22 U.S.C. § 8301 — Findings

Page 2053 TITLE 22—FOREIGN RELATIONS AND INTERCOURSE § 8301 1 So in original. Probably should be ‘‘eligible skilled profes- sionals’’. (b) Authorization of appropriations There is authorized to be appropriated $14,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2008 and 2009 to the Secretary for a United States contribution to the United Nations Democracy Fund. (Pub. L. 110–53, title XXI, § 2161, Aug. 3, 2007, 121 Stat. 536.) § 8262. United States democracy assistance pro- grams (a) Sense of Congress regarding use of instru- ments of democracy promotion It is the sense of Congress that— (1) United States support for democracy is strengthened by using a variety of different instrumentalities, such as the National En- dowment for Democracy, the United States Agency for International Development, and the Department; and (2) the purpose of the Department’s Human Rights and Democracy Fund should be to sup- port innovative programming, media, and ma- terials designed to uphold democratic prin- ciples, practices, and values, support and strengthen democratic institutions, promote human rights and the rule of law, and build civil societies in countries around the world. (b) Sense of Congress regarding mechanisms for delivering assistance (1) Findings Congress finds the following: (A) Democracy assistance has many dif- ferent forms, including assistance to pro- mote the rule of law, build the capacity of civil society, political parties, and legisla- tures, improve the independence of the media and the judiciary, enhance inde- pendent auditing functions, and advance se- curity sector reform. (B) There is a need for greater clarity on the coordination and delivery mechanisms for United States democracy assistance. (2) Sense of Congress It is the sense of Congress that the Sec- retary and the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development should develop guidelines, in consultation with the appropriate congressional commit- tees, building on the existing framework for grants, cooperative agreements, contracts, and other acquisition mechanisms to guide United States missions in foreign countries in coordinating United States democracy assist- ance and selecting the appropriate combina- tion of such mechanisms for such assistance. (Pub. L. 110–53, title XXI, § 2162, Aug. 3, 2007, 121 Stat. 536.) CHAPTER 90—VOLUNTEERS FOR PROSPERITY PROGRAM Sec. 8301. Findings. 8302. Definitions. 8303. Office of Volunteers for Prosperity. 8304. Authorization of appropriations. § 8301. Findings Congress makes the following findings: (1) Americans engaged in international vol- unteer service, and the organizations deploy- ing them— (A) play critical roles in responding to the needs of people living throughout the devel- oping world; and (B) advance the international public diplo- macy of the United States. (2) The Volunteers for Prosperity Program has successfully promoted international vol- unteer service by skilled American profes- sionals. (3) In its first 4 years, the VfP Program helped to mobilize 74,000 skilled Americans, in- cluding doctors, nurses, engineers, businesspeople, and teachers, through a net- work of 250 nonprofit organizations and com- panies in the United States, to carry out de- velopment and humanitarian efforts for those affected by great global challenges in health, the environment, poverty, illiteracy, financial literacy, disaster relief, and other challenges. (4) The VfP Program has undertaken activi- ties, including— (A) direct outreach to leading nonprofit organizations and companies in the United States; (B) promotion of the work of skilled Amer- icans and nonprofit organizations and com- panies in the United States as it relates to international volunteer service; (C) public recognition of skilled American volunteers; (D) support for organizations that utilize skilled Americans as volunteers; (E) participation in the development of special initiatives to further opportunities for skilled Americans; and (F) leadership of an innovative public-pri- vate partnership to provide eligible skilled 1 with financial assistance for volunteer as- signments. (Pub. L. 111–13, title V, § 5101, Apr. 21, 2009, 123 Stat. 1597.) 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. Executive Documents EX. ORD. NO. 13317. VOLUNTEERS FOR PROSPERITY Ex. Ord. No. 13317, Sept. 25, 2003, 68 F.R. 56515, as amended by Ex. Ord. No. 13418, Dec. 14, 2006, 71 F.R. 75647, provided: By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and in order to encourage volunteer service by highly skilled Americans to support major initia- tives by the United States for promoting health and prosperity around the world, it is hereby ordered as fol- lows: SECTION 1. (a) Policy. A part of USA Freedom Corps, ‘‘Volunteers for Prosperity’’ is a call to service to sup- port major U.S. initiatives that promote health and 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;