,i  #aacth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #bfch  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,july #aj1 #bjac ,mr4
 ,poe of ,texas 7for himself and ,mr4   
,connolly7 introduced the following     
bill2 which was referred to the         
,committee on ,foreign ,affairs  ,a     
,,bill  ,to direct the ,president to    
establish guidelines for ,united ,states
 foreign assistance1 and for other      
purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act  
may be cited as the ,foreign ,aid       
,transparency and ,accountability ,act  
of #bjac4  #b4 ,guidelines for ,united  
,states foreign assistance  7a7 ,purpose
 ,the purpose of this section is to     
evaluate the performance of ,united     
,states foreign assistance and its      
contribution to policy1 strategies1     
projects1 program goals1 and priorities 
undertaken by the ,united ,states1 to   
foster and promote innovative programs  
to improve the effectiveness of ,united 
,states foreign assistance1 and to      
coordinate the monitoring and evaluation

 processes of ,federal departments and  
agencies that administer ,united ,states
 foreign assistance4  7b7 ,establishment
 of guidelines ,not later than #ah      
months after the date of the enactment  
of this ,act1 the ,president shall      
establish guidelines regarding the      
establishment of measurable goals1      
performance metrics1 and monitoring and 
evaluation plans that can be applied    
with reasonable consistency to ,united  
,states foreign assistance4 ,such       
guidelines should be established        
according to best practices of          
monitoring and evaluation studies and   
analyses4  7c7 ,objectives of guidelines
  7#a7 ,in general ,the guidelines      
established under this section shall    
provide direction to ,federal           
departments and agencies that administer
 ,united ,states foreign assistance on  
how to develop the complete range of    
activities relating to the monitoring of
 resources1 the evaluation of projects1 
the evaluation of program impacts1 and  

analysis that is necessary for the      
identification of findings1             
generalizations that can be derived from
 those findings1 and their applicability
 to proposed project and program design4
  7#b7 ,objectives ,specifically1 the   
guidelines shall provide direction on   
how to achieve the following objectives 
for monitoring and evaluation of        
programs3  7,a7 ,building measurable    
goals1 performance metrics1 and         
monitoring and evaluation into program  
design1 to be tracked against an        
established baseline at the outset1     
including the provision of sufficient   
program resources to conduct monitoring 
and evaluation4  7,b7 ,disseminating    
guidelines for the development and      
implementation of monitoring and        
evaluation programs to all personnel1   
especially in the field1 who are        
responsible for the design1             
implementation1 and management of       
,united ,states foreign assistance      
programs4  7,c7 ,developing a           

clearinghouse capacity for the          
collection and dissemination of         
knowledge and lessons learned that serve
 as benchmarks to guide future programs 
for ,united ,states development         
professionals1 implementing partners1   
the international aid community1 and aid
 recipient governments1 and as a        
repository of knowledge on lessons      
learned4  7,d7 ,distributing evaluation 
reports internally and making the       
reports available online to the public4 
,in addition1 providing a summary of    
each evaluation1 including a description
 of the evaluation methodology1 and key 
findings and recommendations made in the
 evaluation1 to the public online in a  
fully searchable form1 within #ij days  
after the completion of the evaluation4 
,any material made available online     
under this subparagraph may not include 
any classified or proprietary           
information of nongovernmental          
organizations1 contractors1 or private  
sector entities4  7,e7 ,establishing    

annual monitoring and evaluation agendas
 and objectives4  7,f7 ,applying        
rigorous monitoring and evaluation      
methodologies to focus on learning1     
accountability1 and policymaking1       
choosing from among a wide variety of   
qualitative1 quantitative1 summative1   
and formative methods common in the     
field of social scientific inquiry1     
including impact evaluations1 a simple  
grading system providing a clear        
evaluation of outcomes1 and analysis of 
project logic that includes inputs1     
activities1 outputs1 intermediate       
outcomes1 and end outcomes4  7,g7       
,partnering with the academic community1
 implementing partners1 and national and
 international institutions that have   
expertise in monitoring and evaluation  
and analysis when such partnerships will
 provide needed expertise or will       
significantly improve the evaluation and
 analysis4  7,h7 ,developing and        
implementing a training plan for        
appropriate aid personnel on the proper 

conduct of monitoring and evaluation    
programs4  7,i7 ,providing relevant and 
useful evaluation questions that meet   
the needs of decision makers1 an        
appropriate and feasible design for the 
evaluation questions1 and criteria that 
permit objective assessment and valid   
conclusions on the evaluation questions4
  7,j7 ,ensuring sufficient1 credible1  
and reliable measures and data in the   
evaluation of the effectiveness of      
foreign assistance programs1 including  
an assessment of assumptions and        
limitations made in such evaluation4    
7,k7 ,ensuring that generally accepted  
standards such as independence1         
professional judgment1 competence1 and  
quality control and assurance are       
followed in the monitoring and          
evaluation of programs4  7d7            
,implementation of ,guidelines          
,beginning not later than one year after
 the date on which the ,president       
establishes the guidelines under this   
section1 the head of each ,federal      

department or agency that administers   
,united ,states foreign assistance shall
 administer the ,united ,states foreign 
assistance in accordance with the       
guidelines4  7e7 ,presidential report   
,not later than #ah months after the    
date of the enactment of this ,act1 the 
,president shall submit to the          
appropriate congressional committees a  
report that contains a detailed         
description of the guidelines that have 
been developed on measurable goals1     
performance metrics1 and monitoring and 
evaluation plans for ,united ,states    
foreign assistance established under    
this section4 ,the report shall be      
submitted in unclassified form to the   
maximum extent possible1 but may include
 a classified annex4  7f7               
,implementation not required for certain
 security sector assistance  7#a7 ,in   
general ,the ,secretary of ,state shall 
not be required to administer any       
,united ,states foreign assistance      
program relating to ,united ,states     

security sector assistance in accordance
 with the guidelines established under  
this section if the ,secretary of ,state
 makes a determination that the         
administration of such program in       
accordance with the guidelines would be 
detrimental to the national interests of
 the ,united ,states4  7#b7 ,briefings  
or report ,the ,secretary of ,state     
shall provide briefings or submit a     
written report to the appropriate       
congressional committees explaining any 
determination made under paragraph 7#a74
 ,any such report may be submitted to   
the appropriate congressional committees
 in classified form4  7g7 ,comptroller  
,general reports ,the ,comptroller      
,general of the ,united ,states shall-- 
7#a7 not later than #a year after the   
date of the enactment of this ,act1     
submit to the appropriate congressional 
committees a report that contains an    
analysis of the actions that the major  
,federal departments and agencies that  
administer ,united ,states foreign      

assistance have taken to ensure that the
 evaluation of ,united ,states foreign  
assistance is planned1 conducted1 and   
utilized effectively2  7#b7 not later   
than #c years after the date of the     
enactment of this ,act1 submit to the   
appropriate congressional committees a  
report that contains an analysis of--   
7,a7 the guidelines established pursuant
 to subsection 7b72 and  7,b7 the       
implementation of the guidelines by the 
major ,federal departments and agencies 
that administer ,united ,states foreign 
assistance2 and  7#c7 not later than #e 
years after the date of the enactment of
 this ,act1 and biennially thereafter   
for #h years1 submit to the appropriate 
congressional committees a report that  
contains an analysis of the             
implementation of the guidelines by the 
major ,federal departments and agencies 
that administer ,united ,states foreign 
assistance4  7h7 ,evaluation defined ,in
 this section1 the term evaluation      
means1 with respect to a ,united ,states

 foreign assistance program1 the        
systematic collection and analysis of   
information about the characteristics   
and outcomes of the program and projects
 under the program as a basis for       
judgments1 to improve effectiveness1 and
 to inform decisions about current and  
future programming4  #c4 ,revision to   
,internet website to make publicly      
available comprehensive1 timely1        
comparable1 and accessible information  
on ,united ,states foreign assistance   
programs  7a7 ,revision2 information    
sharing and updates2 feedback mechanism 
7#a7 ,in general ,not later than #cj    
days after the date of the enactment of 
this ,act1 the ,president shall direct  
the ,secretary of ,state to revise the  
,department of ,state's ,internet       
website ,foreign,assistance4gov to make 
publicly available in unclassified form 
comprehensive1 timely1 comparable1 and  
accessible information on ,united       
,states foreign assistance4  7#b7       
,information sharing and updates  7,a7  

,information sharing ,the head of each  
,federal department or agency that      
administers ,united ,states foreign     
assistance shall1 not later than #b     
years after the date of the enactment of
 this ,act1 and every #ij days          
thereafter1 provide to the ,secretary of
 ,state such information with respect to
 the ,united ,states foreign assistance 
programs carried out by such ,federal   
department or agency4  7,b7 ,updates    
,the ,secretary of ,state shall publish 
not later than #b years after the date  
of the enactment of this ,act and       
thereafter update on a quarterly basis  
on the ,internet website the information
 provided under subparagraph 7,a74  7#c7
 ,feedback mechanism ,the website       
described in paragraph 7#a7 shall       
include a feedback mechanism through    
which individuals are able to provide   
comments on any ,united ,states foreign 
assistance program4  7b7 ,matters ,to be
 included  7#a7 ,in general ,the        
information described in subsection     

7a77#a7 shall be published on a detailed
 program-by-program basis and           
country-by-country basis4  7#b7 ,types  
of information ,to ensure transparency1 
accountability1 and effectiveness of    
,united ,states foreign assistance1 such
 information shall include country      
assistance strategies1 annual budget    
documents1 congressional budget         
justifications1 obligations1            
expenditures1 and reports and           
evaluations1 including those developed  
pursuant to the guidelines established  
under section #b1 for ,united ,states   
foreign assistance programs and projects
 under such programs4 ,each type of     
information described in this paragraph 
shall be published or updated on the    
,internet website not later than #ij    
days after the date on which the        
information is issued4  7#c7 ,report in 
lieu of inclusion ,if--  7,a7 the head  
of a ,federal department or agency makes
 a determination that the inclusion of a
 required item of information on the    

,internet website under subsection      
7a77#a7 would jeopardize the health or  
security of an implementing partner or  
program beneficiary1 or  7,b7 the       
,secretary of ,state makes a            
determination that the inclusion of a   
required item of information on the     
,internet website under subsection      
7a77#a7 would be detrimental to the     
national interests of the ,united       
,states1  then the head of such ,federal
 department or agency or the ,secretary 
of ,state1 as the case may be1 shall    
provide briefings to the appropriate    
congressional committees on the item of 
information or submit to the appropriate
 congressional committees the item of   
information in a written report in lieu 
of it being included on the ,internet   
website1 along with the reasons for it  
not being included on the ,internet     
website4 ,any such item of information  
may be submitted to the appropriate     
congressional committees in classified  
form4  7c7 ,scope of information  7#a7  

,in general ,the ,internet website shall
 contain the information described in   
subsection 7b7 as follows3  7,a7 ,for   
fiscal year #bjac1 the information      
relating to such fiscal year and each of
 the immediately preceding #b fiscal    
years4  7,b7 ,for fiscal year #bjad1 the
 information relating to such fiscal    
year and each of the immediately        
preceding #c fiscal years4  7,c7 ,for   
fiscal year #bjae1 the information      
relating to such fiscal year and each of
 the immediately preceding #d fiscal    
years4  7,d7 ,for fiscal year #bjaf and 
each fiscal year thereafter1 the        
information relating to such fiscal year
 and each of the immediately preceding  
#e fiscal years4  7#b7 ,older           
information ,for fiscal year #bjag and  
each fiscal year thereafter1 the        
,internet website shall also contain a  
link to a searchable database available 
to the public containing information    
described in subsection 7b7 relating to 
fiscal years prior to the immediately   

preceding #e fiscal years but subsequent
 to fiscal year #bjaj4  #d4             
,congressional briefings if requirements
 of section #c are not met ,if the      
information described in section #c7;b7 
with respect to a ,united ,states       
foreign assistance program is not       
provided as required under section #c1  
then the head of the relevant ,federal  
department or agency shall provide      
briefings to the appropriate            
congressional committees1 along with a  
detailed explanation of why the         
requirements for publication on the     
,internet have not been met and when    
they will be met1 with respect to each  
month for which such information is not 
published on the ,internet4  #e4 ,offset
 ,of the amounts authorized to be       
appropriated for ,united ,states foreign
 assistance programs of a ,federal      
department or agency that administers   
such programs for a fiscal year1 up to  
#e percent of such amounts are          
authorized to be appropriated to carry  

out this ,act with respect to such      
programs for such fiscal year4  #f4     
,definitions ,in this ,act3  7#a7       
,appropriate congressional committees   
,the term appropriate congressional     
committees means--  7,a7 the ,committee 
on ,foreign ,affairs and the ,committee 
on ,appropriations of the ,house of     
,representatives2 and  7,b7 the         
,committee on ,foreign ,relations and   
the ,committee on ,appropriations of the
 ,senate4  7#b7 ,united ,states foreign 
assistance ,the term ,united ,states    
foreign assistance means any tangible or
 intangible item provided by gift1 loan1
 sale1 credit1 guaranty1 or other means 
by any agency of the ,united ,states    
,government to a foreign country1       
including any training1 service1 or     
technical advice1 any item of real1     
personal1 or mixed property1 any        
agricultural commodity1 ,united ,states 
dollars1 and any currencies of any      
foreign country which are owned by the  
,united ,states ,government4  7#c7      

,united ,states security sector         
assistance ,the term ,united ,states    
security sector assistance--  7,a7 means
 policies1 programs1 and activities that
 the ,united ,states ,government employs
 to engage with foreign partners in the 
use of force to protect both the foreign
 state and its citizens at home or      
abroad1 maintain international peace and
 security1 and to enforce the law and   
provide oversight of security           
institutions and forces2 and  7,b7      
includes helping foreign partners build 
and sustain the capacity and            
effectiveness of institutions to provide
 security1 safety1 and justice for their
 people and to contribute to efforts    
that address common security challenges4