[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 497 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
107th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 497
To express the sense of Congress that the Department of Defense should
field currently available weapons, other technologies, tactics and
operational concepts that provide suitable alternatives to anti-
personnel mines and mixed anti-tank mine systems and that the United
States should end its use of such mines and join the Convention on the
Prohibition of Anti-Personnel Mines as soon as possible, to expand
support for mine action programs including mine victim assistance, and
for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 8, 2001
Mr. Leahy (for himself, Ms. Collins, Mr. Bingaman, Mr. Crapo, Mr.
Conrad, Mr. Specter, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. Rockefeller, Mr. McConnell,
Mr. Dorgan, Mr. Kerry, Mr. Sarbanes, Mr. Jeffords, Mr. Harkin, Mr.
Torricelli, Ms. Mikulski, Mr. Reed, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Feingold, and Mr.
Durbin) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Armed Services
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To express the sense of Congress that the Department of Defense should
field currently available weapons, other technologies, tactics and
operational concepts that provide suitable alternatives to anti-
personnel mines and mixed anti-tank mine systems and that the United
States should end its use of such mines and join the Convention on the
Prohibition of Anti-Personnel Mines as soon as possible, to expand
support for mine action programs including mine victim assistance, 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 ``Landmine Elimination and Victim
Assistance Act of 2001''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) The threat posed by tens of millions of unexploded
landmines to innocent civilians is a global problem requiring
strong United States leadership in cooperation with other
governments.
(2) Landmines continue to maim and kill thousands of
people, mostly civilians, each year, and most mine victims lack
the care and rehabilitation services they need.
(3) Landmines, which remain active for hours, days or
years, impede the mobility and threaten the safety of United
States Armed Forces, North Atlantic Treaty Organization forces,
and other friendly forces in combat and other military
operations.
(4) At least 139 countries have signed, and 110 countries
have ratified, the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use,
Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines
and on Their Destruction (opened for signature at Ottawa,
Canada, on December 3 and 4, 1997, and at the United Nations
Headquarters beginning December 5, 1997). Many of these
countries are former producers, exporters, and users of anti-
personnel mines. Worldwide adherence to the Convention would
greatly reduce the threat to future generations from anti-
personnel mines.
(5) It is United States Government policy that the United
States will search aggressively for alternatives to anti-
personnel mines and mixed anti-tank mine systems and that the
United States will join the Convention by 2006 if suitable
alternatives are fielded by then.
(6) Since 1992, United States law has prohibited the export
or transfer of anti-personnel mines.
(7) Since 1997, the United States has capped its inventory
of anti-personnel mines and has not produced anti-personnel
mines.
(8) The United States Government has contributed hundreds
of millions of dollars to the costly, dangerous, and arduous
task of humanitarian demining around the world.
SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) the Department of Defense should field currently
available weapons, other technologies, tactics and operational
concepts that provide suitable alternatives to anti-personnel
mines and mixed anti-tank systems; and
(2) the United States should end its use of such mines and
join the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling,
Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their
Destruction as soon as possible.
SEC. 4. TRANSFERS OF ANTI-PERSONNEL MINES.
Section 1365(c) of the National Defense authorization Act for
Fiscal Year 1993 (22 U.S.C. 2778 note) is amended by striking
``During'' and all that follows through ``1992--'' and inserting
``Beginning on October 23, 1992--''.
SEC. 5. INTER-AGENCY WORKING GROUP ON MINE ACTION.
Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act,
the President shall establish an inter-agency working group to develop
a comprehensive plan for expanded mine action programs, including mine
victim rehabilitation, social support, and economic reintegration. The
working group shall be composed of the Secretaries of State, Health and
Human Services, Veterans Affairs, Defense, Education, and the
Administrator of the Agency for International Development. The
comprehensive plan shall be developed in close consultation with
relevant nongovernmental organizations. As part of the development of
the comprehensive plan, the working group shall determine an estimated
cost of carrying out the plan.
SEC. 6. REPORT ON ALTERNATIVES TO MINES.
Not later than 120 days after the date of the enactment of this
Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Committees on Armed
Services and the Committees on Appropriations of the Senate and the
House of Representatives a report describing actions taken by the
Department of Defense to field currently available weapons, other
technologies, tactics and operational concepts that provide suitable
alternatives to anti-personnel mines and mixed anti-tank mine systems.
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