Combating Global Corruption Act of 2017
This bill directs the the Department of State to annually publish on a publicly accessible website a three-tiered ranking based upon the extent of compliance by a foreign country's government with the minimum anti-corruption standards prescribed in this bill.
The bill states that a government is complying with such standards if it:
- has enacted and judicially enforces laws, and has established structures and practices, that prohibit corruption;
- prescribes punishment for grand corruption that is commensurate with the punishment for serious crimes;
- prescribes punishment for petty corruption that provides a sufficient deterrent and reflects the nature of the offense; and
- is making sustained anti-corruption efforts.
The State Department shall, prior to the obligation of any foreign assistance (except humanitarian, disaster, and anti-corruption assistance) to a tier 3 country:
- conduct a corruption risk assessment and create a corruption mitigation strategy for all foreign assistance programs to that country,
- require the inclusion of anti-corruption clauses for all foreign assistance contracts and grants,
- require the inclusion of clawback clauses for all foreign assistance contracts and grants to recover U.S. taxpayer funds that have been misappropriated through corruption,
- require disclosure of the beneficial ownership of all entities receiving foreign assistance funding, and
- establish a mechanism for investigating allegations of misappropriated foreign assistance funds or equipment.
The State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development shall: (1) consolidate existing reports with anti-corruption components into one online, public platform; and (2) incorporate anti-corruption components into existing Foreign Service and Civil Service training courses.