[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3189 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 3189

To authorize assistance to support activities relating to the clearance 
of landmines, unexploded ordnance, and other explosive remnants of war 
in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam, to recognize the refugee and immigrant 
communities that supported and defended the United States Armed Forces 
during the conflict in Southeast Asia in the 1960s and 1970s, including 
Hmong, Cham, Cambodian, Iu Mien, Khmu, Lao, Montagnard, and Vietnamese 
                   Americans, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            November 1, 2023

Ms. Baldwin (for herself and Mr. Moran) introduced the following bill; 
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To authorize assistance to support activities relating to the clearance 
of landmines, unexploded ordnance, and other explosive remnants of war 
in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam, to recognize the refugee and immigrant 
communities that supported and defended the United States Armed Forces 
during the conflict in Southeast Asia in the 1960s and 1970s, including 
Hmong, Cham, Cambodian, Iu Mien, Khmu, Lao, Montagnard, and Vietnamese 
                   Americans, 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. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Legacies of War Recognition and 
Unexploded Ordnance Removal Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Appropriate committees of congress.--The term 
        ``appropriate committees of Congress'' means--
                    (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the 
                Senate;
                    (B) the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate;
                    (C) the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate;
                    (D) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House 
                of Representatives;
                    (E) the Committee on Armed Services of the House of 
                Representatives; and
                    (F) the Committee on Appropriations of the House of 
                Representatives.
            (2) Armed forces.--The term ``Armed Forces'' means the 
        United States Armed Forces.
            (3) Unexploded ordnance; uxo.--The terms ``unexploded 
        ordnance'' and ``UXO'' have the meaning given the term 
        ``unexploded ordnance'' in section 101 of title 10, United 
        States Code.

SEC. 3. RECOGNITION OF THE COMMUNITIES THAT SUPPORTED AND DEFENDED THE 
              UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES IN SOUTHEAST ASIA.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) During the conflict in Southeast Asia during the 1960s 
        and 1970s, many Hmong, Cham, Cambodians, Iu Mien, Khmu, Lao, 
        Montagnard, and Vietnamese people--
                    (A) supported the Armed Forces;
                    (B) rescued United States pilots shot down in 
                enemy-controlled territory and returned the pilots to 
                safety;
                    (C) gathered and provided intelligence to the Armed 
                Forces about enemy troop positions, movement, and 
                strength; and
                    (D) provided food, shelter, and support to members 
                of the Armed Forces.
            (2) The national armed forces of Cambodia facilitated the 
        evacuation of the United States Embassy in Phnom Penh on April 
        12, 1975, by fighting Khmer Rouge forces that advanced upon the 
        capital.
            (3) A tragic legacy of this conflict in Southeast Asia is 
        the lethal risk posed by landmines, unexploded ordnance, and 
        explosive remnants of war in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia that 
        still litter forests, rice fields, villages, school grounds, 
        roads, and other populated areas, which hinders development and 
        efforts to reduce poverty.
            (4) Vietnam remains one of the world's most contaminated 
        countries, with an estimated 800,000 tons of UXO left over from 
        the conflict in Southeast Asia that ended more than 40 years 
        ago. Since 1975, UXO accidents have caused more than 105,000 
        casualties, including more than 38,000 deaths of Vietnamese 
        civilians.
            (5) In Laos, much of the country's land remains 
        contaminated with tens of millions of small, unexploded cluster 
        munitions. Since 1964, UXO and other explosive remnants of war 
        have injured or killed more than 50,000 civilians in Laos.
            (6) Cambodia has experienced one of the highest rates of 
        landmine and UXO casualties in the world. Since 1979, more than 
        64,000 Cambodians have been injured or killed by landmines, 
        UXO, or other explosive remnants of war.
            (7) The United States is the world's leading financial 
        supporter of demining and programs to remove UXO. Since 1993, 
        the United States has provided more than $4,200,000,000 in 
        assistance for locating and destroying UXO and other explosive 
        remnants of war and related programs in more than 100 
        countries, including more than $185,000,000 in Vietnam, 
        $310,000,000 in Laos, and $180,000,000 in Cambodia.
    (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) the Hmong, Cham, Cambodian, Iu Mien, Khmu, Lao, 
        Montagnard, and Vietnamese people deserve recognition for their 
        support and defense of the Armed Forces during the conflict in 
        Southeast Asia; and
            (2) the United States should continue to support activities 
        to clear landmines, UXO, and other explosive remnants of war 
        and to provide related assistance in Vietnam, Laos, and 
        Cambodia, while strengthening people-to-people ties and 
        reaffirming the long-standing commitment of the United States 
        to Southeast Asia.

SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF ASSISTANCE FOR VIETNAM, LAOS, AND CAMBODIA.

    (a) In General.--The President may provide humanitarian assistance 
to Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia for programs to support--
            (1) the development or updating of national surveys of 
        landmines, UXO, and other explosive remnants of war;
            (2) the clearance of such landmines, UXO, and other 
        explosive remnants of war;
            (3) stockpile management of small arms, light weapons, and 
        ammunition;
            (4) capacity building, risk education, destruction, and 
        physical security related to landmines, UXO, and other 
        explosive remnants of war; and
            (5) survivors of incidents involving landmines, UXO, and 
        other explosive remnants of war, including by providing medical 
        assistance and prosthetic devices related to landmines, UXO, 
        and other explosive remnants of war.
    (b) Coordination.--In carrying out this section, the President 
shall seek to consult, partner, and coordinate with international 
organizations, civil societies, donor governments, and other 
stakeholders, as the President determines appropriate, to leverage the 
expertise, financial support, and resources of such entities to 
minimize duplication of efforts and maximize the efficient and 
effective provision of assistance from the United States.
    (c) Report and Briefings.--
            (1) Report.--
                    (A) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the 
                date of enactment of this Act, the President shall 
                submit a report to the appropriate committees of 
                Congress regarding--
                            (i) the activities undertaken pursuant to 
                        this section; and
                            (ii) the amounts made available from the 
                        Nonproliferation, Anti-terrorism, Demining, and 
                        Related Programs account for demining and 
                        clearance of landmines, UXO, and other 
                        explosive remnants of war in Vietnam, Laos, and 
                        Cambodia.
                    (B) Contents.--The report required under 
                subparagraph (A) shall include--
                            (i) the status of--
                                    (I) amounts made available from the 
                                Nonproliferation, Anti-terrorism, 
                                Demining, and Related Programs account 
                                that are obligated pursuant to 
                                authorities provided by prior Acts; and
                                    (II) unallocated amounts made 
                                available to such account as of the 
                                date of the enactment of this Act;
                            (ii) a description of how funds from such 
                        account have contributed to landmine, UXO, and 
                        other explosive remnants of war clearance 
                        efforts in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia;
                            (iii) estimates of how much--
                                    (I) contaminated land has been 
                                cleared;
                                    (II) land that still contains 
                                landmines, UXO, and other explosive 
                                remnants of war; and
                                    (III) land that has not been 
                                assessed for contamination;
                            (iv) data on the origin of any 
                        antipersonnel mines cleared, to the extent 
                        possible;
                            (v) a description of collaboration between 
                        the United States and the governments of 
                        Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia including past and 
                        current progress in establishing nationwide 
                        contamination databases in such countries to 
                        refine landmine, UXO, and other explosive 
                        remnants of war locations and target clearance 
                        efforts; and
                            (vi) an assessment of the efforts of the 
                        Department of State to work with the Government 
                        of the Lao People's Democratic Republic 
                        regarding the repatriation of, and the efforts 
                        to reintegrate into Laotian society, those of 
                        Hmonh, Lao, Khmu, lu Mien, or Yao descent who 
                        arrived in the United States as refugees, but 
                        have since been removed from the United States.
            (2) Briefings.--The President shall provide an annual 
        briefing to the appropriate committees of Congress regarding 
        the activities undertaken pursuant to this section for each 
        year for which amounts are authorized to be appropriated under 
        subsection (d).
    (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the President $100,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 
2025 through 2029 to carry out this section.
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