Sec. 705. Countering Russian Influence Fund

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There is authorized to be appropriated for the Countering Russian Influence Fund described in section 7070(d) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2017 (division J of Public Law 115–31 ; 131 Stat. 706), $250,000,000 for fiscal years 2020 and 2021. Amounts in the Countering Russian Influence Fund shall be used in countries of Europe and Eurasia the Secretary of State has determined are vulnerable to malign influence by the Russian Federation to effectively implement, subject to the availability of funds, the following goals:

To assist in protecting critical infrastructure and electoral mechanisms from cyberattacks. To combat corruption, improve the rule of law, and otherwise strengthen independent judiciaries and prosecutors general offices. To respond to the humanitarian crises and instability caused or aggravated by the invasions and occupations of Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine by the Russian Federation. To improve participatory legislative processes and legal education, political transparency and competition, and compliance with international obligations.

To build the capacity of civil society, media, and other nongovernmental organizations countering the influence and propaganda of the Russian Federation to combat corruption, prioritize access to truthful information, and operate freely in all regions. To assist the Secretary of State in executing the functions specified in section 1239(b) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 ( Public Law 115–91 ; 10 U.S.C. 113 note) for the purposes of recognizing, understanding, exposing, and countering propaganda and disinformation efforts by foreign governments, in coordination with the relevant regional Assistant Secretary or Assistant Secretaries of the Department of State.

The Secretary of State may modify a goal described in subsection

(b)if, not later than 15 days before revising such goal, the Secretary notifies the appropriate congressional committees of the revision. 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, EUCOM, the Chief Executive Officer of the United States Agency for Global Media, and the heads of other relevant Federal agencies, coordinate and carry out activities to achieve the goals described in subsection (b). Activities to achieve the goals described in subsection

(b)shall be carried out through— initiatives of the United States Government; Federal grant programs such as the Information Access Fund; nongovernmental or international organizations; or support exchanges with countries facing state-sponsored disinformation and pressure campaigns, particularly in Europe and Eurasia, provided that a portion of the funds are made available through a process whereby the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the Department of State solicits proposals from posts located in affected countries to counter state-sponsored disinformation and hybrid threats, promote democracy, and support exchanges with countries facing state-sponsored disinformation and pressure campaigns. 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. In order to maximize impact, eliminate duplication, and speed the achievement of the goals described in 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). 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. The Secretary of State shall expand the pilot program required under section 254(g) of the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act ( 22 U.S.C. 9543(g) ) to hire additional personnel within the Bureau for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor to develop and implement programs focused on combating corruption, improving rule of law, and building capacity of civil society, political parties, and independent media. Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit to the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives a report on implementation of the pilot program required under section 254(g) of the Countering Russian Influence in Europe and Eurasia Act of 2017 ( 22 U.S.C. 9543(g) ). In this section, the term appropriate congressional committees means— the Committee on Foreign Relations, the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, and the Committee on Finance of the Senate; and the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on Financial Services, and the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives.

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