[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 346 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 346

 To prohibit the payment to the United Nations of any contributions by 
 the United States until United States overpayments to such body have 
                 been properly credited or reimbursed.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 19, 1999

   Mr. Bartlett of Maryland introduced the following bill; which was 
          referred to the Committee on International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To prohibit the payment to the United Nations of any contributions by 
 the United States until United States overpayments to such body have 
                 been properly credited or reimbursed.

    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 ``United Nations Erroneous Debt Act of 
1999''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

    (a) Findings.--The Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) A March 1996 General Accounting Office report entitled 
        ``Peace Operations'' details that the United States has 
        provided $6,600,400,000 during fiscal years 1992 through 1995 
        in support of military and peacekeeping operations of the 
        United Nations.
            (2) These funds which have come from various Federal 
        agencies, primarily the Department of Defense, were used to 
        provide military supplies, transportation, humanitarian relief, 
        and other services.
            (3) Only about $1,800,000,000 was credited against assessed 
        contributions to the United Nations.
            (4) Of the remaining $4,800,000,000, only $79,400,000 was 
        reimbursed to the United States by the United Nations.
            (5) In effect providing a $4,720,600,000 gift to the United 
        Nations from the United States, which has not been credited 
        against the alleged arrearages in assessed contributions owed 
        by the United States to the United Nations in the reported 
        amount of $1,300,000,000.
            (6) It is not in the United States taxpayers' best interest 
        to pay so-called debts to the United Nations that do not take 
        into account all of the other assistance the United States has 
        provided to the United Nations.
            (7) There is no United States debt to the United Nations.
    (b) Purposes.--It is the purpose of this Act to terminate and 
prohibit all payments of assessed or voluntary contributions to the 
United Nations or any specialized agency of the United Nations until a 
just accounting has credited other assistance provided by the United 
States to the United Nations against alleged arrearages in assessed 
contributions.

SEC. 3. TERMINATION AND PROHIBITION OF PAYMENTS TO THE UNITED NATIONS.

    (a) In General.--Until a certification is made under subsection (b) 
and notwithstanding any other provision of law, funds appropriated or 
otherwise made available for any fiscal year under ``Contributions to 
International Organizations'', ``Contributions for International 
Peacekeeping'', or any other account shall not be available for the 
payment of any assessed or voluntary contribution to the United Nations 
or any specialized agency of the United Nations or for any obligation 
or expenditure of funds for the United Nations or any specialized 
agency of the United Nations.
    (b) Certification.--The certification referred to in subsection (a) 
is a certification by the President to the Congress that--
            (1) the United Nations has entered into an agreement with 
        the United States to reimburse or credit to the account of the 
        United States an amount, which is not less than $4,720,600,000, 
        which reflects unreimbursed financial and other assistance of 
        the United States to the military peacekeeping efforts of the 
        United Nations from 1992 through 1995; or
            (2) the United Nations--
                    (A) has eliminated $1,300,000,000 in alleged 
                arrearages of the United States to the United Nations; 
                and
                    (B) has entered into an agreement with the United 
                States to reimburse or credit to the account of the 
                United States an amount, which is not less than 
                $3,500,000,000.
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