22 U.S.C. § 8303 — Office of Volunteers for Prosperity

Page 2054 TITLE 22—FOREIGN RELATIONS AND INTERCOURSE § 8302 prosperity around the world. Deploying highly skilled volunteers abroad is an efficient way to use our re- sources consistent with the objectives of the United States Government’s global prosperity agenda. United States volunteers will help to achieve the objectives of the global prosperity agenda, including providing clean water to the poor, promoting democratic governance, developing economic freedom, promoting free and open markets, stemming the spread of HIV/AIDS and con- trolling malaria. The investment of Federal resources to enable U.S. volunteers to work with nongovernmental and vol- untary service organizations overseas is a preferred use of our resources and also will help leverage private sec- tor resources. United States citizens who are skilled professionals and who volunteer, when matched with organizations working on specific U.S. prosperity ini- tiatives overseas, can provide invaluable support for these initiatives and will supplement and complement the traditions and accomplishments of the Peace Corps. United States prosperity initiatives that can benefit from volunteer service include, but are not limited to, the Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the Digital Free- dom Initiative, the Water for the Poor Initiative, the Trade for African Development and Enterprise Initia- tive, the Middle East Partnership Initiative, and the President’s Malaria Initiative. Volunteer service in support of other initiatives, con- sistent with U.S. foreign policy, shall be considered as well. (b) Applicability. The following agencies are subject to the requirements of this order: the United States Agen- cy for International Development (USAID), the Depart- ment of State, the Department of Commerce, the De- partment of Health and Human Services, and such other Federal agencies as the President may designate in the future. SEC. 2. Establishment. (a) Agencies subject to this order shall each establish within their respective orga- nizations an Office for Volunteers for Prosperity (Of- fice) or, as appropriate, an operating unit within an of- fice. (b) Each agency subject to this order shall provide its Office or unit with appropriate staff, administrative support, and resources to meet its responsibilities under this order. (c) Each of these Offices or units shall begin oper- ations no later than 30 days from the date of this order. (d) Agencies subject to this order shall consider, in evaluating grant applications for assistance activities to be implemented abroad, the applicant’s use of highly skilled U.S. volunteers to support U.S. prosperity ob- jectives and initiatives. SEC. 3. Purpose. To the extent permitted by law, the purpose of the Offices will be to promote, expand, and enhance well-defined volunteer service opportunities for highly skilled U.S. professionals who wish to work with nongovernmental and voluntary service organiza- tions around the world in support of major U.S. pros- perity initiatives as identified in section 1 of this order. Such promotion, expansion, and enhancement would in- clude actively participating in the design and selection processes for grants within their agencies, tracking the use of U.S. private volunteer organizations by their agencies, and coordinating with White House Offices in- cluding the USA Freedom Corps, the Office of National AIDS Policy, and the Office of Faith-Based and Com- munity Initiatives, as appropriate. SEC. 4. Funding. Agencies subject to this order are hereby directed to use their best efforts to use funds available for the U.S. prosperity initiatives listed in section 1 of this order to provide appropriate support to organizations that use highly skilled U.S. volunteers to accomplish the objectives identified in those initia- tives. SEC. 5. Coordination. The USAID shall serve as the inter-agency coordinator for the Volunteers for Pros- perity initiative. In that capacity, the USAID shall co- ordinate the activities that fall within the scope of the initiative and report on the progress of the initiative to the USA Freedom Corps Office, within the White House Office. The reports shall be submitted within 180 days after the date of this order and annually thereafter. The USA Freedom Corps Council shall encourage con- sistency in policies and practices within the agencies subject to this order, as appropriate, for purposes re- lated to the Volunteers for Prosperity initiative. SEC. 6. Administration. The actions directed by this order shall be carried out subject to the availability of appropriations, to the extent permitted by law, and consistent with the agencies’ missions. SEC. 7. Judicial Review. This order is intended only to improve the internal management of the executive branch of the Federal Government, and it is not in- tended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in eq- uity, against the United States, its departments, agen- cies, or other entities, its officers or employees, or any other person. GEORGE W. BUSH. § 8302. Definitions In this chapter: (1) VfP Office The term ‘‘VfP Office’’ means the Office of Volunteers for Prosperity of the United States Agency for International Development. (2) VfP Program The term ‘‘VfP Program’’ means the Volun- teers for Prosperity Program established through Executive Order 13317. (3) VfPServe The term ‘‘VfPServe’’ means a program es- tablished by the VfP Office, in cooperation with the USA Freedom Corps, to provide eligi- ble skilled professionals with fixed amount sti- pends to offset the travel and living costs of volunteering abroad. (Pub. L. 111–13, title V, § 5102, Apr. 21, 2009, 123 Stat. 1598.) Editorial Notes REFERENCES IN TEXT Executive Order 13317, referred to in par. (2), is set out as a note under section 8301 of this title. Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries EFFECTIVE DATE Section effective Oct. 1, 2009, see section 6101(a) of Pub. L. 111–13, set out as an Effective Date of 2009 Amendment note under section 4950 of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare. § 8303. Office of Volunteers for Prosperity (a) Functions The VfP Office shall pursue the objectives of the VfP Program described in subsection (b) by— (1) implementing the VfPServe Program to provide eligible skilled professionals with matching grants to offset the travel and living expenses of volunteering abroad with non- profit organizations; (2) otherwise promoting short- and long- term international volunteer service by skilled American professionals, including con- necting such professionals with nonprofit or- ganizations, to achieve such objectives; Page 2055 TITLE 22—FOREIGN RELATIONS AND INTERCOURSE § 8304 (3) helping nonprofit organizations in the United States recruit and effectively manage additional skilled American professionals for volunteer assignments throughout the devel- oping world; (4) providing recognition for skilled Amer- ican volunteers and the organizations deploy- ing them; (5) helping nonprofit organizations and cor- porations in the United States to identify re- sources and opportunities in international vol- unteer service utilizing skilled Americans; (6) encouraging the establishment of inter- national volunteer programs for employees of United States corporations; and (7) encouraging international voluntary service by highly skilled Americans to pro- mote health and prosperity throughout the world. (b) VfP Program objectives The objectives of the VfP Program should in- clude— (1) eliminating extreme poverty; (2) reducing world hunger and malnutrition; (3) increasing access to safe potable water; (4) enacting universal education; (5) reducing child mortality and childhood diseases; (6) combating the spread of preventable dis- eases, including HIV, malaria, and tuber- culosis; (7) providing educational and work skill sup- port for girls and empowering women to achieve independence; (8) creating sustainable business and entre- preneurial opportunities; and (9) increasing access to information tech- nology. (c) Volunteers for Prosperity Service Incentive Program (1) In general The VfP Office may provide matching grants to offset the travel and living costs of volun- teering abroad to any eligible organization that— (A) has members who possess skills rel- evant to addressing any objective described in subsection (b); and (B) provides a dollar-for-dollar match for such grant— (i) through the organization with which the individual is serving; or (ii) by raising private funds. (2) Nondiscrimination requirement The VfP Office may not provide a stipend to an individual under paragraph (1) unless the nonprofit organization to which the individual is assigned has certified to the VfP Office that it does not discriminate with respect to any project or activity receiving Federal financial assistance, including a stipend under this chapter, because of race, religion, color, na- tional origin, sex, political affiliation, or be- liefs. (3) Compliance with ineligible service cat- egories Service carried out by a volunteer receiving funds under this section may not provide a di- rect benefit to any— (A) business organized for profit; (B) labor union; (C) partisan political organization; or (D) religious or faith-based organization for the purpose of proselytization, worship or any other explicitly religious activity. (d) Funding (1) In general The Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development shall make available the amounts appropriated pur- suant to section 8304 of this title to the VfP Office to pursue the objectives described in subsection (b) by carrying out the functions described in subsection (a). (2) Use of funds Amounts made available under paragraph (1) may be used by the VfP Office to provide per- sonnel and other resources to develop, man- age, and expand the VfP Program, under the supervision of the United States Agency for International Development. (e) Coordination The VfP Office shall coordinate its efforts with other public and private efforts that aim to send skilled professionals to serve in developing nations. (f) Report The VfP Office shall submit an annual report to Congress on the activities of the VfP Office. (Pub. L. 111–13, title V, § 5103, Apr. 21, 2009, 123 Stat. 1598.) Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries EFFECTIVE DATE Section effective Oct. 1, 2009, see section 6101(a) of Pub. L. 111–13, set out as an Effective Date of 2009 Amendment note under section 4950 of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare. § 8304. Authorization of appropriations (a) In general There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this chapter $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2010, and such sums as may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2011 through 2014. (b) Allocation of funds Not more than 10 percent of the amounts ap- propriated pursuant to subsection (a) may be ex- pended for the administrative costs of the United States Agency for International Develop- ment to manage the VfP Program. (Pub. L. 111–13, title V, § 5104, Apr. 21, 2009, 123 Stat. 1600.) Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries EFFECTIVE DATE Section effective Oct. 1, 2009, see section 6101(a) of Pub. L. 111–13, set out as an Effective Date of 2009 Amendment note under section 4950 of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare. CHAPTER 91—ENHANCED PARTNERSHIP WITH PAKISTAN Sec. 8401. Definitions.