#aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #dfcf ,,an ,,act ,to authorize the ,secretary of ,state and the ,administrator of the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development to prioritize and advance efforts to improve waste management systems and prevent and reduce plastic waste and marine debris1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,partnering and ,leveraging ,assistance to ,stop ,trash for ,international ,cleaner ,seas ,act or the ,,plastics ,act4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,eight million metric tons of plastic enter the ocean every year4 ,marine debris damages the health of marine life1 impedes local economic development1 and threatens health systems4 ,ten river systems carry an estimated #ij percent of the river-based plastic waste that ends up in the ocean4 7#b7 ,mismanaged plastic waste has the highest risk of contaminating rivers and oceans4 ,china contributes the largest share of this mismanaged waste1 followed by ,indonesia1 the ,philippines1 ,vietnam1 ,thailand1 ,egypt1 ,nigeria1 and ,south ,africa4 ,the ,united ,states is the world's second-largest producer and consumer of plastics products1 and the top exporter of plastic scrap4 7#c7 ,most marine debris1 particularly plastics1 enters the oceans from land-based sources1 mainly in developing countries1 that lack the capacity to adequately manage waste and prevent dumping4 7#d7 ,during the ,our ,ocean ,conference in ,october #bjah1 the ,united ,states announced assistance to prevent marine debris from entering the ocean through development of waste management systems and reduce plastics in marine protected areas in the ,indo-,pacific4 7#e7 ,during the ,june #bjai ,g#bj ,summit in ,osaka1 ,japan1 the ,united ,states joined other ,g#bj members in endorsing the ,osaka ,blue ,ocean ,vision to reduce additional pollution by marine plastic litter to zero by #bjej and the ,g#bj ,implementation ,framework for ,actions on ,marine ,plastic ,litter1 which outlines a commitment to prevent and reduce plastic debris in the oceans through waste management and clean-up efforts to remove marine plastic debris and prioritizes efforts to advance innovative solutions and international cooperation to support such initiatives4 #c4 ,statement of policy ,it is the policy of the ,united ,states to consult1 partner1 and coordinate with the governments of foreign countries1 international organizations1 private and civil society entities1 and other stakeholders in a concerted effort to-- 7#a7 prevent and reduce marine debris and plastic waste1 including through reduced consumption1 greater transparency in global trade of plastic waste1 and support for integrated waste management systems in developing countries2 7#b7 advance innovative market-based solutions and catalyze private capital to prevent and reduce marine debris and plastic waste1 support integrated waste management systems1 and improve market demand for recycled material2 7#c7 build the capacity of national and subnational governments in other countries to develop and implement integrated waste management systems1 measure and report progress in reducing plastic waste1 and prevent plastic waste from entering rivers and oceans2 7#d7 support local economic development through programs that assist community members1 particularly women1 youth1 and marginalized populations1 to derive economic benefit from waste products and participation in waste management systems2 and 7#e7 engage in international and regional cooperation to prevent and reduce marine debris and plastic waste1 share best practices1 and empower national and subnational governments1 local communities1 civil society1 and the private sector to engage in such efforts4 #d4 ,sense of ,congress ,it is the sense of ,congress that1 in pursuing the policy described in section #c1 the ,president should direct ,united ,states representatives to appropriate international bodies to use the voice1 vote1 and influence of the ,united ,states to advocate support for the following3 7#a7 ,efforts to improve transparency in global trade of plastic waste1 improve plastic waste regulation to ensure the safety of humans and the environment1 strengthen integrated waste management systems1 and prevent1 reduce1 reuse1 and recycle plastic waste1 to the extent practical4 7#b7 ,collaborative approaches to establish measurable targets and objectives1 with related action plans1 for reducing marine debris and plastic waste from all sources and sharing best practices in waste prevention and management systems to prevent plastic waste4 #e4 ,united ,states support to improve waste management systems and prevent and reduce marine debris 7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of ,state and the ,administrator of the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development1 in coordination with the heads of relevant ,federal departments and agencies1 are authorized to prioritize and advance ongoing global efforts to-- 7#a7 prevent and reduce marine debris and plastic waste1 including through reduced consumption1 greater transparency in global trade of plastic waste1 and support for integrated waste management systems in developing countries2 7#b7 advance innovative market-based solutions and catalyze private capital to prevent and reduce marine debris and plastic waste1 support integrated waste management systems1 and improve market demand for recycled material2 7#c7 build the capacity of national and subnational governments in other countries to develop and implement integrated waste management systems1 measure and report progress in reducing plastic waste1 and prevent plastic waste from entering rivers and oceans2 and 7#d7 support local economic development through programs that assist community members1 particularly women1 youth1 and marginalized populations1 to derive economic benefit from waste products and participation in waste management systems4 7b7 ,coordination with private sector ,the ,secretary and the ,administrator1 in coordination with the ,chief ,executive ,officer of the ,united ,states ,international ,development ,finance ,corporation and the ,chief ,executive ,officer of the ,millennium ,challenge ,corporation and in consultation with the heads of relevant ,federal departments and agencies1 are authorized and encouraged to work with entities in the private sector and with nongovernmental organizations to leverage sources of public and private capital to complement the efforts described in subsection 7a71 including by financing infrastructure investments1 supporting capacity-building activities1 and entering into cost-sharing1 cost-matching1 and other cooperative agreements to support and finance such efforts4 7c7 ,monitoring and evaluation ,the ,secretary and the ,administrator shall establish monitoring and evaluation mechanisms1 including measurable goals1 objectives1 and benchmarks1 to ensure the effective use of ,united ,states foreign assistance to achieve the objectives described in paragraphs 7#a7 through 7#d7 of subsection 7a74 7d7 ,domestic resource mobilization ,in carrying out the authority under subsection 7a71 the ,secretary and the ,administrator1 in coordination with the heads of relevant ,federal departments and agencies1 shall seek to provide technical assistance to mobilize the domestic resources of recipient countries in order to increase cost-sharing1 self-reliance1 and host country ownership of waste prevention and management programs4 7e7 ,cost limitation ,no additional funds are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this ,act4 7f7 ,report ,not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary and the ,administrator1 in consultation with the heads of relevant ,federal departments and agencies1 shall jointly submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on ongoing programs and monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to carry out the authority under subsection 7a7 that includes a description of-- 7#a7 the monitoring and evaluation plans and indicators used to measure performance of assistance programs1 in accordance with subsection 7d72 7#b7 best practices and lessons learned in implementing the efforts authorized under subsection 7a72 7#c7 the extent to which recipient countries have demonstrated a commitment and willingness to cooperate to advance the efforts described in subsection 7a7 and to dedicate resources to support waste prevention and management initiatives2 7#d7 the extent to which host country governments and other governments in the region are investing resources to advance initiatives to prevent or reduce marine debris and plastic waste and develop integrated waste management systems2 and 7#e7 the extent to which other funding sources1 including through private sector investment1 have been identified to advance waste prevention and management initiatives4 7g7 ,appropriate congressional committees defined ,in this section1 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 #f4 ,plastic ,waste ,reduction ,initiative 7a7 ,in general ,the ,chief ,executive ,officer of the ,united ,states ,international ,development ,finance ,corporation is authorized to establish1 in coordination with relevant ,federal departments and agencies and incorporating any existing programs of the ,corporation for such purposes1 an initiative to pursue investment opportunities to address plastic waste pollution and support improved1 integrated waste management systems in developing countries1 including by catalyzing global public and private-sector investments to prevent and reduce marine debris and plastic waste in such countries4 7b7 ,reference ,the initiative established under subsection 7a7 may be referred to as the ,plastic ,waste ,reduction ,initiative4 ,passed the ,house of ,representatives ,november #ah1 #bjbj4;,clerk4