Organization of American States Revitalization and Reform Act of 2013

Floor Speech

Mr. MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I yield myself such time as I may consume to explain that this legislation would require the Secretary of State to develop a multiyear strategy to bolster the Organization of American States, OAS as we know it, and improve the performance and the process for managing the budget and the personnel at the OAS.

When it was founded in 1948, it was the sole multilateral body in the Western Hemisphere. As the premier hemispheric organization, the OAS' key institutional documents--its charter, the American Declaration of Rights, the Inter-American Democratic Charter--enshrine values that are the foundation for political systems in the Americas.

Since its founding, the OAS has accepted too many mandates from its member states, resulting in a loss of international focus, and in turn has reduced, frankly, the organization's effectiveness. This bill seeks to push the OAS to refocus on those two core principles of promoting democratic governance and institutions and resolving regional disputes.

This push comes as other regional bodies are competing with the OAS for regional influence. There is the Central American System of Integration, the Union of South American Nations, and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, which includes Cuba but excludes both the United States and Canada.

Many of these political bodies do not represent our values. Most exclude the U.S. Many are used by governments in the region to undermine the U.S., thus undermining U.S. diplomacy in the hemisphere.

In order to maintain the OAS as an influential, positive force and to defend U.S. engagement, it is important that the U.S. spearhead an effort to reform the OAS and address its many administrative challenges.

This bill calls on the administration to develop a strategy that helps the OAS focus on its core mission, shed nonessential programs, install a results-based budgeting process, and adopt transparent, competitive personnel practices.

Additionally, this bill was strengthened in committee to recognize that it is not politically or financially viable for any OAS member state, including the United States, to pay more than 50 percent of the institution's assessed fees.

I reserve the balance of my time, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise in strong support of S. 793, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, the OAS remains the premier regional forum for the countries of the Americas to conduct multilateral business, an important aspect of U.S. relations with its neighbors.

The bill before us today seeks to support the organization, particularly with respect to democracy promotion and the protection of human rights.

The version we are poised to pass today in the House adds an important provision to the bipartisan Senate bill introduced by the Senator from New Jersey, Bob Menendez, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

This new provision requires the State Department to examine ways to ensure that in the future no OAS member state pays more than 50 percent of the regular budget.

Currently, based on a legacy fee structure from a different era, the U.S. does pay more than 50 percent, with a series of distorting results.

A modernized OAS would benefit from a more egalitarian fee structure. The new provision asks State to lay out a roadmap to achieve such a fee structure, and hopefully opens up the conversation with our fellow member states in the OAS in the spirit of consensus and partnership.

I would like to thank Chairman Royce and Ranking Member Engel for working, truly, again, as we have done and seen time and time again on the Foreign Affairs Committee, really working in a bipartisan manner on this bill. We know sometimes it is not easy, but they have managed to do it. I thank them for that.

I urge my colleagues to support it, and reserve the balance of my time.

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