[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1527 Introduced in House (IH)]






109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1527

    To remove all embargoes on food, medicine, and medical supplies.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 6, 2005

   Mr. Paul introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                  Committee on International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To remove all embargoes on food, medicine, and medical supplies.

    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 ``Humanitarian Food and Medicine 
Export Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds that--
            (1) laws or regulations prohibiting the export of food, 
        medicine, or medical supplies to any foreign country have a 
        disproportionately negative effect on the most vulnerable 
        citizens of that country;
            (2) laws or regulations prohibiting American manufacturers 
        or farmers from exporting their products represent an unfair 
        restriction on their ability to engage in voluntary economic 
        activity;
            (3) embargoes of food, medicine, or medical supplies 
        interrupt the discourse between nations and thus promote 
        further enmity and militarism; and
            (4) embargoes of food, medicine, or medical supplies allow 
        affected foreign leaders to scapegoat the United States for the 
        failures of their domestic policy.

SEC. 3. REMOVAL OF EMBARGOES ON FOOD, MEDICINE, OR MEDICAL SUPPLIES.

    Upon the enactment of this Act, any prohibition on private 
donations or other exports from the United States to any other country 
of food, medicine, or medical supplies shall cease to be effective, and 
private donations and other exports from the United States to any other 
country of food, medicine, or medical supplies, that are intended to 
meet basic human needs, may not be prohibited.

SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Food.--The term ``food'' means any raw, cooked, 
        processed, or prepared edible substance, ice, or beverage, or 
        ingredient used or intended to be used for human consumption.
            (2) Medicine.--The term ``medicine'' has the meaning given 
        the term ``drug'' in section 201 of the Federal Food, Drug, and 
        Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 321).
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