115th CONGRESS 1st Session |
To increase accountability, combat corruption, and strengthen management effectiveness at the World Bank.
July 20, 2017
Mr. Barr introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services
To increase accountability, combat corruption, and strengthen management effectiveness at the World Bank.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
This Act may be cited as the “World Bank Accountability Act of 2017”.
SEC. 2. Withholding of funds until certain conditions are met.
(1) IN GENERAL.—With respect to each of fiscal years 2018 through 2023, in addition to any amounts withheld from disbursement under subsection (b), 15 percent of the amounts provided in appropriations Acts for the International Development Association for the fiscal year—
(A) shall be withheld from disbursement until the conditions of paragraph (2) or (3) are satisfied; and
(B) (i) shall be disbursed after, the conditions of paragraph (2) are satisfied; and
(ii) may be disbursed after, the conditions of paragraph (3) are satisfied.
(2) INITIAL CONDITIONS.—The conditions of this paragraph are satisfied with respect to the amounts provided in appropriations Acts for a fiscal year if, in the fiscal year, the Secretary of the Treasury reports to the appropriate congressional committees that the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development—
(A) is implementing institutional incentives, including through formal staff evaluation criteria, that prioritize poverty reduction, development outcomes, and capable project management over the volume of the Bank’s lending and grantmaking;
(B) is taking, or has completed, steps to address the management failures described in Inspection Panel Investigation Report 106710–UG, and to prevent their recurrence in countries that are eligible for World Bank support; and
(C) is taking measures to strengthen its management of trust funds, with the goal of increasing the accountability of the trust funds for poverty reduction and development outcomes.
(3) SUBSEQUENT CONDITIONS.—The conditions of this paragraph are satisfied if the Secretary of the Treasury reports to the appropriate congressional committees, in each of the 3 fiscal years most recently preceding the fiscal year in which the report is made, that the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development has instituted the measures described in paragraph (2) of this subsection and the measures described in subsection (b)(2).
(b) Governance and anticorruption reforms.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—With respect to each of fiscal years 2018 through 2023, in addition to any amounts withheld from disbursement under subsection (a), 15 percent of the amounts provided in appropriations Acts for the International Development Association for the fiscal year—
(A) shall be withheld from disbursement until the conditions of paragraph (2) or (3) are satisfied; and
(B) (i) shall be disbursed after, the conditions of paragraph (2) are satisfied; and
(ii) may be disbursed after, the conditions of paragraph (3) are satisfied.
(2) INITIAL CONDITIONS.—The conditions of this paragraph are satisfied with respect to the amounts provided in appropriations Acts for a fiscal year if, in the fiscal year, the Secretary of the Treasury reports to the appropriate congressional committees that the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development—
(A) is emphasizing in appropriate operational policies, directives, and country strategies its support for secure property rights, due process of law, and economic freedom as essential conditions for sustained poverty reduction in World Bank borrowing countries;
(B) (i) has not approved any loans or grants assistance by the Bank to a country designated by the United States as a state sponsor of terrorism in the preceding fiscal year; and
(ii) is strengthening the ability of Bank-funded projects to undermine violent extremism;
(C) is taking steps to conduct randomized forensic audits of projects receiving assistance from the Bank, increase the number of the audits, and strengthen the capacity of the Bank’s Integrity Vice Presidency; and
(D) is taking measures to detect and minimize corruption in all World Bank projects involving development policy lending.
(3) SUBSEQUENT CONDITIONS.—The conditions of this paragraph are satisfied if the Secretary of the Treasury reports to the appropriate congressional committees, in each of the 3 fiscal years most recently preceding the fiscal year in which the report is made that the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development has instituted the measures described in paragraph (2) of this subsection and the measures described in subsection (a)(2).
(c) Appropriate congressional committees defined.—In this section, the term “appropriate congressional committees” means the Committees on Financial Services and Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Committees on Foreign Relations and Appropriations of the Senate.
The Chairman of the National Advisory Council on International Monetary and Financial Policies shall include in the report required by section 1701 of the International Financial Institutions Act for each of fiscal years 2018 through 2023 a detailed description of the actions undertaken by the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development in the fiscal year covered by the report to institute the measures described in subsections (a)(2) and (b)(2) of section 2 of this Act.
SEC. 4. EIGHTEENTH REPLENISHMENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION; REDUCTION FROM IDA–17 AUTHORIZED LEVEL.
The International Development Association Act (22 U.S.C. 284 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:
“SEC. 30. Eighteenth Replenishment.
“(a) Contribution authority.—The United States Governor of the International Development Association may contribute on behalf of the United States $3,291,030,000 to the eighteenth replenishment of the resources of the Association, subject to obtaining the necessary appropriations.
“(b) Limitations on authorization of appropriations.—In order to pay for the contribution provided for in subsection (a), there are authorized to be appropriated, without fiscal year limitation, $3,291,030,000 for payment by the Secretary of the Treasury.”.