[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5501 Introduced in House (IH)]
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115th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 5501
To direct the Secretary of State to take certain actions to end
corruption in the Northern Triangle region of Central America, and for
other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 12, 2018
Mrs. Torres introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on the
Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker,
in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the
jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of State to take certain actions to end
corruption in the Northern Triangle region of Central America, and for
other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``End Corruption in the Northern
Triangle Act''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs 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.
(2) Grand corruption.--The term ``grand corruption'' means
public corruption committed at a high level of government
that--
(A) distorts policies or the central functioning of
the country; and
(B) enables leaders to benefit at the expense of
the public good.
(3) Northern triangle.--The term ``Northern Triangle''
means the region of Central America that encompasses the
countries of Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador.
(4) Northern triangle countries.--The term ``Northern
Triangle countries'' means the countries of Guatemala,
Honduras, and El Salvador.
SEC. 3. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) According to the February 9, 2017, Presidential
Executive order on ``Enforcing Federal Law with Respect to
Transnational Criminal Organizations and Preventing
International Trafficking'', transnational criminal
organizations ``are drivers of crime, corruption, violence, and
misery'', and ``a comprehensive and decisive approach is
required to dismantle these organized crime syndicates and
restore safety for the American people.''.
(2) Since 2008, the United States has provided more than $1
billion through the Central America Regional Security
Initiative in order to address violence, organized crime, and
narcotics trafficking and in Central America.
(3) The 2017 International Narcotics Control Strategy
Report stated that ``corruption within the Salvadoran political
system remains a serious problem''.
(4) According to the same report, in Guatemala ``widespread
corruption permeates public and private institutions and
exacerbates the country's security, governmental, and economic
challenges''.
(5) The same report notes that in Honduras, corruption has
undermined progress on disrupting and degrading illegal
trafficking, because ``trafficking organizations have
infiltrated some military units in active drug corridors''.
SEC. 4. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) systemic corruption constitutes a significant threat to
the long-term prospects for democratic governance, prosperity,
and security in the Northern Triangle, and is an impediment to
United States efforts to reduce the flow of cocaine and other
narcotics from South America to the United States;
(2) the International Commission against Impunity in
Guatemala and the Mission to Support the Fight against
Corruption and Impunity in Honduras have made important
contributions to the fight against corruption in Guatemala and
Honduras, respectively; and
(3) the lack of an international commission against
impunity in El Salvador is a limiting factor in efforts to
combat corruption in that country.
SEC. 5. ANTI-CORRUPTION STRATEGY.
(a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit to the
appropriate congressional committees a strategy to enhance United
States efforts to dismantle systemic corruption in the Northern
Triangle.
(b) Elements.--The strategy shall include the following elements:
(1) Diplomatic and financial support for international
commissions against impunity.
(2) Enhanced cooperation with local prosecutors,
investigative units within national and local police forces,
and revenue and customs authorities of each Northern Triangle
country.
(3) Exchange of information relevant to ongoing criminal
investigations, where possible, with local prosecutors and the
international commissions against impunity.
(4) The designations of individuals within the Northern
Triangle that meet the requirements for designations under--
(A) the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act
(21 U.S.C. 1901 et seq.);
(B) section 212(a)(2)(C) of the Immigration and
Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(2)(C)); or
(C) the Global Magnitsky Human Rights
Accountability Act (subtitle F of title XII of Public
Law 114-328; 22 U.S.C. 2656 note).
SEC. 6. REPORT ON CORRUPTION AND NARCOTICS TRAFFICKING.
(a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in consultation with the
intelligence community (as such term is defined in section 3(4) of the
National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3003(4)), shall submit to the
Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the
Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate a report regarding
corruption and illicit campaign finance in the Northern Triangle.
(b) Matters To Be Included.--The report required under subsection
(a) shall include--
(1) the names of senior government officials in any of the
Northern Triangle countries who are known to have committed or
facilitated acts of grand corruption or narcotics trafficking;
(2) the names of elected officials in any of the Northern
Triangle countries who are known to have received campaign
funds that are the proceeds of narco-trafficking or other
illicit activities in the last 2 years; and
(3) the names of individuals who are known to have
facilitated the financing of political campaigns in any of the
Northern Triangle countries with the proceeds of narco-
trafficking or other illicit activities in the last 2 years.
(c) Form.--The report submitted under subsection (a) shall be
submitted in unclassified form, but may include a classified annex.
SEC. 7. CENTRAL AMERICA REGIONAL SECURITY INITIATIVE.
Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act,
the Secretary of State shall make available on the website of the
Department of State the total amounts of assistance under the Central
America Regional Security Initiative that have been provided to each
country within Central America since fiscal year 2008.
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