[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 193 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 193

Reaffirming support of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment 
 of the Crime of Genocide and anticipating the 15th anniversary of the 
 enactment of the Genocide Convention Implementation Act of 1987 (the 
                   Proxmire Act) on November 4, 2003.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 10, 2003

Mr. Radanovich (for himself, Mr. Schiff, Mr. Knollenberg, Mr. Pallone, 
Mr. Ackerman, Mr. Andrews, Ms. Berkley, Mr. Berman, Mr. Bilirakis, Mr. 
 Bradley of New Hampshire, Mr. Capuano, Mr. Cardoza, Mr. Costello, Mr. 
Crowley, Mr. Davis of Illinois, Mr. Doggett, Mr. Dooley of California, 
     Mr. Dreier, Mr. Emanuel, Ms. Eshoo, Mr. Filner, Mr. Frank of 
Massachusetts, Mr. Frelinghuysen, Mr. Hinchey, Mr. Hoeffel, Mr. Holden, 
   Mr. Holt, Mr. Israel, Mr. Kildee, Ms. Kilpatrick, Mrs. Kelly, Mr. 
   Kennedy of Rhode Island, Mr. Kucinich, Mr. Langevin, Ms. Lee, Mr. 
Levin, Mr. Lynch, Mrs. Maloney, Mr. Markey, Mrs. McCarthy of New York, 
Mr. McDermott, Mr. McGovern, Mr. McNulty, Mr. Meehan, Mr. Meeks of New 
 York, Mr. Menendez, Mr. George Miller of California, Mrs. Napolitano, 
 Ms. Norton, Mr. Nunes, Mr. Olver, Ms. Pelosi, Mr. Rothman, Ms. Roybal-
Allard, Mr. Shays, Mr. Sherman, Mr. Smith of New Jersey, Ms. Solis, Mr. 
    Souder, Mr. Stark, Mr. Sweeney, Mr. Upton, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. 
    Visclosky, Ms. Watson, and Mr. Weiner) submitted the following 
    resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Reaffirming support of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment 
 of the Crime of Genocide and anticipating the 15th anniversary of the 
 enactment of the Genocide Convention Implementation Act of 1987 (the 
                   Proxmire Act) on November 4, 2003.

Whereas in 1948, in the shadow of the Holocaust, the international community 
        responded to Nazi Germany's methodically orchestrated acts of genocide 
        by approving the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the 
        Crime of Genocide;
Whereas the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide 
        confirms that genocide is a crime under international law, defines 
        genocide as certain acts committed with intent to destroy a national, 
        ethnical, racial or religious group, and provides that parties to the 
        Convention undertake to enact domestic legislation to provide effective 
        penalties for persons who are guilty of genocide;
Whereas the United States, under President Harry Truman, stood as the first 
        nation to sign the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the 
        Crime of Genocide;
Whereas the United States Senate ratified the Convention on the Prevention and 
        Punishment of the Crime of Genocide on February 19, 1986;
Whereas the Genocide Convention Implementation Act of 1987 (the Proxmire Act) 
        (Public Law 100-606), signed into law by President Ronald Reagan on 
        November 4, 1988, amended title 18, United States Code, to criminalize 
        genocide under United States law (18 U.S.C. 1091);
Whereas the enactment of the Genocide Convention Implementation Act marked a 
        principled stand by the United States against the crime of genocide and 
        an important step toward ensuring that the lessons of the Holocaust, the 
        Armenian Genocide, and the genocides in Cambodia and Rwanda, among 
        others, will be used to help prevent future genocides;
Whereas despite the international community's consensus against genocide, as 
        demonstrated by the fact that 133 nations are party to the Convention on 
        the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and through other 
        instruments and actions, denial of past instances of genocide continues 
        and many thousands of innocent people continue to be victims of 
        genocide; and
Whereas November 4, 2003, is the 15th anniversary of the enactment of the 
        Genocide Convention Implementation Act of 1987 (the Proxmire Act): Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) anticipates the 15th anniversary of the enactment of 
        the Genocide Convention Implementation Act of 1987 (the 
        Proxmire Act); and
            (2) encourages the people and Government of the United 
        States to rededicate themselves to the cause of bringing an end 
        to the crime of genocide.
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