The publication is reproduced in full below:
INTRODUCTION OF THE LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE FOR TRANSATLANTIC ENGAGEMENT
(LITE) ACT
______
HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS
of florida
in the house of representatives
Thursday, February 18, 2021
Mr. HASTINGS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Leadership Institute for Transatlantic Engagement (LITE) Act--a bill that will create an institute to assist in strengthening ties with our allies, protect democratic institutions, and support inclusive and visionary leadership on both sides of the Atlantic.
In my capacity as Chair and in the leadership of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the U.S. Helsinki Commission, for over a decade, I have led hearings and other initiatives on international election observation, good governance, and democratic backsliding as part of our continued commitment to the underlying principles of the Helsinki Final Act adopted by the 57 North American, European, and Eurasian countries that make up the region of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Last Congress these activities included a hearing series entitled, ``Human Rights at Home'', hosting young OSCE parliamentarians in the U.S. Congress to discuss how we can strengthen their political inclusion to advance peace and security efforts, and commemorating the tenth anniversary of the Transatlantic Minority Political Leadership Conference and Transatlantic Inclusion Leaders Network that have been pivotal in strengthening inclusive and strategic international relations over the past decade.
These activities have identified numerous challenges in western leadership and countries--including my own--that are putting our democracies and the transatlantic partnership at risk. For instance, a 2020 Pew Research study found that in 11 of the 57 countries that make up the region of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), approximately half of those surveyed are dissatisfied with the way democracy in their countries is functioning with high rates of dissatisfaction in Italy, Greece, and the United States. Internal domestic challenges including economic decline, the rise of antiestablishment political parties, the weakening of the rule of law, increased migration, and heightened security concerns are only some of the sources of dissatisfaction. Continuing racial and other disparities in wealth, health, employment, education, justice, and other sectors have also led citizens and others to question whether democracy delivers.
To renew confidence in the shared values that underpin Western democracies and the transatlantic partnership, we need to bolster initiatives that restore faith in democratic institutions. This includes identifying and strengthening the roles leaders can play in ensuring laws are equitable, transparent, and enforced; elections are free and fair; and that rights and protections are equally extended to all in their constituencies. And our efforts must include those that have long been excluded from fully participating in our society.
As such, the LITE Act establishes an institute to assist Western countries in living up to democratic ideals and restoring faith in democracy, by equipping transatlantic policymakers with legislative, communications, conflict resolution and other leadership tools to strengthen democratic institutions in their societies and the transatlantic relationship. Given demographic change on both sides of the Atlantic, LITE will cultivate inclusive and intergenerational solutions to current challenges with the goal of empowering diverse individuals across generations with the knowledge, tools, opportunity, and access to fully participate in their democracies. In addition, LITE will support strategies that reunify communities by assisting leaders in building resilience against the exploitation of community grievances that can lead to dangerous divisions in our societies.
The LITE Act therefore complements and provides an essential tool for executing President Biden's Executive Orders on racial equity and addressing discrimination and plans to reengage with our European allies and hold a Democracy Summit.
I hope you will join me in supporting LITE to strengthen our democratic future and the transatlantic partnership.
____________________
SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 31
The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
House Representatives' salaries are historically higher than the median US income.
Alerts Sign-up