Nicaraguan Investment Conditionality Act (NICA) of 2016
Latest action · Sep 22, 2016 Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedJul 11, 2016
- Passed HouseSep 21, 2016
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Nicaraguan Investment Conditionality Act (NICA) of 2016
(Sec. 3) This bill states that is U.S. policy to support: (1) the rule of law and an independent judiciary and electoral council in Nicaragua; (2) independent pro-democracy organizations in Nicaragua; and (3) free, fair, and transparent elections under international and domestic observers in Nicaragua in 2016 and 2017.
(Sec. 4) The President shall instruct the U.S. executive director at each international financial institution to use U.S. influence to oppose any loan for the government of Nicaragua's benefit, other than for basic human needs or to promote democracy, unless the Department of State certifies that Nicaragua is taking effective steps to: (1) hold elections overseen by credible domestic and international electoral observers, (2) promote democracy and an independent judiciary system and electoral council, (3) strengthen the rule of law, and (4) respect the right to freedom of association and expression.
The Department of the Treasury shall submit a report assessing: (1) the effectiveness of international financial institutions in enforcing applicable program safeguards in Nicaragua, and (2) the effects of specified election and fiscal transparency matters in Nicaragua on long-term prospects for positive development outcomes there.
(Sec. 5) The President shall direct the U.S. Permanent Representative to the Organization of American States to use U.S. influence to advocate for an Electoral Observation Mission to be sent to Nicaragua in 2016 and 2017.
(Sec. 6) The bill provides that Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development should prioritize foreign assistance to the people of Nicaragua to assist civil society in democracy and governance programs, including human rights documentation.
(Sec. 7) The State Department shall report on the involvement of senior Nicaraguan government officials, including members of the Supreme Electoral Council, the National Assembly, and the judicial system, in acts of public corruption or human rights violations in Nicaragua.
Cosponsors 20
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jul 11, 2016 to Sep 14, 2016; 9 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-NJ | Albio Sires | Original | Jul 11, 2016 |
| D-PA | Brendan F. Boyle | Original | Jul 11, 2016 |
| R-FL | Carlos Curbelo | Original | Jul 11, 2016 |
| D-NJ | Donald Norcross | Original | Jul 11, 2016 |
| D-TX | Henry Cuellar | Original | Jul 11, 2016 |
| R-SC | Jeff Duncan | Original | Jul 11, 2016 |
| R-FL | Mario Diaz-Balart | Original | Jul 11, 2016 |
| R-FL | Ted S. Yoho | Original | Jul 11, 2016 |
| D-CA | Tony Cárdenas | Original | Jul 11, 2016 |
| R-NY | Daniel M. Donovan, Jr. | Jul 14, 2016 | |
| R-TX | Randy K. Weber, Sr. | Jul 14, 2016 | |
| R-FL | Gus M. Bilirakis | Jul 18, 2016 | |
| R-FL | Thomas J. Rooney | Jul 18, 2016 | |
| R-FL | Ander Crenshaw | Sep 6, 2016 | |
| R-CA | Dana Rohrabacher | Sep 6, 2016 | |
| R-PA | Joseph R. Pitts | Sep 6, 2016 | |
| R-FL | Ron DeSantis | Sep 6, 2016 | |
| R-NJ | Christopher H. Smith | Sep 7, 2016 | |
| R-AZ | Matt Salmon | Sep 9, 2016 | |
| R-TX | Ted Poe | Sep 14, 2016 |
Committees 3
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Foreign Affairs Committee | Referred Jul 11, 2016Discharged Sep 22, 2016 |
| Western Hemisphere Subcommittee | Referred Sep 7, 2016 | |
| House | Financial Services Committee | Referred Jul 11, 2016Discharged Sep 22, 2016 |
| Senate | Foreign Relations Committee | Referred Sep 22, 2016 |
Actions 11
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Sep 22, 2016Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
- Sep 21, 2016Mr. Royce asked unanimous consent to discharge from committee and consider.
- Sep 21, 2016Committee on Foreign Affairs discharged.
- Sep 21, 2016Committee on Financial Services discharged.
- Sep 21, 2016Considered by unanimous consent. (consideration: CR H5779-5782; text of measure as introduced: CR H5779-5780)
In the Congressional Record 3
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| House | Debate and remarks H7188 | Ileana Ros-Lehtinen R-FL | Dec 6, 2016 |
| House | Debate and remarks H5779–H5782Text printed H5779, H5780–H5782Amendments H5780 | Edward R. Royce R-CA (amendment) | Sep 21, 2016 |
| House | Debate and remarks H5350 | Ileana Ros-Lehtinen R-FL | Sep 13, 2016 |
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 162, no. 111, July 11, 2016, page H4660.
Printed hearings 2
Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.
| Number | Hearing | Committee | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serial No. 114-235 | NICARAGUA'S DEMOCRATIC COLLAPSE42 pages | Foreign Affairs Committee | Sep 15, 2016 |
| Serial No. 114-234 | EXPRESSING PROFOUND CONCERN ABOUT THE ONGOING POLITICAL, ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND HUMANITARIAN CRISIS IN VENEZUELA, URGING THE RELEASE OF POLITICAL PRISONERS, AND CALLING FOR RESPECT OF CONSTITUTIONAL AND DEMOCRATIC PROCESSES; AND THE NICARAGUA INVESTMENT CONDITIONALITY ACT (NICA) OF 201652 pages | Foreign Affairs Committee | Sep 15, 2016 |
CRS reports 2
Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.
Cite it 2
Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.
| Product | Title | Kind | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| R44560 | Nicaragua: In Brief Archived | Report | Jan 30, 2017 |
| R43882 | Latin America and the Caribbean: Key Issues and Actions in the 114th Congress Archived | Report | Jan 4, 2017 |
Amendments 1
Amendments offered to this bill.
| Amendment | Description | Offered by | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| HAmdt 1427 | Amendment strikes all after the enacting clause and inserts a complete new text. | Edward R. Royce R-CA | On agreeing to the Royce amendment (A001) Agreed to by voice vote. |
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 3284 | Nicaraguan Investment Conditionality Act of 2016 | Related bill | Sep 6, 2016 |
Titles 4
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To oppose loans at international financial institutions for the Government of Nicaragua unless the Government of Nicaragua is taking effective steps to hold free, fair, and transparent elections, and for other purposes.
- Official Titles as Amended by House
- To oppose loans at international financial institutions for the Government of Nicaragua, other than to address basic human needs or promote democracy, unless the Government of Nicaragua is taking effective steps to hold free, fair, and transparent elections, and for other purposes.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Nicaraguan Investment Conditionality Act (NICA) of 2016
- Short Titles as Passed House
- Nicaraguan Investment Conditionality Act (NICA) of 2016
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: International Affairs.
- Congressional oversight
- Elections, voting, political campaign regulation
- Foreign aid and international relief
- Foreign loans and debt
- Government ethics and transparency, public corruption
- Human rights
- International Affairs
- International organizations and cooperation
- Judicial procedure and administration
- Latin America
- Multilateral development programs
- Nicaragua
- Rule of law and government transparency
- Sovereignty, recognition, national governance and status
Text 3
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Sep 22, 2016Referred in Senate
- Sep 21, 2016Engrossed in House
- Jul 11, 2016Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
