Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, applauded the House of Representatives unanimous passage of S. 1104, Assessing Progress in Haiti Act of 2014.  The legislation provides greater oversight of U.S. taxpayer funding for post-earthquake reconstruction and sustainable development in Haiti, and provides greater transparency in USAID contracting and subcontracting.  The House version of the Senate bill, H.R. 3509, passed the House of Representatives last December with overwhelming bipartisan support.
 
On the legislation’s passage Chairman Royce said:  “The Assessing Progress in Haiti Act represents a product that provides strong oversight of U.S. aid to Haiti.   At a time when much of the funding has yet to be spent, better and more frequent reporting from State and USAID is critical to provide better oversight of taxpayer funds.  Today’s legislation does just that.”
 
Note: Last year, a bipartisan delegation from the House Foreign Affairs Committee traveled to Haiti to investigate reports of unrealistic objectives, costly delays, and poor oversight that hampered USAID’s assistance efforts following Haiti’s devastating 2010 earthquake, all of which were detailed in a report by the Government Accountability Office.  Following the trip to Haiti, Chairman Royce convened a hearing to examine USAID’s administration of Haiti reconstruction funding.

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