[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1491 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1491

To authorize a comprehensive program of support for victims of torture 
                                abroad.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             August 4, 1999

  Mr. Grams (for himself and Mr. Wellstone) introduced the following 
  bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign 
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To authorize a comprehensive program of support for victims of torture 
                                abroad.

    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 ``Torture Victims Relief 
Reauthorization Act of 1999''.

 SEC. 2. FOREIGN TREATMENT CENTERS FOR VICTIMS OF TORTURE.

    (a) Authorization of Appropriations.--Of the amounts authorized to 
be appropriated for fiscal years 2001, 2002, and 2003 pursuant to 
chapter 1 of part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, there are 
authorized to be appropriated to the President $10,000,000 for fiscal 
year 2001, $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2002, and $10,000,000 for fiscal 
year 2003 to carry out section 129 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 
1961.
    (b) Availability of Funds.--Amounts appropriated pursuant to this 
section shall remain available until expended.

 SEC. 3. DOMESTIC TREATMENT CENTERS FOR VICTIMS OF TORTURE.

    (a) Authorization of Appropriations.--Of the amounts authorized to 
be appropriated for the Department of Health and Human Services for 
fiscal years 2001, 2002, and 2003, there are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out subsection (a) of section 5 of the Torture 
Victims Relief Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 2152) $10,000,000 for fiscal year 
2001, $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2002, and $10,000,000 for fiscal year 
2003.
    (b) Availability of Funds.--Amounts appropriated pursuant to this 
section shall remain available until expended.

 SEC. 4. MULTILATERAL ASSISTANCE.

    (a) Funding.--Of the amounts authorized to be appropriated for 
fiscal years 2001, 2002, and 2003 pursuant to chapter 3 of part I of 
the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, there are authorized to be 
appropriated to the President for contribution to the United Nations 
Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture (in this section referred to as 
the ``Fund'') the following amounts for the following fiscal years:
            (1) Fiscal year 2001.--For fiscal year 2001, $5,000,000.
            (2) Fiscal year 2002.--For fiscal year 2002, $5,000,000.
            (3) Fiscal year 2003.--For fiscal year 2003, $5,000,000.
    (b) Availability of Funds.--Amounts appropriated pursuant to 
subsection (a) shall remain available until expended.
    (c) Sense of the Congress.--It is the sense of the Congress that 
the President, acting through the United States Permanent 
Representative to the United Nations, should--
            (1) request the Fund--
                    (A) to find new ways to support and protect 
                treatment centers and programs that are carrying out 
                rehabilitative services for victims of torture; and
                    (B) to encourage the development of new such 
                centers and programs;
            (2) use the voice and vote of the United States to support 
        the work of the Special Rapporteur on Torture and the Committee 
        Against Torture established under the Convention Against 
        Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or 
        Punishment; and
            (3) use the voice and vote of the United States to 
        establish a country rapporteur or similar procedural mechanism 
        to investigate human rights violations in a country if either 
        the Special Rapporteur or the Committee Against Torture 
        indicates that a systematic practice of torture is prevalent in 
        that country.

SEC. 5. REPORTING REQUIREMENT.

    Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
Secretary of State shall submit a report to the Committee on Foreign 
Relations of the Senate and the Committee on International Relations of 
the House of Representatives on the specialized training for Foreign 
Service officers required by section 7 of the Torture Victims Relief 
Act of 1998 (Public Law 105-320). The report shall include detailed 
information regarding--
            (1) efforts by the Department of State to implement the 
        specialized training requirement;
            (2) the curriculum that is being used in the specialized 
        training;
            (3) the number of Foreign Service officers who have 
        received the specialized training as of the date of the report; 
        and
            (4) the nongovernmental organizations that have been 
        involved in the development of the specialized training 
        curriculum or in providing the specialized training, and the 
        nature and extent of that involvement.
                                 <all>