All four members of the bi-partisan U.S. Congressional delegation attending this week's conference announced via press release today that they support H.R. 417, the Next Steps for Haiti Act. This legislation, introduced by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) in January 2009, would establish a professional exchange program in which Haitian-born Americans with technical expertise would be paired with Haitian public and private sector organizations to work on projects related to the country's reconstruction, in exchange for stipend money and loan forgiveness. “I believe that investing in human capital is one of the best ways to encourage economic growth and rebuild the Republic of Haiti,” said Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. It's unclear whether this program would mirror the State Department-administerd Civilian Response Corp and how generous of a stipend participants would receive (it would certainly have to be generous if it is to persuade professionals to quit their day jobs), but the program enjoys widespread support, including among the Diaspora.
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| Congressional delegates certainly had something up their sleeve! |
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