International Development and Food Assistance Act of 1977

(Conference report filed in House, H. Rept. 95-501)

International Development and Food Assistance Act - =Title I: International Development Assistance= - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize the President to make development assistance available to the relatively least developed countries on a grant basis to the maximum extent consistent with United States development objectives.

Amends the policy statement of such Act with respect to maximizing the effectiveness of development assistance.

Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize the appropriation of $580,000,000 for fiscal year 1978, for food and nutrition assistance. Requests the President to commit up to $60,000,000 for the purpose of assisting India with the construction of grain storage facilities.

Authorizes the appropriation of $167,000,000 for family planning and population growth control assistance for FY 1978. Authorizes the appropriation of $107,700,000 for FY 1978 for health assistance. Requires that such assistance be administered with attention to developing the standard of living in developing countries.

Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize the appropriation of $84,900,000 for FY 1978 for education and human resources development assistance. Provides that not less than $1,647,000 of such amount be available to support the southern Africa student and training programs.

Amends such Act to authorize appropriations of $105,000,000 for FY 1978 for technical assistance, energy, research, reconstruction, selected development problems, and assistance for severe environmental damage in less developed countries.

Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to exempt from cost-sharing and funding limits grant assistance to the relatively least developed countries and intermediate technology assistance. Requires that not less than $10,000,000 of funds made available for FY 1978 be used only for technical assistance in the development and use of cooperatives.

Amends such Act to forbid the funding of involuntary sterilizations as a method of family planning.

Directs the President to submit to Congress a report on the integration of women into the developing economics of countries receiving development assistance.

Prohibits the use of certain funds made available by this Act for any country receiving security supporting assistance or assistance for Middle East peace, unless specifically authorized by Congress.

Directs the Administrator of the Agency for International Development to consider, for countries receiving security supporting assistance, whether the governments of such countries have cooperated in investigations of alleged human rights violations. Requires that $750,000 of development assistance funds made available for FY 1978 be used to study and promote civil and political rights in countries receiving assistance. Prohibits the use of such funds to influence any election.

Encourages the President to promote child nutrition programs. Authorizes the President to furnish assistance to less-developed countries for the purpose of strengthening their capacity of natural resource management.

Authorizes funds to be used for cooperative programs with developing countries in renewable and unconventional energy production and conservation.

Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize the President to furnish assistance for the long-term development of the Sahel. Directs the President to prepare an annual report on the Sahel development program. Authorizes the appropriation of $200,000,000 for FY 1978 for such purposes.

Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize the appropriation of $25,000,000 for FY 1978 for American schools and hospitals abroad, and $7,000,000 in each of the FYs 1977 and 1978, in foreign currencies, for such purposes. Provides that funds authorized to be appropriated shall be available for assistance to centers for pediatric plastic and reconstructive surgery.

Combines the Latin American and worldwide housing guaranty ceilings. Extends the authorization for the Agricultural and Productive Credit and Self-help Community Development Programs until September 30, 1978. Provides that fee income generated by the Community Development Program may be used for administrative expenses of such program.

Amends such Act to authorize the appropriation of $252,000,000 for FY 1978 for international organizations and programs. Requests the President in making contributions to international organizations, to take into account the economic integration of women. Stipulates that, in FY 1978, not to exceed $42,500,000 shall be available for voluntary contributions to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees.

Amends such Act to authorize the appropriation of $25,000,000 for fiscal year 1978 for International Disaster Assistance. Authorizes the appropriation of $20,000,000 for FY 1978 years 1977 and 1978 for such purposes. Authorizes the appropriation of $30,000,000 for FY 1978 for relief assistance to the victims of the 1976 earthquakes in Italy. Requests the President to use up to $10,000,000 of international disaster assistance funds to provide relief assistance to the victims of the recent earthquakes in Turkey.

Amends such Act to permit the furnishing of services and commodities through foreign voluntary nonprofit relief agencies, approved by the Advisory Committee on Voluntary Foreign Aid under regulations issued by the President when no United States voluntary nonprofit relief agency is available.

Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to repeal the prohibitions on aid to countries assisting or trading with Cuba or Vietnam. Repeals the authority of the President to waive prohibitions on aid in the national interest.

Amends such Act to abolish the office of Inspector General, Foreign Assistance, in the Department of State. Authorizes the President to assign the duties of such officer to the Inspector General, Foreign Service.

Eliminates the limitation which presently provides that not more than 50 newly hired AID Foreign Service officers may serve in the United States at the same time prior to being assigned overseas.

Removes the exemptions currently granted AID consultants from the requirements of the Federal retirement laws which provide for reduction of annuity or salary for retired Federal employees who are subsequently rehired by the U.S. Government.

Directs the Development Coordination Committee to advise the President on the degree to which U.S. bilateral and multilateral assistance should focus on problems in areas affecting the majority of people in the developing countries.

Directs the President to submit to Congress an annual report on United States international development policies and programs. Authorizes the President to use up to $2,000,000 of funds appropriated under this Act for fiscal year 1978 to work with friendly countries which do not receive development assistance to facilitate access to natural resources and stimulate reimbursable aid programs. Authorizes the appropriation of $220,200,000 for FY 1978 for operating expenses under such Act, and of such sums as may be necessary for employee benefits. Permits the transfer of up to five percent of the amounts appropriated under such Act to operating expenses.

Amends such Act to prohibit the obligation of funds under such Act for activities not justified, or in excess of the amount justified to Congress, unless certain Congressional committees are notified in advance.

Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to declare it the sense of Congress that the United States should substantially increase assistance for self-help development of the world's poorest people.

Prohibits the use of funds authorized by this Act for assistance to or reparations for Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, or Cuba.

Directs the President to continue to take all possible steps to obtain a final accounting of all Americans missing in action in Vietnam.

Directs AID to submit to Congress a plan for the establishment of a section on minority business within the Agency.

=Title II: Food for Peace= - Amends the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954 to repeal the prohibitions against agricultural financing by the Commodity Credit Corporation for any exporter trading with Vietnam. Repeals the requirement that applications for financing by the Corporation be accompanied by certain information regarding corporate officers and subsidiaries.

Amends the definition of "friendly country" under such Act to repeal the exclusion of nations trading with Cuba, Vietnam, or the United Arab Republic.

Revises the criteria, under such Act, for allocation of food aid commodities to prohibit more than 25 percent of such commodities from being provided to countries that do not meet the poverty criteria established by the International Development Association. Eliminates the power of the Congress to disapprove a Presidential waiver of such criteria for humanitarian food purposes upon certification to Congress.

Amends the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954 to prohibit agricultural commodity agreements with any country which engages in a consistent pattern of gross human rights violations, unless such agreement will directly benefit the needy people in such country. Sets forth procedures for determining the existence of a consistent pattern of human rights violations.

Provides that priority be given in the allocation of financing under such Act to sales of food and fiber commodities.

Amends such Act to declare it the policy of the United States that the United States shall assist economic self-sufficiency in food assistance recipient-countries and shall continue provision of high protein, blended or fortified foods.

Raises the present minimum distribution under such Act to 1,600,000 tons, and a subminimum distribution requirement of 1,300,000 tons for nonprofit agencies and the World Food Program. Provides for annual increases in such distribution requirements of 50,000 tons through FY 1982.

Requires the use of indigenous workers to the extent feasible to furnish nutrition information and conduct food distribution programs. Directs that food distribution priority be given to those suffering from malnutrition.

Permits the President to utilize a foreign nonprofit voluntary agency approved by the Advisory Committee on Voluntary Aid when no U.S. nonprofit voluntary agency approved by the Committee is available.

Allows Commodity Credit Corporation financing to points of entry where ports of entry cannot be used because of natural or other disturbances, carriers to the country are unavailable or substantial cost or time savings can be effected through the use of other than ports of entry.

Requires that currency proceeds of agreements under the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954 be used to increase the effectiveness of food distribution and increasing food availability to the neediest individuals.

Authorizes the President to establish food for development programs by encouraging the use of the resources provided by the concessional financing of agricultural commodities under this Act by permitting the funds accruing from the local sale of such commodities which are used for such purposes to be applied against the repayment obligation of governments receiving concessional financing under this Act. Sets forth the criteria for eligibility for such food for development programs, and procedures for implementation of such programs (including multiyear use proposals integrating the programs into development plans and development assistance, and review of such programs).

Provides that no agricultural commodity may be financed or made available under the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954 unless adequate storage facilities exist in the recipient country, and such distribution of the commodity will not result in a substantial disincentive to domestic production in the recipient country.

Directs the President to submit an annual report containing a global assessment of food production and needs and setting forth planned programming of food assistance under such Act for the coming fiscal year.

Amends the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954 to require the President to submit to Congress, every five years, a comparative cross-country evaluation of the food for development programs and commodity assistance programs for famine and other purposes.

Directs the President to study and report to Congress on the payment of ocean freight differentials in the shipment of commodities under such Act.