[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8125 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8125

    To designate the area between the intersections of 18th Street 
Northwest and Church Street Northwest, and 18th Street Northwest and P 
Street Northwest, in the District of Columbia as ``Jimmy Lai Way'', and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 23, 2024

  Mr. Smith of New Jersey (for himself and Mr. Suozzi) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and 
 Accountability, and in addition to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, 
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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To designate the area between the intersections of 18th Street 
Northwest and Church Street Northwest, and 18th Street Northwest and P 
Street Northwest, in the District of Columbia as ``Jimmy Lai Way'', 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. CONDEMNING THE JAILING OF JIMMY LAI IN HONG KONG.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) In 1997, the United Kingdom transferred sovereignty 
        over Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China (PRC) with 
        guarantees that fundamental rights are protected under both the 
        1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration and the Basic Law, which 
        enumerate specific rights and freedoms including those of 
        speech, of the press, and of assembly.
            (2) The Government of the People's Republic of China has 
        repeatedly undermined Hong Kong's autonomy since the 1997 
        handover, and in particular since the Umbrella Movement 
        protests in 2014, the mass pro-democracy protests in 2019, and 
        the imposition of the draconian National Security Law in 2020, 
        which is vaguely defined and broadly applied to punish people 
        for peacefully exercising their fundamental rights and 
        freedoms.
            (3) Since its enactment in June 2020, the National Security 
        Law, unilaterally passed by the National People's Congress 
        Standing Committee and enforced by officials in Hong Kong as a 
        pretext to repress legitimate and peaceful speech, assembly, 
        and expression of political opinions.
            (4) Jimmy Lai, a 76-year-old Hong Kong democracy advocate, 
        media entrepreneur, and a British citizen, has been in prison 
        since December 2020 on multiple fabricated charges, and is 
        currently serving a sentence of almost six years in prison 
        under politically motivated fraud charges, having already 
        served two other sentences, one for joining a vigil to mark the 
        1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre, and another for participating 
        in peaceful protests in 2019.
            (5) The Apple Daily newspaper which Jimmy Lai founded and 
        published was forced by the authorities in Hong Kong to close 
        in June 2021, and his Next Media company was delisted from the 
        Hong Kong Stock Exchange under government coercion in January 
        2023.
            (6) The trial of Jimmy Lai on charges of ``conspiracy to 
        collude with foreign forces'' under the National Security Law 
        and ``conspiracy to publish seditious publications'' under the 
        sedition law began on December 18, 2023, and resumed on January 
        2, 2024.
            (7) Jimmy Lai pleaded not guilty to all charges.
            (8) The minimum sentence required under the National 
        Security Law is 10 years imprisonment, and therefore it is 
        possible that he could spend the rest of his life behind bars.
            (9) A group of United Nations experts, being alarmed by 
        ``multiple and serious violations'' of his rights, including 
        the right to a fair trial and access to a lawyer of his own 
        choosing, called for Jimmy Lai's immediate release.
            (10) Jimmy Lai's meetings with United States Government 
        officials and public figures, including the former Vice 
        President and Secretary of State, the former Speaker of the 
        House of Representatives, and the former Consul-General in Hong 
        Kong, as well as others, have been cited by the prosecution in 
        the court proceedings.
            (11) Jimmy Lai stands for the values of democracy, human 
        rights, respect for the rule of law, religious freedom, freedom 
        of expression, and media freedom, and is prosecuted and 
        persecuted by the PRC's proxies in Hong Kong solely because of 
        his opinions and activities in pursuit of these values.
    (b) Sense of Congress.--Congress--
            (1) condemns the unjust imprisonment and the show trial of 
        Jimmy Lai;
            (2) calls upon the Hong Kong authorities to release Jimmy 
        Lai immediately and unconditionally and cease prosecuting him 
        and others charged under the National Security Law;
            (3) reaffirms the importance of media freedom and the right 
        of publishers, journalists, and media workers in Hong Kong and 
        around the world to operate free from intimidation, harassment, 
        repression, censorship, and fear;
            (4) recognizes that the severe restrictions on the free 
        flow of news and information from Hong Kong impacts the ability 
        of individuals, corporations, and diplomats to make decisions 
        about travel, investments, and political conditions in Hong 
        Kong;
            (5) urges the Secretary of State and other relevant 
        Department of State officials to advocate for the release of 
        Jimmy Lai by raising his case with officials of the Hong Kong 
        Special Administrative Region and People's Republic of China;
            (6) urges the United Nations High Commissioner for Human 
        Rights to hold a special session and appoint an impartial and 
        independent United Nations mechanism to evaluate, monitor, and 
        report on a range of human rights violations in the People's 
        Republic of China, including the impact of the National 
        Security Law on human rights in Hong Kong, as requested by over 
        50 United Nations Special Experts in 2020; and
            (7) urges all governments that value democracy, human 
        rights, and the rule of law to call for all charges against 
        Jimmy Lai to be dropped, the trial to end, and for the 
        immediate and unconditional release of Jimmy Lai.

SEC. 2. DESIGNATION OF ``JIMMY LAI WAY'' IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

    (a) Designation of Street Name.--
            (1) In general.--The area between the intersections of 18th 
        Street Northwest and Church Street Northwest, and 18th Street 
        Northwest and P Street Northwest in the District of Columbia 
        shall be known and designated as ``Jimmy Lai Way''.
            (2) Reference.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, 
        document, paper, or other record of the United States to the 
        area referred to in paragraph (1) shall be deemed to include 
        ``Jimmy Lai Way.''
    (b) Designation of Address.--
            (1) Designation.--The address of 1520 18th Street Northwest 
        in the District of Columbia shall be redesignated as 1 Jimmy 
        Lai Way Northwest.
            (2) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, 
        document, paper, or other record of the United States to the 
        address referred to in paragraph (1) shall be deemed to be a 
        reference to 1 Jimmy Lai Way Northwest.
    (c) Signs.--The Administrator of General Services shall construct 
street signs that shall--
            (1) contain the phrase ``Jimmy Lai Way NW'';
            (2) be similar in design to the signs used by the District 
        of Columbia to designate the location of Metro stations; and
            (3) be placed on--
                    (A) the parcel of Federal property that is closest 
                to 1 Jimmy Lai Way Northwest (as redesignated by 
                subsection (b)(1)) in the District of Columbia; and
                    (B) the street corners of 18th Street Northwest and 
                Church Street Northwest, and 18th Street Northwest and 
                P Street Northwest, in the District of Columbia.

SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING MAIL DELIVERY BY THE UNITED STATES 
              POSTAL SERVICE.

    It is the sense of Congress that the Postmaster General should 
recognize any mail which is addressed to the Hong Kong Economic and 
Trade Office at ``1 Jimmy Lai Way'' in San Francisco, California, or 
New York, New York, with the appropriate postal codes, and should 
deliver such mail to--
            (1) 130 Montgomery Street, San Francisco, California 94104; 
        or
            (2) 115 East 54th Street, New York, New York 10022,
as the case may be.
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