Girls Count Act of 2015

(This measure has not been amended since it was reported to the Senate on May 21, 2015. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Girls Count Act of 2015

(Sec. 3) This bill states that it is U.S. policy to:

• encourage countries to support the rule of law and ensure girls and boys of all ages are able to fully participate in society, including by providing birth certifications and other official documentation;
• enhance training and capacity-building in key developing countries, local nongovernmental organizations, and other civil society organizations in the design, implementation, and monitoring of programs to address the needs of birth registries in countries where girls are systematically under counted; and
• incorporate into the design, implementation, and evaluation of policies and programs measures to evaluate the impact on girls of such policies and programs.

(Sec. 4) Authorizes the Secretary and the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development to support:

• programs that contribute to improved civil registration and vital statistics systems with a focus on birth registration;
• programs that build the capacity of developing countries' national and local legal and policy frameworks to prevent discrimination against girls in gaining access to birth certificates; and
• programs and key ministries to increase property rights, social security, home ownership, land tenure security, inheritance rights, access to education, and economic and entrepreneurial opportunities, particularly for women and girls.

Authorizes the Secretary and the Administrator to coordinate with multilateral organizations and private sector and civil society organizations to advocate for the registration and documentation of all girls and boys in developing countries.

(Sec. 5) Directs the Secretary and the Administrator to include in relevant evaluations and reports to Congress the following information:

• a breakdown of U.S. foreign assistance beneficiaries by age, gender, marital status, location, and school enrollment status;
• a description of how U.S. foreign assistance benefits girls; and
• specific information on programs that address the particular needs of girls.

Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov