S.Amdt. 1165

SA 1165. Mrs. GILLIBRAND submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by her to the bill H.R. 2346, making supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2009, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

At the end of title XI, insert the following:

civilian assistance in afghanistan

Sec. 1121. The Secretary of State and the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development should enhance United States reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan by--

(1) identifying lessons learned from previous United States reconstruction efforts, including in democracy and governance, public administration, agriculture and rural development, energy, justice and law enforcement, health care, and basic, vocational and higher education, and developing new approaches in these areas which emphasize capacity building and support of Afghan entities and institutions at the provincial and sub-provincial levels;

(2) requiring civilian Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) leaders to have regular consultations with appropriate local counterparts in their respective provinces and ensuring that PRT reconstruction and development activities support local needs in a sustainable manner; and

(3) directing the PRTs, as appropriate and with due regard to the safety of United States personnel, to provide a mechanism for local people to lodge complaints regarding corruption or other misconduct by Afghan or foreign officials when such complaints cannot be safely and adequately lodged with local law enforcement officials.