[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 545 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 545

 Commemorating March 17, 2020, as the 40th anniversary of the Refugee 
Act of 1980, including the amendments made by that Act, at a time when 
the need for bipartisan support of the refugee resettlement program of 
     the United States is critical to the survival of the program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 17, 2020

   Mr. Coons (for himself and Mr. Lankford) submitted the following 
  resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Commemorating March 17, 2020, as the 40th anniversary of the Refugee 
Act of 1980, including the amendments made by that Act, at a time when 
the need for bipartisan support of the refugee resettlement program of 
     the United States is critical to the survival of the program.

Whereas, after receiving bipartisan support in both the Senate and the House of 
        Representatives, the Refugee Act of 1980, S. 643 (96th Congress), 
        including the amendments made by that Act, was signed into law on March 
        17, 1980, to provide a domestic framework for the United States to align 
        with the international obligations of the United States, including 
        under--

    (1) the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, done at Geneva 
July 28, 1951 (as made applicable by the Protocol Relating to the Status of 
Refugees, done at New York January 31, 1967 (19 U.S.T. 6223), to which the 
United States is a party);

    (2) the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or 
Degrading Treatment or Punishment, done at New York December 10, 1984, to 
which the United States is a party;

    (3) the Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons, done at 
New York September 28, 1954; and

    (4) the Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness, done at New York 
August 30, 1961;

Whereas the humanitarian protection provided by the Refugee Act of 1980 (Public 
        Law 96-212; 94 Stat. 102), including the amendments made by that Act, is 
        consistent with the best values of the United States, such as judging 
        people not ``by the color of their skin but by the content of their 
        character'', championing religious liberty, standing up for one's 
        beliefs, standing up for those who are being mistreated, championing 
        democracy, and upholding the rights and practices of self-governance and 
        free speech regardless of race, ethnicity, or nationality;
Whereas refugees are courageous, hard-working people of conviction and values, 
        defenders of democracy and faith, and people who face persecution on 
        account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular 
        social group, or political opinion, and in some cases, face persecution 
        because they allied with the United States in crucial missions, such as 
        in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Iraq, and Afghanistan;
Whereas the refugee resettlement program of the United States authorized under 
        the Refugee Act of 1980 (Public Law 96-212; 94 Stat. 102), including the 
        amendments made by that Act, is a life-saving solution critical to 
        global humanitarian efforts that--

    (1) strengthens global security;

    (2) advances the foreign policy goals and national security interests 
of the United States;

    (3) supports countries that host hundreds of thousands, or even 
millions, of refugees;

    (4) collaborates with and supports the efforts of the international 
community to support and resettle vulnerable populations;

    (5) stabilizes sensitive conflicts and regions around the globe; and

    (6) encourages other countries to contribute through humanitarian 
support, resettlement, and finding strategies to address existing conflict 
and prevent future conflict;

Whereas the refugee resettlement program provides protection and resettlement 
        opportunities to individuals from Iraq and Afghanistan who worked side 
        by side with members of the United States Armed Forces and peace 
        builders;
Whereas the Department of State acknowledged the partnership between the 
        admission of refugees and the protection of inherent human rights in the 
        2018 Report on International Religious Freedom and the 2018 Country 
        Reports on Human Rights Practices;
Whereas refugees are major contributors to local economies, pay an average of 
        $21,000 more in taxes than they receive in benefits, and revitalize 
        cities and towns by offsetting population decline and boosting economic 
        growth throughout the United States by opening businesses, paying taxes, 
        and buying homes;
Whereas several industries rely heavily on refugee workers to support the 
        economic stability of those industries, and low rates of arrivals of 
        refugees, especially in towns that rely on refugee populations to 
        revitalize the industries in those towns, have had serious effects on 
        economic growth;
Whereas, through the refugee resettlement program, the United States has proudly 
        pursued strategic and humanitarian interests, resettling more than 
        3,000,000 refugees in 49 States over more than 40 years, and the program 
        has received support from Republican and Democratic Presidential 
        administrations and bipartisan congressional support, as Presidents have 
        set, through Presidential determinations, an average annual refugee 
        admissions goal of 95,000 refugees;
Whereas, in collaboration with the Department of State and through the Office of 
        Refugee Resettlement, faith communities, civic leaders, local social 
        service agencies, employers, and refugee resettlement agencies provide 
        essential services and welcome refugees who bring new life and vitality 
        to local communities;
Whereas, in 2020, the world is in the midst of the worst global displacement 
        crisis in history, with more than 70,800,000 forcibly displaced persons, 
        including more than 25,900,000 refugees worldwide, more than \1/2\ of 
        whom are children, according to estimates from the United Nations High 
        Commissioner for Refugees;
Whereas, in 2018, global resettlement needs were not met despite the high number 
        of refugees in need of third-country resettlement;
Whereas a decline in refugee resettlements has had adverse impacts on the 
        infrastructure of refugee resettlement in the United States, creating 
        challenges for future increases in resettlement;
Whereas many Presidents have made changes and improvements to the refugee 
        resettlement program while continuing to support and nurture its crucial 
        role in humanitarian protection and in promoting the national security 
        and strategic interests of the United States;
Whereas refugees are the most thoroughly vetted class of foreign nationals to 
        enter the United States and are subject to extensive screening checks, 
        including in-person interviews, biometric data checks, and multiple 
        interagency checks; and
Whereas, as the major global humanitarian and strategic leader, the United 
        States should operate its refugee resettlement program in a manner 
        consistent with global refugee resettlement need, the historical 
        commitment of the United States to refugee resettlement since the 
        enactment of the Refugee Act of 1980 (Public Law 96-212; 94 Stat. 102), 
        and the critical humanitarian leadership role of the United States on 
        the world stage: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) reaffirms its bipartisan commitment--
                    (A) to abide by the cherished domestic and 
                international legal obligations of the United States to 
                protect refugees who flee war, persecution, or torture 
                in search of religious liberty, democracy, peace, hope, 
                and freedom; and
                    (B) to recognize the importance of the refugee 
                resettlement program of the United States as a critical 
                tool for saving lives and as a critical function of 
                United States global leadership--
                            (i) to leverage foreign policy;
                            (ii) to strengthen national and regional 
                        security;
                            (iii) to support allies of the United 
                        States; and
                            (iv) to demonstrate international support 
                        of refugees; and
            (2) calls upon the United States Government--
                    (A) to provide robust funding for refugee 
                protection overseas and resettlement in the United 
                States;
                    (B) to uphold its international leadership role in 
                responding to displacement crises with humanitarian 
                assistance and protection of the most vulnerable 
                populations;
                    (C) to work in partnership with the international 
                community to find solutions to existing conflicts and 
                prevent new conflicts from beginning; and
                    (D) to ensure the refugee resettlement program of 
                the United States is equipped to protect and support 
                refugees, especially allies who need the support of the 
                United States, as well as the international refugee 
                assistance community that needs United States 
                leadership, and local communities across the United 
                States who want to welcome refugees and continue 
                together to build the American dream.
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