Sec. 5. Coordinating aid and assistance across Europe and Eurasia
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There are authorized to be appropriated for the Countering Russian Influence Fund $250,000,000 for fiscal years 2018 and 2019. Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development and, as appropriate, the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Director of National Intelligence, and the Secretary of Defense, shall establish a working group to administer the Countering Russian Influence Fund in order to facilitate the achievement of the goals described in subsection
(c)while minimizing the expense to United States taxpayers. Amounts in the Countering Russian Influence Fund shall be used for the following: To assist in protecting critical infrastructure and electoral mechanisms from cyberattacks in the following countries: Countries that are members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization or the European Union that the Secretary of State determines— are vulnerable to influence by the Russian Federation; and lack the economic capability to effectively respond to aggression by the Russian Federation without the support of the United States. Countries that are participating in the enlargement process of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization or the European Union, including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Macedonia, Moldova, Kosovo, Serbia, and Ukraine. To combat corruption, improve the rule of law, and otherwise strengthen independent judiciaries and prosecutors general offices in the countries described in subparagraph (A). Amounts in the Countering Russian Influence Fund may be used to seek to achieve the following, to the extent practicable and as appropriate: Responding to the humanitarian crises and instability caused or aggravated by the invasions and occupations of Georgia and Ukraine by the Russian Federation. Improving participatory legislative processes and legal education, political transparency and competition, and compliance with international obligations in the countries described in paragraph (1)(A). Building the capacity of civil society, media, and other nongovernmental organizations countering the influence and propaganda of the Russian Federation in the countries described in paragraph (1)(A). The Secretary of State, acting through Coordinator of United States Assistance to Europe and Eurasia (authorized pursuant to section 601 of the Support for East European Democracy
(SEED)Act of 1989 (22 U.S.C. 5461) and section 102 of the Freedom for Russia and Emerging Eurasian Democracies and Open Markets Support Act of 1992 (22 U.S.C. 5812)), shall coordinate efforts to implement the goals described in subsection
(c)and establish metrics relating to efforts to achieve those goals. Not later than April 1 of each year, the Secretary of State, acting through the Coordinator of United States Assistance to Europe and Eurasia, shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the programs and activities carried out to achieve the goals described in subsection
(c)during the preceding fiscal year. Each report required by subparagraph
(A)shall include, with respect to each program or activity described in that subparagraph— the amount of funding for the program or activity; the goal described in subsection
(c)to which the program or activity relates; and an assessment of whether or not the goal was met. Amounts in the Countering Russian Influence Fund shall be used for the following: To assist in protecting critical infrastructure and electoral mechanisms from cyberattacks in the following countries: Countries that are members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization or the European Union that the Secretary of State determines— are vulnerable to influence by the Russian Federation; and lack the economic capability to effectively respond to aggression by the Russian Federation without the support of the United States. Countries that are participating in the enlargement process of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization or the European Union, including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Macedonia, Moldova, Kosovo, Serbia, and Ukraine. To combat corruption, improve the rule of law, and otherwise strengthen independent judiciaries and prosecutors general offices in the countries described in paragraph (1). To respond to the humanitarian crises and instability caused or aggravated by the invasions and occupations of Georgia and Ukraine by the Russian Federation. To improve participatory legislative processes and legal education, political transparency and competition, and compliance with international obligations in the countries described in paragraph (1). To build the capacity and resilience of civil society, media, and other nongovernmental organizations in countering the influence and propaganda of the Russian Federation in such countries.
(6)To support the efforts of independent media outlets and public broadcasters to broadcast, distribute, and share information in all regions in such countries.
(7)To support objective, Russian-language, independent media, investigative journalism, and civil society watchdog groups working to combat corruption in such countries and encourage cooperation with social media entities to strengthen the integrity of information on the Internet.
(8)To promote and protect Internet freedom and information security in such countries. To support research and analysis on the effects of information warfare on target audiences and best practices for promoting resilience.
(10)To assist the Secretary of State in executing the functions specified in section 1287(b) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 (Public Law 114–328) for the purposes of recognizing, understanding, exposing, and countering propaganda and disinformation efforts by foreign governments. The Secretary of State shall, acting through the Coordinator of United States Assistance to Europe and Eurasia (authorized pursuant to section 601 of the Support for East European Democracy
(SEED)Act of 1989 (22 U.S.C. 5461) and section 102 of the Freedom for Russia and Emerging Eurasian Democracies and Open Markets Support Act of 1992 (22 U.S.C. 5812)) and in consultation with the Administrator for the United States Agency for International Development, the Director of the Global Engagement Center of the Department of State, the Secretary of Defense, the Chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, and the heads of other relevant Federal agencies, coordinate and carry out activities described in subsection (b). The activities described in subsection
(b)shall be carried out through— initiatives of the United States Government; Federal grant programs such as the Information Access Fund; or nongovernmental or international organizations, such as the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the National Endowment for Democracy, the Black Sea Trust, the Balkan Trust for Democracy, the Prague Civil Society Centre, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence, the European Endowment for Democracy, and related organizations. Not later than April 1 of each year, the Secretary of State, acting through the Coordinator of United States Assistance to Europe and Eurasia, shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the programs and activities carried out to achieve the goals described in subsection
(b)during the preceding fiscal year. Each report required by subparagraph
(A)shall include, with respect to each program or activity described in that subparagraph— the amount of funding for the program or activity; the goal described in subsection
(b)to which the program or activity relates; and an assessment of whether or not the goal was met.
(d)In order to maximize cost efficiency, eliminate duplication, and speed the achievement of the goals described in subsection
(b), the working group established under subsection
(b)the Secretary of State shall ensure coordination with— the European Union and its institutions; the governments of countries that are members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization or the European Union; and international organizations and quasi-governmental funding entities that carry out programs and activities that seek to accomplish the goals described in subsection
(b). Not later than April 1 of each year, the Secretary of State shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report that includes— the amount of funding provided to each country referred to in subsection
(b)by— the European Union or its institutions; the government of each country that is a member of the European Union or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization; and international organizations and quasi-governmental funding entities that carry out programs and activities that seek to accomplish the goals described in subsection
(b); and an assessment of whether the funding described in subparagraph
(A)is commensurate with funding provided by the United States for those goals.
(e)Nothing in this section shall be construed to apply to or limit United States foreign assistance not provided using amounts available in the Countering Russian Influence Fund. In order to ensure that the United States Government is properly focused on combating corruption, improving rule of law, and building the capacity of civil society, media, and other nongovernmental organizations in countries described in subsection (b)(1), the Secretary of State shall establish a pilot program for Foreign Service officer positions focused on governance and anticorruption activities in such countries.
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Sec. 5
Coordinating aid and assistance across Europe and Eurasia
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