[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4714 Considered and Passed House (CPH)]







107th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4714

  To prohibit members of the Armed Forces in Saudi Arabia from being 
required or formally or informally compelled to wear the abaya garment, 
                        and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 14, 2002

 Mr. Hostettler (for himself, Mr. Langevin, Mrs. Wilson of New Mexico, 
  Ms. Slaughter, Mr. Towns, Mrs. Capps, Mrs. Maloney of New York, Ms. 
 Brown of Florida, Ms. Roybal-Allard, Mr. Blumenauer, Mr. Kildee, Mr. 
 Ford, Mr. Souder, Mr. Aderholt, Mr. Simmons, Mr. Pence, Mr. Wynn, Mr. 
   Lantos, and Ms. Sanchez) introduced the following bill; which was 
              referred to the Committee on Armed Services

                              May 14, 2002

Committee on Armed Services discharged; considered under suspension of 
                          the rules and passed

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To prohibit members of the Armed Forces in Saudi Arabia from being 
required or formally or informally compelled to wear the abaya garment, 
                        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. WEAR OF ABAYAS BY MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES IN SAUDI 
              ARABIA.

    (a) Prohibition Relating to Wear of Abayas.--A member of the Armed 
Forces may not be required or formally or informally compelled to wear 
the abaya garment or any part of the abaya garment while in the Kingdom 
of Saudi Arabia pursuant to a permanent change of station or orders for 
temporary duty.
    (b) Instruction.--(1) The Secretary of Defense shall provide each 
member of the Armed Forces ordered to a permanent change of station or 
temporary duty in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with instructions 
regarding the prohibition in subsection (a). Such instructions shall be 
provided to a member within 10 days before the date of a member's 
arrival at a United States military installation within the Kingdom of 
Saudi Arabia or immediately upon such arrival. The instructions shall 
be presented orally and in writing. The written instruction shall 
include the full text of this section.
    (2) In carrying out paragraph (1), the Secretary shall act through 
the Commander in Chief, United States Central Command and Joint Task 
Force Southwest Asia, and the commanders of the Army, Navy, Air Force, 
and Marine Corps components of the United States Central Command and 
Joint Task Force Southwest Asia.
    (c) Prohibition on Use of Funds for Procurement of Abayas.--Funds 
appropriated or otherwise made available to the Department of Defense 
may not be used to procure abayas for regular or routine issuance to 
members of the Armed Forces serving in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia or 
for any personnel of contractors accompanying the Armed Forces in the 
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the performance of contracts entered into 
with such contractors by the United States.
    (d) Commander Authority.--Notwithstanding subsection (a), the 
commander of the United States Central Command may require the wear of 
the abaya garment in specific circumstances that, in the opinion of the 
commander, constitute an operational requirement essential for the 
conduct of the military mission.
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