[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 550 Introduced in House (IH)]







104th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 550

To prohibit economic assistance, military assistance, or arms transfers 
 to the Government of Mauritania until appropriate action is taken to 
                eliminate chattel slavery in Mauritania.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 17, 1995

 Mr. Zimmer (for himself, Mr. Porter, Mr. Lantos, and Mr. Payne of New 
   Jersey) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                  Committee on International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To prohibit economic assistance, military assistance, or arms transfers 
 to the Government of Mauritania until appropriate action is taken to 
                eliminate chattel slavery in Mauritania.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

    The Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) The practice of slavery in Mauritania has been 
        officially abolished 3 times in Mauritania's history, including 
        a 1961 constitutional prohibition and a 1980 government decree 
        declaring that ``slavery is definitely abolished throughout the 
        national territory'' of Mauritania. Yet, despite these legal 
        prohibitions of slavery, slavery remains a common practice in 
        Mauritania.
            (2) The United States Department of State's Country Reports 
        on Human Rights for 1993 noted that tens of thousands of people 
        live in slavery or near slavery even though ``slavery has been 
        officially abolished several times'', and that many former 
        slaves who now live independently still continue to perform 
        unpaid labor for their former masters out of a sense of fear 
        and duty.
            (3) Human Rights Watch/Africa estimated in a 1994 report 
        that 100,000 people live in servitude in Mauritania and noted 
        that the sale of slaves still persists despite claims by the 
        Government of Mauritania that slave sales ended in the 1960's.
            (4) In Mauritania, for which more than $3,900,000 in United 
        States foreign aid was appropriated in fiscal year 1994, there 
        is no indication that the present government of Mauritania has 
        seriously attempted to enforce the prohibition against slavery, 
        to prosecute slaveholders, or to educate the people of 
        Mauritania about their rights of freedom.

SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON ECONOMIC ASSISTANCE, MILITARY ASSISTANCE, OR 
              ARMS TRANSFERS TO THE GOVERNMENT OF MAURITANIA UNLESS 
              APPROPRIATE ACTION IS TAKEN TO ELIMINATE CHATTEL SLAVERY.

    The President may not provide economic assistance, military 
assistance, or arms transfers to the Government of Mauritania unless 
the President certifies to the Congress that such Government has taken 
appropriate action to eliminate chattel slavery in Mauritania, 
including--
            (1) the enactment of anti-slavery laws that provide 
        appropriate punishment for violators of such laws; and
            (2) the rigorous enforcement of such laws.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    For purposes of this Act:
            (1) Economic assistance.--The term ``economic assistance'' 
        means any assistance under part I of the Foreign Assistance Act 
        of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.) and any assistance under 
        chapter 4 of part II of such Act (22 U.S.C. 2346 et seq.) 
        (relating to the economic support fund), except that such term 
        does not include humanitarian assistance.
            (2) Military assistance or arms transfers.--The term 
        ``military assistance or arms transfers'' means--
                    (A) assistance under chapter 2 of part II of the 
                Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2311 et seq.) 
                (relating to military assistance), including the 
                transfer of excess defense articles under sections 516 
                through 519 of that Act (22 U.S.C. 2321j through 
                2321m);
                    (B) assistance under chapter 5 of part II of the 
                Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2347 et seq.) 
                (relating to international military education and 
                training);
                    (C) assistance under the ``Foreign Military 
                Financing Program'' under section 23 of the Arms Export 
                Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2763); or
                    (D) the transfer of defense articles, defense 
                services, or design and construction services under the 
                Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2751 et seq.), 
                including defense articles and defense services 
                licensed or approved for export under section 38 of 
                that Act (22 U.S.C. 2778).
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