[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2426 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

        S.2426

                     One Hundred Fourteenth Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America


                          AT THE SECOND SESSION

           Begun and held at the City of Washington on Monday,
           the fourth day of January, two thousand and sixteen


                                 An Act


 
    To direct the Secretary of State to develop a strategy to obtain 
    observer status for Taiwan in the International Criminal Police 
                  Organization, 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. PARTICIPATION OF TAIWAN IN THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL POLICE 
ORGANIZATION.
    (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
        (1) Safety, security and peace is important to every citizen of 
    the world, and shared information ensuring wide assistance among 
    police authorities of nations for expeditious dissemination of 
    information regarding criminal activities greatly assists in these 
    efforts.
        (2) Direct and unobstructed participation in the International 
    Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) is beneficial for all 
    nations and their police authorities. Internationally shared 
    information with authorized police authorities is vital to 
    peacekeeping efforts.
        (3) With a history dating back to 1914, the role of INTERPOL is 
    defined in its constitution: ``To ensure and promote the widest 
    possible mutual assistance between all criminal police authorities 
    within the limits of the laws existing in the different countries 
    and in the spirit of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.''.
        (4) Ongoing international threats, including international 
    networks of terrorism, show the ongoing necessity to be ever 
    inclusive of nations willing to work together to combat criminal 
    activity. The ability of police authorities to coordinate, preempt, 
    and act swiftly and in unison is an essential element of crisis 
    prevention and response.
        (5) Taiwan maintained full membership in INTERPOL starting in 
    1964 through its National Police Administration but was ejected in 
    1984 when the People's Republic of China (PRC) applied for 
    membership.
        (6) Nonmembership prevents Taiwan from gaining access to 
    INTERPOL's I-24/7 global police communications system, which 
    provides real-time information on criminals and global criminal 
    activities. Taiwan is relegated to second-hand information from 
    friendly nations, including the United States.
        (7) Taiwan is unable to swiftly share information on criminals 
    and suspicious activity with the international community, leaving a 
    huge void in the global crime-fighting efforts and leaving the 
    entire world at risk.
        (8) The United States, in the 1994 Taiwan Policy Review, 
    declared its intention to support Taiwan's participation in 
    appropriate international organizations and has consistently 
    reiterated that support.
        (9) Following the enactment of Public Law 108-235, a law 
    authorizing the Secretary of State to initiate and implement a plan 
    to endorse and obtain observer status for Taiwan at the annual 
    summit of the World Health Assembly and subsequent advocacy by the 
    United States, Taiwan was granted observer status to the World 
    Health Assembly for six consecutive years since 2009. Both prior to 
    and in its capacity as an observer, Taiwan has contributed 
    significantly to the international community's collective efforts 
    in pandemic control, monitoring, early warning, and other related 
    matters.
        (10) INTERPOL's constitution allows for observers at its 
    meetings by ``police bodies which are not members of the 
    Organization''.
    (b) Taiwan's Participation in INTERPOL.--The Secretary of State 
shall--
        (1) develop a strategy to obtain observer status for Taiwan in 
    INTERPOL and at other related meetings, activities, and mechanisms 
    thereafter; and
        (2) instruct INTERPOL Washington to officially request observer 
    status for Taiwan in INTERPOL and to actively urge INTERPOL member 
    states to support such observer status and participation for 
    Taiwan.
    (c) Report Concerning Observer Status for Taiwan in INTERPOL.--Not 
later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
Secretary shall transmit to Congress a report, in unclassified form, 
describing the United States strategy to endorse and obtain observer 
status for Taiwan in appropriate international organizations, including 
INTERPOL, and at other related meetings, activities, and mechanisms 
thereafter. The report shall include the following:
        (1) A description of the efforts the Secretary has made to 
    encourage member states to promote Taiwan's bid to obtain observer 
    status in appropriate international organizations, including 
    INTERPOL.
        (2) A description of the actions the Secretary will take to 
    endorse and obtain observer status for Taiwan in appropriate 
    international organizations, including INTERPOL, and at other 
    related meetings, activities, and mechanisms thereafter.

                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

                            Vice President of the United States and    
                                               President of the Senate.