[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1519 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1519

 To provide for humanitarian assistance for Kosovar Albanian refugees, 
                        and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 21, 1999

 Mrs. Wilson introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on International Relations, and in addition to the Committee 
  on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
  Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
           within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To provide for humanitarian assistance for Kosovar Albanian refugees, 
                        and for other purposes.

    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 ``Kosovar Albanian Refugee 
Humanitarian Assistance Act of 1999''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds the following:
            (1) As of April 1999, large numbers of Kosovar Albanians 
        have been driven from their homes and from their country.
            (2) A humanitarian disaster currently exists in the 
        Balkans.
            (3) The existence of large numbers of Kosovar Albanian 
        refugees in Albania, Macedonia, and other countries in the 
        Balkan region threatens the stability of the region.
            (4) It is the principal responsibility of the European 
        governments to provide for humanitarian assistance and to 
        reduce the threat of instability in Europe.
            (5) It is the responsibility of the United States to assist 
        with the relief efforts to ease the suffering of those who have 
        lost everything.
            (6) The allies of the United States also have the 
        obligation to assist Kosovar Albanian refugees

SEC. 3. HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE FOR KOSOVAR ALBANIAN REFUGEES.

    (a) In General.--The President shall provide humanitarian 
assistance for Kosovar Albanian refugees.
    (b) Funding.--Amounts appropriated or otherwise made available for 
fiscal year 1999 to carry out section 2(c) of the Migration and Refugee 
Assistance Act of 1962, or amounts appropriated or otherwise made 
available for fiscal year 1999 to the Secretary of State for other 
migration and refugee assistance, are authorized to be available to 
carry out subsection (a).

SEC. 4. USE OF ARMED FORCES SHIPS AND AIRCRAFT FOR TRANSPORTATION OF 
              REFUGEES.

    Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the President is 
authorized to use ships and aircraft of the Armed Forces, and private 
ships and aircraft contracted by the Armed Forces, for the 
transportation of Kosovar Albanian refugees.

SEC. 5. ESTABLISHMENT OF FUND FOR RELIEF AND RECOVERY IN THE BALKAN 
              REGION.

    Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the President shall 
establish a fund for private contributions for the relief and recovery 
effort in the Balkan region.

SEC. 6. ADMISSION OF KOSOVAR ALBANIAN REFUGEES INTO UNITED STATES; 
              ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR PROGRAMS FOR DOMESTIC RESETTLEMENT 
              OF AND ASSISTANCE TO KOSOVAR ALBANIAN REFUGEES.

    (a) Admission Into United States.--The President shall exercise the 
authority under section 207(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act 
to admit to the United States up to 100,000 Kosovar Albanian refugees.
    (b) Additional Funding.--In addition to amounts appropriated or 
otherwise made available to carry out chapter 2 of title IV of the 
Immigration and Nationality Act for fiscal year 1999, there are 
authorized to be appropriated such additional sums as may be necessary 
to carry out chapter 2 of title IV of such Act for fiscal year 1999 
with respect to domestic resettlement of and assistance to Kosovar 
Albanian refugees.

SEC. 7. MULTINATIONAL KOSOVAR ALBANIAN REFUGEE PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of State shall establish a program 
to assist Kosovar Albanian refugees.
    (b) Conduct of Program.--In carrying out the program established 
under subsection (a), the Secretary--
            (1) shall work with European and non-European allies to 
        ensure the establishment of a multinational humanitarian effort 
        to assist Kosovar Albanian refugees; and
            (2) shall negotiate financial contributions for the cost of 
        the relief efforts from countries that cannot or will not 
        accept Kosovar Albanian refugees.
                                 <all>