[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5713 Introduced in House (IH)]








109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5713

 To pursue a policy of weighted voting with respect to the budgets of 
                          the United Nations.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 29, 2006

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To pursue a policy of weighted voting with respect to the budgets of 
                          the United Nations.

    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 ``United Nations Budget Reform Act of 
2006''.

SEC. 2. POLICY WITH RESPECT TO WEIGHTED VOTING.

    It shall be the policy of the United States to use its voice, vote, 
and influence at the United Nations to actively pursue the adoption by 
the General Assembly of formal procedures for the use of weighted 
voting in the General Assembly with respect to the adoption of 
regularly assessed budgets for biennial periods. In accordance with 
such procedures, the proportionate value of a Member State's vote shall 
be equal to such Member State's assessed contribution to the budget 
under consideration.

SEC. 3. CONSENSUS VOTING.

    (a) In General.--Until the adoption of procedures for the use of 
weighted voting in accordance with section (2), it shall be the policy 
of the United States to use its voice, vote, and influence at the 
United Nations to actively pursue the adoption by the United Nations of 
formal procedures that prohibit the passage of a regularly assessed 
budget for a biennial period without first obtaining the unanimous 
consent of all Member States concerning such budget.
    (b) Penalty for Violation.--If at any time after the date of the 
enactment of this Act the United Nations adopts a regularly assessed 
budget for a biennial period without first obtaining unanimous consent 
concerning such budget by all Member States in accordance with 
subsection (a), thereby adopting such budget over an objection by the 
United States or any other Member State, the United States shall 
appropriate, but withhold from expenditure, 25 percent of the 
contributions of the United States to such budget. The penalty 
described in this subsection shall not apply if such budget is adopted 
in accordance with a system of weighted voting described in section 2.
    (c) Use of Funds.--
            (1) In general.--Contributions appropriated but withheld 
        from expenditure under subsection (b) are authorized to remain 
        available until the earlier of--
                    (A) such time as the Secretary of State submits to 
                the Committee on International Relations of the House 
                of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign 
                Relations of the Senate a certification that the United 
                Nations is in compliance with the requirements of this 
                Act, or
                    (B) the date that is five years after the date on 
                which such funds are withheld.
            (2) Release of funds.--If the Secretary submits to the 
        committees specified in paragraph (1)(A) the certification 
        referred to in such paragraph before the date referred to in 
        paragraph (1)(B), the United States shall transfer to the 
        United Nations contributions appropriated but withheld from 
        expenditure under subsection (b).
            (3) Reversion to united states.--If the Secretary does not 
        submit to the committees specified in paragraph (1)(A) the 
        certification referred to in such paragraph before the date 
        referred to in paragraph (1)(B), contributions appropriated but 
        withheld from expenditure under subsection (b) shall revert to 
        the United States.
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