[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2254 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2254

    To authorize the President to enter into an agreement with the 
  Government of the People's Republic of China to establish a United 
            States-China Bilateral Human Rights Commission.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 25, 1993

Mr. Lightfoot (for himself and Mr. Johnson of South Dakota) introduced 
  the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To authorize the President to enter into an agreement with the 
  Government of the People's Republic of China to establish a United 
            States-China Bilateral Human Rights Commission.

    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 ``United States-China Bilateral Human 
Rights Commission Act of 1993''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds that--
            (1) by virtue of their membership in the United Nations, 
        the Governments of the People's Republic of China and the 
        United States have manifested their commitment to the Universal 
        Declaration of Human Rights;
            (2) since June 1989, the human rights situation in the 
        People's Republic of China has prevented the United States 
        Government from resuming cordial relations with the Government 
        of the People's Republic of China;
            (3) since December 1990, there has emerged a limited 
        dialogue on human rights between the People's Republic of China 
        and the United States on both a governmental and 
        nongovernmental level; and
            (4) the expansion and institutionalization of such a 
        dialogue is one means, among others, for enhancing mutual 
        understanding and fostering improvements in human rights.

SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF BILATERAL HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION.

    The President is authorized to enter into an agreement with the 
Government of the People's Republic of China to establish a United 
States-China Bilateral Human Rights Commission (in this Act referred to 
as the ``Commission'').

SEC. 4. MEMBERSHIP.

    (a) Number and Appointment.--The Commission should be composed of 
an equal number of members from both the People's Republic of China and 
the United States. Of the members representing the United States, the 
President should appoint government officials with expertise in human 
rights, activists with expertise in human rights in China, jurists, 
religious leaders, and businesspersons.
    (b) Co-Chairpersons.--The Commission should be headed by 2 co-
chairpersons, of which 1 co-chairperson should be a member representing 
the People's Republic of China and 1 co-chairperson should be a member 
representing the United States.
    (c) Meetings.--The Commission should meet at least annually and 
should alternate the location of its meetings between the People's 
Republic of China and the United States.

SEC. 5. DUTIES.

    The Commission should--
            (1) establish both short- and long-term goals with respect 
        to improving human rights in both the People's Republic of 
        China and the United States;
            (2) conduct regular and systematic exchange of views on 
        matters of concern to the Governments of the People's Republic 
        of China and the United States with respect to human rights;
            (3) monitor compliance of human rights in the People's 
        Republic of China and the United States, with particular 
        emphasis on the rights described in the International Covenant 
        on Civil and Political Rights;
            (4) investigate human rights abuse cases in both the 
        People's Republic of China and the United States;
            (5) serve as a vehicle for the resolution of such cases, 
        including cases involving individuals imprisoned or 
        discriminated against for reasons of political or religious 
        belief, nationality, race, or sex; and
            (6) report periodically to the Governments of the People's 
        Republic of China and the United States on the activities of 
        the Commission.

SEC. 6. STRUCTURE AND ADDITIONAL PERSONNEL OF COMMISSION.

    (a) Offices.--The Commission should establish 1 office in the 
People's Republic of China and 1 office in the United States to assist 
the Commission in carrying out its duties under section 5.
    (b) Director and Staff.--The co-chairpersons should appoint a 
director and additional personnel as such chairpersons consider 
appropriate for each office referred to in subsection (a).

SEC. 7. REPORTS.

    The President should report quarterly to the Congress on the 
progress made in the negotiations regarding the establishment of the 
Commission.

SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 
necessary to carry out this Act.

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