PUBLIC LAW 108–31—JUNE 17, 2003
117 STAT. 777
‘‘(4) given the relatively high percentage of populations living in rural areas of developing countries, and the combined high incidence of poverty in rural areas and growing income inequality between rural and urban markets, microenterprise programs should target both rural and urban poor.’’. (b) AUTHORIZATION.—Section 131(b) of such Act (22 U.S.C. 2152a(b)) is amended— (1) in paragraph (3)(A)(i), by striking ‘‘entrepreneurs’’ and inserting ‘‘clients’’; and (2) in paragraph (4)(D)— (A) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘very small loans’’ and inserting ‘‘financial services to poor entrepreneurs’’; and (B) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘microfinance’’ and inserting ‘‘microenterprise’’. (c) MONITORING SYSTEM.—Section 131(c) of such Act (22 U.S.C. 2152a(c)) is amended by striking paragraph (4) and inserting the following: ‘‘(4) adopts the widespread use of proven and effective poverty assessment tools to successfully identify the very poor and ensure that they receive needed microenterprise loans, savings, and assistance.’’. (d) DEVELOPMENT AND APPLICATION OF POVERTY MEASUREMENT METHODS.—Section 131 of such Act (22 U.S.C. 2152a) is amended— (1) by redesignating subsections (d) and (e) as subsections (e) and (f), respectively; and (2) by inserting after subsection (c) the following: ‘‘(d) DEVELOPMENT AND CERTIFICATION OF POVERTY MEASUREMENT METHODS; APPLICATION OF METHODS.— ‘‘(1) DEVELOPMENT AND CERTIFICATION.—(A) The Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, in consultation with microenterprise institutions and other appropriate organizations, shall develop no fewer than two low-cost methods for partner institutions to use to assess the poverty levels of their current or prospective clients. The United States Agency for International Development shall develop poverty indicators that correlate with the circumstances of the very poor. ‘‘(B) The Administrator shall field-test the methods developed under subparagraph (A). As part of the testing, institutions and programs may use the methods on a voluntary basis to demonstrate their ability to reach the very poor. ‘‘(C) Not later than October 1, 2004, the Administrator shall, from among the low-cost poverty measurement methods developed under subparagraph (A), certify no fewer than two such methods as approved methods for measuring the poverty levels of current or prospective clients of microenterprise institutions for purposes of assistance under this section. ‘‘(2) APPLICATION.—The Administrator shall require that, with reasonable exceptions, all organizations applying for microenterprise assistance under this Act use one of the certified methods, beginning no later than October 1, 2005, to determine and report the poverty levels of current or prospective clients.’’. (e) LEVEL OF ASSISTANCE.—Section 131(e) of such Act, as redesignated by subsection (d), is amended by inserting ‘‘and $175,000,000 for fiscal year 2003 and $200,000,000 for fiscal year 2004’’ after ‘‘fiscal years 2001 and 2002’’.
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