,i #aacth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #ccih ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,october #cj1 #bjac,mr4 ,chabot 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,smith of ,new ,jersey1 and ,ms4 ,mc,collum7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs ,a ,,bill ,to authorize the ,secretary of ,state and the ,administrator of the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development to provide assistance to support the rights of women and girls in developing countries1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,girls ,count ,act of #bjac4 #b4 ,findings ,congress makes the following findings3 7#a7 ,according to the ,united ,states ,census ,bureau's #bjac international figures1 #a person in #ab--or close to #ijj1jjj1jjj people--is a girl or young woman age #aj through #bd4 7#b7 ,the data also asserts that young people are the fastest growing segment of the population in developing countries4 7#c7 ,even though most countries do have birth registration laws1 every year #ea1jjj1jjj children under #e are not registered at birth1 most of whom are girls4 7#d7 ,a nationally recognized proof of birth is the key to determining a child's citizenship1 nationality1 place of birth1 parentage and age1 without which a passport1 drivers license1 or national identification card are impossible to obtain4 ,the lack of such documentation prevents girls and women from officially participating in and benefitting from the formal economic1 legal1 and political sectors in their countries4 7#e7 ,without the ability to gain employment and identification necessary to participate officially in these sectors1 women and girls are confined to the home and left unpaid and often-invisible members of society4 7#f7 ,girls undertake much of the domestic labor needed for poor families to survive3 carrying water1 harvesting crops1 tending livestock1 caring for younger children1 and doing chores4 7#g7 ,accurate assessments of access to education1 poverty levels1 and overall census activities are hampered by the lack of official information on women and girls4 ,without this rudimentary information1 assessments of foreign assistance and domestic social welfare programs cannot be accurately gauged4 7#h7 ,to ensure that women and girls are fully integrated into ,united ,states foreign assistance policies and programs1 that the specific needs of girls are1 to the maximum extent possible1 addressed in the design1 implementation1 and evaluation of development assistance programs1 and that women and girls have the power to effect the decisions that affect their lives1 all girls should be counted and have access to birth certificates and other official documentation4 #c4 ,statement of policy ,it is the policy of the ,united ,states to-- 7#a7 encourage countries to uphold the ,universal ,declaration of ,human ,rights and enact laws that ensure girls and boys of all ages are full participants in society1 including requiring birth certifications and some type of national identity card to ensure that all citizens1 including girls1 are counted2 7#b7 enhance training and capacity-building to developing countries1 local nongovernmental organizations1 and other civil society organizations to effectively address the needs of birth registries in countries where girls are undercounted2 7#c7 include organizations representing children and families in the design1 implementation1 and monitoring of programs under this ,act2 and 7#d7 mainstream into the design1 implementation1 and evaluation of policies and programs at all levels an understanding of the distinctive impact that such policies and programs may have on girls4 #d4 ,united ,states assistance to support counting of girls in the developing world 7a7 ,authorization ,the ,secretary and the ,administrator are authorized to-- 7#a7 support programs that will contribute to improved and sustainable ,civil ,registration and ,vital ,statistics ,systems 7,,crvs7 with a focus on birth registration as the first and most important life event to be registered2 7#b7 promote programs that build the capacity of developing countries' national and local legal and policy frameworks to prevent discrimination against girls2 7#c7 support programs to help increase property rights1 social security1 and home ownership1 land tenure security1 and inheritance rights for women2 7#d7 assist key ministries in the governments of developing countries1 including health1 interior1 youth1 and education ministries1 to ensure that girls from poor households obtain equitable access to social programs4 7b7 ,coordination with multilateral organizations ,the ,secretary shall coordinate with the ,world ,bank1 relevant ,united ,nations agencies and programs1 and other relevant organizations to urge and work with countries to enact1 implement1 and enforce laws that specifically collect data on girls and establish registration and identification laws to ensure girls are active participants in the social1 economic1 legal and political sectors of society in their countries4 7c7 ,coordination with private sector and civil society organizations ,the ,secretary and the ,administrator should work with ,united ,states1 international1 and local private sector and civil society organizations to advocate for the registration and documentation of all girls and boys in developing countries to prevent exploitation1 violence1 and other abuses4 #e4 ,report ,the ,secretary and the ,administrator shall include in all relevant congressionally mandated reports and documents the following information3 7#a7 ,united ,states foreign assistance and development assistance beneficiaries by age1 gender1 and to the extent possible1 marital status1 location1 and school enrollment status in all programs and sectors4 7#b7 ,a description of how ,united ,states foreign assistance and development assistance benefits girls4 7#c7 ,all information on programs that address the particular needs of girls4 #f4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,administrator ,the term ,administrator means the ,administrator of the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development4 7#b7 ,development assistance ,the term development assistance means-- 7,a7 assistance under-- 7i7 chapter #a of part #a of the ,foreign ,assistance ,act of #aifa2 7ii7 the ,millennium ,challenge ,act of #bjjc 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #ggja et seq472 7iii7 the ,united ,states ,leadership ,against ,,hiv_/,,aids1 ,tuberculosis1 and ,malaria ,act of #bjjc 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #gfja et seq472 7iv7 title ,v of the ,international ,security and ,development ,cooperation ,act of #aihj 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #bij;h et seq42 relating to the ,african ,development ,foundation72 or 7v7 section #dja of the ,foreign ,assistance ,act of #aifi 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #bij;f2 relating to the ,inter-,american ,foundation72 7,b7 official development assistance under any provision of law2 and 7,c7 reconstruction assistance under any provision of law4 7#c7 ,foreign assistance ,the term foreign assistance means any tangible or intangible item provided by the ,united ,states ,government to a foreign country or international organization under the ,foreign ,assistance ,act of #aifa 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #baea et seq47 or any other ,act1 including any training1 service1 or technical advice1 any item of real1 personal1 or mixed property1 any agricultural commodity1 any gift1 loan1 sale1 credit1 guarantee1 or export subsidy1 ,united ,states dollars1 and any currencies of any foreign country which are owned by the ,united ,states ,government4 7#d7 ,secretary ,the term ,secretary means the ,secretary of ,state4 #g4 ,sunset ,this ,act shall expire on the date that is #e years after the date of the enactment of this ,act4