22 USC 2151 - Program to provide technical assistance to foreign governments and foreign central banks of developing or transitional countries

View all text of Part I [§ 2151 - § 2152k]

§ 2151aa. Program to provide technical assistance to foreign governments and foreign central banks of developing or transitional countries

(a) Establishment of program

(1) In general

(2) Role of Secretary of State

(b) Conduct of program

(1) In general

(2) Additional requirementsTo the extent practicable, such technical assistance shall be designed to establish—

(A) tax systems that are fair, objective, and efficiently gather sufficient revenues for governmental operations;

(B) debt issuance and management programs that rely on market forces;

(D) commercial banking sector development that efficiently intermediates between savers and investors; and

(E) financial law enforcement to protect the integrity of financial systems, financial institutions, and government programs.

(3) Emphasis on anti-corruption

(1) shall establish a methodology for identifying and selecting foreign governments and foreign central banks to receive assistance under the program;

(2) prior to selecting a foreign government or foreign central bank to receive assistance under the program, shall receive the concurrence of the Secretary of State with respect to the selection of such government or central bank and with respect to the cost of the assistance to such government or central bank;

(3) shall consult with the heads of appropriate Executive agencies of the United States, including the Secretary of State and the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, and appropriate international financial institutions to avoid duplicative efforts with respect to those foreign countries for which such agencies or organizations provide similar assistance;

(4) shall ensure that the program is consistent with the International Affairs Strategic Plan and Mission Performance Plan of the United States Agency for International Development;

(5) shall establish and carry out a plan to evaluate the program.

(d) Administrative authoritiesIn carrying out the program established under subsection (a), the Secretary shall have the following administrative authorities:

(1) The Secretary may provide allowances and benefits under chapter 9 of title I of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 4081 et seq.) to any officer or employee of any agency of the United States Government performing functions under this section outside the United States.

(2)

(A) The Secretary may allocate or transfer to any agency of the United States Government any part of any funds available for carrying out this section, including any advance to the United States Government by any country or international organization for the procurement of commodities, supplies, or services.

(B) Such funds shall be available for obligation and expenditure for the purposes for which such funds were authorized, in accordance with authority granted in this section or under authority governing the activities of the agency of the United States Government to which such funds are allocated or transferred.

(3) Appropriations for the purposes of or pursuant to this section, and allocations to any agency of the United States Government from other appropriations for functions directly related to the purposes of this section, shall be available for—

(A) contracting with individuals for personal services abroad, except that such individuals shall not be regarded as employees of the United States Government for the purpose of any law administered by the Office of Personnel Management;

(B) the purchase and hire of passenger motor vehicles, except that passenger motor vehicles may be purchased only—

(i) for use in foreign countries; and

(ii) if the Secretary or the Secretary’s designee has determined that the vehicle is necessary to accomplish the mission;

(D)

(i) the rent or lease outside the United States, not to exceed 5 years, of offices, buildings, grounds, and quarters, including living quarters to house personnel, consistent with the relevant interagency housing board policy, and payments therefor in advance;

(ii) maintenance, furnishings, necessary repairs, improvements, and alterations to properties owned or rented by the United States Government or made available for use to the United States Government outside the United States; and

(iii) costs of insurance, fuel, water, and utilities for such properties;

(E) expenses of preparing and transporting to their former homes or places of burial the remains of foreign participants or members of the family of foreign participants, who may die while such participants are away from their homes participating in activities carried out with funds covered by this section;

(F) notwithstanding any other provision of law, transportation and payment of per diem in lieu of subsistence to foreign participants engaged in activities of the program under this section while such participants are away from their homes in countries other than the United States, at rates not in excess of those prescribed by the standardized Government travel regulations;

(G) expenses in connection with travel of personnel outside the United States, including travel expenses of dependents (including expenses during necessary stop-overs while engaged in such travel), and transportation of personal effects, household goods, and automobiles of such personnel when any part of such travel or transportation begins in one fiscal year pursuant to travel orders issued in that fiscal year, notwithstanding the fact that such travel or transportation may not be completed during the same fiscal year, and cost of transporting automobiles to and from a place of storage, and the cost of storing automobiles of such personnel when it is in the public interest or more economical to authorize storage; and

(H) grants to, and cooperative agreements and contracts with, any individual, corporation, or other body of persons, nonprofit organization, friendly government or government agency, whether within or without the United States, and international organizations, as the Secretary determines is appropriate to carry out the purposes of this section.

(4) Whenever the Secretary determines it to be consistent with the purposes of this section, the Secretary is authorized to furnish services and commodities on an advance-of-funds basis to any friendly country or international organization that is not otherwise prohibited from receiving assistance under this chapter. Such advances may be credited to the currently applicable appropriation, account, or fund of the Department of the Treasury and shall be available for the purposes for which such appropriation, account, or fund is authorized to be used.

(e) Issuance of regulations

(f) Rule of construction

(g) Termination of assistance

(h) Report

(1) In general

(2) DefinitionIn this subsection, the term “appropriate congressional committees” means—

(A) the Committee on International Relations and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives; and

(B) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate.

(i) DefinitionsIn this section:

(1) Developing or transitional country

(2) International financial institution

(3) Secretary

(4) Technical assistanceThe term “technical assistance” includes—

(A) the use of short-term and long-term expert advisers to assist foreign governments and foreign central banks for the purposes described in subsection (b)(1);

(B) training in the recipient country, the United States, or elsewhere for the purposes described in subsection (b)(1);

(D) grants to United States nonprofit organizations to provide services or products which contribute to the provision of advice to foreign governments and foreign central banks; and

(E) study tours for foreign officials in the United States or elsewhere for the purpose of providing technical information to such officials.

(5) Foreign participant

(j) Authorization of appropriations

(1) In general

(2) Availability of amounts

(Pub. L. 87–195, pt. I, § 129, as added Pub. L. 105–277, div. A, § 101(d) [title V, § 589(a)], Oct. 21, 1998, 112 Stat. 2681–150, 2681–205; amended Pub. L. 106–309, title II, § 204, Oct. 17, 2000, 114 Stat. 1092.)