,i #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #eehf ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,january #ac1 #bjbj,mr4 ,jeffries 7for himself1 ,mrs4 ,wagner1 ,mr4 ,hurd of ,texas1 ,mr4 ,spano1 ,ms4 ,clarke of ,new ,york1 ,mr4 ,hastings1 ,ms4 ,wilson of ,florida1 ,mr4 ,waltz1 and ,ms4 ,lee of ,california7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs ,a ,,bill ,to measure the progress of recovery and development efforts in ,haiti and the strength of democracy and rule of law in the country4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,haiti ,development1 ,accountability1 and ,institutional ,transparency ,initiative ,act4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,on ,january #ab1 #bjaj1 a massive earthquake struck near the ,haitian capital city of ,port-au-,prince1 leaving an estimated #bbj1jjj people dead1 including #ajc ,united ,states citizens1 #aja ,united ,nations personnel1 and nearly #ah percent of the nation's civil service1 as well as #cjj1jjj injured1 #aae1jjj homes destroyed1 and #a1ejj1jjj people displaced4 7#b7 ,the ,post ,disaster ,needs ,assessment conducted by the ,government of ,haiti1 the ,united ,nations1 the ,world ,bank1 the ,inter-,american ,development ,bank1 and others estimated that damage and economic losses from the ,january #ab1 #bjaj1 earthquake totaled #g1hjd1jjj1jjj4 7#c7 ,the international community1 led by the ,united ,states and the ,united ,nations1 mounted an unprecedented humanitarian response to the earthquake in ,haiti4 ,through #bjah1 more than #h billion has been disbursed by donors4 ,since the #bjaj earthquake1 the ,united ,states ,government has disbursed more than #d1jjj1jjj1jjj in recovery and development funding4 7#d7 ,on ,october #d1 #bjaf1 ,hurricane ,matthew struck southwestern ,haiti on the ,tiburon ,peninsula1 causing widespread damage and flooding and leaving #a4d million people in need of immediate assistance4 ,the strongest storm to hit ,haiti since ,hurricane ,cleo in #aifd1 #b4a million people were directly affected by the hurricane4 7#e7 ,recovery efforts continue almost #c years after ,hurricane ,matthew made landfall in #bjaf4 ,the ,world ,bank estimates storm-caused losses and damages valued at #cb percent of #bjae ,gross ,domestic ,product4 7#f7 ,prior to both the earthquake and hurricane1 ,haiti registered among the lowest socioeconomic indicators and the second highest rate of income disparity in the world1 conditions that have further complicated disaster recovery and resilience efforts4 7#g7 ,in ,june #bjai1 ,world ,food ,program reported that ,haiti has one of the highest levels of chronic food insecurity in the world with more than half of its total population chronically food insecure and #bb percent of children chronically malnourished4 7#h7 ,in ,october #bjaj1 an unprecedented outbreak of cholera in ,haiti resulted in over #hjj1jjj reported cases and over #i1jjj deaths to date4 ,the ,pan ,american ,health ,organization reported in #bjah that the cholera incidence rate in ,haiti is #be4e cases per #ajj1jjj4 7#i7 ,with ,united ,states assistance1 almost #ad1jjj jobs have been created1 largely in the apparel industry at the ,caracol ,industrial ,park 7in partnership with the ,inter-,american ,development ,bank1 the ,haitian government1 and the private sector7 in northern ,haiti4 7#aj7 ,evidence suggests that people displaced by the #bjaj earthquake and hurricanes in following years1 especially ,hurricane ,matthew in #bjaf1 still face displacement-related vulnerabilities today4 7#aa7 ,on ,november #ac1 #bjah1 at least #ei people were shot and killed in the ,port-au-,prince neighborhood of ,la ,saline4 ,after months of investigations1 no one has been held responsible for the ,la ,saline massacre4 7#ab7 ,since #bjah1 tens of thousands of ,haitians have participated in a series of demonstrations demanding accountability over government spending of ,petrocaribe resources4 ,in early #bjai1 the ,haitian superior court of auditors released an investigation implicating high-level government officials in the misappropriation of funds4 7#ac7 ,from ,august #bjah through ,february #bjai1 local human rights organizations reported that #fd ,haitian citizens were killed in protests4 7#ad7 ,in #bjai1 according to the ,committee to ,protect ,journalists1 five ,haitian journalists have been shot while covering protests1 including one who was killed4 ,on ,september #bc1 #bjai1 ,haitian ,senator ,jean ,marie ,ralph ,fthire shot ,associated ,press photojournalist ,chery ,dieu-,nalio in the face after he exited his car and fired multiple shots near a crowd of people surrounding him4 7#ae7 ,economic growth in ,haiti is projected to drop below #a4e percent this year4 ,inflation is estimated to be #ae percent and the local currency has depreciated by #cj percent in the past year4 ,the government and parliament have failed to pass a budget for two years1 preventing the ,international ,monetary ,fund and other multilaterals from disbursing millions in international assistance4 7#af7 ,midterm elections set for ,october #bjai did not take place and will leave ,president ,moise ruling by decree after two-thirds of the ,haitian ,senate expires in ,january #bjbj4 #c4 ,statement of policy ,it is the policy of the ,united ,states to support the sustainable rebuilding and development of ,haiti in a manner that-- 7#a7 embraces ,haitian independence1 self-reliance1 sovereignty1 democratic governance1 and efficiency2 7#b7 promotes efforts that are led by and support the people and ,government of ,haiti at all levels so that ,haitians lead the course of reconstruction and development of ,haiti2 7#c7 encourages and assists the building of long-term capacity for civil society in ,haiti2 7#d7 fosters collaboration between the ,haitian diaspora in the ,united ,states and the ,haitian government2 7#e7 combats impunity and prioritizes delivering justice to victims of human rights abuses2 7#f7 ensures the protection and promotion of a free ,haitian press2 7#g7 respects the sovereignty and individual liberty of ,haitian citizens to peacefully demonstrate2 7#h7 demands increased transparency and heightens accountability among all branches of government1 including through efforts to reduce corruption and address human rights concerns2 7#i7 assists and helps build community resilience to environmental and weather-related impacts2 and 7#aj7 promotes the holding of free1 fair1 and timely elections in accordance with democratic principles and the ,haitian ,constitution4 #d4 ,actions to hold ,la ,saline shooting perpetrators and violators of human rights in ,haiti accountable 7a7 ,secretary of state prioritization ,the ,secretary of ,state shall prioritize the protection and preservation of human rights in ,haiti by carrying out the following initiatives3 7#a7 ,fostering strong relationships with independent civil society groups focused on monitoring human rights concerns and promoting democracy in ,haiti4 7#b7 ,collaborating with ,haitian government officials to ensure that human rights violators in ,haiti are held accountable for their actions4 7#c7 ,identifying corrupt public and private sector officials and violators of human rights in ,haiti4 7#d7 ,addressing concerns of perceived impunity for hostile orchestrators of the ,la ,saline shooting4 7b7 ,strategy 7#a7 ,elements ,not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,state shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a detailed summary of the happenings on ,november #ac1 #bjah1 in the ,port-au-,prince neighborhood of ,la ,saline and a strategy for carrying out the initiatives described in subsection 7a74 ,the strategy shall include-- 7,a7 a breakdown of how the massacre in ,la ,saline related to mass protests occurring concurrently in the country2 7,b7 an analysis of the ,la ,saline shooting reports authored by the ,united ,nations1 the ,european ,union1 and the ,government of ,haiti2 7,c7 a detailed description of all known actors implicated in the shooting2 7,d7 an overview of efforts taken by the ,haitian government to bring the orchestrators of the ,la ,saline shooting to justice2 and 7,e7 an assessment of the ensuing treatment and displacement of the ,la ,saline shooting survivors4 7#b7 ,consultation ,in devising the strategy required under paragraph 7#a71 the ,secretary shall consult with nongovernmental organizations in ,haiti and the ,united ,states4 7#c7 ,public availability ,the strategy required under paragraph 7#a7 shall be made publicly available on the website of the ,department of ,state4 #e4 ,actions to promote freedom of the press and assembly in ,haiti 7a7 ,prioritization ,the ,secretary of ,state shall prioritize the promotion of press and assembly freedoms as well as the protection of journalists in ,haiti by carrying out the following initiatives3 7#a7 ,advocating for increased protection of the press and freedom to peacefully assemble in ,haiti4 7#b7 ,collaborating with government and nongovernment officials to increase security for journalists in ,haiti4 7#c7 ,supporting efforts to strengthen access to information in ,haiti4 7#d7 ,ensuring that threats and attacks on journalists and protestors are fully investigated and perpetrators are held accountable4 7#e7 ,developing increased protection measures against police violence4 7b7 ,assessment 7#a7 ,elements ,not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,state1 shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees an assessment of press freedom and the right to assembly in ,haiti4 ,the assessment shall include-- 7,a7 a detailed description of all known attacks on journalists in the past #ab months2 7,b7 a description of protests in the past #ab months and an assessment of ,haitian government response to each protest2 7,c7 a summary of the ,haitian government's efforts to increase protection for journalists2 and 7,d7 a description of best practices the ,united ,states embassy can employ to promote press freedom and the freedom of expression in ,haiti4 7#b7 ,consultation ,in devising the assessment required under subsection 7a71 the ,secretary of ,state shall consult with nongovernmental organizations in ,haiti and the ,united ,states4 7#c7 ,public availability ,the assessment required under paragraph 7#a7 shall be made publicly available on the website of the ,department of ,state4 #f4 ,actions to combat corruption in ,haiti 7a7 ,prioritization ,the ,secretary of ,state shall prioritize efforts to combat corruption in ,haiti by carrying out the following initiatives3 7#a7 ,identifying government and nongovernment officials known or alleged to have partaken in corrupt acts4 7#b7 ,supporting the strengthening of a justice system independent of the executive branch4 7#c7 ,ensuring that both government and nongovernment officials are held accountable for corrupt actions4 7#d7 ,promoting and protecting nongovernment civil society groups monitoring institutionalized corruption in ,haiti4 7#e7 ,supporting demands for clarity and accountability in the ,petrocaribe scandal4 7#f7 ,strengthening institutional transparency and ensuring that ,haitian government officials are not immune from prosecution4 7b7 ,assessment 7#a7 ,elements ,not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,state1 in coordination with the ,administrator of the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development1 shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees an assessment for combating institutional corruption in ,haiti4 ,the assessment shall include-- 7,a7 an overview and detailed history of the ,petrocaribe scandal1 including an in-depth description of former and current officials and businesses implicated in such scandal and the ,haitian government response2 7,b7 a description of ,united ,states efforts to consult and engage with ,haitian government officials to address growing allegations of corruption within the ,haitian government2 7,c7 an assessment of the extent of corruption1 including embezzling state funds1 an account of steps needed to be taken to impose sanctions pursuant to the ,global ,magnitsky ,human ,rights ,accountability ,act 7#bb ,u4,s4,c4 #bfef note71 and a list of government and nongovernment officials known or alleged to have partaken in such corruption2 and 7,d7 a list of ,united ,states entities1 including financial institutions with financial ties to alleged corrupt actors in ,haiti4 7#b7 ,consultation ,in devising the assessment required under subsection 7a71 the ,secretary of ,state shall consult with nongovernmental organizations in ,haiti and the ,united ,states4 7#c7 ,public availability ,the assessment required under paragraph 7#a7 shall be made publicly available on the website of the ,department of ,state4 #g4 ,actions to assess post-earthquake and post-hurricane recovery and development efforts in ,haiti 7a7 ,prioritization ,the ,secretary of ,state1 in coordination with the ,administrator of the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development1 shall prioritize a strategy of post-earthquake and post-hurricane recovery and development efforts in ,haiti by carrying out the following initiatives3 7#a7 ,collaborating with the ,haitian government to promote a detail-oriented and transparent development plan4 7#b7 ,supporting the strengthening of local institutions through a post-earthquake and post-hurricane recovery and development planning4 7#c7 ,assessing both the ,united ,states and the international community's recovery and development efforts in ,haiti over the past #aj years4 7#d7 ,supporting disaster resiliency and reconstruction efforts4 7#e7 ,addressing underlying causes of poverty and inequality by providing health resources1 access to clean water1 food security1 and shelter4 7#f7 ,identifying and responding to long-term humanitarian needs caused by natural disasters and extreme poverty4 7b7 ,assessment ,not later than #ahj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act and annually thereafter for two years1 ,administrator of the ,united ,states ,agency for ,international ,development1 in coordination with the ,secretary of ,state1 shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees an assessment on best practices to ensure efficient and transparent earthquake and hurricane recovery and development efforts in ,haiti4 ,the assessment shall include-- 7#a7 an analysis of the sustainability of ,united ,states-financed projects1 including the ,caracol ,industrial ,park and supporting infrastructure2 7#b7 a breakdown of local procurement by year and a description of efforts to increase local procurement1 including of food aid2 7#c7 a strategy to assign fixed quantitative and qualitative indicators to assess progress and benchmarks for ,united ,states initiatives focused on natural disaster recovery1 resiliency1 and sustainable development in ,haiti2 and 7#d7 a description of ,united ,states efforts taken to assist ,haitian pursuits for free and fair democratic elections4 #h4 ,definitions ,in this ,act 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