[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2109 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2109

 To limit the sale or export of plastic bullets to the United Kingdom.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              June 9, 1999

   Mr. Payne (for himself and Mrs. Maloney New York) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on International 
                               Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To limit the sale or export of plastic bullets to the United Kingdom.

    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 ``Northern Ireland Peace Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds the following:
            (1) Since the British Army and the Royal Ulster 
        Constabulary in Northern Ireland have begun to use plastic 
        bullets as weapons, thousands have been injured and 17 
        individuals have been killed by such bullets, including seven 
        children.
            (2) Since the Royal Ulster Constabulary began to use 
        plastic bullets in 1973, more than 54,000 rounds have been 
        fired, and plastic bullets have completely replaced rubber 
        bullets.
            (3)(A) Plastic bullets are often used in a sectarian 
        manner.
            (B) During the standoff at Drumcree from July 7, 1996, to 
        July 14, 1996, the security forces of the United Kingdom in 
        Northern Ireland fired a total of 5,942 rounds of plastic 
        bullets, of which 5,500 were targeted at Catholic Nationalists.
            (4) Before the Drumcree standoff, six civil liberties/human 
        rights groups, including the Committee on the Administration of 
        Justice in Northern Ireland, the British Irish Rights Watch, 
        and Liberty, asked the chief constable in Northern Ireland to 
        ``immediately and permanently withdraw plastic bullets from 
        use''.
            (5)(A) The use of plastic bullets is counterproductive 
        whether such use is against the residents of the Lower Ormeau 
        Road and the Bogside or against the Orange Order marchers in 
        Portadown or on the Upper Ormeau Road.
            (B) The use of plastic bullets has contributed to thousands 
        of maimings, difigurations, loss of eyesight of individuals, 
        and overwhelmingly caused other widespread violence and 
        intimidation.
            (6) The United Campaign Against Plastic Bullets claim that 
        the use of plastic bullets has caused further alienation of 
        nationalists and increased distrust of the security forces of 
        the United Kingdom while contributing to the destabilization of 
        Northern Ireland.
            (7) The efforts of the Government of the United Kingdom to 
        acquire dangerous weapons and related materials and the means 
        to deliver such weapons and materials endanger the lives of 
        Catholics in Northern Ireland.
            (8) The Committee on the Administration of Justice in 
        Northern Ireland reported that the use of plastic bullets 
        during riots only exacerbates the situation in Northern Ireland 
        and increases rioting rather than quelling it.
            (9) The European Parliament has passed four separate 
        motions calling for the ban of plastic bullets because such 
        bullets are used as intimidating weapons.
            (10) The Government of the United Kingdom has banned the 
        use of plastic bullets during riots in Great Britain on the 
        grounds that such bullets are dangerous and lethal.

SEC. 3. DECLARATION OF POLICY.

    The Congress declares that it is the policy of the United States to 
deny to the United Kingdom the ability to support acts of violence and 
destruction and to fund the development and acquisition of plastic 
bullets and the means to deliver such bullets by limiting the ability 
to import, manufacture, and transport plastics to the United Kingdom 
for the specific use in Northern Ireland against predominately Catholic 
enclaves.

SEC. 4. PROHIBITION ON SALE OR EXPORT OF PLASTIC BULLETS TO THE UNITED 
              KINGDOM.

    (a) In General.--Effective on the date of the enactment of this 
Act, plastic bullets may not be sold or otherwise exported to the 
Government of the United Kingdom or to any other entity in the United 
Kingdom, including the Royal Ulster Constabulary.
    (b) Additional Authority.--The President may exercise the authority 
provided to the President under the Arms Export Control Act for the 
purpose of carrying out subsection (a), including the authority 
relating to violations and enforcement under section 38(e) of such Act 
(22 U.S.C. 2778(e)).

SEC. 5. BILATERAL AND MULTILATERAL INITIATIVES TO LIMIT THE SALE OR 
              EXPORT OF PLASTIC BULLETS TO THE UNITED KINGDOM.

    (a) In General.--In order to further the objectives described in 
section 3, the President shall establish and carry out appropriate 
diplomatic initiatives, both bilaterally with allies of the United 
States and multilaterally in appropriate international fora (including 
the United Nations), to limit the sale or export of plastic bullets to 
the Government of the United Kingdom or any other entity in the United 
Kingdom, including the Royal Ulster Constabulary.
    (b) Reports.--Not later than 6 months after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, and periodically thereafter, the President shall 
prepare and transmit to the Congress a report containing a description 
of the extent to which the bilateral and multilateral efforts described 
in subsection (a) have been successful, including the names of the 
countries that have agreed to limit the sale or export of plastic 
bullets to the United Kingdom, including the Royal Ulster Constabulary.

SEC. 6. INCLUSION OF INCIDENTS INVOLVING USE OF PLASTIC BULLETS AS 
              WEAPONS IN NORTHERN IRELAND IN ANNUAL HUMAN RIGHTS 
              REPORT.

    As part of the annual human rights report transmitted to the 
Congress under section 502B of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 
U.S.C. 2304), the Secretary of State shall include a description of 
each incident involving the use of plastic bullets as weapons in 
Northern Ireland during the preceding year.

SEC. 7. DEFINITION.

    As used in this Act, the term ``plastic bullet'' means a projectile 
made of rock-hard polyvinyl chloride that--
            (1) is approximately 4 inches long and 1.5 inches in 
        diameter;
            (2) weighs approximately 4.75 ounces; and
            (3) is usually off-white in color.
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