Sec. 8. Support for international election observation missions and democratic civil society in Venezuela
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Subject to the availability of appropriations, the Secretary of State, in coordination with the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, shall work— with the Organization of American States and other entities to ensure credible international observation that contributes to free, fair, and transparent democratic electoral processes in Venezuela; and directly, or through independent nongovernmental organizations— to defend internationally recognized human rights for the people of Venezuela; to support the efforts of independent media outlets to broadcast, distribute, and share information beyond the limited channels made available by the Government of Venezuela; to facilitate open and uncensored access to the Internet for the people of Venezuela; and to combat corruption and improve the transparency and accountability of institutions that are part of the Government of Venezuela.
The Secretary of State, acting through the United States Permanent Representative to the Organization of American States, should advocate and build diplomatic support for sending an election observation mission to Venezuela to ensure that democratic electoral processes are organized and carried out in a free, fair, and transparent manner. There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of State for fiscal year 2018— $500,000 to carry out the activities set forth in subsection (a)(1); and $9,500,000 to carry out the activities set forth in subsection (a)(2).
Upon a request from one of the committees listed in subsection (c), the Secretary of State and the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development shall brief the committee on the progress made in implementing the strategy submitted under subsection (c).