A bill to amend section 490 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to establish an additional certification with respect to major drug-producing and drug-transit countries, and for other purposes.

Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to revise certification standards for waiver of the requirements that: (1) bilateral assistance be withheld from a major illicit drug producing country or major drug-transit country; and (2) the Secretary of the Treasury instruct the U.S. Executive Director of each multilateral development bank to vote against the provision of assistance to such countries under the international narcotic control program. Allows waiver of such requirements, in addition to other certification standards, if during the previous year such a country has cooperated with the United States, or has taken steps on its own, to achieve compliance with the goals and objectives established by the United Nations Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, but has not made adequate progress toward meeting certain plans, programs, or timetables (including any relating to the Convention) identified in a specified report of the President to the Congress. Declares that, with respect to such a country, a high-level contact group should be convened consisting of, but not limited to, specified U.S. officials and their counterparts from the country. Requires each high-level group to establish specific, achievable benchmarks for the country for each plan, program, and timetable for which inadequate progress has been made. Directs the President to place the greatest emphasis on the progress made by the country with respect to such benchmarks in making certifications for such country in the following year. Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) a high-level contact group should be convened with respect to Mexico in 1998; and (2) any benchmarks the group establishes should be used in its certification in 1999.