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International Education MattersA
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News: House Passes State Department, Millenium Challenge Account Authorization Bills; Includes Sense of Congress that Resources Be Provided to Process Visas July 16, 2003. The House of Representatives today approved legislation authorizing a wide range of educational and cultural exchange programs at the State Department (H.R. 1950), as well as President Bush’s Millenium Challenge Account proposal (H.R. 2441). The legislation included an amendment spotlighting the need for adequate resources for the processing of visa applications at embassies and consulates. The State Department authorization bill, approved by a vote of 382-42, would authorize $14.3 billion in 2004 and $15.2 billion in 2005 in spending for the State Department. For the broad range of educational and cultural exchange programs, the bill would authorize $142 million per year for academic exchanges and $110 million per year for other educational and cultural exchanges. The bill includes authority for the Freedom Promotion Act to fund $35 million per year for exchanges in predominantly Muslim countries. It would also transfer funding for the Freedom Support Act (FSA) and Support for East European Democracy (SEED) programs, in line with the President’s budget request, from the foreign aid budget to the State Department, and would authorize those programs at $150 million per year. A separate bill to authorize $9.3 billion over the next three years ($1.3 billion in FY 2004, $3 billion in FY 2005 and $5 billion in FY 2006) for the Millenium Challenge Account (MCA), a Bush proposal to direct aid to poor countries that promote free markets and democracy, and to reauthorize the Peace Corps, was also approved by the House today by a vote of 368-52 and then incorporated in the State Department legislation. The State Department authorization bill included a sense of Congress amendment offered by Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), that the State Department should provide adequate resources, personnel and training to U.S. embassies and consulates “to ensure that staff can process visa applications, including conducting personal interviews, in a manner that is timely, while complying with all the application requirements, including security concerns.” The amendment also requires a report to Congress within 180 days of passage regarding the allocation of resources for embassies and consulates. The State authorization portion of the legislation includes another sense of the Congress amendment, offered by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), calling for the expeditious issuance of visas, to the extent possible and consistent with national security objectives, for Russian weapons scientists involved in arms control and non-proliferation exchanges in the United States. The bill also includes an amendment offered by Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) that would increase the emphasis on human rights for cultural exchanges with Vietnam. Specifically the provision states, “It is the policy of the United States that programs of educational and cultural exchange with Viet Nam should actively promote progress toward freedom and democracy in Viet Nam by providing opportunities to Vietnamese nationals from a wide range of occupations and perspectives to see freedom and democracy in action and, also, by ensuring that Vietnamese nationals who have already demonstrated a commitment to these values are included in such programs.” Another amendment, offered by Rep. James Walsh (R-NY) and included in the bill, would amend the eligibility requirements for the Irish Peace Process Cultural and Training Program Act of 1998 and extend the authorization of the program through 2008. On the MCA legislation, the House accepted an amendment that would authorize an Afghan Women’s Fund of not less than $22.5 million each year between FY 2003 and 2005, to give special attention to programs designed to increase women and girls’access to health care, education and income earning opportunities, as well as to programs to prevent trafficking in persons. The amendment included a requirement that not less than 15 per cent of the fund support the programmatic activities and organizational development of Afghan women-led NGOs in each fiscal year from 2003-2005. The House rejected an amendment offered by Rep. Jim Kolbe (R-AZ) to accelerate from FY 2006 to 2004 the eligibility of lower middle income countries for MCA funds. The amendment would also have clarified the role of USAID and its relationship with the Millenium Challenge Corporation. Senate consideration of its version of the legislation was sidetracked on July 11 by an unrelated amendment. It is unclear when debate in the Senate will resume. Once the Senate passes its bill, the differences between the House and Senate versions will be negotiated by a conference committee. Copyright 2003 by Used with permission of the Alliance for International Educational and Cultural Exchange. This file was updated on November 8, 2003 |
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