119-hr1385

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1385 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

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119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 1385

 To require the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary 
 of Defense, to develop a strategy to increase membership in the 
 Comprehensive Security Integration and Prosperity Agreement, and for 
 other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 February 14, 2025

 Mrs. Miller of West Virginia (for herself and Mr. Panetta) introduced 
 the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
 Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

 To require the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary 
 of Defense, to develop a strategy to increase membership in the 
 Comprehensive Security Integration and Prosperity Agreement, 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 ``Strengthening Cooperation and 
Security in the Middle East Act''.

SEC. 2. REPORT AND STRATEGY ON INCREASING MEMBERSHIP IN THE 
 COMPREHENSIVE SECURITY INTEGRATION AND PROSPERITY 
 AGREEMENT.

    (a) Report.--

    (1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
 the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in 
 consultation with the Secretary of Defense, shall develop and 
 submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report 
 that includes a strategy to increase membership in the 
 Comprehensive Security Integration and Prosperity Agreement

    (CSIPA) , done at Washington, DC on September 9-13, 2023.

    (2) Elements.--The report required by paragraph

    (1) shall 
 also include--
        (A) an analysis of--
            (i) the comprehensive strategic benefits of 
 CSIPA, including improving joint military 
 readiness in the Middle East, enhancing shared 
 economic interests, collaborating on advanced 
 technological and scientific pursuits, and 
 building stronger regional alliances to improve 
 stability and counter mutual threats;
            (ii) the role of CSIPA in supporting rapid 
 and effective responses following the Houthi 
 attacks on merchant vessels the Red Sea that 
 occurred since October 7, 2023;
            (iii) how the CSIPA framework can leverage 
 the United States Navy's Fifth Fleet 
 headquartered in Bahrain for projecting 
 strength in the region and supporting immediate 
 responses to imminent threats posed by the 
 Islamic Republic of Iran or other adversaries 
 of the United States;
            (iv) the long-term benefits of widened 
 membership in CSIPA;
            (v) how the framework of CSIPA can be 
 altered to foster broader regional security 
 integration, bolster mutual deterrence against 
 external threats, and expand cooperation in the 
 fields of commerce, science, and technology;
            (vi) requirements for resources and 
 capabilities that can be provided to expand 
 CSIPA membership; and
            (vii) domestic and regional factors or 
 barriers among allied countries of the United 
 States and Bahrain that may be limiting the 
 expansion of CSIPA; and
        (B) recommendations for areas of further 
 collaboration between the United States and other CSIPA 
 members.

    (b) Strategy.--

    (1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the 
 submission of the report required by subsection

    (a) , the 
 Secretary of State shall develop and submit to the appropriate 
 congressional committees a strategy on how to best engage 
 allied countries in the Middle East and outside of the Middle 
 East to join CSIPA and affirmative steps the Administration can 
 take to increase membership in that agreement.

    (2) Briefing required.--Not later than 60 days after the 
 date on which the Secretary develops the strategy required by 
 this subsection, the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate 
 congressional committees a briefing on a plan for implementing 
 the strategy.
            (c) Form.--The report required by subsection

    (a) and the strategy 
required by subsection

    (b) shall be submitted in unclassified form, but 
may contain a classified annex.
            (d) Appropriate Congressional Committees Defined.--In this section, 
the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--

    (1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on 
 Armed Services of the House of Representatives; and

    (2) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on 
 Armed Services of the Senate.
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