BLUE Pacific Act
Latest action · Jul 30, 2020 Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H3988-3989)
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 27, 2020
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Boosting Long-term U.S. Engagement in the Pacific Act or BLUE Pacific Act
This bill requires the establishment or expansion of various diplomacy and aid programs related to the Pacific Islands, which include the Cook Islands, Fiji, Palau, and Vanuatu.
Provisions relating to security and law enforcement in the Pacific Islands include those requiring (1) the Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security to expand cross-border maritime law enforcement operations; (2) the State Department to expand International Law Enforcement Academies coverage (the academies provide training to law enforcement agencies in other countries); and (3) the State Department to implement a strategy to combat transnational crime, such as cybercrime and sex trafficking.
The bill also requires the implementation of development-related initiatives in the Pacific Islands, such as by requiring (1) the U.S. Trade Representative to implement a strategy to expand and diversify trade; (2) the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to implement a plan to increase the region's trade capacity; and (3) the USAID to implement programs to improve public health, education outcomes, and climate resilience.
The bill also requires the development and implementation of programs related to press freedom in the Pacific Islands, such as a State Department strategy to strengthen the press and promote press freedom and a U.S. Agency for Global Media strategy to provide expanded media content.
Cosponsors 10
Members who signed on, in the order they did. All signed on Jul 27, 2020.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-CA | Ami Bera | Original | Jul 27, 2020 |
| R-AS | Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen | Original | Jul 27, 2020 |
| D-CA | Brad Sherman | Original | Jul 27, 2020 |
| R-NE | Don Bacon | Original | Jul 27, 2020 |
| R-AK | Don Young | Original | Jul 27, 2020 |
| D-MP | Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan | Original | Jul 27, 2020 |
| D-CA | Juan Vargas | Original | Jul 27, 2020 |
| D-GU | Michael F. Q. San Nicolas | Original | Jul 27, 2020 |
| D-CA | Ted Lieu | Original | Jul 27, 2020 |
| R-FL | Ted S. Yoho | Original | Jul 27, 2020 |
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 27, 2020 |
| House | Ways and Means Committee | Referred Jul 27, 2020 |
| House | Natural Resources Committee | Referred Jul 27, 2020 |
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jul 30, 2020Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H3988-3989)
- Jul 27, 2020Introduced in House
- Jul 27, 2020Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, and Natural Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
In the Congressional Record 1
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.
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. 166, no. 132, July 27, 2020, page H3881.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| R46571 | Australia’s Strategic Posture: Issues for Congress Archived | Report | Oct 9, 2020 |
| R46573 | The Freely Associated States and Issues for Congress Archived | Report | Oct 7, 2020 |
Titles 3
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To establish a comprehensive, long-term United States strategy and policy for the Pacific Islands, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- BLUE Pacific Act
- Boosting Long-term U.S. Engagement in the Pacific Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: International Affairs.
- Air quality
- Alternative and renewable resources
- Australia
- Cardiovascular and respiratory health
- Climate change and greenhouse gases
- Computer security and identity theft
- Congressional oversight
- Cultural exchanges and relations
- Diplomacy, foreign officials, Americans abroad
- Disaster relief and insurance
- Drug trafficking and controlled substances
- Economic development
- Education programs funding
- Emergency medical services and trauma care
- Emergency planning and evacuation
- Employment and training programs
- Fiji
- Food assistance and relief
- Foreign aid and international relief
- Fraud offenses and financial crimes
- Free trade and trade barriers
- Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
- Health care quality
- Health programs administration and funding
- Human rights
- Human trafficking
- Hunting and fishing
- Infectious and parasitic diseases
- Infrastructure development
- International Affairs
- International exchange and broadcasting
- International organizations and cooperation
- Kiribati
- Law enforcement administration and funding
- Marine and inland water transportation
- Marine pollution
- Marshall Islands
- Micronesia
- Military assistance, sales, and agreements
- Military education and training
- Multilateral development programs
- National and community service
- Natural disasters
- Nauru
- New Zealand
- News media and reporting
- Oceania
- Pacific Ocean
- Palau
- Papua New Guinea
- Rule of law and government transparency
- Samoa
- Sex offenses
- Sex, gender, sexual orientation discrimination
- Solomon Islands
- Sovereignty, recognition, national governance and status
- Tonga
- Trade agreements and negotiations
- Transportation programs funding
- Transportation safety and security
- Tuvalu
- U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
- U.S. and foreign investments
- Vanuatu
- Water resources funding
- Women in business
- World health
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jul 27, 2020Introduced 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.
