[Senate Report 112-170]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
Calendar No. 412
112th Congress Report
SENATE
2d Session 112-170
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INTERNATIONAL PROTECTING GIRLS BY PREVENTING CHILD MARRIAGE ACT OF 2011
_______
May 23, 2012.--Ordered to be printed
Mr. Kerry, from the Committee on Foreign Relations,
submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany S. 414]
The Committee on Foreign Relations, having had under
consideration the bill (S. 414) to protect girls in developing
countries through the prevention of child marriage, and for
other purposes, reports favorably thereon and recommends that
the bill do pass.
CONTENTS
Page
I. Purpose..........................................................1
II. Committee Action.................................................1
III. Discussion.......................................................1
IV. Cost Estimate....................................................2
V. Evaluation of Regulatory Impact..................................4
VI. Changes in Existing Law..........................................4
I. PURPOSE
The purpose of S. 414 is to protect girls in developing
countries through the prevention of child marriage.
II. COMMITTEE ACTION
Senator Durbin introduced S. 414 on February 17, 2011. On
February 14, 2012, the committee ordered the bill, without
amendment, reported favorably by voice vote.
III. DISCUSSION
The stated purpose of S. 414 is to protect girls in
developing countries through the prevention of child marriage.
The bill finds that child marriage is a violation of article 16
of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and its practice
undermines U.S. investments in foreign assistance to promote
education and skills building for girls, reduce maternal and
child mortality, halt the transmission of HIV/AIDS, and prevent
gender-based violence.
Through S. 414, the President is authorized to provide
assistance to prevent the incidence of child marriage in
developing countries, and to promote the educational, health,
economic, social, and legal empowerment of girls and women.
Priority should be given to areas or regions in developing
countries in which 40 percent or more of girls under the age of
18 are married. The committee intends for the bill to support
activities that expand and replicate successful community-based
programs to prevent the incidence of child marriage and that
establish pilot projects to prevent child marriage. The bill
does not authorize any new funds.
S. 414 requires the President to establish a multi-year
strategy to prevent child marriage in developing countries,
which shall be submitted to Congress not later than one year
after the date of enactment of this Act. Not later than three
years after the date of enactment of this Act, the President
shall submit to Congress a report that includes a description
of the implementation of said strategy, examples of best
practices or programs to prevent child marriage in developing
countries, and an assessment of current U.S. funded efforts to
prevent child marriage in developing countries.
The committee intends for the President to work with the
Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development
to collect data on the incidence of child marriage in countries
that receive U.S. foreign or development assistance, as well as
on the impact of the incidence of child marriage and the age at
marriage on progress in meeting key development goals. Section
7 of the bill amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to
include in the annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices
of the Department of State a description of child marriage in
countries where child marriage is prevalent at rates at or
above 40 percent in at least one sub-national region.
V. COST ESTIMATE
In accordance with Rule XXVI, paragraph 11(a) of the
Standing Rules of the Senate, the committee provides this
estimate of the costs of this legislation prepared by the
Congressional Budget Office.
United States Congress,
Congressional Budget Office,
Washington, DC, May 14, 2012.
Hon. John F. Kerry,
Chairman, Committee on Foreign Relations,
U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for S. 414, the
International Protecting Girls by Preventing Child Marriage Act
of 2011.
If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Sunita
D'Monte.
Sincerely,
Douglas W. Elmendorf.
cc: Hon. Richard G. Lugar, Ranking Minority Member
------
Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate
May 14, 2012.
S. 414
International Protecting Girls by Preventing Child Marriage Act of 2011
AS ORDERED REPORTED BY THE SENATE COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS ON
FEBRUARY 14, 2012
SUMMARY
S. 414 would authorize the President to provide assistance
to developing countries to reduce the incidence of child
marriage and would require him to develop and implement a
multiyear strategy to prevent such marriages and promote the
empowerment of girls. CBO estimates that implementing the bill
would have a discretionary cost of $23 million over the 2013-
2017 period, assuming appropriation of the necessary amounts.
Pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply to this legislation
because it would not affect direct spending or revenues.
S. 414 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA)
and would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal
governments.
ESTIMATED COST TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
The estimated budgetary impact of S. 414 is shown in the
following table. The costs of this legislation fall within
budget function 150 (international affairs).
Changes in Spending Due to S. 414
By Fiscal Year, in Millions of Dollars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2013-2017
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Estimated Authorization Level...................... 8 8 8 8 8 40
Estimated Outlays.................................. * 3 6 7 7 23
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: * = LESS THAN $500,000.
BASIS OF ESTIMATE
For this estimate, CBO assumes that S. 414 will be enacted
by the end of 2012, that the necessary amounts will be
appropriated each year, and that outlays will follow historical
spending patterns for existing programs.
Based on information from the U.S. Agency for International
Development about similar programs to prevent child marriage
and gender-based violence, CBO estimates that the agency would
require annual appropriations of about $7 million a year for
assistance to foreign countries to reduce the incidence of
child marriage. In addition, the agency would require annual
appropriations of about $600,000 a year to hire three people to
design and administer the programs, develop the strategy, and
report to the Congress. Assuming appropriation of the necessary
amounts, CBO estimates that implementing the bill would cost
$23 million over the 2013-2017 period. (The remainder of the
estimated authorization amounts would be spent after 2017.)
PAY-AS-YOU-GO CONSIDERATIONS
None.
INTERGOVERNMENTAL AND PRIVATE-SECTOR IMPACT
S. 414 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector
mandates as defined in UMRA and would impose no costs on state,
local, or tribal governments.
ESTIMATE PREPARED BY
Federal Costs: Sunita D'Monte
Impact on State, Local, and Tribal Governments: J'nell L.
Blanco
Impact on the Private Sector: Marin Randall
ESTIMATE APPROVED BY
Theresa Gullo, Deputy Assistant Director for Budget
Analysis
V. EVALUATION OF REGULATORY IMPACT
Pursuant to Rule XXVI, paragraph 11(b) of the Standing
Rules of the Senate, the committee has determined that there is
no regulatory impact as a result of this legislation.
VI. CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW
In compliance with Rule XXVI, paragraph 12 of the Standing
Rules of the Senate, changes in existing law made by the bill,
as reported, are shown as follows (existing law proposed to be
omitted is enclosed in black brackets, new matter is printed in
italic, existing law in which no change is proposed is shown in
roman).
Foreign Assistance Act of 1961
* * * * * * *
Sec. 116. Human Rights.--(a)
* * * * * * *
(g) The report required by subsection (d) shall include,
for each country in which child marriage is prevalent, a
description of the status of the practice of child marriage in
such country. In this subsection, the term ``child marriage''
means the marriage of a girl or boy, not yet the minimum age
for marriage stipulated in law or under the age of 18 if no
such law exists, in the country in which such girl or boy is a
resident.
* * * * * * *
Sec. 502A. * * * [Repealed--1996]
Sec. 502B. Human Rights.--(a)(1) * * *
* * * * * * *
(j) The report required by subsection (b) shall include for
each country in which child marriage is prevalent, a
description of the status of the practice of child marriage in
such country. In this subsection, the term ``child marriage''
means the marriage of a girl or boy, not yet the minimum age
for marriage stipulated in law or under the age of 18 if no
such law exists, in the country in which such girl or boy is a
resident.