[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2539 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2539

     To prohibit the use of United States funds to provide for the 
      participation of certain Chinese officials in international 
    conferences, exchanges, programs, and activities, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 24, 1997

 Mr. Bereuter introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                  Committee on International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To prohibit the use of United States funds to provide for the 
      participation of certain Chinese officials in international 
    conferences, exchanges, programs, and activities, and for other 
                               purposes.

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

 TITLE I--PROHIBITION ON USE OF FUNDS FOR THE PARTICIPATION OF CERTAIN 
 CHINESE OFFICIALS IN CONFERENCES, EXCHANGES, PROGRAMS, AND ACTIVITIES

SEC. 101. PROHIBITION ON USE OF FUNDS.

    (a) Prohibition.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, for 
fiscal years after fiscal year 1997, no funds appropriated or otherwise 
made available for the Department of State, the United States 
Information Agency, and the United States Agency for International 
Development may be used for the purpose of providing travel expenses 
and per diem for the participation of nationals of the People's 
Republic of China described in paragraphs (1) and (2) in conferences, 
exchanges, programs, and activities:
            (1) The head or political secretary of any of the following 
        Chinese Government-created or approved organizations:
                    (A) The Chinese Buddhist Association.
                    (B) The Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association.
                    (C) The National Congress of Catholic 
                Representatives.
                    (D) The Chinese Catholic Bishops' Conference.
                    (E) The Chinese Protestant ``Three Self'' Patriotic 
                Movement.
                    (F) The China Christian Council.
                    (G) The Chinese Taoist Association.
                    (H) The Chinese Islamic Association.
            (2) Any military or civilian official or employee of the 
        Government of the People's Republic of China who is directly 
        involved in any of the following policies or practices or who 
        was responsible for the supervision of persons directly 
        involved in such policies or practices:
                    (A) Formulating, drafting, or implementing 
                repressive religious policies.
                    (B) Imprisoning, detaining, or harassing 
                individuals on religious grounds.
                    (C) Promoting or participating in policies or 
                practices which hinder religious activities or the free 
                expression of religious beliefs.
    (b) Certification.--
            (1) Each Federal agency subject to the prohibition of 
        subsection (a) shall certify in writing to the appropriate 
        congressional committees no later than 120 days after the date 
        of enactment of this Act, and every 90 days thereafter, that it 
        did not pay, either directly or through a contractor or 
        grantee, for travel expenses or per diem of any national of the 
        People's Republic of China described in subsection (a).
            (2) Each certification under paragraph (1) shall be 
        supported by the following information:
                    (A) The name of each employee of any agency of the 
                Government of the People's Republic of China whose 
                travel expenses or per diem were paid by funds of the 
                reporting agency of the United States Government.
                    (B) The procedures employed by the reporting agency 
                of the United States Government to ascertain whether 
                each individual under subparagraph (A) did or did not 
                participate in activities described in subsection 
                (a)(2).
                    (C) The reporting agency's basis for concluding 
                that each individual under subparagraph (A) did not 
                participate in such activities.
    (c) Definition of Appropriate Congressional Committees.--For 
purposes of this section the term ``appropriate congressional 
committees'' means the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and 
the Committee on International Relations of the House of 
Representatives.

SEC. 102. SUNSET PROVISION.

    Section 101 shall cease to have effect 4 years after the date of 
the enactment of this Act.

  TITLE II--AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR INCREASED FUNDING FOR 
                  RADIO FREE ASIA AND VOICE OF AMERICA

SEC. 201. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR INCREASED FUNDING.

    (a) Authorization of Appropriations for International Broadcasting 
to China.--In addition to such sums as are otherwise authorized to be 
appropriated for ``International Broadcasting Activities'' for fiscal 
years 1998 and 1999, there are authorized to be appropriated for 
``International Broadcasting Activities'' $46,900,000 for fiscal year 
1998 and $31,200,000 for fiscal year 1999, which shall be available 
only for broadcasting to China.
    (b) Limitations.--
            (1) Radio free asia.--
                    (A) Of the funds authorized to be appropriated 
                under subsection (a) $26,900,000 is authorized to be 
                appropriated for fiscal year 1998 and $21,200,000 is 
                authorized to be appropriated for fiscal year 1999 for 
                Radio Free Asia.
                    (B) Of the funds under subparagraph (A), $1,200,000 
                is authorized to be appropriated for each such fiscal 
                year for additional personnel to staff Cantonese 
                language broadcasting.
                    (C) Of the funds under subparagraph (A) authorized 
                to be appropriated for fiscal year 1998, $900,000 is 
                authorized to be appropriated for additional advanced 
                editing equipment.
            (2) 1998.--
                    (A) Of the funds under subsection (a) authorized to 
                be appropriated for fiscal year 1998, $11,800,000 is 
                authorized to be appropriated for capital expenditures 
                for the purchase and construction of transmission 
                facilities.
                    (B) Of the funds under subsection (a) authorized to 
                be appropriated for fiscal year 1998, $3,000,000 is 
                authorized to be appropriated to facilitate the timely 
                augmentation of transmitters at Tinian, Commonwealth of 
                Northern Marianas.
    (c) Allocation.--Of the amounts authorized to be appropriated under 
subsection (a), the Director of the United States Information Agency 
and the Board of Broadcasting Governors shall seek to ensure that the 
amounts made available for broadcasting to nations whose people do not 
fully enjoy freedom of expression do not decline in proportion to the 
amounts made available for broadcasting to other nations.

SEC. 202. REPORTING REQUIREMENT.

    Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, in 
consultation with the Board of Broadcasting Governors, the President 
shall prepare and transmit to Congress a report on a plan to achieve 
continuous broadcasting of Radio Free Asia and Voice of America to the 
People's Republic of China in multiple major dialects and languages.

SEC. 203. REDUCTION IN AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR MIGRATION 
              AND REFUGEE ASSISTANCE.

    Notwithstanding any other provision of law, such amounts as are 
authorized to be appropriated for ``Migration and Refugee Assistance'' 
for fiscal year 1998 shall be reduced by $21,900,000 and for fiscal 
year 1999 shall be reduced by $6,200,000.

                  TITLE III--MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS

SEC. 301. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR ADDITIONAL PERSONNEL AT 
              DIPLOMATIC POSTS TO MONITOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE PEOPLE'S 
              REPUBLIC OF CHINA.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to support personnel to 
monitor political repression in the People's Republic of China in the 
United States Embassy in Beijing, as well as the American consulates in 
Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenyang, Chengdu, and Hong Kong, $2,200,000 for 
fiscal year 1998 and $2,200,000 for fiscal year 1999.

SEC. 302. CONGRESSIONAL STATEMENT OF POLICY.

    It is the sense of the Congress that the President should make 
freedom of religion one of the major objectives of United States 
foreign policy with respect to China. As part of this policy, the 
Department of State should raise in every relevant bilateral and 
multilateral forum the issue of individuals imprisoned, detained, 
confined, or otherwise harassed by the Chinese Government on religious 
grounds. In its communications with the Chinese Government, the 
Department of State should provide specific names of individuals of 
concern and request a complete and timely response from the Chinese 
Government regarding the individuals' whereabouts and condition, the 
charges against them, and sentence imposed. The goal of these official 
communications should be the expeditious release of all religious 
prisoners in China and the end of the Chinese Government's policy and 
practice of harassing and repressing religious believers.
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