humanitarian assistance or assistance to promote democracy.
community-based police assistanceSec. 7043. (a) Authority- Funds made available by titles III and IV of this Act to carry out the provisions of chapter 1 of part I and chapters 4 and 6 of part II of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, may be used, notwithstanding section 660 of that Act, to enhance the effectiveness and accountability of civilian police authority through training and technical assistance in human rights, the rule of law, anti-corruption, strategic planning, and through assistance to foster civilian police roles that support democratic governance including assistance for programs to prevent conflict, respond to disasters, address sexual and gender-based violence, and foster improved police relations with the communities they serve.
(b) Notification- Assistance provided under subsection (a) shall be subject to the regular notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations.
prohibition of payments to united nations membersSec. 7044. None of the funds appropriated or made available pursuant to titles III through VI of this Act for carrying out the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, may be used to pay in whole or in part any assessments, arrearages, or dues of any member of the United Nations or, from funds appropriated by this Act to carry out chapter 1 of part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, the costs for participation of another country's delegation at international conferences held under the auspices of multilateral or international organizations.
war crimes tribunals drawdownSec. 7045. If the President determines that doing so will contribute to a just resolution of charges regarding genocide or other violations of international humanitarian law, the President may direct a drawdown pursuant to section 552(c) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 of up to $30,000,000 of commodities and services for the United Nations War Crimes Tribunal established with regard to the former Yugoslavia by the United Nations Security Council or such other tribunals or commissions as the Council may establish or authorize to deal with such violations, without regard to the ceiling limitation contained in paragraph (2) thereof: Provided, That the determination required under this section shall be in lieu of any determinations otherwise required under section 552(c): Provided further, That funds made available pursuant to this section shall be made available subject to the regular notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations.
peacekeepingSec. 7046. (a) Missions- None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by title I of this Act may be used for any United Nations peacekeeping mission that will involve United States Armed Forces under the command or operational control of a foreign national, unless the President's military advisors have submitted to the President a recommendation that such involvement is in the national interests of the United States and the President has submitted to the Congress such a recommendation.
(b) Assessment- Section 404(b)(2)(B) of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1994 and 1995 (22 U.S.C. 287e note) is amended by adding the following at the end:
'(vii) For assessments made during calendar year 2011 and 2012, 27.2 percent.'.
attendance at international conferencesSec. 7047. None of the funds made available in this Act may be used to send or otherwise pay for the attendance of more than 50 employees of agencies or departments of the United States Government who are stationed in the United States, at any single international conference occurring outside the United States, unless the Secretary of State reports to the Committees on Appropriations that such attendance is important to the national interest: Provided, That for purposes of this section the term 'international conference' shall mean a conference attended by representatives of the United States Government and of foreign governments, international organizations, or nongovernmental organizations.
restrictions on united nations delegationsSec. 7048. None of the funds made available under title I of this Act may be used to pay expenses for any United States delegation to any specialized agency, body, or commission of the United Nations if such commission is chaired or presided over by a country, the government of which the Secretary of State has determined, for purposes of section 6(j)(1) of the Export Administration Act of 1979 (50 U.S.C. App. 2405(j)(1)), supports international terrorism.
parking fines and real property taxes owed by foreign governmentsSec. 7049. The terms and conditions of section 7055 of division F of Public Law 111-117 shall apply to this Act: Provided, That the date 'September 30, 2009' in subsection (f)(2)(B) shall be deemed to be 'September 30, 2011'.
landmines and cluster munitionsSec. 7050. (a) Landmines- Notwithstanding any other provision of law, demining equipment available to the United States Agency for International Development and the Department of State and used in support of the clearance of landmines and unexploded ordnance for humanitarian purposes may be disposed of on a grant basis in foreign countries, subject to such terms and conditions as the Secretary of State may prescribe.
(b) Cluster Munitions- No military assistance shall be furnished for cluster munitions, no defense export license for cluster munitions may be issued, and no cluster munitions or cluster munitions technology shall be sold or transferred, unless--
(1) the submunitions of the cluster munitions, after arming, do not result in more than 1 percent unexploded ordnance across the range of intended operational environments; and
(2) the agreement applicable to the assistance, transfer, or sale of such cluster munitions or cluster munitions technology specifies that the cluster munitions will only be used against clearly defined military targets and will not be used where civilians are known to be present or in areas normally inhabited by civilians.
prohibition on publicity or propagandaSec. 7051. No part of any appropriation contained in this Act shall be used for publicity or propaganda purposes within the United States not authorized before the date of the enactment of this Act by the Congress: Provided, That not to exceed $25,000 may be made available to carry out the provisions of section 316 of Public Law 96-533.
limitation on residence expensesSec. 7052. Of the funds appropriated or made available pursuant to title II of this Act, not to exceed $100,500 shall be for official residence expenses of the United States Agency for International Development during the current fiscal year: Provided, That appropriate steps shall be taken to assure that, to the maximum extent possible, United States-owned foreign currencies are utilized in lieu of dollars.
united states agency for international development management(including transfer of funds)Sec. 7053. (a) Authority- Up to $93,000,000 of the funds made available in title III of this Act to carry out the provisions of part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, including funds appropriated under the heading 'Assistance for Europe, Eurasia and Central Asia', may be used by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to hire and employ individuals in the United States and overseas on a limited appointment basis pursuant to the authority of sections 308 and 309 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980.
(b) Restrictions-
(1) The number of individuals hired in any fiscal year pursuant to the authority contained in subsection (a) may not exceed 175.
(2) The authority to hire individuals contained in subsection (a) shall expire on September 30, 2013.
(c) Conditions- The authority of subsection (a) should only be used to the extent that an equivalent number of positions that are filled by personal services contractors or other nondirect hire employees of USAID, who are compensated with funds appropriated to carry out part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, including funds appropriated under the heading 'Assistance for Europe, Eurasia and Central Asia', are eliminated.
(d) Priority Sectors- In exercising the authority of this section, primary emphasis shall be placed on enabling USAID to meet personnel positions in technical areas currently encumbered by contractor or other nondirect hire personnel.
(e) Program Account Charged- The account charged for the cost of an individual hired and employed under the authority of this section shall be the account to which such individual's responsibilities primarily relate: Provided, That funds made available to carry out this section may be transferred to, and merged with, funds appropriated by this Act in title II under the heading 'Operating Expenses'.
(f) Foreign Service Limited Extensions- Individuals hired and employed by USAID, with funds made available in this Act or prior Acts making appropriations for the Department of State, foreign operations, and related programs, pursuant to the authority of section 309 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980, may be extended for a period of up to 4 years notwithstanding the limitation set forth in such section.
(g) Disaster Surge Capacity- Funds appropriated under title III of this Act to carry out part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, including funds appropriated under the heading 'Assistance for Europe, Eurasia and Central Asia', may be used, in addition to funds otherwise available for such purposes, for the cost (including the support costs) of individuals detailed to or employed by USAID whose primary responsibility is to carry out programs in response to natural or man-made disasters.
(h) Technical Advisors- Up to $13,500,000 of the funds made available in title III of this Act for assistance under the heading 'Global Health Programs', may be used to reimburse United States Government agencies, agencies of State governments, institutions of higher learning, and private and voluntary organizations for the full cost of individuals (including for the personal services of such individuals) detailed or assigned to, or contracted by USAID for the purpose of carrying out activities under that heading: Provided, That up to $3,500,000 of the funds made available by this Act for assistance under the heading 'Development Assistance' may be used to reimburse such agencies, institutions, and organizations for such costs of such individuals carrying out other development assistance activities.
(i) Personal Services Contractors- Funds appropriated by this Act to carry out chapter 1 of part I, chapter 4 of part II, and section 667 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, and title II of the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954, may be used by USAID to employ up to 40 personal services contractors in the United States, notwithstanding any other provision of law, for the purpose of providing direct, interim support for new or expanded overseas programs and activities managed by the agency until permanent direct hire personnel are hired and trained: Provided, That not more than 10 of such contractors shall be assigned to any bureau or office: Provided further, That not more than 15 of such contractors shall be for activities related to USAID's Afghanistan or Pakistan programs: Provided further, That such funds appropriated to carry out title II of the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954, may be made available only for personal services contractors assigned to the Office of Food for Peace.
(j) Senior Foreign Service Limited Appointments- Individuals hired pursuant to the authority provided by section 7059(o) of division F of Public Law 111-117 may be assigned to or support programs in Iraq, Afghanistan, or Pakistan with funds made available in this Act and prior Acts making appropriations for the Department of State, foreign operations, and related programs.
global health activitiesSec. 7054. (a) Funds appropriated by titles III and IV of this Act that are made available for bilateral assistance for global health activities including activities relating to research on, and the prevention, treatment and control of, HIV/AIDS may be made available notwithstanding any other provision of law except for provisions under the heading 'Global Health Programs' and the United States Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Act of 2003 (117 Stat. 711; 22 U.S.C. 7601 et seq.), as amended: Provided, That of the funds appropriated under title III of this Act, not less than $700,000,000 shall be made available for family planning/reproductive health, including in areas where population growth threatens biodiversity or endangered species.
(b) Not later than 90 days after enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) shall submit to the Committees on Appropriations a report on any cost savings that could be achieved by transitioning the function, role, and duties of the Office of the United States Global AIDS Coordinator into USAID.
(c) Not later than 90 days after enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) shall submit to the Committees on Appropriations a report on the status of the Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR) decision to transition the leadership of the Global Health Initiative (GHI) to USAID, to include the following:
(1) The metrics developed to measure progress towards meeting each benchmark enumerated in Appendix 2 of the QDDR and the method utilized to develop such metrics;
(2) The status of, and estimated completion date for, meeting each benchmark; and
(3) An assessment of meeting the QDDR target date of September 2012 for transition of GHI to USAID, and if such assessment determines that the target date will not be met a detailed explanation of why it will not be met and a revised target date for the transition to be completed.
(d) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, to include minimum funding requirements or funding directives, funds made available by this Act and prior Acts making appropriations for the Department of State, foreign operations, and related programs may be made available to respond to pandemic outbreaks, subject to prior consultation with, and the regular notification procedures of, the Committees on Appropriations.
development grants programSec. 7055. Of the funds appropriated in title III of this Act, not less than $45,000,000 shall be made available for the Development Grants Program established pursuant to section 674 of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2008 (division J of Public Law 110-161), primarily for unsolicited proposals, to support grants of not more than $2,000,000 to small nongovernmental organizations: Provided, That funds made available under this section are in addition to other funds available for such purposes including funds designated by this Act by section 7063.
programs to promote gender equalitySec. 7056. (a) Programs funded under title III of this Act shall include, where appropriate, efforts to improve the status of women, including through gender considerations in the planning, assessment, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of such programs.
(b) Funds appropriated under title III of this Act shall be made available to support programs to expand economic opportunities for poor women in developing countries, including increasing the number and capacity of women-owned enterprises, improving property rights for women, increasing women's access to financial services and capital, enhancing the role of women in economic decisionmaking at the local, national and international levels, and improving women's ability to participate in the global economy.
(c) Funds appropriated under title III of this Act shall be made available to increase political opportunities for women, including strengthening protections for women's personal status, increasing women's participation in elections, and enhancing women's positions in government and role in government decisionmaking.
(d) Funds appropriated under in title III of this Act for food security and agricultural development shall take into consideration the unique needs of women, and technical assistance for women farmers should be a priority.
(e) The Secretary of State, in consultation with the heads of other relevant Federal agencies, shall develop a National Action Plan in accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (adopted on October 31, 2000) to ensure the United States effectively promotes and supports the rights and roles of women in conflict-affected and post-conflict regions through clear, measurable commitments to--
(1) promote the active and meaningful participation of women in affected areas in all aspects of conflict prevention, management, and resolution;
(2) integrate the perspectives and interests of affected women into conflict-prevention activities and strategies;
(3) promote the physical safety, economic security, and dignity of women and girls;
(4) support women's equal access to aid distribution mechanisms and services; and
(5) monitor, analyze and evaluate implementation efforts and their impact.
(f) The Department of State and the United States Agency for International Development shall fully integrate gender into all diplomatic and development efforts through the inclusion of gender in strategic planning and budget allocations, and the development of indicators and evaluation mechanisms to measure the impact of United States policies and programs on women and girls in foreign countries.
gender-based violenceSec. 7057. (a) Funds appropriated under the headings 'Global Health Programs', 'Development Assistance', 'Economic Support Fund', and 'International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement' in this Act shall be made available for sexual and gender-based violence prevention and response efforts, and funds appropriated under the headings 'International Disaster Assistance', 'Complex Crises Fund' and 'Migration and Refugee Assistance' should be made available for such efforts.
(b) Programs and activities funded under titles III and IV of this Act to train foreign police, judicial, and military personnel, including for international peacekeeping operations, shall address, where appropriate, prevention and response to sexual and gender-based violence and trafficking in persons.
(c) Not later than 180 days after enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State and the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development shall jointly submit to the Committees on Appropriations a multi-year strategy to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls in countries where it is common: Provided, That the strategy should reflect the input of local women's organizations in such countries and include achievable and sustainable goals, benchmarks for measuring progress, and expected results: Provided further, That the strategy should include regular engagement with men and boys as community leaders and advocates in ending violence against women and girls.
reconciliation programsSec. 7058. Of the funds appropriated by title III of this Act under the headings 'Economic Support Fund' and 'Development Assistance', $26,000,000 shall be made available to support people to people reconciliation programs which bring together individuals of different ethnic, religious and political backgrounds from areas of civil strife and war, of which $10,000,000 shall be made available for such programs in the Middle East: Provided, That the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development shall consult with the Committees on Appropriations, prior to the initial obligation of funds, on the uses of such funds.
requests for documentsSec. 7059. None of the funds appropriated or made available pursuant to titles III through VI of this Act shall be available to a nongovernmental organization, including any contractor, which fails to provide upon timely request any document, file, or record necessary to the auditing requirements of the United States Agency for International Development.
prohibition on use of tortureSec. 7060. (a) None of the funds made available in this Act may be used to support or justify the use of torture, cruel or inhumane treatment by any official or contract employee of the United States Government.
(b) Not later than 90 days after enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit to the Committees on Appropriations a report identifying those countries receiving United States assistance from funds appropriated by this Act whose police, military, or other security forces have been credibly alleged to use torture, as determined by the Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor based on the Department of State's most recent Human Rights Report and other relevant information.
(c) Funds appropriated by this Act to carry out the provisions of chapters 1, 10, 11, and 12 of part I and chapter 4 of part II of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, and the Support for East European Democracy (SEED) Act of 1989, shall be made available, notwithstanding section 660 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, for assistance to eliminate torture by foreign police, military or other security forces in countries identified in the report required in subsection (b).
africaSec. 7061. (a) Conflict Minerals-
(1) None of the funds appropriated by this Act under the heading 'Foreign Military Financing Program' may be made available for assistance for Rwanda or Uganda if the Secretary of State has credible evidence that the Government of Rwanda or the Government of Uganda is providing political, military or financial support to armed groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) that are involved in the illegal exportation of minerals out of the DRC or have violated human rights.
(2) The restriction in paragraph (1) shall not apply to assistance to improve border controls to prevent the illegal exportation of minerals out of the DRC by such groups, to protect relief efforts, or to support the training and deployment of members of the Rwandan or Ugandan militaries in international peacekeeping operations.
(b) Counter-terrorism Programs-
(1) Of the funds appropriated by this Act, not less than $52,800,000 should be made available for the Trans-Sahara Counter-terrorism Partnership program, and not less than $21,300,000 should be made available for the Partnership for Regional East Africa Counter-terrorism program.
(2) In addition to such sums that may otherwise be made available, of the funds appropriated by this Act under the heading 'Economic Support Fund', $10,000,000 shall be made available for programs to counter extremism in East Africa.
(3) Not later than 90 days after enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, shall submit a report to the Committees on Appropriations detailing--
(A) the United States Government's multi-year strategy for combating terrorism in Africa;
(B) the amount of funding provided, by account, to implement such a strategy, and a brief description of counter-terrorism programs implemented on a country-by-country basis;
(C) the mechanisms for coordinating such assistance between the Department of State, the United States Agency for International Development, and the Department of Defense, between the United States Government and other international donors, and between the United States Government and respective host governments; and
(D) the benchmarks for measuring the strengths and weaknesses in implementing such strategy.
(c) Crisis Response- Notwithstanding any other provision of law, up to $15,000,000 of the funds appropriated by this Act under the heading 'Global Health Programs' for HIV/AIDS activities may be transferred to, and merged with, funds appropriated under the headings 'Complex Crises Fund', 'International Disaster Assistance', 'Economic Support Fund', and 'Migration and Refugee Assistance' to respond to unanticipated crises in Africa, except that funds shall not be transferred unless the Secretary of State certifies to the Committees on Appropriations that no individual currently on anti-retroviral therapy supported by such funds shall be negatively impacted by the transfer of such funds: Provided, That the authority of this subsection shall be subject to prior consultation with the Committees on Appropriations.
(d) Expanded International Military Education and Training-
(1) Funds appropriated under the heading 'International Military Education and Training' (IMET) in this Act that are made available for assistance for Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Co.AE3te d'Ivoire, Guinea and Zimbabwe may be made available only for expanded IMET.
(2) None of the funds appropriated under the heading 'International Military Education and Training' in this Act may be made available for assistance for Equatorial Guinea or Somalia.
(e) Ethiopia-
(1) Funds appropriated by this Act under the heading 'Foreign Military Financing Program' that are available for assistance for Ethiopia shall not be made available unless the Secretary of State--
(A) certifies to the Committees on Appropriations that the Government of Ethiopia is implementing policies to respect due process and freedoms of expression and association, and is permitting access to human rights and humanitarian organizations to the Somalia region of Ethiopia; and
(B) submits a report to such Committees on the types and amounts of United States training and equipment proposed to be provided to the Ethiopian military including steps that will be taken to ensure that such assistance is not provided to military units or personnel that have violated human rights, and steps taken by the Government of Ethiopia to investigate and prosecute members of the Ethiopian military who have been credibly alleged to have violated such rights.
(2) The restriction in paragraph (1) shall not apply to assistance to Ethiopian military efforts in support of international peacekeeping operations and for assistance to the Ethiopian Defense Command and Staff College.
(f) The Gambia- The Secretary of the Treasury shall instruct the United States executive directors of the international financial institutions to vote against any loan, agreement, or other financial support for the Gambia, except to meet basic human needs, unless the Secretary of State certifies to the Committees on Appropriations that the Government of the Gambia is taking effective steps to release and account for political prisoners.
(g) Kenya- Funds appropriated by this Act under the heading 'Foreign Military Financing Program' that are available for assistance for Kenya should not be made available unless a thorough, credible investigation has been conducted of alleged crimes by Kenyan soldiers at Mount Elgon in March 2008, and the responsible individuals are being brought to justice.
(h) Sudan Limitation on Assistance-
(1) Subject to paragraph (2):
(A) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, none of the funds appropriated by this Act may be made available for assistance for the Government of Sudan unless the Secretary of State certifies to the Committees on Appropriations that such government--
(i) has lifted the state of emergency in Darfur;
(ii) is cooperating with and participating in good faith in an internationally recognized peace process for Darfur;
(iii) is permitting access and freedom of movement for the United Nations/African Union Hybrid Mission in Darfur and the delivery of humanitarian assistance in Darfur, and is respecting international humanitarian law;
(iv) is not engaging in provocative military operations within Sudan or cross-border destabilization; and
(v) has reached a mutually acceptable agreement with the Republic of South Sudan regarding the status of Abyei and other outstanding issues related to implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), including matters related to oil revenues and the transit of oil.
(B) None of the funds appropriated by this Act may be made available for the cost, as defined in section 502, of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, of modifying loans and loan guarantees held by the Government of Sudan, including the cost of selling, reducing, or canceling amounts owed to the United States, and modifying concessional loans, guarantees, and credit agreements.
(2) The limitations of paragraph (1) shall not apply to--
(A) humanitarian assistance;
(B) assistance for the Darfur region, Southern Kordofan, Blue Nile, White Nile, Sennar, other marginalized areas in Sudan, and the Abyei area; and
(C) assistance to support implementation of the CPA, mutually agreed upon arrangements related to post-referendum issues associated with the CPA, or to promote peace and stability between Sudan and the Republic of South Sudan, or any other internationally recognized viable peace agreement in Sudan.
(i) South Sudan-
(1) Funds appropriated by this Act should be made available for assistance for South Sudan including to increase agricultural productivity, expand educational opportunities especially for girls, strengthen democratic institutions and the rule of law, and enhance the capacity of the Federal Legislative Assembly to conduct oversight over government revenues and expenditures.
(2) Not less than 15 days prior to the obligation of funds appropriated by this Act that are available for assistance for the Government of South Sudan, the Secretary of State shall submit a report to the Committees on Appropriations detailing the extent to which the Government of South Sudan is--
(A) supporting freedom of expression, the establishment of democratic institutions including an independent judiciary, parliament, and security forces that are accountable to civilian authority; and
(B) investigating and punishing members of security forces who have violated human rights.
(3) The Secretary of State shall seek to obtain regular audits of the financial accounts of the Government of South Sudan to ensure transparency and accountability of funds, including revenues from the extraction of oil and gas, and the timely, public disclosure of such audits: Provided, That the Secretary should assist the Government of South Sudan in conducting such audits, and by providing technical assistance to enhance the capacity of the National Auditor Chamber to carry out its responsibilities, and shall submit a report not later than 90 days after enactment of this Act to the Committees on Appropriations detailing the steps that will be taken by the Government of South Sudan, which are additional to those taken in the previous fiscal year, to improve natural resource management and ensure transparency and accountability of funds.
(j) Uganda- Of the funds appropriated by this Act under the headings 'Development Assistance' and 'International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement', not less than $1,000,000 shall be made available to improve physical access, telecommunications infrastructure, and early-warning mechanisms in areas affected by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), and not less than $1,000,000 shall be made available to support the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of former LRA combatants, especially child soldiers.
(k) War Crimes in Africa-
(1) The Congress reaffirms its support for the efforts of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) and the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) to bring to justice individuals responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity in a timely manner.
(2) Funds appropriated by this Act, including funds for debt restructuring, may be made available for assistance for the central government of a country in which individuals indicted by the ICTR and the SCSL are credibly alleged to be living, if the Secretary of State determines and reports to the Committees on Appropriations that such government is cooperating with the ICTR and the SCSL, including the apprehension, surrender, and transfer of indictees in a timely manner: Provided, That this subsection shall not apply to assistance provided under section 551 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 or to project assistance under title VI of this Act: Provided further, That the United States shall use its voice and vote in the United Nations Security Council to fully support efforts by the ICTR and the SCSL to bring to justice individuals indicted by such tribunals in a timely manner.
(3) The prohibition in paragraph (2) may be waived on a country-by-country basis if the President determines that doing so is in the national security interest of the United States: Provided, That prior to exercising such waiver authority, the President shall submit a report to the Committees on Appropriations, in classified form if necessary, on--
(A) the steps being taken to obtain the cooperation of the government in apprehending and surrendering the indictee in question to the court of jurisdiction;
(B) a strategy, including a timeline, for bringing the indictee before such court; and
(C) the justification for exercising the waiver authority.
(l) Zimbabwe-
(1) The Secretary of the Treasury shall instruct the United States executive director of each international financial institution to vote against any extension by the respective institution of any loans or grants to the Government of Zimbabwe, except to meet basic human needs or to promote democracy, unless the Secretary of State determines and reports in writing to the Committees on Appropriations that the rule of law has been restored in Zimbabwe, including respect for ownership and title to property, freedom of speech and association.
(2) None of the funds appropriated by this Act shall be made available for assistance for the central Government of Zimbabwe, except for health, education, and macroeconomic growth assistance, unless the Secretary of State makes the determination required in paragraph (1).
asiaSec. 7062. (a) Tibet-
(1) The Secretary of the Treasury should instruct the United States executive director of each international financial institution to use the voice and vote of the United States to support projects in Tibet if such projects do not provide incentives for the migration and settlement of non-Tibetans into Tibet or facilitate the transfer of ownership of Tibetan land and natural resources to non-Tibetans; are based on a thorough needs-assessment; foster self-sufficiency of the Tibetan people and respect Tibetan culture and traditions; and are subject to effective monitoring.
(2) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, not less than $7,500,000 of the funds appropriated by this Act under the heading 'Economic Support Fund' should be made available to nongovernmental organizations to support activities which preserve cultural traditions and promote sustainable development and environmental conservation in Tibetan communities in the Tibetan Autonomous Region and in other Tibetan communities in China.
(b) Burma-
(1) The Secretary of the Treasury shall instruct the United States executive directors of the international financial institutions to vote against any loan, agreement, or other financial support for Burma.
(2) Funds appropriated by this Act may be made available for assistance for Burma notwithstanding any other provision of law, except no such funds shall be made available to the State Peace and Development Council, or its successor, and its affiliated organizations: Provided, That such funds shall be made available to support programs in Burma, along Burma's borders, and for Burmese groups and organizations located outside Burma: Provided further, That not less than $5,000,000 shall be made available for community-based organizations operating in Thailand to provide food, medical, and other humanitarian assistance to internally displaced persons in eastern Burma, in addition to assistance for Burmese refugees appropriated under the heading 'Migration and Refugee Assistance' in this Act: Provided further, That any new program or activity initiated with funds made available by this Act shall be subject to prior consultation with the Committees on Appropriations, and all such funds shall be subject to the regular notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations.
(c) Cambodia- Funds made available in this Act for a United States contribution to a Khmer Rouge tribunal may only be made available if the Secretary of State certifies to the Committees on Appropriations that the United Nations and the Government of Cambodia are taking effective steps to address allegations of corruption and mismanagement within the tribunal.
(d) Indonesia-
(1) Of the funds appropriated by this Act under the heading 'Foreign Military Financing Program' that are available for assistance for Indonesia, $2,000,000 may not be obligated until the Secretary of State submits to the Committees on Appropriations the report on Indonesia required under such heading in the report accompanying this Act.
(2) Of the funds appropriated by this Act under the heading 'Economic Support Fund' that are available for assistance for Indonesia, not less than $400,000 should be made available for grants for capacity building of Indonesian human rights organizations, including in Papua.
(e) People's Republic of China-
(1) None of the funds appropriated under the heading 'Diplomatic and Consular Programs' in this Act may be obligated or expended for processing licenses for the export of satellites of United States origin (including commercial satellites and satellite components) to the People's Republic of China unless, at least 15 days in advance, the Committees on Appropriations are notified of such proposed action.
(2) The terms and requirements of section 620(h) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 shall apply to foreign assistance projects or activities of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) of the People's Republic of China, to include such projects or activities by any entity that is owned or controlled by, or an affiliate of, the PLA: Provided, That none of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available pursuant to this Act may be used to finance any grant, contract, or cooperative agreement with the PLA, or any entity that the Secretary of State has reason to believe is owned or controlled by, or an affiliate of, the PLA.
(3) Notwithstanding any other provision of law and subject to prior consultation with, and the regular notification procedures of, the Committees on Appropriations, of the funds appropriated under the heading 'Economic Support Fund', not less than $20,000,000 shall be made available to United States institutions of higher education and nongovernmental organizations for programs and activities in the People's Republic of China relating to democracy, governance, rule of law, and the environment.
(f) Philippines- Of the funds appropriated by this Act under the heading 'Foreign Military Financing Program' that are available for assistance for the Philippines, $3,000,000 may not be obligated until the Secretary of State submits to the Committees on Appropriations the report on the Philippines required under such heading in the report accompanying this Act.
(g) Timor-Leste- Of the funds appropriated by this Act under the heading 'Economic Support Fund', not less than $1,000,000 shall be made available for higher education scholarships in Timor-Leste.
(h) Vietnam- Of the funds appropriated under the heading 'Economic Support Fund', not less than $15,000,000 shall be made available for remediation of dioxin contaminated sites in Vietnam and may be made available for assistance for the Government of Vietnam, including the military, for such purposes, and not less than $5,000,000 under the heading 'Development Assistance' shall be made available for related health/disability activities.
independent states of the former soviet unionSec. 7063. (a) None of the funds appropriated under the heading 'Assistance for Europe, Eurasia and Central Asia' may be made available for assistance for a government of an Independent State of the former Soviet Union if that government directs any action in violation of the territorial integrity or national sovereignty of any other Independent State of the former Soviet Union, such as those violations included in the Helsinki Final Act, unless the Secretary of State determines that to do so is in the national security interests of the United States.
(b) Funds appropriated under the heading 'Assistance for Europe, Eurasia and Central Asia' for the Russian Federation, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan shall be subject to the regular notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations.
(c) Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act shall not apply to--
(1) activities to support democracy or assistance under title V of the FREEDOM Support Act and section 1424 of Public Law 104-201 or nonproliferation assistance;
(2) any assistance provided by the Trade and Development Agency under section 661 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2421);
(3) any activity carried out by a member of the United States and Foreign Commercial Service while acting within his or her official capacity;
(4) any insurance, reinsurance, guarantee or other assistance provided by the Overseas Private Investment Corporation under title IV of chapter 2 of part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2191 et seq.);
(5) any financing provided under the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945; or
(6) humanitarian assistance.
central asiaSec. 7064. The terms and conditions of sections 7075(a) through (d) and 7076(a) through (e) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2009 (division H of Public Law 111-8) shall apply to funds appropriated by this Act, except that the Secretary of State may waive the application of section 7076(a) for a period of not more than 6 months and every 6 months thereafter until September 30, 2013, if the Secretary certifies to the Committees on Appropriations that the waiver is in the national security interest and necessary to obtain access to and from Afghanistan for the United States, and the waiver includes an assessment of progress, if any, by the Government of Uzbekistan in meeting the requirements in section 7076(a): Provided, That the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, shall submit a report to the Committees on Appropriations not later than 180 days after enactment of this Act and 12 months thereafter, on all United States Government assistance provided to the Government of Uzbekistan and expenditures made in support of the Northern Distribution Network in Uzbekistan, including any credible information that such assistance or expenditures are being diverted for corrupt purposes: Provided further, That information provided in the report required by the previous proviso may be provided in a classified annex and such annex shall indicate the basis for such classification: Provided further, That for the purposes of the application of section 7075(c) to this Act, the report shall be submitted not later than October 1, 2012 and for the purposes of the application of section 7076(e) to this Act, the term 'assistance' shall not include expanded international military education and training.
south asiaSec. 7065. (a) Afghanistan-
(1) LIMITATION- None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act under the headings 'Economic Support Fund' and 'International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement' may be obligated for assistance for the Government of Afghanistan until the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), certifies and reports to the Committees on Appropriations that--
(A) The funds will be used to support programs and activities that can be sustained by Afghan national, provincial or local governments.
(B) The Government of Afghanistan is--
(i) reducing corruption and improving governance, including by investigating, prosecuting, sanctioning and/or removing corrupt officials from office and implementing financial transparency and accountability measures for government institutions and officials (including the Central Bank) as well as conducting oversight of public resources; and
(ii) taking credible steps to protect the human rights of Afghan women.
(C) Funds will be used to support and strengthen the capacity of Afghan public and private institutions and entities to reduce corruption and to improve transparency and accountability of national, provincial and local governments.
(D) Representatives of Afghan national, provincial or local governments, and local communities and civil society organizations, including women-led organizations, will be consulted and participate in the design of programs, projects, and activities, including participation in implementation and oversight, and the development of specific benchmarks to measure progress and outcomes.
(2) DIRECT GOVERNMENT-TO-GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE-
(A) Funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act for assistance for Afghanistan may not be made available for direct government-to-government assistance unless the Secretary of State certifies to the Committees on Appropriations that the relevant Afghan implementing agency has been assessed and considered qualified to manage such funds and the Government of the United States and the Government of Afghanistan have agreed, in writing, to achievable and sustainable goals, benchmarks for measuring progress, and expected results for the use of such funds, and have established mechanisms within each implementing agency to ensure that such funds are used for the purposes for which they were intended: Provided, That the assessment procedures of the Department of State and USAID shall be standardized and provide reasonable assurance of detecting significant vulnerabilities that could result in the waste or misuse of United States funds: Provided further, That the Secretary of State should suspend any direct government-to-government assistance to an implementing agency if the Secretary has credible information of misuse of such funds by any such agency: Provided further, That any such assistance shall be subject to prior consultation with, and the regular notification procedures of, the Committees on Appropriations.
(B) Funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act for assistance for Afghanistan may be made available as a United States contribution to the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF) unless the Secretary of State determines and reports to the Committees on Appropriations that the World Bank Monitoring Agent of the ARTF is unable to conduct its financial control and audit responsibilities due to restrictions on security personnel by the Government of Afghanistan.
(3) ASSISTANCE AND OPERATIONS-
(A) Funds appropriated under the headings 'Economic Support Fund' and 'International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement' in this Act that are available for assistance for Afghanistan--
(i) shall be made available, to the maximum extent practicable, in a manner that emphasizes the participation of Afghan women, and directly improves the security, economic and social well-being, and political status, and protects the rights of, Afghan women and girls and complies with sections 7056 and 7057 of this Act, including support for the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission, the Afghan Ministry of Women's Affairs, and women-led organizations.
(ii) may be made available for a United States contribution to an internationally managed fund to support the reconciliation with and disarmament, demobilization and reintegration into Afghan society of former combatants who have renounced violence against the Government of Afghanistan: Provided, That funds may be made available to support reconciliation and reintegration activities only if:
(I) Afghan women are participating at national, provincial and local levels of government in the design, policy formulation and implementation of the reconciliation or reintegration process, and such process upholds steps taken by the Government of Afghanistan to protect the human rights of Afghan women; and
(II) such funds will not be used to support any pardon or immunity from prosecution, or any position in the Government of Afghanistan or security forces, for any leader of an armed group responsible for crimes against humanity, war crimes, or acts of terrorism;
(iii) may be made available for a United States contribution to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization/International Security Assistance Force Post-Operations Humanitarian Relief Fund; and
(iv) may be made available, notwithstanding any provision of law that restricts assistance to foreign countries, for cross border stabilization and development programs between Afghanistan and Pakistan or between either country and the Central Asian republics.
(B) The authority contained in section 1102(c) of Public Law 111-32 shall continue in effect during fiscal year 2012 and shall apply as if part of this Act.
(C)(i) Of the funds appropriated by this Act that are made available for assistance for Afghanistan, not less than $75,000,000 shall be made available for rule of law programs: Provided, That decisions on the uses of such funds shall be the responsibility of the Coordinator for Rule of Law, in consultation with the Interagency Planning and Implementation Team, at the United States Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan: Provided further, That $250,000 of such funds shall be transferred to, and merged with, funds appropriated under the heading 'Office of Inspector General' in title I of this Act for oversight of such programs and activities.
(ii) The Coordinator for Rule of Law at the United States Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan shall be consulted on the use of all funds appropriated by this Act for rule of law programs in Afghanistan.
(D) None of the funds made available by this Act may be used by the United States Government to enter into a permanent basing rights agreement between the United States and Afghanistan.
(E) Any significant modification to the scope, objectives or implementation mechanisms of United States assistance programs in Afghanistan shall be subject to prior consultation with, and the regular notification procedures of, the Committees on Appropriations, except that the prior consultation requirement may be waived in a manner consistent with section 7015(e) of this Act.
(F) None of the funds appropriated by this Act under the heading 'Economic Support Fund' may be made available for transportation infrastructure in Afghanistan unless the Secretary of State reports to the Committees on Appropriations that the Government of Afghanistan has established a standardized rail gauge consistent with that utilized by Central Asian states, including Uzbekistan: Provided, That the Secretary of State may waive the requirement of this paragraph if the Secretary of State reports to the Committees on Appropriations that to do so is important to the national security interests of the United States.
(G) Not later than 90 days after enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall report to the Committees on Appropriations whether an International Monetary Fund (IMF) country program for Afghanistan has been established: Provided, That if such program has not been established by that date, the report required by this paragraph shall include specific actions requested by the IMF, and taken by the Government of Afghanistan, to address the Kabul Bank crisis and restore confidence in Afghanistan's banking sector.
(4) OVERSIGHT-
(A) The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, the Inspector General of the Department of State and the Inspector General of USAID, shall jointly develop and submit to the Committees on Appropriations within 45 days of enactment of this Act a coordinated audit and inspection plan of United States assistance for, and civilian operations in, Afghanistan.
(B) The USAID Administrator should provide for independent, transparent evaluations of assistance programs and activities in Afghanistan which exceed $25,000,000.
(b) Nepal-
(1) Funds appropriated by this Act under the headings 'Foreign Military Financing Program' and 'Peacekeeping Operations' may be made available for assistance for Nepal only if the Secretary of State certifies to the Committees on Appropriations that the Nepal Army is--
(A) cooperating fully with investigations and prosecutions by civilian judicial authorities of violations of human rights; and
(B) working constructively to redefine the Nepal Army's mission and adjust its size accordingly, implement reforms including strengthening the capacity of the civilian ministry of defense to improve budget transparency and accountability, and facilitate the integration of former rebel combatants into the security forces including the Nepal Army, consistent with the goals of reconciliation, peace and stability.
(2) The conditions in paragraph (1) shall not apply to assistance for humanitarian relief and reconstruction activities in Nepal.
(c) Pakistan-
(1) DIRECT GOVERNMENT-TO-GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE- Funds appropriated by this Act for assistance for Pakistan may be made available for direct government-to-government assistance only if the Secretary of State certifies to the Committees on Appropriations that the Government of the United States and the Government of Pakistan have agreed, in writing, to achievable and sustainable goals, benchmarks for measuring progress, and expected results for the use of such funds, and have established mechanisms within each implementing agency to ensure that such funds are used for the purposes for which they were intended: Provided, That the Secretary of State should suspend any direct government-to-government assistance to an implementing agency if the Secretary has credible information of misuse of such funds by any such agency: Provided further, That funds made available pursuant to this subparagraph shall be subject to prior consultation with, and the regular notification procedures of, the Committees on Appropriations.
(2) INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS- Funds appropriated under the heading 'Economic Support Fund' in this Act that are made available for assistance for infrastructure projects in Pakistan shall be implemented in a manner consistent with section 507(6) of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2467(6)).
(3) MILITARY ASSISTANCE- Funds appropriated by this Act under the headings 'Foreign Military Financing Program' and 'Pakistan Counter-insurgency Capability Fund' that are available for assistance for Pakistan may be made available only to support counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations in Pakistan, and are subject to section 620M of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended by this Act.
(4) CERTIFICATION AND REPORT-
(A) CERTIFICATION-
(i) Prior to the obligation of funds in titles III and IV and under the heading 'Pakistan Counter-Insurgency Capability Fund' in this Act for assistance for the Government of Pakistan, the Secretary of State shall certify to the Committees on Appropriations that the Government of Pakistan is--
(I) cooperating with the United States in efforts against the Haqqani Network, the Quetta Shura Taliban, Lashkar e-Tayyiba, Al Qaeda and other domestic and foreign terrorist organizations, including taking steps to end support for such groups and prevent them from operating in Pakistan and carrying out cross border attacks into neighboring countries;
(II) not impeding the issuance of visas for United States visitors engaged in counterterrorism efforts and assistance programs, in Pakistan; and
(III) providing humanitarian organizations access to detainees, internally displaced persons, and other Pakistani civilians affected by the conflict.
(ii) The Secretary of State may waive the requirements of paragraph (i) if to do so is in the national security interests of the United States.
(B) REPORT- The spend plan required by section 7083 of this Act for assistance for Pakistan shall include achievable and sustainable goals, benchmarks for measuring progress, and expected results regarding furthering the development of Pakistan, countering extremism, and establishing conditions conducive to the rule of law and accountable governance: Provided, That not later than 6 months after submission of such spend plan, and each 6 months thereafter until September 30, 2013, the Secretary of State shall submit a report on the status of achieving the goals and benchmarks in the spend plan: Provided further, That the Secretary of State should suspend assistance for the Government of Pakistan if any such report indicates that Pakistan is failing to make measurable progress in meeting any such goal or benchmark.
(5) PRECURSOR CHEMICALS- Funds appropriated under the heading 'Economic Support Fund' that are available for assistance for Pakistan should be made available to stop the flow of precursor materials used to manufacture Improvised Explosive Devices, including calcium ammonium nitrate, from Pakistan to Afghanistan, including programs to train border and customs officials in Pakistan and Afghanistan as well as agricultural extension programs that encourage alternative fertilizers among Pakistani farmers.
(6) HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY- Of the funds appropriated under the heading 'Economic Support Fund' in this Act for assistance for Pakistan $5,000,000 shall be made available through the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, Department of State, for human rights and democracy programs in Pakistan, including training of government officials and security forces, and assistance for human rights organizations and the development of democratic political parties.
(7) CHIEF OF MISSION- Of the funds appropriated under the heading 'Economic Support Fund' in this Act for assistance for Pakistan, up to $10,000,000 may be made available to the Chief of Mission to address unanticipated humanitarian needs: Provided, That such funds shall be subject to prior consultation with, and the regular notification procedures of, the Committees on Appropriations, except that the prior consultation requirement may be waived in a manner consistent with section 7015(e) of this Act.
(d) Sri Lanka-
(1) None of the funds appropriated by this Act under the headings 'Foreign Military Financing Program' and 'Peacekeeping Operations' may be made available for assistance for Sri Lanka, no defense export license may be issued, and no military equipment or technology shall be sold or transferred to Sri Lanka pursuant to the authorities contained in this Act or any other Act, unless the Secretary of State certifies to the Committees on Appropriations that the Government of Sri Lanka is--
(A) conducting credible, thorough investigations of alleged war crimes and violations of international humanitarian law by government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam;
(B) bringing to justice individuals who have been credibly alleged to have committed such violations;
(C) supporting and cooperating with any United Nations investigation of alleged war crimes and violations of international humanitarian law;
(D) respecting due process, the rights of journalists, and the rights of citizens to peaceful expression and association, including ending arrest and detention under emergency regulations;
(E) providing access to detainees by humanitarian organizations; and
(F) implementing policies to promote reconciliation and justice including devolution of power as provided for in the Constitution of Sri Lanka.
(2) Paragraph (2) shall not apply to assistance for humanitarian demining and aerial and maritime surveillance.
(3) If the Secretary makes the certification required in paragraph (2), funds appropriated under the heading 'Foreign Military Financing Program' that are made available for assistance for Sri Lanka should be used to support the recruitment and training of Tamils into the Sri Lankan military, Tamil language training for Sinhalese military personnel, and human rights training for all military personnel.
(4) The Secretary of the Treasury shall instruct the United States executive directors of the international financial institutions to vote against any loan, agreement, or other financial support for Sri Lanka except to meet basic human needs, unless the Secretary of State certifies to the Committees on Appropriations that the Government of Sri Lanka is meeting the requirements in paragraph (2)(D), (E), and (F) of this subsection.
enterprise fundsSec. 7066. (a) Prior to the distribution of any assets resulting from any liquidation, dissolution, or winding up of an Enterprise Fund, in whole or in part, the President shall submit to the Committees on Appropriations, in accordance with the regular notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations, a plan for the distribution of the assets of the Enterprise Fund.
(b) Funds made available under titles III through VI of this Act for Enterprise Funds shall be expended at the minimum rate necessary to make timely payment for projects and activities and shall be subject to the regular notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations.
overseas private investment corporation(including transfer of funds)Sec. 7067. (a) Whenever the President determines that it is in furtherance of the purposes of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, up to a total of $20,000,000 of the funds appropriated under title III of this Act may be transferred to, and merged with, funds appropriated by this Act for the Overseas Private Investment Corporation Program Account, to be subject to the terms and conditions of that account: Provided, That such funds shall not be available for administrative expenses of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation: Provided further, That designated funding levels in this Act shall not be transferred pursuant to this section: Provided further, That the exercise of such authority shall be subject to the regular notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations.
(b) Notwithstanding section 235(a)(2) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2195(a)(2)), the authority of subsections (a) through (c) of section 234 of such Act shall remain in effect.
extraditionSec. 7068. (a) None of the funds appropriated in this Act may be used to provide assistance (other than funds provided under the headings 'International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement', 'Migration and Refugee Assistance', 'Emergency Migration and Refugee Assistance', and 'Nonproliferation, Anti-terrorism, Demining and Related Assistance') for the central government of a country which has notified the Department of State of its refusal to extradite to the United States any individual indicted for a criminal offense for which the maximum penalty is life imprisonment without the possibility of parole or for killing a law enforcement officer, as specified in a United States extradition request.
(b) Subsection (a) shall only apply to the central government of a country with which the United States maintains diplomatic relations and with which the United States has an extradition treaty and the government of that country is in violation of the terms and conditions of the treaty.
(c) The Secretary of State may waive the restriction in subsection (a) on a case-by-case basis if the Secretary certifies to the Committees on Appropriations that such waiver is important to the national interests of the United States.
climate change and environment programsSec. 7069. (a) In General- Of the funds appropriated by this Act, up to $1,250,000,000 may be made available for programs and activities to--
(1) reduce, mitigate, and sequester greenhouse gases that contribute to global climate change;
(2) support climate change adaptation; and
(3) protect biodiversity, including wildlife, tropical forests, and other critical landscapes.
(b) Uses of Clean Energy Funding- Funds appropriated by this Act under the headings 'Development Assistance', 'Economic Support Fund', and 'Assistance for Europe, Eurasia and Central Asia' for clean energy programs and activities, may be made available only to support and promote the sustainable use of renewable energy technologies and end-use energy efficiency technologies, carbon sequestration, and carbon accounting.
(c) Tropical Forest Programs- Funds appropriated under title III of this Act for tropical forest programs shall be used to protect biodiversity, including not less than $2,000,000 to implement and enforce section 8204 of Public Law 110-246, shall not be used to support or promote the expansion of industrial scale logging into primary tropical forests, and shall be subject to prior consultation with, and the regular notification procedures of, the Committees on Appropriations: Provided, That of the funds that are available for the Central African Regional Program for the Environment (CARPE) and other tropical forest programs in the Congo Basin, not less than $9,000,000 shall be apportioned directly to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to implement such programs: Provided further, That not less than $10,000,000 shall be made available for biodiversity conservation programs in the Brazilian Amazon, not less than $15,000,000 shall be made available for such programs in the Andean Amazon, and not less than $1,000,000 shall be apportioned directly to the Department of the Interior for programs in the Guatemala Mayan Biosphere Reserve.
(d) Authority- Funds appropriated by this Act to carry out the provisions of sections 103 through 106, and chapter 4 of part II, of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 may be used, notwithstanding any other provision of law except for the provisions of this section and subject to the regular notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations, to support climate change and environment programs.
(e) Consultation- Funds made available pursuant to this section are subject to prior consultation with, and the regular notification procedures of, the Committees on Appropriations.
(f) Extraction of Natural Resources-
(1) Funds appropriated by this Act shall be made available to promote and support transparency and accountability of expenditures and revenues related to the extraction of natural resources, including by strengthening implementation and monitoring of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, section 8204 of Public Law 110-246, and the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, and by providing technical assistance to promote independent audit mechanisms and support civil society participation in natural resource management.
(2)(A) The Secretary of the Treasury shall inform the managements of the international financial institutions and post on the Department of the Treasury's Web site that it is the policy of the United States to vote against any assistance by such institutions (including but not limited to any loan, credit, grant, or guarantee) for the extraction and export of a natural resource if the government of the country has in place laws or regulations to prevent or limit the public disclosure of company payments as required by section 1504 of Public Law 111-203, and unless such government has in place functioning systems in the sector in which assistance is being considered for:
(i) accurately accounting for and public disclosure of payments to the host government by companies involved in the extraction and export of natural resources;
(ii) the independent auditing of accounts receiving such payments and public disclosure of the findings of such audits;
(iii) public disclosure of such documents as Host Government Agreements, Concession Agreements, and bidding documents, allowing in any such dissemination or disclosure for the redaction of, or exceptions for, information that is commercially proprietary or that would create competitive disadvantage.
(B) The requirements of subparagraph (A) shall not apply to assistance for the purpose of building the capacity of such government to meet the requirements of this paragraph.
(C) Not later than 180 days after enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Treasury shall submit a report to the Committees on Appropriations describing, for each international financial institution, the amount and type of assistance provided, by country, for the extraction and export of natural resources in the preceding 12 months, whether each institution considered, in providing such assistance, the extent to which the country has functioning systems, laws or regulations in place to prevent or limit disclosure of company payments as described in subparagraph (A).
(3) The Secretary of the Treasury or the Secretary of State, as appropriate, shall instruct the United States executive director of each international financial institution and the United States representatives to all forest-related multilateral financing mechanisms and processes, that it is the policy of the United States to vote against the expansion of industrial scale logging into primary tropical forests.
(g) Clean Technology Fund-
(1) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS- For fiscal year 2011, up to $350,000,000 is authorized to be appropriated for a United States contribution to the Clean Technology Fund (the Fund).
(2) LIMITS ON COUNTRY ACCESS- The Secretary of the Treasury shall use the voice and vote of the United States to ensure that--
(A) the Fund does not provide more than 15 percent of Fund resources to any one country;
(B) prior to the obligation of funds from the Fund to a recipient country, recipient countries shall submit to the governing body of the Fund, and the governing body of the Fund appropriately reviews and considers, an investment plan that will achieve significant net reductions in national-level greenhouse gas emissions;
(C) the investment plan for a recipient country, whose borrowing status is classified by the World Bank as 'International Development Association blend', shall have at least 15 percent of its total cost for public sector activities contributed from the public funds of the recipient country, and any recipient country whose borrowing status is classified by the World Bank as 'International Bank for Reconstruction and Development Only' status, shall have at least 25 percent of its total cost for public sector activities contributed from public funds of the recipient country; and
(D) assistance made available by the Fund is used exclusively to support the deployment of clean energy technologies in developing countries (including, where appropriate, through the provision of technical support or support for policy or institutional reforms) in a manner that achieves substantial net reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
(3) DEFINITIONS- For purposes of this subsection the definitions contained in section 7081(g)(4) of division F of Public Law 111-117 shall apply to this Act, except that 'Public Sector Activities' shall mean 'Public Funds'.
prohibition on promotion of tobaccoSec. 7070. None of the funds provided by this Act shall be available to promote the sale or export of tobacco or tobacco products, or to seek the reduction or removal by any foreign country of restrictions on the marketing of tobacco or tobacco products, except for restrictions which are not applied equally to all tobacco or tobacco products of the same type.
commercial leasing of defense articlesSec. 7071. The second sentence of section 23(a) of the Arms Export Control Act, as amended, (Public Law 96-29) is further amended by striking 'and Egypt' and inserting ', Egypt, and NATO and major non-NATO allies'.
international prison conditionsSec. 7072. (a) Not later than 180 days after enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit to the Committees on Appropriations a report, which shall also be made publicly available including on the Department of State's Web site, describing the conditions in prisons and other detention facilities in at least 30 countries receiving United States assistance, of which 15 countries shall be selected based on the Secretary's determination that such conditions raise the most serious human rights or humanitarian concerns, and 15 countries shall be selected at random.
(b) For purposes of each determination made pursuant to subsection (a), the Secretary shall consider the criteria listed in section 7085(b)(1 through 10) of division F of Public Law 111-117.
(c) Funds appropriated by this Act to carry out the provisions of chapters 1 and 11 of part I and chapter 4 of part II of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, and the Support for East European Democracy (SEED) Act of 1989, shall be made available, notwithstanding section 660 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, for assistance to eliminate inhumane conditions in foreign prisons and other detention facilities.
transparency, accountability and anti-kleptocracySec. 7073. (a) United Nations-
(1) The Secretary of State, following consultation with the Committees on Appropriations, may withhold from obligation funds appropriated under the heading 'International Organizations and Programs' for a United States contribution to a United Nations organization or agency if the Secretary determines that such organization or agency is not taking adequate steps to increase transparency and accountability.
(2) Not later than 45 days after enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit a report to the Committees on Appropriations detailing steps taken by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (the Global Fund) to:
(A) maintain and adopt, as necessary, policies and practices to ensure transparency of expenditures, including the authority of the Global Fund Office of Inspector General (OIG) to publish OIG reports on a public Web site without restriction;
(B) ensure that the OIG has the necessary staff, budget, independence, and authority to perform functions consistent with its mandate, Charter and Terms of Reference, such as programmatic audits and evaluations, financial audits, and investigations of alleged misuse, misappropriation and fraud involving any Global Fund grant resources; and
(C) ensure that the Inspector General reports directly to the Global Fund Board without interference.
(3) Of the funds appropriated under the heading 'Contributions for International Peacekeeping Activities' in this Act, 10 percent should not be obligated until the Secretary of State reports to the Committees on Appropriations that the United Nations Secretariat and the governments of countries providing troops for peacekeeping missions have procedures and agreements to ensure that allegations of sexual abuse or other serious crimes by peacekeeping troops will be credibly and thoroughly investigated and the perpetrators brought to justice, and that information about such cases will be made publicly available and regularly updated in the country where the alleged crime occurred and on the United Nations' Web site.
(4) Of the funds appropriated under title I of this Act that are available for payments to the regular budgets of the United Nations and the Organization of American States, and of the funds appropriated under the heading 'International Organizations and Programs' in this Act that are available for contributions to United Nations agencies, 10 percent should not be obligated for any such organization until the Secretary of State reports to the Committees on Appropriations that the organization is implementing effective practices to protect whistleblowers (including the organization's employees and others affected by the organization's operations) from retaliation for internal and lawful public disclosures, including--
(A) best practices for legal burdens of proof;
(B) access to independent adjudicative bodies, including external arbitration based on consensus selection and shared costs;
(C) results that eliminate the effects of proven retaliation;
(D) a minimum of a 6-month statute of limitations for reporting retaliation; and
(E) the option of making external disclosures in certain instances, in accordance with standards adopted by the United Nations Secretariat on December 19, 2005.
(5) Of the funds appropriated under the heading 'International Organizations and Programs' in this Act that are available for a contribution to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), 10 percent should not be obligated until the Secretary of State reports to the Committees on Appropriations that the UNDP's management is taking the necessary steps to demonstrate UNDP's commitment to make all audit, oversight, and financial information publicly available as soon as possible, and to put in place procedures for publicly reporting on the results of UNDP programs worldwide.
(6) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of State should suspend United States participation in the United Nations Human Rights Council (the Council) unless the Secretary determines and reports to the Committees on Appropriations that continued participation in the Council is in the national interests of the United States.
(b) International Monetary Fund-
(1) The terms and conditions of section 7086(b)(1) and (2) of division F of Public Law 111-117 shall apply to this Act.
(2) The Secretary of the Treasury shall instruct the United States Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to seek to ensure that any loan will be repaid to the IMF before other private creditors.
(3) The Secretary of the Treasury shall seek to ensure that the IMF has adopted and is implementing effective practices to protect whistleblowers (including the IMF's employees, contract employees, consultants, staff of the Board of Executive Directors, and others affected by the IMF's operations) from retaliation for internal and lawful public disclosures, including--
(A) best practices for legal burdens of proof;
(B) access to independent adjudicative bodies, including external arbitration based on consensus selection and shared costs;
(C) results that eliminate the effects of proven retaliation; and
(D) a minimum of a 6-month statute of limitations for reporting retaliation.
(c) National Budget and Contract Transparency-
(1) LIMITATION ON FUNDING- None of the funds appropriated under titles III and IV of this Act may be made available to the central government of any country that does not meet minimum standards of fiscal transparency: Provided, That the Secretary of State shall develop 'minimum standards of fiscal transparency' to be updated and strengthened, as appropriate, to reflect best practices: Provided further, That the Secretary shall make an annual determination of 'progress' or 'no progress' for countries that do not meet minimum standards of fiscal transparency and make those determinations publicly available on an annual 'Fiscal Transparency Report'.
(2) MINIMUM STANDARDS OF FISCAL TRANSPARENCY- For the purposes of paragraph (1), 'minimum standards of fiscal transparency' shall include standards for the public disclosure of budget documentation, including receipts and expenditures by ministry, and government contracts and licenses for natural resource extraction, to include bidding and concession allocation practices.
(3) WAIVER- The Secretary of State may waive the limitation on funding in paragraph (1) on a country-by-country basis if the Secretary reports to the Committees on Appropriations that the waiver is important to the national interests of the United States: Provided, That such waiver shall identify any steps taken by the government of the country to publicly disclose its national budget and contracts which are additional to those which were undertaken in previous fiscal years, include specific recommendations of short and long-term steps such government can take to improve budget transparency, and identify benchmarks for measuring progress.
(4) ASSISTANCE- Of the funds appropriated under title III of this Act, not less than $5,000,000 should be made available for programs and activities to assist the central governments of countries named in the list required by paragraph (1) to improve budget transparency or to support civil society organizations in such countries that promote budget transparency: Provided, That such sums shall be in addition to funds otherwise made available for such purposes.
(d) Anti-kleptocracy-
(1) Officials of foreign governments and their immediate family members who the Secretary of State has credible information have been involved in significant corruption, including corruption related to the extraction of natural resources, shall be ineligible for entry into the United States.
(2) Individuals shall not be ineligible if entry into the United States would further important United States law enforcement objectives or is necessary to permit the United States to fulfill its obligations under the United Nations Headquarters Agreement: Provided, That nothing in this provision shall be construed to derogate from United States Government obligations under applicable international agreements.
(3) The Secretary may waive the application of paragraph (1) if the Secretary determines that the waiver would serve a compelling national interest or that the circumstances which caused the individual to be ineligible have changed sufficiently.
(4) Not later than 90 days after enactment of this Act and 180 days thereafter, the Secretary of State shall submit a report, in classified form if necessary, to the Committees on Appropriations describing the information regarding corruption concerning each of the individuals found ineligible pursuant to paragraph (1), a list of any waivers provided under subsection (3), and the justification for each waiver.
disability programsSec. 7074. (a) Of the funds appropriated by this Act under the heading 'Economic Support Fund', not less than $5,000,000 shall be made available for programs and activities administered by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to address the needs and protect and promote the rights of people with disabilities in developing countries, including initiatives that focus on independent living, economic self-sufficiency, advocacy, education, employment, transportation, sports, and integration of individuals with disabilities, including for the cost of translation, of which up to $1,000,000 shall be made available to support disability advocacy organizations to provide training and technical assistance for disabled persons organizations in such countries.
(b) Funds appropriated under the heading 'Operating Expenses' in title II of this Act shall be made available to develop and implement training for staff in overseas USAID missions to promote the full inclusion and equal participation of people with disabilities in developing countries.
(c) The Secretary of State, the Secretary of the Treasury, and the USAID Administrator shall seek to ensure that, where practicable, construction projects funded by this Act are accessible to people with disabilities and in compliance with the USAID Policy on Standards for Accessibility for the Disabled, or other similar accessibility standards.
(d) Of the funds made available pursuant to subsection (a), not more than 7 percent may be for management, oversight, and technical support.
buying power maintenance, international organizationsSec. 7075. (a) There may be established in the Treasury of the United States a 'Buying Power Maintenance, International Organizations' account.
(b) At the end of each fiscal year, the Secretary of State may transfer to, and merge with, 'Buying Power Maintenance, International Organizations' such amounts from 'Contributions to International Organizations' as the Secretary determines are in excess of the needs of activities funded from 'Contributions to International Organizations' because of fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates.
(c) In order to offset adverse fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, the Secretary of State may transfer to, and merge with, 'Contributions to International Organizations' such amounts from 'Buying Power Maintenance, International Organizations' as the Secretary determines are necessary to provide for the activities funded from 'Contributions to International Organizations'.
(d)(1) Subject to the limitations contained in this section, not later than the end of the fifth fiscal year after the fiscal year for which funds are appropriated or otherwise made available for 'Contributions to International Organizations', the Secretary of State may transfer any unobligated balance of such funds to the 'Buying Power Maintenance, International Organizations' account.
(2) The balance of the Buying Power Maintenance, International Organizations account may not exceed $50,000,000 as a result of any transfer under this subsection.
(3) Any transfer pursuant to this subsection shall be treated as a reprogramming of funds under section 34 of the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 (22 U.S.C. 2706) and shall be available for obligation or expenditure only in accordance with the procedures under such section.
(e)(1) Funds transferred to the 'Buying Power Maintenance, International Organizations' account pursuant to this section shall remain available until expended.
(2) The transfer authorities in this section shall be available for funds appropriated for fiscal year 2012 and for each fiscal year thereafter, and are in addition to any transfer authority otherwise available to the Department of State under other provisions of law.
prohibition on first-class travelSec. 7076. None of the funds made available in this Act may be used for first-class travel by employees of agencies funded by this Act in contravention of sections 301-10.122 through 301-10.124 of title 41, Code of Federal Regulations.
millennium challenge corporation compactsSec. 7077. (a) Extension of Compacts- Section 609(j) of the Millennium Challenge Act of 2003 (22 U.S.C. 7708(j)) is amended to read as follows:
'(j) Extension of Compact-
'(1) IN GENERAL- Except as provided under paragraph (2), the duration of a Compact shall not exceed 5 years.
'(2) EXCEPTION- The duration of a Compact may be extended beyond 5 years if the Board--
'(A) determines that a project included in the Compact cannot be completed within 5 years; and
'(B) approves an extension of the Compact that does not extend the total duration of the Compact beyond 7 years.
'(3) CONGRESSIONAL NOTIFICATION- Not later than 15 days before the date on which the Board is scheduled to vote on the extension of a Compact beyond 5 years pursuant to paragraph (2), the Board, acting through the Chief Executive Officer, shall--
'(A) notify the Committees on Appropriations, the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives, of its intent to approve such extension; and
'(B) provide such committees with a detailed explanation for the determination and approval described in paragraph (2).'.
(b) Concurrent and Subsequent Compacts- Section 609(k) of such Act (22 U.S.C. 7708(k)) is amended to read as follows:
'(k) Concurrent and Subsequent Compacts-
'(1) IN GENERAL- Subject to paragraph (2), and in accordance with the requirements of this title, an eligible country and the United States may enter into and have in effect concurrent and/or subsequent Compacts.
'(2) REQUIREMENTS- An eligible country and the United States may enter into concurrent or subsequent Compacts if the Board determines that such country--
'(A) is making significant, consistent progress in implementing the terms of its existing Compact(s) and supplementary agreements to such Compact(s); and
'(B) will contribute, in the case of a Low Income Country as defined in section 606(a), not less than a 7.5 percent contribution of the total amount agreed upon for a subsequent Compact, or in the case of a Lower Middle Income Country (LMIC) as defined in section 606(b), a 15 percent contribution for a subsequent Compact.
'(3) FUNDING- Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) shall commit any funding for a concurrent Compact at the time it funds the Compact.
'(4) TIMING- A concurrent Compact shall be signed not later than 2 years after the signing of the earlier compact.
'(5) LIMITATION ON COMPACTS- The MCC shall provide no more than 15 years of compact funding to any country.'.
(c) Applicability- The amendments made by subsection (a) shall apply with respect to Compacts entered into between the United States and an eligible country under the Millennium Challenge Act of 2003 (22 U.S.C. 7701 et seq.) before, on or after enactment of this Act, and those made by subsection (b) shall apply prospectively to new compacts.
(d) Maintaining Candidate Status for Purposes of Income Category- Section 606 of the Millennium Challenge Act of 2003 (22 U.S.C. 7705) is amended as follows:
(1) Section (a)(1) is amended by striking the words 'Fiscal year 2004' and inserting 'In general', and by striking the words 'for fiscal year 2004' and inserting 'for a fiscal year'.
(2) Section (a)(1)(A) is stricken and replaced with the following: 'The country has a per capita income equal to or below the World Bank's lower middle income country threshold for the fiscal year involved and is among the 75 lowest per capita income countries as identified by the World Bank; and';
(3) Section (a)(2) is stricken.
(4) Section (b)(1)(A) is stricken and replaced with the following: 'has a per capita income equal to or below the World Bank's lower middle income country threshold for the fiscal year involved and is not among the 75 lowest per capita income countries as identified by the World Bank; and'.
(e) Section 606 is amended by inserting the following--
'(d) Income Classification Transition- Any country with a per capita income that changes in a given fiscal year such that the country would be reclassified in that fiscal year from a low income country to a lower middle income country or from a lower middle income country to a low income country shall retain its candidacy status in its former income classification for the fiscal year of the country's transition and the two subsequent fiscal years.'.
inspectors general personnelSec. 7078. (a)(1) The provisions in this section shall apply to the Inspector General of the Department of State and the Inspector General of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
(2) The term 'Government Employee' has the meaning given the term employee in section 2105 of title 5, United States Code.
(3) The Inspector General may waive any of the following provisions to employ annuitants (individuals who are entitled to benefits under a retirement system for Government employees): subsections (a) through (d) of section 8344 of title 5, United States Code; subsections (a), (b) and (e) of section 8468 of title 5, United States Code; subsections (a) through (d) of section 824 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 4064); and any other similar provision of law, as identified by the Inspector General in regulations: Provided, That the Inspector General may exercise this authority: only on a case-by-case basis and only for so long as is necessary; when necessary due to exceptional difficulty in the recruitment or retention of a qualified employee for the position involved or a temporary emergency hiring need; as long as it does not cause the number of employees within the Office of Inspector General (OIG) employed under this or other similar authority to exceed, as of any given date, 15 percent of the total OIG workforce, determined on a full-time equivalent basis; and this authority is repealed on October 1, 2014, except that an annuitant re-employed pursuant to the waiver in this section before October 1, 2014, may continue such employment until not later than September 30, 2015.
(4) Nothing in this section may be construed to permit or require that any re-employed annuitant benefitting from a waiver of a provision of law set forth in this section be treated as a Government employee for purposes of the retirement system to which such provision relates.
(5) The Inspector General is authorized to obtain services under section 3109 of title 5, United States Code, without regard to subsections (d)(1) of such section, and is considered the head of the agency under subsection (b) of such section for purposes of exercising this authority.
(A) Services may be obtained by the Inspector General for a period of up to 1 year, with an option to extend such services for an additional 2 years, and that the total number of individuals employed under this section shall not exceed 15 percent of the total Department of State OIG workforce or 5 percent of the total USAID OIG workforce, determined on a full-time equivalent basis.
(B) The authority to obtain such services shall expire on September 30, 2014 except that an individual whose service under this subsection is procured before October 1, 2014, may continue to provide such service until not later than September 30, 2015.
(b) Section 209 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 3929) is amended by:
(1) striking paragraph (5) in subsection (c); and
(2) in subsection (d)(2)--
(A) adding 'and' at the end of subparagraph (D)
(B) striking '; and' and inserting a period at the end of subparagraph (E); and
(C) striking subparagraph (F).
consular affairs pilot programsSec. 7079. (a) Tourist Visa Services Pilot Program-
(1)(A) The Secretary of State shall implement the necessary steps, including hiring a sufficient number of consular officers which may include limited non-career appointment officers, in the People's Republic of China, Brazil, and India to meet the Department of State's standard of interviewing all tourist visa applicants within 30 days of the date of submitting their application.
(B) The Secretary of State shall also conduct a risk and benefit analysis regarding the extension of the expiration period for B-1 or B-2 visas for citizens of the People's Republic of China from 1 year to 2 years before requiring consular officers to re-interview a visa applicant.
(2) Not later than 90 days after enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit a report to the Committees on Appropriations on Consular Affairs programs in the People's Republic of China, Brazil, and India including steps the Department of State has taken in these countries to meet the State Department's visa processing standards; a 5-year forecast of non-immigrant visas for each of these countries and the number of consular officers necessary to meet the State Department's standards; a comparison of the Department of State's 5-year forecast with the Commerce Department's 5-year visitor arrival projections; and the impact of the different projections on visa process times and required number of consular officers.
(b) Video Conference Pilot Program-
(1) The Secretary of State may develop and conduct a pilot program for the processing of B-1 and B-2 visas using secure remote videoconferencing technology as a method for conducting visa interviews of applicants, and in consultation with other Federal agencies that use such secure communications to help ensure security of the videoconferencing transmission and encryption.
(2) Not later than 90 days after the end of such a pilot program, the Secretary shall submit a report to the Committees on Appropriations detailing the results of such program including an assessment of the efficacy, efficiency, and security of the remote videoconferencing technology as a method for conducting visa interviews of applicants and recommendations for whether it should be continued, broadened, or modified.
(3) No pilot program should be conducted if the Secretary determines and reports to the Committees on Appropriations that such program poses an undue security risk and that it cannot be conducted in a manner consistent with maintaining security controls.
working capital fundSec. 7080. (a) The Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (the Administrator) is authorized to establish a Working Capital Fund (in this section referred to as the 'Fund').
(b) Funds deposited in the Fund during any fiscal year shall be available without fiscal year limitation and used, in addition to other funds available for such purposes, for agency procurement reform efforts and related administrative costs: Provided, That such expenses may include--
(1) personal and non-personal services;
(2) training;
(3) supplies; and
(4) other administrative costs related to the implementation of procurement reform and management of the Fund.
(c) There may be deposited during any fiscal year in the Fund up to 1 percent of the total value of obligations entered into by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) from appropriations available to USAID and any appropriation made available for the purpose of providing capital: Provided, That receipts from the disposal of, or repayments for the loss or damage to, property held in the Fund, rebates, reimbursements, refunds and other credits applicable to the operation of the Fund may be deposited into the Fund.
(d) Not later than 45 days after enactment of this Act and any subsequent Act making appropriations for the Department of State, foreign operations, and related programs, the Administrator shall submit to the Committees on Appropriations an operating plan for funds deposited in the Fund, which shall include the percentage to be charged for the current fiscal year.
(e) At the close of fiscal year 2013 and at the close of each fiscal year thereafter, the Administrator shall determine the amounts in excess of the needs of the Fund for that fiscal year and shall transfer out of the Fund any excess amounts to any of the original appropriation accounts from which deposits were made: Provided, That such transferred funds shall remain available without fiscal year limitation: Provided further, That the Administrator shall report to the Committees on Appropriation the excess amounts and to which appropriation accounts the excess funds will be transferred: Provided further, That such transfers shall be subject to the regular notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations.
procurement reformSec. 7081. (a) Local Competition- Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (the Administrator) may, with funds made available in this Act and prior Acts making appropriations for the Department of State, foreign operations, and related programs, award contracts and other instruments in which competition is limited to local entities if doing so would result in cost savings, develop local capacity, or enable the Administrator to initiate a program or activity in appreciably less time than if competition were not so limited: Provided, That the authority provided in this section may not be used to make awards in excess of $5,000,000.
(b) For the purposes of this section, local entity means an individual, a corporation, or another body of persons located in or having as its principal place of business or operations in a country receiving assistance from funds appropriated in title III of this Act.
operating and spend plansSec. 7082. (a) Operating Plans- Not later than 45 days after the date of enactment of this Act, each department, agency or organization funded in titles I and II, and the Department of the Treasury and Independent Agencies funded in title III of this Act shall submit to the Committees on Appropriations an operating plan for funds appropriated to such department, agency, or organization in such titles of this Act, or funds otherwise available for obligation in fiscal year 2012, that provides details of the use of such funds at the program, project, and activity level.
(b) Spend Plans- Prior to the initial obligation of funds, the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, shall submit to the Committees on Appropriations a detailed spend plan, which shall include achievable and sustainable goals, benchmarks for measuring progress, and expected results, for the following--
(1) funds appropriated under the heading 'Democracy Fund';
(2) funds made available in titles III and IV of this Act for assistance for Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Haiti, Colombia, and Mexico, for the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative, and the Central American Regional Security Initiative; and
(3) funds appropriated in title III for food security and agriculture development programs and for climate change and environment programs.
(c) Notifications- The spend plans referenced in subsection (b) shall not be considered as meeting the notification requirements under section 7015 of this Act or under section 634A of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.
authority for capital increasesSec. 7083. (a) International Bank for Reconstruction and Development- The Bretton Woods Agreements Act, as amended (22 U.S.C. 286 et seq.), is further amended by adding at the end thereof the following new sections:
'SEC. 69. ACCEPTANCE OF AN AMENDMENT TO THE ARTICLES OF AGREEMENT OF THE BANK TO INCREASE BASIC VOTES.'The United States Governor of the Bank may accept on behalf of the United States the amendment to the Articles of Agreement of the Bank as proposed in resolution No. 596, entitled 'Enhancing Voice and Participation of Developing and Transition Countries,' of the Board of Governors of the Bank that was approved by such Board on January 30, 2009.
'SEC. 70. CAPITAL STOCK INCREASES.'(a) Increases Authorized- The United States Governor of the Bank is authorized--
'(1)(A) to vote in favor of a resolution to increase the capital stock of the Bank on a selective basis by 230,374 shares; and
'(B) to subscribe on behalf of the United States to 38,459 additional shares of the capital stock of the Bank, as part of the selective increase in the capital stock of the Bank, except that any subscription to such additional shares shall be effective only to such extent or in such amounts as are provided in advance in appropriations Acts;
'(2)(A) to vote in favor of a resolution to increase the capital stock of the Bank on a general basis by 484,102 shares; and
'(B) to subscribe on behalf of the United States to 81,074 additional shares of the capital stock of the Bank, as part of the general increase in the capital stock of the Bank, except that any subscription to such additional shares shall be effective only to such extent or in such amounts as are provided in advance in appropriations Acts.
'(b) Limitations on Authorization of Appropriations-
'(1) In order to pay for the increase in the United States subscription to the Bank under subsection (a)(2)(B), there are authorized to be appropriated, without fiscal year limitation, $9,780,361,991 for payment by the Secretary of the Treasury.
'(2) Of the amount authorized to be appropriated under paragraph (2)(A)--
'(A) $586,821,720 shall be for paid in shares of the Bank; and
'(B) $9,193,540,271 shall be for callable shares of the Bank.'.
(b) International Finance Corporation- The International Finance Corporation Act, Public Law 84-350, as amended (22 U.S.C. 282 et seq.), is further amended by adding at the end thereof the following new section:
'SEC. 17. SELECTIVE CAPITAL INCREASE AND AMENDMENT OF THE ARTICLES OF AGREEMENT.'(a) Vote Authorized- The United States Governor of the Corporation is authorized to vote in favor of a resolution to increase the capital stock of the Corporation by $130,000,000.
'(b) Amendment of the Articles of Agreement- The United States Governor of the Corporation is authorized to agree to and accept an amendment to Article IV, Section 3(a) of the Articles of Agreement of the Corporation that achieves an increase in basic votes to 5.55 percent of total votes.'.
(c) Inter-American Development Bank- The Inter-American Development Bank Act, Public Law 86-147, as amended (22 U.S.C. 283 et seq.), is further amended by adding at the end thereof the following new section:
'SEC. 41. NINTH CAPITAL INCREASE.'(a) Vote Authorized- The United States Governor of the Bank is authorized to vote in favor of a resolution to increase the capital stock of the Bank by $70,000,000,000 as described in Resolution AG-7/10, 'Report on the Ninth General Capital Increase in the resources of the Inter-American Development Bank' as approved by Governors on July 21, 2010.
'(b) Subscription Authorized-
'(1) The United States Governor of the Bank may subscribe on behalf of the United States to 1,741,135 additional shares of the capital stock of the Bank.
'(2) Any subscription by the United States to the capital stock of the Bank shall be effective only to such extent and in such amounts as are provided in advance in appropriations Acts.
'(c) Limitations on Authorization of Appropriations-
'(1) In order to pay for the increase in the United States subscription to the Bank under subsection (b), there are authorized to be appropriated, without fiscal year limitation, $21,004,064,337 for payment by the Secretary of the Treasury.
'(2) Of the amount authorized to be appropriated under paragraph (1)--
'(A) $510,090,175 shall be for paid in shares of the Bank; and
'(B) $20,493,974,162 shall be for callable shares of the Bank.'.
(d) African Development Bank- The African Development Bank Act, Public Law 97-35, as amended (22 U.S.C. 290i et seq.), is further amended by adding at the end thereof the following new section:
'SEC. 1344. SIXTH CAPITAL INCREASE.'(a) Subscription Authorized-
'(1) The United States Governor of the Bank may subscribe on behalf of the United States to 289,391 additional shares of the capital stock of the Bank.
'(2) Any subscription by the United States to the capital stock of the Bank shall be effective only to such extent and in such amounts as are provided in advance in appropriations Acts.
'(b) Limitations on Authorization of Appropriations-
'(1) In order to pay for the increase in the United States subscription to the Bank under subsection (a), there are authorized to be appropriated, without fiscal year limitation, $4,322,228,221 for payment by the Secretary of the Treasury.
'(2) Of the amount authorized to be appropriated under paragraph (1)--
'(A) $259,341,759 shall be for paid in shares of the Bank; and
'(B) $4,062,886,462 shall be for callable shares of the Bank.'.
(e) European Bank for Reconstruction and Development- The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Act, Section 562(c) of Public Law 101-513, as amended (22 U.S.C. 290l et seq.), is further amended by adding at the end thereof the following new paragraph:
'(12) CAPITAL INCREASE-
'(A) SUBSCRIPTION AUTHORIZED-
'(i) The United States Governor of the Bank may subscribe on behalf of the United States up to 90,044 additional callable shares of the capital stock of the Bank in accordance with Resolution No. 128 as adopted by the Board of Governors of the Bank on May 14, 2010.
'(ii) Any subscription by the United States to additional capital stock of the Bank shall be effective only to such extent and in such amounts as are provided in advance in appropriations Acts.
'(B) LIMITATIONS ON AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS- In order to pay for the increase in the United States subscription to the Bank under subsection (A), there are authorized to be appropriated, without fiscal year limitation, up to $1,252,331,952 for payment by the Secretary of the Treasury.'.
authority for replenishmentsSec. 7084. (a) International Development Association- The International Development Association Act, Public Law 86-565, as amended (22 U.S.C. 284 et seq.), is further amended by adding at the end thereof the following new sections:
'SEC. 26. SIXTEENTH REPLENISHMENT.'(a) The United States Governor of the International Development Association is authorized to contribute on behalf of the United States $4,075,500,000 to the sixteenth replenishment of the resources of the Association, subject to obtaining the necessary appropriations.
'(b) In order to pay for the United States contribution provided for in subsection (a), there are authorized to be appropriated, without fiscal year limitation, $4,075,500,000 for payment by the Secretary of the Treasury.
'SEC. 27. MULTILATERAL DEBT RELIEF.'(a) The Secretary of the Treasury is authorized to contribute, on behalf of the United States, not more than $474,000,000 to the International Development Association for the purpose of funding debt relief cost under the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative incurred in the period governed by the sixteenth replenishment of resources of the International Development Association, subject to obtaining the necessary appropriations and without prejudice to any funding arrangements in existence on the date of the enactment of this section.
'(b) In order to pay for the United States contribution provided for in subsection (a), there are authorized to be appropriated, without fiscal year limitation, not more than $474,000,000 for payment by the Secretary of the Treasury.
'(c) In this section, the term 'Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative' means the proposal set out in the G8 Finance Ministers' Communique entitled 'Conclusions on Development', done at London, June 11, 2005, and reaffirmed by G8 Heads of State at the Gleneagles Summit on July 8, 2005.'.
(b) African Development Bank- The African Development Fund Act, Public Law 94-302, as amended (22 U.S.C. 290g et seq.), is further amended by adding at the end thereof the following new sections:
'SEC. 221. TWELFTH REPLENISHMENT.'(a) The United States Governor of the Fund is authorized to contribute on behalf of the United States $585,000,000 to the twelfth replenishment of the resources of the Fund, subject to obtaining the necessary appropriations.
'(b) In order to pay for the United States contribution provided for in subsection (a), there are authorized to be appropriated, without fiscal year limitation, $585,000,000 for payment by the Secretary of the Treasury.
'SEC. 222. MULTILATERAL DEBT RELIEF.'(a) The Secretary of the Treasury is authorized to contribute, on behalf of the United States, not more than $60,000,000 to the African Development Fund for the purpose of funding debt relief costs under the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative incurred in the period governed by the twelfth replenishment of resources of the African Development Fund, subject to obtaining the necessary appropriations and without prejudice to any funding arrangements in existence on the date of the enactment of this section.
'(b) In order to pay for the United States contribution provided for in subsection (a), there are authorized to be appropriated, without fiscal year limitation, not more than $60,000,000 for payment by the Secretary of the Treasury.
'(c) In this section, the term 'Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative' means the proposal set out in the G8 Finance Ministers' Communique entitled 'Conclusions on Development', done at London, June 11, 2005, and reaffirmed by G8 Heads of State at the Gleneagles Summit on July 8, 2005.'.
authority for the fund for special operationsSec. 7085. Up to $36,000,000 of funds appropriated for the account 'Department of the Treasury, Debt Restructuring' by the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011 (Public Law 112-10, Division B) may be made available for the United States share of an increase in the resources of the Fund for Special Operations of the Inter-American Development Bank in furtherance of debt relief provided to Haiti in view of the Cancun Declaration of March 21, 2010.
Sec. 7086. Part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 104C, the following new section:
'SEC. 104D. ELIGIBILITY FOR ASSISTANCE.'Notwithstanding any other provision of law, regulation, or policy, in determining eligibility for assistance authorized under sections 104, 104A, 104B, and 104C--
'(1) a foreign nongovernmental organization shall not be ineligible for such assistance solely on the basis of health or medical services, including counseling and referral services, provided by such organization with non-United States Government funds if such services are permitted in the country in which they are being provided and would not violate United States law if provided in the United States; and
'(2) a foreign nongovernmental organization shall not be subject to requirements relating to the use of non-United States Government funds for advocacy and lobbying activities other than those that apply to United States nongovernmental organizations receiving assistance under this part.'.
(rescissions)Sec. 7087. (a) Of the funds appropriated in prior Acts making appropriations for the Department of State, foreign operations, and related programs under the heading 'Diplomatic and Consular Programs', $13,700,000 are rescinded, of which $8,000,000 shall be from funds for Worldwide Security Protection: Provided, That no amounts may be rescinded from amounts that were designated by Congress as an emergency requirement pursuant to a concurrent resolution on the budget or the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985.
(b) Of the unexpended balances available under the heading 'Export and Investment Assistance, Export-Import Bank of the United States, Subsidy Appropriation' from prior Acts making appropriations for the Department of State, foreign operations, and related programs, $300,000,000 are rescinded.
(c) Of the unexpended balances available to the President for bilateral economic assistance under the heading 'Economic Support Fund' from prior Acts making appropriations for the Department of State, foreign operations, and related programs, $150,000,000 are rescinded: Provided, That no amounts may be rescinded from amounts that were designated by Congress as an emergency requirement pursuant to a concurrent resolution on the budget or the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985.
(d) The Secretary of State, as appropriate, shall consult with the Committees on Appropriations prior to implementing the rescissions made in this section.
TITLE VIIIOVERSEAS CONTINGENCY OPERATIONSDEPARTMENT OF STATEADMINISTRATION OF FOREIGN AFFAIRSdiplomatic and consular programs(including transfer of funds)For an additional amount for 'Diplomatic and Consular Programs', $3,773,701,000, to remain available until September 30, 2013, of which $236,201,000 is for Worldwide Security Protection and shall remain available until expended: Provided, That the Secretary of State may transfer up to $230,000,000 of the total funds made available under this heading to any other appropriation of any department or agency of the United States, upon the concurrence of the head of such department or agency, to support operations in and assistance for Afghanistan and to carry out the provisions of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961: Provided further, That funds appropriated under this heading may be made available pursuant to the authority of section 7032(u) of this Act: Provided further, That each amount in this paragraph is designated by Congress as being for overseas contingency operations pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(ii) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Public Law 99-177), as amended.
office of inspector generalFor an additional amount for 'Office of Inspector General', $63,954,000, to remain available until September 30, 2013, of which $16,317,000 shall be for the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction for reconstruction oversight, and $44,387,000 shall be for the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction for reconstruction oversight: Provided, That each amount in this paragraph is designated by Congress as being for overseas contingency operations pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(ii) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Public Law 99-177), as amended.
contributions for international peacekeeping activitiesFor an additional amount for 'Contributions for International Peacekeeping Activities', $17,900,000, to remain available until September 30, 2013: Provided, That this amount is designated by Congress as being for overseas contingency operations pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(ii) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Public Law 99-177), as amended.
united states institute for peaceFor an additional amount for 'United States Institute for Peace', $8,411,000, to remain available until September 30, 2013: Provided, That this amount is designated by Congress as being for overseas contingency operations pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(ii) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Public Law 99-177), as amended.
UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENTFunds Appropriated to the Presidentoperating expensesFor an additional amount for 'Operating Expenses', $106,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2013: Provided, That this amount is designated by Congress as being for overseas contingency operations pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(ii) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Public Law 99-177), as amended.
office of inspector generalFor an additional amount for 'Office of Inspector General', $2,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2013: Provided, That this amount is designated by Congress as being for overseas contingency operations pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(ii) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Public Law 99-177), as amended.
BILATERAL ECONOMIC ASSISTANCEFunds Appropriated to the Presidentinternational disaster assistanceFor an additional amount for 'International Disaster Assistance', $150,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2013: Provided, That this amount is designated by Congress as being for overseas contingency operations pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(ii) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Public Law 99-177), as amended.
transition initiativesFor an additional amount for 'Transition Initiatives', $3,500,000, to remain available until September 30, 2013: Provided, That this amount is designated by Congress as being for overseas contingency operations pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(ii) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Public Law 99-177), as amended.
complex crises fundFor an additional amount for 'Complex Crises Fund', $45,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2013: Provided, That this amount is designated by Congress as being for overseas contingency operations pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(ii) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Public Law 99-177), as amended.
economic support fundFor an additional amount for 'Economic Support Fund', $1,172,821,000, to remain available until September 30, 2013: Provided, That this amount is designated by Congress as being for overseas contingency operations pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(ii) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Public Law 99-177), as amended.
migration and refugee assistanceFor an additional amount for 'Migration and Refugee Assistance', $100,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2013: Provided, That this amount is designated by Congress as being for overseas contingency operations pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(ii) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Public Law 99-177), as amended.
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY ASSISTANCEDepartment of Stateinternational narcotics control and law enforcementFor an additional amount for 'International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement', $1,163,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2013: Provided, That this amount is designated by Congress as being for overseas contingency operations pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(ii) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Public Law 99-177), as amended.
nonproliferation, anti-terrorism, demining and related programsFor an additional amount for 'Nonproliferation, Anti-terrorism, Demining and Related Programs', $27,500,000, to remain available until September 30, 2013: Provided, That this amount is designated by Congress as being for overseas contingency operations pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(ii) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Public Law 99-177), as amended.
peacekeeping operationsFor an additional amount for 'Peacekeeping Operations', $30,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2013: Provided, That this amount is designated by Congress as being for overseas contingency operations pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(ii) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Public Law 99-177), as amended.
funds appropriated to the presidentforeign military financing programFor an additional amount for 'Foreign Military Financing Program', $989,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2013: Provided, That this amount is designated by Congress as being for overseas contingency operations pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(ii) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Public Law 99-177), as amended.
pakistan counter-insurgency capability fund(including transfer of funds)For necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of chapter 8 of part I and chapters 2, 5, 6, and 8 of part II of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and section 23 of the Arms Export Control Act, $1,000,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2012, for the purpose of providing assistance for Pakistan to build and maintain the counter-insurgency capability of Pakistani security forces (including the Frontier Corps), to include program management, training in civil-military humanitarian assistance, human rights training, and the provision of equipment, supplies, services, training, and facility and infrastructure repair, renovation, and construction: Provided, That notwithstanding any other provision of law except section 620M of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended by this Act, such funds shall be available to the Secretary of State, with the concurrence of the Secretary of Defense: Provided further, That such funds may be transferred by the Secretary of State to the Department of Defense or other Federal departments or agencies to support counter-insurgency operations and may be merged with, and be available, for the same purposes and for the same time period as the appropriation or fund to which transferred or may be transferred pursuant to the authorities contained in the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961: Provided further, That the Secretary of State shall, not fewer than 15 days prior to making transfers from this appropriation, notify the Committees on Appropriations, in writing, of the details of any such transfer: Provided further, That the Secretary of State shall submit not later than 30 days after the end of each fiscal quarter to the Committees on Appropriations a report in writing summarizing, on a project-by-project basis, the uses of funds under this heading: Provided further, That upon determination by the Secretary of State, with the concurrence of the Secretary of Defense, that all or part of the funds so transferred from this appropriation are not necessary for the purposes herein, such amounts may be transferred by the head of the relevant Federal department or agency back to this appropriation and shall be available for the same purposes and for the same time period as originally appropriated: Provided further, That any required notification or report may be submitted in classified form: Provided further, That the amount in this paragraph is designated by Congress as being for overseas contingency operations pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(ii) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Public Law 99-177), as amended.
global security contingency fund(including transfer of funds)There is hereby established in the Treasury of the United States the 'Global Security Contingency Fund'.
For necessary expenses to carry out the provisions of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the Arms Export Control Act to provide assistance, notwithstanding any other provision of law except sections 620A and 620M of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended by this Act, for countries designated by the Secretary of State to enhance the capabilities of military and police forces, and other security forces that conduct border and maritime security, internal security, and counter-terrorism operations, as well as government agencies responsible for such forces, and to strengthen democratic institutions including the justice sector (including corrections) and respect for human rights and the rule of law, where the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, determines that conflict or instability in a country or region significantly challenges the local capacity to deliver such assistance, $50,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2013: Provided, That such assistance programs shall be formulated by the Secretary of State in consultation with the Secretary of Defense: Provided further, That programs carried out under this heading shall be approved by the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, prior to implementation: Provided further, That the authorities and requirements of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 shall apply to funds made available under this heading: Provided further, That funds made available to the Department of Defense in fiscal year 2012 may be transferred to, and merged with, funds appropriated under this heading by the Secretary of Defense: Provided further, That funds made available under this heading may be transferred to the most appropriate agency or account to facilitate the provision of such assistance: Provided further, That the transfer authorities under this paragraph are in addition to any other transfer authority available to the Department of Defense: Provided further, That the amounts in this account may be used for necessary administrative expenses of the agencies planning and carrying out programs: Provided further, That the head of any agency may detail personnel to the Department of State to carry out activities funded under this heading with or without reimbursement for all or part of the costs of salaries and other expenses associated with such personnel: Provided further, that no obligation or transfer of funds may be made unless the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense have notified the Committees on Appropriations at least 15 days prior to any such obligation or transfer: Provided further, That the amount in this paragraph is designated by Congress as being for overseas contingency operations pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(ii) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Public Law 99-177), as amended.
GENERAL PROVISIONSSec. 8001. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, funds made available under the heading 'Overseas Contingency Operations' are in addition to amounts appropriated or otherwise made available for the Department of State for fiscal year 2012.
Sec. 8002. Unless otherwise provided for in this Act, additional amounts appropriated under the heading 'Overseas Contingency Operations' to appropriation accounts in this Act shall be available under the authorities and conditions applicable to such appropriations accounts.
Sec. 8003. Notwithstanding any other provision of law except section 620M of the Foreign Assistance Act, as amended by this Act, funds appropriated by this title may be transferred to, and merged with, funds appropriated by this title under the headings 'Diplomatic and Consular Programs', 'Worldwide Security Protection', 'Office of Inspector General', 'Contributions for International Peacekeeping Activities', 'United States Institute for Peace', 'United States Agency for International Development, Funds Appropriated to the President, Operating Expenses', 'United States Agency for International Development, Funds Appropriated to the President, Office of Inspector General', 'International Disaster Assistance', 'Transition Initiatives', 'Complex Crises Fund', 'Economic Support Fund', 'Migration and Refugee Assistance', 'International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement', 'Nonproliferation, Anti-terrorism, Demining, and Related Programs', 'Peacekeeping Operations', 'Foreign Military Financing Program', 'Pakistan Counter-insurgency Capability Fund', and 'Global Stability Contingency Fund': Provided, That such transfers shall be subject to the regular notification procedures of the Committees on Appropriations: Provided further, That the transfer authority in this section is in addition to any transfer authority otherwise available under any other provision of law, including section 610 of the Foreign Assistance Act which may be exercised by the Secretary of State for the purposes of this title.
This Act may be cited as the 'Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2012'.
Calendar No. 179
Making appropriations for the Department of State, foreign operations, and related programs for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2012, and for other purposes.
September 22, 2011
Read twice and placed on the calendar
Ospreys to Israel in Major Arms Deal
Sat, 20 Apr 2013 23:38
Israel will receive the MV-22 Osprey in the first foreign sale of the tilt-rotor aircraft as part of major arms deals with Mideast allies to guard against the threat from Iran, senior Defense Department officials said Friday.
The Ospreys were the ''most significant'' assets in the total arms package and were ''for the first time being made available for Israel to purchase,'' a senior DOD official said in a background briefing on Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel's upcoming Mideast trip.
Israel has not yet decided on how many of the troop-carry Ospreys, made by Bell Boeing of Fort Worth, Texas, will be purchased, DOD officials said. Bell and the Marine Corps have been negotiating with the United Arab Emirates for more than a year on Osprey sales, and the discussions were continuing, the officials said.
The civil war in Syria will be at the top of the agenda for Hagel's trip beginning this weekend to Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UAE, the officials said.
One defense official said the arms package ''doesn't signal a change in policy toward Iran,'' but a second official added that ''the common threat in the region is clear.''
In addition to the Ospreys, Israel will also be getting advanced radars for Israeli fighter and attack aircraft, and anti-radiation missiles for targeting enemy radar sites.
The UAE will be getting 25 advanced F-16 fighters made by Lockheed Martin for $4.25 billion, and Saudi Arabia and the UAE have also agreed to buy additional standoff missiles and smart bomb s, the DOD officials said.
The total value of the sales to Israel and the regional allies will be about $10 billion. A Defense Department official called it ''the most complex and carefully orchestrated arms packages in history.''
The sales grew out of President Obama's directive to former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta last year to look for ways to boost Israeli's qualitative military edge in the region, the DOD officials said.
''We had been looking for ways to increase the capabilities of Israel in a significant way,'' a Defense Department official said.
By boosting Israel's capabilities, the sales to the Arab allies also became more politically viable in Congress, the officials said. Israel currently receives $3.1 billion in U.S. military aid, and another $300 million for missile defense, the Defense Department officials said.
The additional sales ''will raise Israel's military superiority to a level that it has never been rasied to before,'' a defense official said.
The Ospreys, which provide longer-range and faster troop carrying and supply missions than conventional helicopters, have a checkered history.
More than 30 Marines were killed in testing, and the aircraft survived numerous attempts to cancel the program over cost overruns and systems' failures.
The Marines have stressed that the Ospreys proved their worth in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the aircraft earlier this year passed another hurdle when they were deployed for the first time to Japan over the protests of Okinawa residents.
April 19th, 2013 | Air, Grand Ole Osprey | 1999985 Commentshttp%3A%2F%2Fdefensetech.org%2F2013%2F04%2F19%2Fospreys-to-israel-in-major-arms-deal%2FOspreys+to+Israel+in+Major+Arms+Deal2013-04-19+17%3A08%3A00Richard+Siskhttp%3A%2F%2Fdefensetech.org%2F%3Fp%3D19999
US Giving $123 Million Dollars Additional Funding To Syrian Rebels (That's Al Qaeda... Right?)
US prepares $130m military aid package for Syrian rebels
Sat, 20 Apr 2013 16:33
''The US readied a package Saturday of up to $130m in non-lethal military aid to Syrian opposition forces while European countries consider easing an arms embargo, moves that could further pressure the government of President Bashar al-Assad.
US secretary of state John Kerry was expected to announce the plans about the defensive military supplies at a meeting Saturday that was bringing together the Syrian opposition leadership and their main international allies.
The supplies possibly could include body armor, armored vehicles, night vision goggles and advanced communications equipment.
US officials said the details and costs were to be determined at the meeting. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss Kerry's announcement.
Kerry met with Syrian opposition leader Moaz al-Khatib before the conference began.''
Read more here: US prepares $130m military aid package for Syrian rebels | World news | guardian.co.uk.
Federal Register | Importer of Controlled Substances; Notice of Registration; GE Healthcare
Sat, 20 Apr 2013 23:33
By Notice dated January 31, 2013, and published in the Federal Register on February 6, 2013, 78 FR 8583, GE Healthcare, 3350 North Ridge Avenue, Arlington Heights, Illinois 60004-1412, made application by renewal to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to be registered as an importer of Cocaine (9041), a basic class of controlled substance listed in schedule II.
The company plans to import small quantities of ioflupane, in the form of three separate analogues of Cocaine, to validate production and quality control systems, for a reference standard, and for producing material for a future investigational new drug (IND) submission.
No comments or objections have been received. DEA has considered the factors in 21 U.S.C. 823(a) and 952(a) and determined that the registration of GE Healthcare to import the basic class of controlled substance is consistent with the public interest and with United States obligations under international treaties, conventions, or protocols in effect on May 1, 1971. DEA has investigated GE Healthcare to ensure that the company's registration is consistent with the public interest. The investigation has included inspection and testing of the company's physical security systems, verification of the company's compliance with state and local laws, and a review of the company's background and history. Therefore, pursuant to 21 U.S.C. 952(a) and 958(a), and in accordance with 21 CFR 1301.34, the above named company is granted registration as an importer of the basic class of controlled substance listed.
Dated: April 10, 2013.
Joseph T. Rannazzisi,
Deputy Assistant Administrator, Office of Diversion Control, Drug Enforcement Administration.
[FR Doc. 2013-09290 Filed 4-18-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-09-P
Texas delegation votes 27-9 to enact controversial cyber security bill; McCaul uses Boston bombings to garner support | Texas on the Potomac | a Chron.com blog
Thu, 18 Apr 2013 23:37
The Texas delegation showed an overwhelming supported for the passage of the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) passed in the House.
The House passed the controversial bill 288-127, and the Texas vote reflected similar support, 27-9. The bill would allow private companies to voluntarily share information with the government if a cyber attack occurred.
''With so much of what we do every day online, I believe it is critical for our safety and the nation's to allow private businesses to voluntarily cooperate with the government when it comes to stopping cyber attacks.'' Rep. Kay Granger of Fort Worth said following the vote.
Rep. Michael McCaul of Austin, the chair of the House Homeland Security Committee, said the Boston bombings reflects the need for Congress to enact safeguards now against this online form of terrorism.
''I think if anything, the recent events in Boston demonstrate that we have to come together'... to get this done in name of national security,'' McCaul said on the House floor on Thursday. ''In the case of Boston, they were real bombs, explosive devices. In this case they're digital bombs. These digital bombs are on their way. That's why this legislation is so important. That's why it's so urgent. For if we don't and those digital bombs land and attack the United States, and Congress failed to act, then Congress has that on its hands.''
Proponents say the measure would help protect the nation against the reportedly increasing amount of cyber attackers, however opponents argue it is an invasion of privacy that would allow companies to easily hand over private information to the government.
Three Texas legislators, Reps. Sheila Jackson Lee, Joe Barton, and McCaul, joined several others who proposed their own individual amendments to the bill to more specifically define how and when the information is shared.
Rep. Beto O'Rourke, an El Paso Democrat who voted against the measure, said the he still felt bill lacks sufficient safeguards in protecting the private information of individuals.
''There's no doubt Congress must act to improve cyber security and combat ongoing cyber threats but we should never legislate out of fear or sacrifice essential rights, such as privacy, in the name of security,'' he said on the House floor.
McCaul has been an active advocate for improving cyber security measures. A bill he authored that would improve funding for cyber security research passed the House earlier this week and is onto the Senate.
Despite support in the House, it faces an unsure future in the Senate. A similar bill passed the House last year but received a swell of opposition on the internet and it died in the Senate. The White House has also acknowledged it would not sign the bill.
House Passes Controversial Cybersecurity Bill
Fri, 19 Apr 2013 08:55
As expected, the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday passed a controversial bill that aims to bolster the nation's defenses against cyber threats.
The measure, the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, or CISPA, would authorize the National Security Agency and other intelligence agencies to share information about digital threats with owners of financial networks, energy grids and other critical infrastructure.
The legislation, which cleared the House by a vote of 288 to 127, also would immunize companies that exchange information with the government and one another from legal liability that many firms say currently deters such sharing.
Ninety-two Democrats voted with Republicans in favor of CISPA, which garnered more Democratic support than a similar measure that passed the House last year with the backing of 42 Democrats.
The push for cybersecurity legislation now moves to the Senate, where efforts to advance a bill to address digital threats failed twice last year. However, the current push comes a amid a wave of cyberattacks on the nation's biggest banks and a report in February that hackers tied to China's military have stolen business secrets from U.S. companies for years.
"This is a good day for Americans," Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger, D-Md., the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee who joined with the panel's chairman, Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., to sponsor CISPA, tweeted after the House vote.
The American Bankers Association and other business groups back CISPA, which supporters say would allow private-sector firms to swap information about digital threats with the government and one another in real time.
Critics charge that CISPA lacks safeguards that would require companies to strip people's personal data from information before sharing it with spy agencies. "This bill undermines the privacy of millions of Internet users," Rainey Reitman, activism director at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a civil liberties group, said in a statement posted on the group's website after Thursday's vote.
Prospects for the legislation in its current form remain uncertain.
The White House has threatened to veto the measure because of privacy concerns, but said it stands ready to work with Congress to strengthen the nation's cyber defenses.
In January, Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., introduced a bill that calls for information sharing about cyber threats between the government and private-sector firms but stops short of specifying a mechanism for achieving the goal. Rockefeller, who is joined in the effort by Intelligence Committee Chairman Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Homeland Security Committee Chairman Tom Carper, D-Del., has called advancing the legislation a priority.
During debate on the measure Thursday, CISPA's backers took steps they hoped would win over legislators who shared concerns about the bill's effect on privacy.
The House adopted an amendment by Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Tex., that would have run information about cyber threats through the Department of Homeland Security, a civilian agency, before the information went to the intelligence services.
Though the amendment passed overwhelmingly, it proved to be insufficient to win over many legislators. "Our response to cyber threats must balance our security with our liberty," Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., the Democratic minority leader, tweeted on Thursday afternoon. "I cannot support #CISPA in its current form."
EU Covertly Spending Millions on Front Groups to Take Over the Press | FrontPage Magazine
Fri, 19 Apr 2013 23:53
Nothing to see here. An undemocratic multinational organization with unlimited power seeking to quash press criticism through covert means is nothing to worry about.
And if you disagree, you'll be taken care of too.
Angered by the British media's coverage of Brussels, the European Commission says it wants to be a ''moral compass'' against press misconduct, seeking new national and Europe-wide regulatory powers over journalists.
The EU has spent £2.3'million on the previously unpublicised ''Mediadem'' project to ''reclaim a free and independent media''. In a ''policy brief'' co-authored by its lead British researcher, Rachael Craufurd Smith, Mediadem says it is ''simplistic'' to ''see state influence [over the press] as inherently stifling''.
Simplistic is one of those terms the left loves.
Do you think that state influence that inhibits a free press is a bad thing? Then you're a simplistic fellow. A caveman who roasts his own meat and draws crude paintings on cave walls. But on the other hand if you realize that we'll all be better off when a bunch of unelected bureaucrats take the press away from evil capitalists like Rupert Murdoch and put it in the hands of evil bureaucrats in the EU'... then you're a sophisticate.
Mediadem recently produced ''recommendations for the UK'' demanding the ''imposition of sanctions beyond an apology or correction'' on errant media outlets and the ''co-ordination of the journalistic profession at the European level''.
One Gulag coming up. Will that be all, sir? May I please have another.
Mediadem's report pays tribute to the part played in its work by the Media Standards Trust and the Coordinating Committee for Media Reform (CCMR), the two key constituents of Hacked Off, whose late-night ''deal'' with politicians for a regulated press has sparked a fierce backlash among organisations campaigning for free speech.
CCMR, run by Left-wing academics at Goldsmith's College, London, believes that concerns about the media ''should not be confined only to individual abuses'' and regulation should not simply be about the ''social-worker mediation of grievances''.
The group wants a new media regulator to correct the ''national conversation'' which it says has been ''distorted'' by Right-wing newspapers and to change the ''terms of public debate'' by ''imposing public-service duties'' on the press.
Well that doesn't sound at all Orwellian.
Asked whether the Mediadem initiative had been prompted by the EU's belief that the press treats it unfairly, Dr Craufurd Smith said: ''I think there might be an element of that. Citizens have a new expectation to obtain reliable information about what's going on in Europe.''
She said that Mediadem's recommendations were about ''helping to protect the press from inappropriate commercial pressures and potential political pressures''. ''People should not see this as being a threat.''
And if they do'... then there may be sanctions and public service duties imposed.
Mediadem is only one of at least five concerted and coordinated initiatives being pursued by Brussels to increase its powers over the media dramatically. Another EU programme, MediaAcT, has channelled about £100,000 of European cash directly to a key Hacked Off ally, the Mediawise campaign group.
Its EU money does not appear in its published accounts, but the grant and its amount was confirmed by Mediawise's director, Mike Jempson, a lecturer at the University of the West of England. ''The money is paid via the university, where we are based,'' he said. The EU payments appear to account for almost all of Mediawise's recent income.
MediaAcT is calling for the kind of ''media accountability'' favoured by Hacked Off and other such groups. In one of its papers, ''Mapping media accountability in Europe and beyond,'' Mr Jempson calls for press regulation on the grounds that it will ''ensure that minority views and voices are heard''.
The actor Hugh Grant, a director and prominent supporter of Hacked Off, has been closely involved in EU-backed press regulation initiatives. Last June he spoke at an event in Brussels organised by the ''Centre for Media Freedom and Media Pluralism,'' a third new EU-funded project for ''media accountability'' established last year and based at the European University Institute in Florence.
Media freedom and media pluralism is now being used to mean media control. Front groups pushing state control over the press by a vast powerful body are being covertly funded by that body. And all that is about freedom and pluralism.
Slavery is freedom, you know. It's simplistic to think otherwise.
A fifth EU initiative, the ''High Level Group on Media Freedom and Pluralism'', recently delivered a report to Ms Kroes, calling for ''a more extensive competence of the EU'' in the field of media regulation. All EU countries, the report said, should be forced to have ''media councils'' exercising draconian controls over the press, including the power to ban people from working as journalists.
The ''media councils,'' the report said, should have ''real enforcement powers, such as the imposition of fines, orders for printed or broadcast apologies, or removal of journalistic status''. They should ''follow a set of European-wide standards'' and be ''monitored by the commission to ensure that they comply with European values''.
And they should teach people to love Big Brother.
New funding regime for Public Service Broadcasting in Germany: Interstate Treaty envisages a household and company contribution by 1 January 2013 - MEDIADEM
Spain set to ban images of 'sensitive' sites on web
Fri, 19 Apr 2013 09:08
The publishing on the internet of satellite images like the one above of Spain's Royal Palace in Madrid are set be banned as the Spanish goverment looks to clamp down on terrorism. Photo: Google Maps
Published: 19 Apr 2013 09:44 GMT+02:00 | Print versionUpdated: 19 Apr 2013 09:44 GMT+02:00
The Spanish government on Thursday approved a plan to create a law which will block sites Internet mapping sites like Google Maps from publishing images of certain official buildings in the interests of national security.
The country's congress on Thursday approved the proposal which will give Spain's government control over the diffusion of images of official buildings.
The law would affect sites like Google Maps, but also the Apple and Yahoo! mapping equivalents, reported El Mundo on Friday.
The move was put forward by the ruling Popular Party (PP) with the support of the Defence Commission.
"The cartographic information about sensitive installation and locations available on the internet could make it easier to put national security at risk," said the PP when it gives its reasons.
The party also said "some terrorist groups had publicly recognized the use of such tools in the planning of attacks, demonstrating the improper use of the technology".
The proposal received almost universal approval, with only the left-wing IU grouping abstaining.
No mention of any particular company was made in Thursday's motion in parliament.
Currently there are no limits in Spain on the diffusion of satellite images of national territory, reported El Mundo.
Buildings that can be viewed in detail on sites like Google Maps include the Prime Minister's residence of La Moncloa and the King's residence of La Zarzuela.
Even the National Centre for Intelligence and the other military installations can be viewed using online mapping sites.
The Spanish government's move to ban the publishing on the internet of such 'sensitive' official locations comes in the wake of a bombing during the Boston marathon which left three people dead and over 100 people injured.
Why Cuba? Cuba does not have a central bank.... They will soon. Same with North Korea
Can't wait for Thursdays episode. You guys rock!
Sir G
Just Seeing Hillary Clinton's Face Improves Women's Public Speaking | Popular Science
Sat, 20 Apr 2013 14:41
A new study finds women give longer and more confident political speeches when they are exposed to images of female role models.
Encouraging HillaryLawrence Jackson
What do women in politics need? Strong female role models.
A new paper in the May issue of the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology suggests that even just seeing images of female role models can help women speak publicly and perform as leaders.
Previous research has found that the presence of female leaders in government has a significant effect on girls' educational goals, and seeing other women in STEM careers can help women want to pursue those careers themselves. However, other studies have found that seeing high-level female leaders can actually make women feel inferior about their own leadership qualities.
To dig deeper, scientists asked 149 students from a Swiss university (81 women, 68 men) to give a persuasive political speech against increasing student fees, within the context of a virtual reality program that put them in front of an audience of six men and six women. For some participants, the back wall of the virtual room featured a hanging picture of Hillary Clinton. For others, it showed a portrait of Bill Clinton or Angela Merkel, and for some the wall remained blank.
The researchers timed and videotaped the speech, then asked the students to evaluate their performance. A separate group of people unaware of the experimental conditions watched the speeches and rated them based on fluency and body language.
Virtual Politics: Latu et al.
Both the people watching the speeches and those giving them perceived longer speeches as being more positive. When there was no role model in view, men spoke longer than women. The same held true for speaking under the withering gaze of Big Bill.
Female role models eliminated the gender gap, though. Women gave longer speeches and evaluated themselves more positively when they were primed with with images Hillary Clinton and Angela Merkel than when they saw Bill Clinton or weren't primed at all. The outside observers also rated their speeches higher.
"Female political role models can inspire women and help them cope with stressful situations that they encounter in their careers, such as public speaking," the authors write. "A lack of female powerful role models leads to a vicious circle, because if women fail to take leadership positions, they also fail to provide role models for junior women to follow."
They go on to recommend that "active steps should be taken in order to increase the number of women in leadership positions, which would consequently increase their visibility and empower other women on their path to leadership."
[via Research Digest]
Boy Scouts to consider lifting ban on openly gay youths
Sat, 20 Apr 2013 08:35
By CNN Staff
updated 12:28 PM EDT, Fri April 19, 2013
(CNN) -- The Boy Scouts of America would no longer deny membership to youths on the basis of sexual orientation alone, but would maintain its ban on openly gay adult leaders, under a proposal it is considering, the group said Friday.
The organization's executive committee made the proposal, which is expected to be presented to the Boy Scouts' voting members in May.
"If approved, the resolution would mean that 'no youth may be denied membership in the Boy Scouts of America on the basis of sexual orientation or preference alone.' The BSA will maintain the current membership policy for all adults," Boy Scouts public relations director Deron Smith said.
The Boy Scouts have been considering a change in their longstanding policy against allowing openly gay members. In February, the Boy Scouts' national executive board postponed a vote on lifting its outright ban on openly homosexual scouts and troop leaders.
Bill McKibben - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sat, 20 Apr 2013 22:52
William Ernest "Bill" McKibben (born 1960)[1] is an Americanenvironmentalist, author, and journalist who has written extensively on the impact of global warming. He is the Schumann Distinguished Scholar at Middlebury College.[2] In 2010, the Boston Globe called him "probably the nation's leading environmentalist" [3] and Time magazine described him as "the world's best green journalist."[4]
In 2009, he led the organization of 350.org, which organized what Foreign Policy magazine called "the largest ever global coordinated rally of any kind," with 5,200 simultaneous demonstrations in 181 countries. The magazine named him to its inaugural list[5] of the 100 most important global thinkers, and MSN named him one of the dozen most influential men of 2009.[6] In 2010, McKibben and 350.org conceived the 10/10/10 Global Work Party, which convened more than 7,000 events[7] in 188 countries[8] as he had told a large gathering at Warren Wilson College shortly before the event. In December 2010, 350.org coordinated a planet-scale art project, with many of the 20 works visible from satellites.[9] In 2011 and 2012 he led the massive environmental fight against the proposed Keystone XL pipeline project[10] and spent three days in jail in Washington D.C. as leader of one of the largest civil disobedience actions in America for decades.[11] Two weeks later he was inducted into the literature section of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.[11]
[edit]Early lifeMcKibben grew up in the suburbs of Boston in Lexington, Massachusetts where he attended high school. His father, who was arrested in 1971 during a protest in support of Vietnam veterans against the war, had written for Business Week and took the position of business editor at The Boston Globe in 1980. As a high school student McKibben wrote for the local paper and participated in statewide debate competitions. Entering Harvard University in 1978, he supported various leftist causes but, as a child of privilege himself, struggled to find one he could put his heart into. With a passion for journalism he became editor of The Harvard Crimson. In 1980, following the important election of Ronald Reagan, he determined to dedicate his life to the environmental cause.[12]
Graduating in 1982, he worked for five years for The New Yorker as a staff writer writting much of the Talk of the Town column from 1982 to early 1987. He lived simply, sharing an apartment with David Edelstein, the film critic, and found solace in the Gospel of Matthew. He became an advocate of nonviolent resistance, considering Gandhi the greatest movie ever made. While doing a story on the homeless he lived on the streets; there he met his wife, Sue Halpern, who was working as a homeless advocate. She introduced him to the Book of Job. In 1987 he quit The New Yorker when its longtime editor William Shawn was forced out of his job, and soon moved to the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York where he worked as a freelance writer and enjoyed nature there. [12]
[edit]WritingMcKibben began working as a freelance writer at about the same time that climate change appeared on the public agenda in 1988 after the hot summer and fires of 1988 and testimony by James Hansen before the United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources in June, 1988.[13] His first contribution to the debate was a brief list of literature on the subject and commentary published December, 1988 in The New York Review of Books and a question, "Is the World Getting Hotter?"[14][15]
He is a frequent contributor to various publications including The New York Times; The Atlantic; Harper's; Orion magazine; Mother Jones; The American Prospect; The New York Review of Books;Granta; National Geographic; Rolling Stone, Adbusters[16] and Outside. He is also a board member at and contributor to Grist Magazine.
His first book, The End of Nature, was published in 1989 by Random House after being serialized in The New Yorker. Described by Ray Murphy of the Boston Globe as a "righteous jeremiad," the book excited much critical comment, pro and con; was for many people their first introduction to the question of climate change; and the inspiration for a great deal of writing and publishing by others.[17] It has been printed in more than 20 languages. Several editions have come out in the United States, including an updated version published in 2006.
His next book, The Age of Missing Information, was published in 1992. It is an account of an experiment in which McKibben collected everything that came across the 100 channels of cable TV on the Fairfax, Virginia, system (at the time among the nation's largest) for a single day. He spent a year watching the 2,400 hours of videotape, and then compared it to a day spent on the mountaintop near his home. This book has been widely used in colleges and high schools and was reissued in a new edition in 2006.
Subsequent books include Hope, Human and Wild, about Curitiba, Brazil and Kerala, India, which he cites as examples of people living more lightly on the earth; The Comforting Whirlwind: God, Job, and the Scale of Creation, which is about the Book of Job and the environment; Maybe One, about human population; Long Distance: A Year of Living Strenuously, about a year spent training for endurance events at an elite level; and Enough, about what he sees as the existential dangers of genetic engineering and nanotechnology. Speaking about Long Distance at the Cambridge Forum, McKibben cited the work of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and Csikszentmihalyi's idea of "flow" relative to feelings he, McKibben, had had '-- "taking a break from saving the world", he joked '-- as he immersed in cross-country skiing competitions.[18]
Wandering Home is about a long solo hiking trip from his current home in the mountains east of Lake Champlain in Ripton, Vermont, back to his longtime neighborhood of the Adirondacks. His book, Deep Economy: the Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future, published in March 2007, was a national bestseller. It addresses what the author sees as shortcomings of the growth economy and envisions a transition to more local-scale enterprise.
In the fall of 2007 he published, with the other members of his Step It Up team, Fight Global Warming Now, a handbook for activists trying to organize their local communities. In 2008 came The Bill McKibben Reader: Pieces from an Active Life, a collection of essays spanning his career. Also in 2008, the Library of America published "American Earth," an anthology of American environmental writing since Thoreau edited by McKibben.
In 2010 he published another national bestseller, Eaarth:Making a Life on a Tough New Planet, an account of the rapid onset of climate change. It was excerpted in Scientific American.[19]
Some of his work has been extremely[20][21] popular, an article in Rolling Stone in August, 2012 received over 125,000 likes on Facebook, 14,000 tweets, and 5,000 comments.[20][21]
[edit]Environmental campaigns[edit]Step It UpStep It Up 2007 was a nationwide environmental campaign started by McKibben to demand action on global warming by the U.S. Congress.
In late summer 2006 he helped lead a five-day walk across Vermont to call for action on global warming that some newspaper accounts called the largest demonstration to date in America about climate change. Beginning in January 2007, he founded Step It Up 2007, which organized rallies in hundreds of American cities and towns on April 14, 2007 to demand that Congress enact curbs on carbon emissions by 80 percent by 2050. The campaign quickly won widespread support from a wide variety of environmental, student, and religious groups.
In August 2007 McKibben announced Step It Up 2, to take place November 3, 2007. In addition to the 80% by 2050 slogan from the first campaign, the second adds "10% [reduction of emissions] in three years ("Hit the Ground Running"), a moratorium on new coal-fired power plants, and a Green Jobs Corps to help fix homes and businesses so those targets can be met" (called "Green Jobs Now, and No New Coal").[22]
[edit]350.orgIn the wake of Step It Up's achievements, the same team announced a new campaign in March 2008 called 350.org. The organizing effort, aimed at the entire globe, drew its name from climate scientist James E. Hansen's contention earlier that winter that any atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) above 350 parts per million was unsafe. "If humanity wishes to preserve a planet similar to that on which civilization developed and to which life on Earth is adapted, paleoclimate evidence and ongoing climate change suggest that CO2 will need to be reduced from its current 385 ppm to at most 350 ppm, but likely less than that." Hansen et al. stated in the Abstract to their paper.[23]
350.org, which has offices and organizers in North America, Europe, Asia, Africa and South America, attempted to spread that 350 number in advance of international climate meetings in December 2009 in Copenhagen. It was widely covered in the media.[24] On Oct. 24, 2009, it coordinated more than 5,200 demonstrations in 181 countries, and was widely lauded for its creative use of internet tools, with the website Critical Mass declaring that it was "one of the strongest examples of social media optimization the world has ever seen."[25]
Subsequently the organization continued its work, with the Global Work Party on 10/10/10 (10 October 2010).
[edit]Keystone XLMcKibben is the lead environmentalist against the proposed Canadian-U.S. Keystone XL pipeline project.[26] He is active on projects having environmentally negative impacts around the world. In comparing the proposed Via Verde gas pipeline project to the Keystone XL oil pipeline project, McKibben said, "Around the world, the fossil-fuel industry is carrying out its last desperate attempt to avoid the arrival of renewable energy and to ensure the existence of its dirty fuels. They seem to be using their standard strategy in Puerto Rico as well: to act quickly and with a minimum amount of review before the opposition has time to organize and bring out the truth."[26]
[edit]AwardsMcKibben has been awarded both a Guggenheim Fellowship (1993) and a Lyndhurst Fellowship. He won a Lannan Literary Award for nonfiction writing in 2000. In 2010, Utne Reader magazine listed McKibben as one of the "25 Visionaries Who Are Changing Your World."[27] He has honorary degrees from Marlboro College, Colgate University, the State University of New York, Sterling College, Green Mountain College, Unity College, and Lebanon Valley College. In 2010 he won the Puffin/Nation Prize for Creative Citizenship for his work with 350.org[28]
[edit]Personal lifeMcKibben currently resides in Vermont with his wife, writer Sue Halpern. Their only child, a daughter named Sophie, was born in 1993 in Glens Falls, New York. He is a Schumann Distinguished Scholar at Middlebury College, where he also directs the Middlebury Fellowships in Environmental Journalism.[29] McKibben is also a fellow at the Post Carbon Institute. McKibben is a long-time Methodist and while his writing can sometimes be spiritual in nature, he bases his environmental views on science.[30][31]
[edit]CriticismsCEO of ExxonMobilRex Tillerson, labels McKibben a ''purveyer of fear.'' McKibben says he is a ''professional bummer-outer''.[32]
[edit]Bibliography[edit]Books[edit]Articles[edit]Broadcasts[edit]See also[edit]References^David, Michael, and Caroline. "Bill McKibben". Library.thinkquest.org. Retrieved 2011-05-09. ^"Author and environmentalist Bill McKibben appointed Schumann Distinguished Scholar at Middlebury College | Middlebury". Middlebury.edu. 2010-11-09. Archived from the original on 14 June 2011. Retrieved 2011-05-09. ^Shivani, Anis (2010-05-30). "Facing cold, hard truths about global warming". Boston.com. Retrieved 2011-05-09. ^Walsh, Bryan (2010-04-26). "Book Review: 'Eaarth' by Bill McKibben". TIME. Retrieved 2011-05-09. ^"Foreign Policy's First Annual List of the 100 Top Global Thinkers". Foreign Policy. Archived from the original on 14 May 2011. Retrieved 2011-05-09. ^"MSN Lifestyle's Most Influential Men of 2009 - The Bigger Picture - Your Life - MSN Lifestyle". Lifestyle.msn.com. Retrieved 2011-05-09. ^Revkin, Andrew C. (2010-10-10). "A Global Warming 'Work Party' - NYTimes.com". Dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2011-05-09. ^http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=53114s^Revkin, Andrew C. (2010-11-23). "Art on the Scale of the Climate Challenge". Nytimes.com. Archived from the original on 12 April 2011. Retrieved 2011-05-09. ^"The man who crushed the Keystone XL pipeline". The Boston Globe. ^ abhttp://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20110823/NEWS02/110822034/McKibben-out-jail-encourages-more-protests^ abMatthew C. Nisbet. "Nature's Prophet: Bill McKibben as Journalist, Public Intellectual and Activist". Discussion Paper Series #D-78. Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy, School of Communication and the Center for Social Media American University. p. 26. Retrieved March 8, 2013. ^Philip Shabecoff, Special to the New York Times (June 24, 1988). "Global Warming Has Begun, Expert Tells Senate". New York Times. Retrieved August 1, 2012. "...Dr. James E. Hansen of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration told a Congressional committee that it was 99 percent certain that the warming trend was not a natural variation but was caused by a buildup of carbon dioxide and other artificial gases in the atmosphere." ^Bill McKibben (December 8, 1988). "Is The World Getting Hotter?". The New York Review of Books. Retrieved March 9, 2013. ^Matthew C. Nisbet. "Nature's Prophet: Bill McKibben as Journalist, Public Intellectual and Activist". Discussion Paper Series #D-78. Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy, School of Communication and the Center for Social Media American University. p. 27-28. Retrieved March 8, 2013. ^The Branding of the Occupy Movement November 27, 2011 NYT^Matthew C. Nisbet. "Nature's Prophet: Bill McKibben as Journalist, Public Intellectual and Activist". Discussion Paper Series #D-78. Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy, School of Communication and the Center for Social Media American University. p. 30-33. Retrieved March 8, 2013. ^"Cambridge Forum", via Maine Public Broadcasting Network (radio), September 14, 2011 12:30 pm. No transcript, audio archive or original recording date; cambridgeforum.org non-responsive. Information off the air 2011-09-14.^"Living On a New Earth". Scientific American. 2010-04-21. Retrieved 2011-05-09. ^ abBill McKibben (July 19, 2012). "Global Warming's Terrifying New Math: Three simple numbers that add up to global catastrophe - and that make clear who the real enemy is". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 8, 2013. ^ abMatthew C. Nisbet. "Nature's Prophet: Bill McKibben as Journalist, Public Intellectual and Activist". Discussion Paper Series #D-78. Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy, School of Communication and the Center for Social Media American University. p. 17. Retrieved March 8, 2013. ^http://www.stepitup2007.org/#letter^Hansen, J., Mki. Sato, P. Kharecha, D. Beerling, R. Berner, V. Masson-Delmotte, M. Pagani, M. Raymo, D.L. Royer, and J.C. Zachos, 2008: Target atmospheric CO2: Where should humanity aim? Open Atmospheric Science Journal, 2, 217-231, doi:10.2174/1874282300802010217. [1]^Rosenthal, Elisabeth (1 March 2009). "Obama's Backing Raises Hopes for Climate Pact". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 April 2010. ^"350.org | experience matters". Experiencematters.criticalmass.com. 2009-10-30. Retrieved 2011-05-09. ^ abMs presi"n de Keystone a Va Verde. (English: Greater pressure from Keystone on Va Verde.) La Perla del Sur. Ponce, Puerto Rico. Published 19 January 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2012.^"Bill McKibben: Voice of Reason, Man of Action". Utne Reader. Retrieved 19 October 2010. ^Cecile Richards and Bill McKibben Announced as Recipients of the 2010 Puffin/Nation Prize for Creative Citizenship, Common Dreams NewsCenter. November 9, 2010.^http://www.middlebury.edu/newsroom/node/269059^http://twitter.com/billmckibben/status/110422835436064768^http://www.umportal.org/article.asp?id=8583^Bill McKibben's Battle Against the Keystone XL Pipeline February 28, 2013 BusinessWeek[edit]External links and further readingPersondataNameMcKibben, BillAlternative namesShort descriptionDate of birth1960Place of birthPalo Alto, CaliforniaDate of deathPlace of death
2011 Annual Report - Financial Information | 350.org
State of Fear - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
New Discovery: NASA Study Proves Carbon Dioxide Cools Atmosphere
Source: Stuff Ain't Right » Uncategorized
Sat, 20 Apr 2013 16:32
Written by H. Schreuder & J. O'Sullivan
A recentNASA reportthrows the space agency into conflict with its climatologists after new NASA measurements prove that carbon dioxide acts as a coolant in Earth's atmosphere.
NASA's Langley Research Center has collated data proving that ''greenhouse gases'' actually block up to 95 percent of harmful solar rays from reaching our planet, thus reducing the heating impact of the sun. The data was collectedbySounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry, (orSABER). SABER monitors infrared emissions from Earth's upper atmosphere, in particular from carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitric oxide (NO), two substances thought to be playing a key role in the energy balance of air above our planet's surface.
NASA's Langley Research Center instruments show that the thermosphere not only received a whopping 26 billion kilowatt hours of energy from the sun during a recent burst of solar activity, but that in the upper atmospheric carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide molecules sent as much as 95% of that radiation straight back out into space.
The shock revelation starkly contradicts the core proposition of the so-called greenhouse gas theory which claims that more CO2 means more warming for our planet. However, this compelling new NASA data disproves that notion and is a huge embarrassment for NASA's chief climatologist, Dr James Hansen and his team over at NASA's GISS.
Already, the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has been in full retreat after having to concede a 17-year stall in global warming despite levels of atmopheric CO2 rising almost 40 percent in recent decades. The new SABER data now forms part of a real world double whammy against climatologists' computer models that have always been programmed to show CO2 as a warming gas.
The SABER evidence also makes a mockery of the statement on the NASA GISS website (by Hansen underling Gavin Schmidt) claiming, ''the greenhouse effect keeps the planet much warmer than it would be otherwise.'' [1]
As NASA's SABER team at Langley admits:
''This is a new frontier in the sun-Earth connection,'' saysassociate principal investigator Martin Mlynczak, ''and the data we're collecting are unprecedented.''
Over at Principia Scientific International (PSI) greenhouse gas effect (GHE) critic, Alan Siddons is hailing the findings. Siddons and his colleagues have been winning support from hundreds of independent scientists for their GHE studies carried out over the last seven years. PSI has proved that the numbers fed into computer models by Hansen and others were based on a faulty interpretation of the laws of thermodynamics. PSI also recently uncovered long overlooked evidence from the American Meteorological Society (AMS) that shows it was widely known the GHE was discredited prior to 1951. [2]
Pointedly, a much-trumpeted new book released this month by Rupert Darwall claims to help expose the back story of how the junk GHE theory was convenientlyresuscitatedin the 1980'²s by James Hansen and others to serve an environmental policy agenda at that time. [3]
As the SABER research report states:
A recent flurry of eruptions on the sun did more than spark pretty auroras around the poles. NASA-funded researchers say the solar storms of March 8ththrough 10thdumped enough energy in Earth's upper atmosphere to power every residence in New York Cityfor two years.
''This was the biggest dose of heat we've received from a solar storm since 2005,'' says Martin Mlynczak of NASA Langley Research Center. ''It was a big event, and shows how solar activity can directly affect our planet.''
As PSI's own space scientists have confirmed, as solar energy penetrates deeper into our atmosphere, even more of its energy will end up being sent straight back out to space, thus preventing it heating up the surface of our earth. The NASA Langley Research Center report agrees with PSI by admitting:
''Carbon dioxide and nitric oxide are natural thermostats,'' explains James Russell of Hampton University, SABER's principal investigator. ''When the upper atmosphere (or 'thermosphere') heats up, these molecules try as hard as they can to shed that heat back into space.''
To those independent scientists and engineers at Principia Scientific International this is not news. The ''natural thermostat'' effect of CO2 has long been known by applied scientists and engineers how have exploited it's remarkable properties in the manufacturer of refrigerators and air conditioning systems. The fledgling independent science body has repeatedly shown in it's openly peer reviewed papers that atmospheric carbon dioxide does not cause global warming nor climate change.
Some diehard climate alarmists will still say that in the lower atmosphere the action of carbon dioxide is reversed, but there is no actual proof of this at all. PSI suggests it is time for the SABER team to have a word with James Hansen. Watch the full NASA video on Youtube.
'--'--'--'--'--'--'---
[1] Schmidt, G., 'Taking the Measure of the Greenhouse Effect,' (October, 2010), http://www.giss.nasa.gov (accessed online: March 26, 2013).
[2] Brooks, C.E.P. (1951). ''Geological and Historical Aspects of Climatic Change.'' In Compendium of Meteorology, edited by Thomas F. Malone, pp. 1004-18 (at 1016). Boston: American Meteorological Association. It shows the American Meteorological Society had refuted the concept of a GHE in 1951 in its Compendium of Meteorology. The AMS stated that the idea that CO2 could alter the climate ''was never widely accepted and was abandoned when it was found that all the long-wave radiation [that would be] absorbed by CO2 is [already] absorbed by water vapor.''
[3] Darwall, R., 'The Age of Global Warming: A History,' (March, 2013), Quartet Books, London.
Principia Scientific Intl | New Discovery: NASA Study Proves Carbon Dioxide Cools Atmosphere.
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Its all about Oyu Tolgoi (oh-you tol-goy or just OT) set to be one of
the biggest mines on the planet. Ive worked on phase 1 of the project
and now they are at phase 2. even for mining, the scale of this place is phenomenal.
however the government is now wanting to take more
royalties etc. I think the hitman have been set loose to help out. lots
of chinese interests here.
Place is run by rio tinto, and will contribute to 35% of entire nations gdp.
Protests ahead of Bahrain Grand Prix
Source: BBC News - Middle East
Sun, 21 Apr 2013 09:20
21 April 2013Last updated at09:58 ETBahrain anti-government activists have clashed with police and blocked roads into the capital, in a bid to disrupt the Formula 1 Grand Prix.
The protesters accuse the government of using the race to gain international recognition and cover up rights abuses.
Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman says a reform process is under way, and denies using Formula 1 for political gain.
Witnesses said access to the Formula 1 event had been largely unaffected by the demonstrations.
The island nation has been convulsed by protests since early 2011, in which dozens of people have died.
The protesters are drawn from the majority Shia population, and they are demanding greater rights from the ruling Sunni royal family.
'Race of blood'Early on Sunday groups of young men gathered and blocked roads into the capital with barricades of burning tyres.
Continue reading the main story14 February, 2011: Demonstrators occupy iconic landmark , Pearl Roundabout in the capital14 March: Gulf Cooperation Council force led by Saudi troops enters Bahrain. Police clear Pearl RoundaboutMarch-April: Hundreds arrested, thousands sacked from their jobs. Protest continues, 35 killed, F1 cancelled23 November: Protests continue as Cherif Bassiouni releases damning report on human rights abuses. Authorities accept findingsApril 2012, F1 returns despite opposition protestsFeb 10, 2013: Opposition and pro-government groups open dialogue but unrest continuesThe police clashed with the demonstrators and fired tear gas to disperse the crowds.
Youths threw stones and petrol bombs in response, according to witnesses.
Sporadic clashes have taken place over the past few days in villages around the capital.
Protesters have chanted slogans including "your race is a crime" and "no, no to the race of blood".
Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone said on Saturday that the race had given the protesters a platform.
"The government here were stupid, in a lot of ways, to put this race on," he said.
But he added: "I don't think it's for us to decide the politics, good or bad. It's a good circuit, a good race, and we think everybody's happy so we're here."
Crown Prince Salman has insisted that the race reflects passion for sport and has nothing to do with politics.
Analysts say the crown prince is a reformist in a government divided on how to respond to opposition demands.
The two sides have held talks, but the opposition has stated repeatedly that the talks cannot succeed without a senior member of the ruling family.
Hardliners loyal to unelected Prime Minister Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman al-Khalifa, who has been in his post since 1971, are said to be hindering the dialogue process.
They fear that offering any concessions will erode their power and encourage more demands.
The race, which was first run in Bahrain in 2004, was cancelled two years ago following the forced clearance of a Manama landmark, Pearl Roundabout.
In the unrest that followed more than 50 people died, hundreds were arrested and thousands dismissed from their jobs.
The government has since launched an inquiry and says that nearly all those dismissed have been reinstated.
Yemen drone strike kills two suspected militants
Sun, 21 Apr 2013 09:17
''Two suspected members of al Qaeda were killed on Sunday in a U.S. drone strike on a site used for training members of the Islamist network in central Yemen's Marib province, a security official told Reuters.
The official said the strike was carried out at dawn and that a cache of weapons was found at the site. No further details were available.''
Read more here: Yemen drone strike kills two suspected militants: security source | Reuters.
VIDEO-CAUGHT ON VIDEO ??? East Texas Plant Explosion ~ Directed Energy Ignition ??? - YouTube
What's Tylenol Doing to Our Minds? - James Hamblin - The Atlantic
Adam, it's Not just mental illness. With physical illness, the "experts" keep changing their definitions. When I started my training, diabetes meant blood sugar higher than 200. Then it was 140. Now it's 126.
Then, several years ago, they invented "prediabetes". The number to meet that definition has gradually gone down to over 100.
The same can be said for blood pressure and cholesterol.
Big Brother and big pharmaceuticals won't stop until every American is on a pill of some type.
ITM
John White, MD
Sir DrSharkey
Sent from my iPhone
Shanghai reports another H7N9 case - 33
Sat, 20 Apr 2013 22:34
SHANGHAI, April 20 (Xinhua) -- A new case of H7N9 bird flu was confirmed Saturday in Shanghai, bringing the municipality's total number of infections to 33, according to local authorities.
The patient, a 75-year-old woman surnamed Li, tested positive for H7N9 on Friday night at Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, according to a statement issued by the Shanghai Municipal Health and Family Planning Commission.
Li exhibited flu symptoms last Saturday, and was hospitalized at Shanghai 6th People's Hospital on Thursday.
Fifteen people who had close contact with the patient have exhibited no abnormal symptoms so far.
Eleven of the 33 cases reported in the city have resulted in death, while five have been discharged from hospital after making a full recovery.
H7N9 virus strain from mainland arrives in Taiwan
Sat, 20 Apr 2013 22:46
Samples of the human H7N9 virus strain, provided by the mainland, arrived in Taipei Saturday and have been sent to a laboratory so their biological features can be studied.The island's disease control authority said the transfer of the virus strain samples indicates that cross-strait cooperation on infectious disease prevention and control has entered a new stage and it hoped for further deepening cooperation.
The samples will be used to assess the effectiveness of virus testing measures on the island, among other research and development work, Taiwan's Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said in a statement.
As to whether the strain can used for production of a H7N9 vaccine, Chou Jih-haw, deputy director of the island's CDC, said that will be considered later.
Twelve suspected H7N9 cases have been reported during the last 24 hours in Taiwan, of which seven were negative, with the remaining five people still being tested. On the mainland, 98 H7N9 cases had been reported as of Saturday, including 18 that ended in death.
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Senator: Climate Change Must Be 'Right Behind Immigration and Gay Rights As An Issue'
Source: MRCTV - News & Politics
Thu, 18 Apr 2013 17:10
MRC TV is an online platform for people to share and view videos, articles and opinions on topics that are important to them -- from news to political issues and rip-roaring humor.
MRC TV is brought to you by the Media Research Center, a 501(c) 3 nonprofit research and education organization. The MRC is located at: 325 South Patrick Street, Alexandria, VA 22314. For information about the MRC, please visit www.MRC.org.
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An Average College Sophomore Who Smoked A LOT Of Marijuana!
France And The UK Have Presented Evidence Nerve Gas Has Been Used In Syria To The UN
Did The FBI Miss A Chance To Stop The Boston Marathon Bombing?
MSNBC: Terrorist Websites Celebrate Boston Marathon Bombing
Man Accused Of Sending Ricin Poison Letter To Obama Is A Very VERY Well Known Elvis Impersonator
VIDEO-'Do The Math' Documentary Premieres on Earth Night April 21 | Occupy America
Sat, 20 Apr 2013 22:49
The "Do the Math" Movie is being screened at house-parties and screenings across the country on April 21st. At 42 minutes, it tells the story of the rising movement to change the terrifying math of the climate crisis and fight the fossil fuel industry.
Two panel discussions featuring Bill McKibben, Dr. James Hansen, and movement allies and leaders will be live-streamed at 8 p.m. ET and then at 8 p.m. PT.
The documentary follows 350.org founder Bill McKibben on last November's Do the Math tour that reached over 25,000 people at sold-out shows in 21 cities across the country (and tens of thousands more online). Part TEDTalk, part revival meeting, the Do the Math show built off of an article called "Global Warming's Terrifying New Math" that Bill had published in Rolling Stone earlier in the summer. The piece became one of the most viral stories ever published by the magazine, garnering over 125,000 likes on Facebook and millions of page views.
In the article, and onstage throughout the tour, Bill laid out three numbers that explain our current crisis: In order to limit global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius, scientists say we can emit only 565 more gigatons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, but the fossil fuel industry has roughly 2,795 gigatons of carbon dioxide just in their reserves, over five times too much. In other words, the fossil fuel industry is a rogue industry, outlaws not against the laws of the United States -- for the most part they get to write those laws but against the laws of physics and chemistry.
You can find out more information about the livestream and organize your own screening at: 350.org/math.
Official: Boston bombing suspect suffers throat injury, may not be able to talk
Sat, 20 Apr 2013 22:53
Chelsea J. CarterCNNApril 20, 2013
Wolf Blitzer at his finest
The surviving suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings suffered an injury to his throat and may not be able to talk, a federal official told CNN on Saturday, possibly hindering attempts by authorities to question him about a motive in the attack.
With one suspect dead, authorities believe answers to a motive and whether the brothers had help rest with Dzhokar Tsarnaev, who was captured Friday night just minutes after authorities had indicated that a massive manhunt for the suspect appeared to come up empty.
The official, who was briefed on Tsarnaev's condition, spoke on condition of anonymity.
Read full article
This article was posted: Saturday, April 20, 2013 at 8:41 pm
Tags: government corruption, terrorism
"The More I Hear About This The More I Don't Like It! THESE GUYS DIDN'T JUST GET LUCKY!"
TSA Chief: Chechen Women With Explosive Bras Inspired U.S. Airport Pat Downs. (video)
Sat, 20 Apr 2013 09:08
Man gets TSA pat down at Denver International Airport on Nov. 17, 2010. (AP Photo/Craig Walker)
(CNSNews.com) - Transportation Security Administration Administrator John Pistole said at a Christian Science Monitor breakfast in 2010 that his agency's policy of doing intrusive pat downs of U.S. air passengers was inspired by two Chechen women who were able to blow up two Russian airliners because "they had explosives in their bras and around their waists."
In fact, a November 2005 report by the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security specifically stipulated that TSA's pat down policy had been initiated in response to the in-air bombing of two Russian airliners by Chechen women who smuggled explosives in their clothing.
''In September 2004, the TSA made changes to strengthen its screening procedures in response to the August 2004 midair explosions of two Russian airliners, believed to have been caused by Chechen women transporting explosive devices concealed under their clothing,'' said the inspector general's report.
''New passenger screening procedures included more frequent use of pat-down inspections, more latitude for screeners to refer individuals for additional screening, and increased use of explosives trace detection machines for passenger carry-on bag inspections,'' said the inspector general.
Women gets a TSA pat down at Denver International Airport. (AP Photo/Craig Walker)
On Aug. 24, 2004, Amanat Nagayeva and Satsita Dzbirkhanova boarded separate flights at Domodedovo Airport outside Moscow," the New York Times reported at the time. Both flights exploded in the air, killing all 90 people who were on board the two planes. It was the beginning of an horrendous Chechen terror spree in Russia.
A week later, another Chechen women committed a suicide bombing at a Moscow subway station. That bomb, as reported by the New York Times, included not ball bearing and nails (like the bombs that exploded at the Boston Marathon this week), but was "packed with bolts or other bits of metal."
Just days after the 2004 Moscow subway bombing, a group of Chechen terrorists held approximately 1,200 people hostage'--most of them children'--at a school in Beslan in southern Russia. That crisis ended when a bomb exploded in the school and Russian troops laid siege to the facility. Most of the 338 victims of that terrorist attack were students.
About three weeks later, in September 2004, as reported by the Washington Post, Shamil Basayev, the Islamist terrorist who had previously served as prime minister of Chechnya, took credit for the airplane bombings, the subway bombing and the Beslan school massacre.
That same month, as the inspector general reported, TSA instituted a more aggressive pat down policy at airports. Then, in the face of widespread public complaints about those pat downs, TSA modified its policy in December 2004.
''In December 2004, TSA modified the September 2004 additional screening procedures to reflect a more targeted, less intrusive pat-down inspection,'' said the inspector general's report. ''Following implementation of the modified procedures, pat-down complaints received by TSA declined significantly.''
In November 2010, however, the Obama administration instituted its own aggressive patdown policy. ''If a full-body scanning machine shows something strange or a passenger declines to go through the machine--which is now in use in the Washington region's three major airports--an officer will perform a more personal search,'' the Washington Post reported at that time. ''The examinations routinely involve the touching of breasts and genitals, invasive searches designed to find weapons and suspicious items.''
At the same time, some news organizations ran videos showing intrusive pat downs. The Washington Times, for example, described an interview TSA Administrator Pistole had with CNN that month in which the network ''showed him video of a woman whose breasts were being felt and a man with his hand in another man's pants.''
At a Nov. 22, 2010 Christian Science Monitor breakfast a reporter asked Pistole about video footage of intrusive pat downs. Pistole pointed back to the 2004 Chechen suicide bombings of Russian planes--which he mistakenly said occured in 2006.
''Well, I think it shows something that people have not seen before,'' said Pistole. ''But I think back to two Russian airliners, I believe it was in the fall of '06, that were taken down--the best intelligence is by two female suicide bombers about 90 minutes apart, where they had explosives in their bras and around their waists.
"Now the question is: What was the screening on that? Was there some others issues?" said Pistole. "But I think there were 134 people were killed between those two terrorist attacks, and the belief was they were Chechens, black widows as they referred to them, who brought those airliners down. So, that is the challenged that we deal with.''