[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 163 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 163

  Expressing the sense of the Senate on the humanitarian catastrophe 
           caused by the April 25, 2015, earthquake in Nepal.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 30, 2015

   Mr. Cardin (for himself, Mr. Risch, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Markey, Mrs. 
Shaheen, Ms. Mikulski, Mr. Tester, Mr. Murphy, Mr. Schumer, Mrs. Boxer, 
Mrs. Murray, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Coons, Mr. Reed, Ms. Murkowski, Mr. Rubio, 
     and Ms. Ayotte) submitted the following resolution; which was 
                        considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Expressing the sense of the Senate on the humanitarian catastrophe 
           caused by the April 25, 2015, earthquake in Nepal.

Whereas, on April 25, 2015, an earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale and 
        the aftershocks of the earthquake devastated Kathmandu, Nepal and the 
        surrounding areas, killing thousands, injuring thousands more people, 
        and leaving many thousands of people homeless;
Whereas the earthquake also resulted in the loss of life and destruction of 
        property in India, Bangladesh, and the Tibetan Autonomous Region of 
        China;
Whereas United States citizens were also killed in the wide-scale destruction 
        caused by the earthquake;
Whereas Nepal, which is one of the poorest countries in the world, has an 
        estimated 25 percent of the population living on less than $1.25 a day, 
        has an estimated 46 percent unemployment rate with a majority of the 
        population engaged in subsistence agriculture, and has one of the 
        slowest economic growth rates in the region;
Whereas years of civil conflict in Nepal led to a massive influx of people into 
        urban areas despite the absence of appropriate facilities, roads, 
        housing, and infrastructure to support the people;
Whereas, since the end of hostilities, political gridlock among the leadership 
        of Nepal to finalize a constitution has stymied growth and development;
Whereas the loss of infrastructure will further inhibit economic growth in the 
        impoverished country of Nepal;
Whereas the United States Government has worked with the Government of Nepal on 
        disaster risk reduction and earthquake preparedness for years, which 
        certainly saved many lives and accelerated the ability of the Government 
        and people of Nepal to respond to disasters and earthquakes;
Whereas the United States Government and the international community are 
        mounting a large-scale response and recovery effort; and
Whereas the United States Agency for International Development is leading the 
        response of the United States by providing a Disaster Assistance 
        Response Team (DART), funding, and Urban Search and Rescue experts: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) expresses profound sympathy to, and unwavering support 
        for, the people of Nepal, India, Bangladesh, and the Tibetan 
        Autonomous Region of China, who have always shown resilience 
        and now face catastrophic conditions in the aftermath of the 
        April 25, 2015, earthquake, and sympathy for the families of 
        the citizens of the United States who perished in the disaster;
            (2) applauds the rapid and concerted mobilization by 
        President Barack Obama to provide immediate emergency 
        humanitarian assistance to Nepal, and the hard work and 
        dedication of the people at the Department of State, the United 
        States Agency for International Development, and the Department 
        of Defense in quickly marshaling United States Government 
        resources to address both the short- and long-term needs in 
        Nepal;
            (3) urges that all appropriate efforts be made to secure 
        the safety of orphans in Nepal;
            (4) urges that all appropriate efforts be made to sustain 
        recovery assistance to Nepal beyond the immediate humanitarian 
        crisis to support the people of Nepal with appropriate 
        humanitarian, developmental, and infrastructure assistance 
        needed to overcome the effects of the earthquake;
            (5) expresses appreciation for the ongoing and renewed 
        commitment of the international community to the recovery and 
        development of Nepal;
            (6) urges all countries to commit to assisting the people 
        of Nepal with their long-term needs;
            (7) calls on the Government of Nepal to take all necessary 
        actions to enable a faster and more sustainable recovery; and
            (8) expresses support for the United States Embassy team in 
        Kathmandu, DART members, other Federal agencies, and the non 
        governmental organization community in the United States, who 
        are valiantly working to assist thousands of people in Nepal 
        under extremely adverse conditions.
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