[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 17 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 17

Expressing concern over the disappearance of Austin Tice, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 3, 2017

  Mr. Al Green of Texas submitted the following resolution; which was 
 referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the 
    Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
  of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
                               concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Expressing concern over the disappearance of Austin Tice, and for other 
                               purposes.

Whereas Austin Tice is a 34-year-old former United States Marine infantry 
        officer and Georgetown law student and graduate of Georgetown 
        University, from Houston, Texas;
Whereas Austin was an Eagle Scout, National Merit Finalist, and eldest of seven 
        children;
Whereas Austin was a contributing freelancer to McClatchy Newspapers, the 
        Washington Post and other media outlets and a recipient of the 2012 
        George Polk Award for War Reporting;
Whereas in May 2012, Austin reportedly slipped under a fence at the Turkey-Syria 
        border to report on the intensifying civil war from in and around 
        Damascus, Syria;
Whereas, on August 11, 2012, Austin celebrated his 31st birthday in Darayya, 
        Syria, then was scheduled to travel to Beirut, Lebanon;
Whereas in August 2012, Austin did not travel as planned to Lebanon and his 
        frequent emails to his family stopped;
Whereas in late September 2012, a video clip appeared on YouTube showing Austin 
        blindfolded and being prodded up a hillside by masked militants;
Whereas in the more than 1,000 days since Austin's disappearance, no group has 
        claimed responsibility for his capture;
Whereas the Syrian government has never acknowledged detaining Austin and has 
        denied the same to Austin's parents;
Whereas U.S. officials believe the government of Bashar al-Assad or a group 
        affiliated with it is holding him;
Whereas Austin Tice's parents, Marc and Debra Tice have been diligent in their 
        efforts to find their son, by partnering with Reporters Without Borders 
        and a New York ad agency to launch ``The Blindfold Pledge'' to dramatize 
        the increasing dangers to journalists in repressive regimes around the 
        world;
Whereas the couple also helped deploy four billboards across Harris County, 
        Texas, last fall bearing their son's likeness and the phrase: ``Over 
        1,000 days in captivity for being a journalist'';
Whereas the Tices have appeared at forums and panels discussions on the threats 
        facing journalists around the world, including one during the week of 
        April 4, 2016, at Georgetown, Austin's alma mater;
Whereas the couple has promoted an online petition urging the U.S. Government to 
        ramp up efforts to bring their son home;
Whereas nearly 270 newspapers and media organizations have highlighted the 
        journalist's case on their Web sites as a result of the Tices' efforts;
Whereas according to the Houston Chronicle, the Obama administration first 
        confirmed they spoke with Syrian officials about Austin's case sometime 
        in 2015, though they denied visiting or seeing Austin, as had been 
        initially reported by the French newspaper Le Figaro; and
Whereas, on April 8, 2016, U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said 
        Austin remains a focus of the administration's diplomatic efforts, often 
        working through Czech officials who serve as intermediaries between the 
        United States and the Syrian Arab Republic governments: Now, therefore, 
        be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) expresses its ongoing concern about the disappearance 
        of Austin Tice in Damascus, Syria, in August 2012;
            (2) encourages the Department of State and the intelligence 
        community to jointly continue investigations and to consider 
        all plausible explanations for Austin's disappearance;
            (3) urges the Department of State and the intelligence 
        community to coordinate investigations with the Syrian Arab 
        Republic government and solicit information from appropriate 
        regional affairs and law enforcement experts on plausible 
        explanations for Austin's disappearance;
            (4) encourages the Department of State to work with foreign 
        governments known to have diplomatic influence with the 
        Government of Syria;
            (5) encourages the intelligence community to assess the 
        possibility of the involvement of the Government of Syria in 
        Austin Tice's disappearance and to possibly seek his recovery; 
        and
            (6) requests that the Department of State and the 
        intelligence community continue to work with and inform 
        Congress and the family of Austin Tice on efforts to possibly 
        recover Austin and to resolve his disappearance.
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