§ 2291j. Annual certification procedures

(a) Withholding of bilateral assistance and opposition to multilateral development assistance

(1) Bilateral assistance

Fifty percent of the United States assistance allocated each fiscal year in the report required by section 2413 of this title for each major illicit drug producing country, major drug-transit country, or country identified pursuant to clause (i) or (ii) of section 2291h (a)(8)(A) of this title shall be withheld from obligation and expenditure, except as provided in subsection (b) of this section. This paragraph shall not apply with respect to a country if the President determines that its application to that country would be contrary to the national interest of the United States, except that any such determination shall not take effect until at least 15 days after the President submits written notification of that determination to the appropriate congressional committees in accordance with the procedures applicable to reprogramming notifications under section 2394–1 of this title.

(2) Multilateral assistance

The Secretary of the Treasury shall instruct the United States Executive Director of each multilateral development bank to vote, on and after March 1 of each year, against any loan or other utilization of the funds of their respective institution to or for any major illicit drug producing country or major drug-transit country (as determined under subsection (h) of this section) or country identified pursuant to clause (i) or (ii) of section 2291h (a)(8)(A) of this title, except as provided in subsection (b) of this section. For purposes of this paragraph, the term “multilateral development bank” means the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the International Development Association, the Inter-American Development Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the African Development Bank, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

(b) Certification procedures

(1) What must be certified

Subject to subsection (d) of this section, the assistance withheld from a country pursuant to subsection (a)(1) of this section may be obligated and expended, and the requirement of subsection (a)(2) of this section to vote against multilateral development bank assistance to a country shall not apply, if the President determines and certifies to the Congress, at the time of the submission of the report required by section 2291h (a) of this title, that—

(A) during the previous year the country has cooperated fully with the United States, or has taken adequate steps on its own, to achieve full compliance with the goals and objectives established by the United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances; or

(B) for a country that would not otherwise qualify for certification under subparagraph (A), the vital national interests of the United States require that the assistance withheld pursuant to subsection (a)(1) of this section be provided and that the United States not vote against multilateral development bank assistance for that country pursuant to subsection (a)(2) of this section.

(2) Considerations regarding cooperation

In making the determination described in paragraph (1)(A), the President shall consider the extent to which the country has—

(A) met the goals and objectives of the United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, including action on such issues as illicit cultivation, production, distribution, sale, transport and financing, and money laundering, asset seizure, extradition, mutual legal assistance, law enforcement and transit cooperation, precursor chemical control, and demand reduction;

(B) accomplished the goals described in an applicable bilateral narcotics agreement with the United States or a multilateral agreement; and

(C) taken legal and law enforcement measures to prevent and punish public corruption, especially by senior government officials, that facilitates the production, processing, or shipment of narcotic and psychotropic drugs and other controlled substances, or that discourages the investigation or prosecution of such acts.

(3) Information to be included in national interest certification

If the President makes a certification with respect to a country pursuant to paragraph (1)(B), the President shall include in such certification—

(A) a full and complete description of the vital national interests placed at risk if United States bilateral assistance to that country is terminated pursuant to this section and multilateral development bank assistance is not provided to such country; and

(B) a statement weighing the risk described in subparagraph (A) against the risks posed to the vital national interests of the United States by the failure of such country to cooperate fully with the United States in combating narcotics or to take adequate steps to combat narcotics on its own.

The President may make a certification under subsection (b)(1)(A) of this section with respect to a major illicit drug producing country, or major drug-transit country, that is a producer of licit opium only if the President determines that such country maintains licit production and stockpiles at levels no higher than those consistent with licit market demand, and has taken adequate steps to prevent significant diversion of its licit cultivation and production into the illicit markets and to prevent illicit cultivation and production.

(d) Congressional review

Subsection (e) of this section shall apply if, within 30 calendar days after receipt of a certification submitted under subsection (b) of this section at the time of submission of the report required by section 2291h (a) of this title, the Congress enacts a joint resolution disapproving the determination of the President contained in such certification.

(e) Denial of assistance for countries decertified

If the President does not make a certification under subsection (b) of this section with respect to a country or the Congress enacts a joint resolution disapproving such certification, then until such time as the conditions specified in subsection (f) of this section are satisfied—

(1) funds may not be obligated for United States assistance for that country, and funds previously obligated for United States assistance for that country may not be expended for the purpose of providing assistance for that country; and

(2) the requirement to vote against multilateral development bank assistance pursuant to subsection (a)(2) of this section shall apply with respect to that country, without regard to the date specified in that subsection.

(f) Recertification

Subsection (e) of this section shall apply to a country described in that subsection until—

(1) the President, at the time of submission of the report required by section 2291h (a) of this title, makes a certification under subsection (b)(1)(A) or (b)(1)(B) of this section with respect to that country, and the Congress does not enact a joint resolution under subsection (d) of this section disapproving the determination of the President contained in that certification; or

(2) the President, at any other time, makes the certification described in subsection (b)(1)(B) of this section with respect to that country, except that this paragraph applies only if either—

(A) the President also certifies that—

(i) that country has undergone a fundamental change in government, or

(ii) there has been a fundamental change in the conditions that were the reason—

(I) why the President had not made a certification with respect to that country under subsection (b)(1)(A) of this section, or

(II) if he had made such a certification and the Congress enacted a joint resolution disapproving the determination contained in the certification, why the Congress enacted that joint resolution; or

(B) the Congress enacts a joint resolution approving the determination contained in the certification under subsection (b)(1)(B) of this section.

Any certification under subparagraph (A) of paragraph (2) shall discuss the justification for the certification.

(g) Senate procedures

Any joint resolution under this section shall be considered in the Senate in accordance with the provisions of section 601(b) of the International Security Assistance and Arms Export Control Act of 1976.

(h) Determining major drug-transit and major illicit drug producing countries

Not later than November 1 of each year, the President shall notify the appropriate committees of the Congress of which countries have been determined to be major drug-transit countries, and which countries have been determined to be major illicit drug producing countries, for purposes of this chapter.

U.S. Code

§ 2291j. Annual certification procedures