HR 1591 IH

To prohibit the United States Government from providing financing for nongovernmental organizations or individuals to carry out military, law enforcement, armed rescue, or other related operations in the countries of the Andean region, including any operations relating to narcotics control efforts.

April 25, 2001

Ms. SCHAKOWSKY introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations

To prohibit the United States Government from providing financing for nongovernmental organizations or individuals to carry out military, law enforcement, armed rescue, or other related operations in the countries of the Andean region, including any operations relating to narcotics control efforts.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Andean Region Contractor Accountability Act'.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress finds the following:

(1) Hundreds of civilians, including many United States citizens, are working with the military and police forces of the Republic of Colombia and other countries of the Andean region under contracts between the United States Government and several private corporations. The duties of such individuals include piloting drug-crop fumigation aircraft, flying helicopters transporting army battalions, serving as mechanics and logistics personnel, assisting the reform of the security forces, performing armed search-and-rescue missions, and gathering aerial intelligence, among others.

(2) On February 18, 2001, United States contractor personnel on a search-and-rescue mission in the guerrilla-held zone of Curillo, in Colombia's Caqueta region, were involved in an exchange of fire with members of Colombia's FARC guerrilla groups, raising concerns about force protection and proximity to Colombia's conflict.

(3) According to the Inspector General of the Department of State, three United States contract personnel have died while piloting spray planes over Colombian territory since 1997.

(4) Contract personnel are being employed in circumstances and locations in Colombia which, for force protection reasons, would generally be off-limits to uniformed United States personnel.

(5) Increasing use of private contract personnel raises questions of accountability and transparency in the management of United States policy toward Colombia and other countries of the Andean region.

(6) On April 20, 2001, a plane operated by innocent United States civilians conducting missionary work was shot down in the airspace of the Republic of Peru. The plane was targeted as a result of intelligence sharing between Central Intelligence Agency-contracted private military personnel and Peruvian authorities. As a result, Veronica `Roni' Bowers, age 35, and her 7-month old daughter Charity were killed.

(7) Basic information about the extent of activities of private military contractors in Colombia and in other countries of the Andean region is generally unavailable to the public.

SEC. 3. PROHIBITION ON FINANCING OF PRIVATE MILITARY, LAW ENFORCEMENT, OR ARMED RESCUE OPERATIONS IN ANDEAN REGION COUNTRIES.

(a) PROHIBITION- Notwithstanding chapter 8 of part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 or any other provision of law, no officer or employee of the United States Government may enter into a contract or other agreement under which the United States Government provides financing, in whole or in part, for a nongovernmental organization (including a corporation or other business entity) or individual to carry out military, law enforcement, armed rescue, or other related operations in the countries of the Andean region, including any operations relating to narcotics control efforts.

(b) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION- Nothing in subsection (a) shall be construed to prohibit the financing, in whole or in part, for a nongovernmental organization (including a corporation or other business entity) or individual to carry out humanitarian activities, including the delivery of food, in the countries of the Andean region.

SEC. 4. DEFINITION.

In this Act, the term `countries of the Andean region' means the Republic of Bolivia, the Federative Republic of Brazil, the Republic of Ecuador, the Republic of Colombia, the Republic of Panama, the Republic of Peru, and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

END