S.Amdt. 296

SA 296. Mr. Inhofe submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 600, to authorize appropriations for the Department of State and international broadcasting activities for fiscal years 2006 and 2007, for the Peace Corps for fiscal years 2006 and 2007, for foreign assistance programs for fiscal years 2006 and 2007, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

On page 59, between lines 4 and 5, insert the following:

SEC. 405. REPORT TO CONGRESS ON UNITED NATIONS TRANSLATION EXPENSES.

Not later than 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary, through the International Organizations Bureau of the Department of State, shall submit a report to Congress that contains--

(1) for the most recent 3 calendar years, a breakdown of the total of the translation expenses of the United Nations paid by the United Nations and member states and non-governmental organizations;

(2) a description of the means by which the amount and distribution of such translation work are determined;

(3) a description of the means by which such translation costs are assigned for payment by member states and non-governmental organizations to United Nations;

(4) an analysis of any possibility for cost savings resulting from translation into a particular languages being performed in the nation or nations where such language is autochthonous;

(5) an analysis of any cost savings possible by paying translators the prevailing wage for such work as is paid in the nation or nations where such language is autochthonous;

(6) an analysis of any possibility for cost savings resulting from translation into a more refined, smaller set of languages for any possible purposes and occasions, as such analogous initiative has been suggested for the translation work performed for the European Union; and

(7) recommendations for policies, programs, and strategies of the United States Government to ensure that fiscal efficiency in such translation expenses is improved substantially.