Sec. 4. Humanitarian assistance for the people of Venezuela
403 words·~2 min read·
/bill/115/s/1018/is/section-4·A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
The Secretary of State, in coordination with the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, subject to the availability of appropriations, shall work through nongovernmental organizations to provide— public health commodities to Venezuelan health facilities and services, including medicines on the World Health Organization’s List of Essential Medicines and basic medical supplies and equipment; the basic food commodities and nutritional supplements needed to address growing malnutrition and improve food security for the people of Venezuela, with a specific emphasis on the most vulnerable populations; technical assistance to ensure health and food commodities are appropriately selected, procured, and distributed; and improved transparency and accountability in institutions of the Government of Venezuela, including the publication of official data on public health indicators and shortages of food and medicine.
Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit a strategy for carrying out the activities described in subsection
(a)to— the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate ; the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate ; the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives ; and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives . There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of State $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2018 to carry out the activities set forth in subsection
(a)in accordance with this section. Amounts appropriated or otherwise made available pursuant to paragraph
(1)may not be obligated until 15 days after the date on which the President has provided notice of intent to obligate such funds to the committees listed in subsection (b). The Secretary of State may waive the requirement under subparagraph
(A)if the Secretary of State determines that failure to waive such requirement would pose a substantial risk to human health or welfare. If such a waiver is invoked, the President shall notify the committees listed in subsection
(b)of the intention to obligate funds under this section as early as practicable, but in no event later than 3 days after taking the action to which such notification requirement was applicable in the context of the circumstances necessitating such waiver. Upon a request from one of the committees listed in subsection (b), 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 (b).