H.R. 8575

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8575 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 8575

To strengthen the public-private partnerships and policy efforts of the 
Department of State to advance women's economic security in South and 
Central Asia, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

April 29, 2026

Ms. Johnson of Texas introduced the following bill; which was referred 
to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To strengthen the public-private partnerships and policy efforts of the 
Department of State to advance women's economic security in South and 
Central Asia, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Enhancing Mobilization of Public-
Private Organizations for Women's Economic Rights Act'' or the 
``EMPOWER Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress finds the following:
(1) Women's full and unfettered political, economic, and 
social participation is vital to realizing universal human 
rights, global prosperity, peace, and security.
(2) Women's labor force participation, asset ownership, and 
economic security are development multipliers, promoting family 
financial resilience, community health and development, 
children's educational attainment, and poverty reduction, among 
other development gains across South and Central Asia.
(3) Women's economic participation and opportunity, 
educational attainment, health and survival, and political 
empowerment are directly proportional to countries' economic 
competitiveness.
(4) Women make up about 33 percent of South Asia's labor 
force, among the lowest female labor force participation rates 
in the world, yet gender parity in employment could increase 
South Asia's Gross Domestic Product by between 19 to 58 
percent.
(5) While the percentage varies across the five Central 
Asian states, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan also have some of the 
lowest female labor force participation rates in the world, at 
29.6 percent and 35.9 percent, respectively.
(6) The Women's Councils are consortia of public-private 
partnerships between the Department of State and United States 
and South Asian businesses, civil society, and universities, to 
matchmake technology, networks, expertise, and resources of our 
corporate and civil society members to create more impact 
together than any entity could alone.
(7) The Women's Councils implement President Trump's 
Presidential Memorandum on Promoting Women's Global Development 
and Prosperity and the bipartisan Women, Peace, and Security 
Act of 2017.
(8) The Women's Councils accelerate women's economic 
empowerment in South and Central Asian countries, growing 
economies and advancing stability and prosperity for all, at no 
cost to American taxpayers.

SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY.

It is the policy of the United States to promote women's economic 
security and advancement, including in South and Central Asia, as an 
integral part of the broader conduct of United States foreign policy in 
the region.

SEC. 4. WOMEN'S COUNCILS AND PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS ADVANCING 
WOMEN'S ECONOMIC SECURITY IN SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA.

(a) In General.--The Secretary of State shall maintain and seek to 
expand existing women's councils and other public-private partnerships 
that--
(1) forge ties between the United States and countries in 
South and Central Asia, by catalyzing commitments from the 
private sector, civil society, and academia; and
(2) advance women's employment, entrepreneurship and access 
to education, such as the United States-Pakistan Women's 
Council, the United States-India Alliance for Women's Economic 
Empowerment, and the Alliance for Afghan Women's Economic 
Resilience.
(b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the 
activities authorized under subsection (a) should support--
(1) women's financial inclusion and access;
(2) women's access to mentorship;
(3) women's asset ownership;
(4) incubation and scaling of women-owned startups and 
small and medium enterprises;
(5) access to procurement opportunities by women 
entrepreneurs;
(6) career-enhancing educational opportunities;
(7) women in science, technology, engineering, the arts and 
mathematics;
(8) the care economy; and
(9) addressing legal and social barriers to women's 
economic empowerment.
(c) Location.--Activities authorized under this section may be 
conducted in the United States, in countries in South and Central Asia, 
or in third countries.

SEC. 5. ESTABLISHMENT OF UNIT.

(a) In General.--The Secretary of State shall establish within the 
Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs a Unit responsible for 
overseeing the public-private partnerships described in section 4(a). 
Such Unit shall be led by a Special Advisor for Women's Economic 
Security, who shall report to the Assistant Secretary of State for 
South and Central Asia.
(b) Special Advisor.--The Special Advisor for Women's Economic 
Security shall--
(1) be appointed by the Secretary of State, including from 
among existing officials or employees of the Department of 
State to serve as the Special Advisor in addition to that 
official or employee's existing role; and
(2) have the rank and status of Ambassador.
(c) Designated Point of Contact.--Each United States diplomatic and 
consular post the Special Advisor determines relevant shall designate a 
point of contact from among the personnel of such post, whose duties 
shall include identifying and tracking relevant private sector 
commitments with respect to the public-private partnerships overseen by 
the Unit established under subsection (a).

SEC. 6. REPORT.

(a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit to the 
appropriate congressional committees a report that includes--
(1) a description of the steps taken to implement this Act, 
including allocated personnel and funding;
(2) the status of the commitments and partnerships 
described in section 4(a); and
(3) economic data on the impact of work of the Unit 
authorized by section 5.
(b) Appropriate Congressional Committees Defined.--In this section, 
the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' means the following:
(1) The Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 
Representatives.
(2) The Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate.
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