S.Amdt. 775

SA 775. Mr. VAN HOLLEN submitted an amendment intended to be proposed
by him to the bill S. 2226, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year
2024 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy,
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

At the appropriate place in title XII, insert the
following:

SEC. 12__. US-ASEAN CENTER.

(a) Defined Term.--In this section, the term ``ASEAN''
means the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
(b) Establishment.--The Secretary is authorized to enter
into a public-private partnership for the purposes of
establishing a US-ASEAN Center in the United States to
support United States economic and cultural engagement with
Southeast Asia.
(c) Functions.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law,
the US-ASEAN Center established pursuant to subsection (b)
may--
(1) provide grants for research to support and elevate the
importance of the US-ASEAN partnership;
(2) facilitate activities to strengthen US-ASEAN trade and
investment;
(3) expand economic and technological relationships between
ASEAN countries and the United States into new areas of
cooperation;
(4) provide training to United States citizens and citizens
of ASEAN countries that improve people-to-people ties;
(5) develop educational programs to increase awareness for
the United States and

[[Page S2874]]

ASEAN countries on the importance of relations between the
United States and ASEAN countries; and
(6) carry out other activities the Secretary considers
necessary to strengthen ties between the United States and
ASEAN countries and achieve the objectives of the US-ASEAN
Center.
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