[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 452 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 452

 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United 
  States should resume support of operations for the interdiction of 
     illegal drug trafficking in Andean and other foreign nations.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 10, 1994

Mr. Schumer (for himself and Mr. Sensenbrenner) submitted the following 
   resolution; which was referred jointly to the Committees on Armed 
                      Services and Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United 
  States should resume support of operations for the interdiction of 
     illegal drug trafficking in Andean and other foreign nations.

Whereas illegal drugs are a serious problem in the United States, causing misery 
        among users and their families, inspiring violent crime, and destroying 
        the social fabric of the United States;
Whereas the overwhelming bulk of illegal drugs, particularly cocaine, is 
        imported into the United States from the Andean nations, and criminal 
        drug lords in such nations are amassing great wealth extracted from the 
        misery of Americans;
Whereas the United States has long encouraged Andean nations to join in 
        cooperative efforts to locate, interdict, and destroy illegal drug 
        operations at their sources, and the United States has contributed to 
        these efforts by providing United States aircraft, surveillance assets, 
        intelligence, and other resources;
Whereas the Department of Defense and other agencies of the United States have 
        ceased to provide material assistance, based on legal memoranda and 
        other advice issued by the Department of Justice interpreting, among 
        other things, section 32(b) of title 18, United States Code, as barring 
        such aid and subjecting whoever provides it to criminal prosecution;
Whereas the House of Representatives believes that any interpretation of section 
        32(b) of such title that purports to extend the reach of such section to 
        law enforcement operations and actions taken by agencies of the United 
        States in support of such operations improperly construes the meaning of 
        the plain language and the intent of the Congress in enacting such 
        section; and
Whereas the erroneous and unduly expansive interpretation of section 32(b) of 
        such title adopted by the Department of Justice presents a serious 
        obstacle to effective interdiction of illegal drugs at their principal 
        sources, and also may be interpreted to hamper similar domestic 
        operations affecting foreign registered civil aircraft: Now, therefore, 
        be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives 
that--
            (1) the Department of Justice should repudiate its 
        interpretation of section 32(b) of title 18, United States 
        Code, to extend the reach of such section to law enforcement 
        operations and actions taken by agencies of the United States; 
        and
            (2) the Department of Defense and other departments and 
        agencies of the United States should resume their former 
        authorized practice of providing aid, information, and material 
        support to locate, interdict, and prevent the operation of 
        illegal drug producers and traffickers in the Andean nations, 
        and wherever else such operations have been impeded by the 
        erroneous interpretation of section 32(b) of such title.

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