ASSISTANCE TO PROMOTE DEMOCRACY, CIVIL SOCIETY, AND SOVEREIGNTY IN BELARUS.

SEC. 324. ASSISTANCE TO PROMOTE DEMOCRACY, CIVIL SOCIETY, AND SOVEREIGNTY IN BELARUS. Section 4 of the Belarus Democracy Act of 2004 (Public Law 109-480; 22 U.S.C. 5811 note) is amended— (1) by amending the section heading to read as follows: “assistance to promote democracy, civil society, and sovereignty in belarus.”; (2) in subsection (a)— (A) in paragraph (1), by striking “European” and inserting “Trans-Atlantic”; and (B) by redesignating paragraphs (2) and (3) as paragraphs (3) and (4), respectively; and (C) by inserting after paragraph (1) the following: “(2) To assist the people of Belarus in building the sovereignty and independence of their country.” ; (3) in subsection (b)— (A) by inserting “and Belarusian groups outside of Belarus” after “indigenous Belarusian groups”; and (B) by inserting “and Belarusian sovereignty” before the period at the end; (4) in subsection (c)— (A) by striking paragraph (8); (B) by redesignating paragraphs (3) through (7) as paragraphs (4) through (8), respectively; (C) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following: “(3) countering internet censorship and repressive surveillance technology that seek to limit free association, control access to information, and prevent citizens from exercising their rights to free speech;” ; (D) in paragraph (8), as redesignated, by striking “and” at the end; and (E) by adding at the end the following: “(9) supporting the work of women advocating freedom, human rights, and human progress; “(10) supporting the development of Belarusian language education; “(11) enhancing the development of the private sector, particularly the information technology sector, and its role in the economy of Belarus, including by increasing the capacity of private sector actors, developing business support organizations, offering entrepreneurship training, and expanding access to finance for small and medium enterprises; “(12) supporting political refugees in neighboring European countries fleeing the crackdown in Belarus; “(13) supporting the gathering of evidence on and investigating of the human rights abuses in Belarus; “(14) supporting the public health response, including filling the information void, in Belarus during the COVID-19 pandemic; and “(15) other activities consistent with the purposes of this Act.” ; (5) by redesignating subsection (d) as subsection (g); (6) by inserting after subsection (c) the following: “(d) Sense of Congress.—It is the sense of Congress that, in light of the political crisis in Belarus and the unprecedented mobilization of the Belarusian people, United States foreign assistance to Belarusian civil society should be reevaluated and increased— “(1) to carry out the purposes described in subsection (a); and “(2) to include the activities described in subsection (c). “(e) Coordination With European Partners.—In order to maximize impact, eliminate duplication, and further the achievement of the purposes described in subsection (a), the Secretary of State shall ensure coordination with the European Union and its institutions, the governments of countries that are members of the European Union, the United Kingdom, and Canada. “(f) Report on Assistance.—Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of the Belarus Democracy, Human Rights, and Sovereignty Act of 2020, the Secretary of State, acting through the Office of the Coordinator of U.S. Assistance to Europe and Eurasia, and in coordination with the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, shall submit a report to the appropriate congressional committees describing the programs and activities carried out to achieve the purposes described in subsection (a), including an assessment of whether or not progress was made in achieving those purposes.” ; and (7) in subsection (g), as redesignated— (A) in the subsection heading, by striking “Authorization of Appropriations” and all that follows through “There are” and inserting “Authorization of Appropriations.—There are”; (B) by striking “fiscal years 2007 and 2008” and inserting “fiscal years 2021 and 2022”; and (C) by striking paragraph (2).