    [House Hearing, 115 Congress]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]

    SPECIAL ENVOY TO MONITOR AND COMBAT ANTI-SEMITISM ACT OF 2017; SAM FARR
       PEACE CORPS ENHANCEMENT ACT; ELIE WIESEL GENOCIDE AND ATROCITIES
    PREVENTION ACT OF 2017; PROTECTING DIPLOMATS FROM SURVEILLANCE THROUGH
     CONSUMER DEVICES ACT; INTERCOUNTRY ADOPTION INFORMATION ACT OF 2018;
                 CAMBODIA DEMOCRACY ACT; AND BURMA ACT OF 2018

    =======================================================================

                                     MARKUP

                                   BEFORE THE

                          COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS
                            HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                         ONE HUNDRED FIFTEENTH CONGRESS

                                 SECOND SESSION

                                       ON

                  H.R. 1911, H.R. 2259, H.R. 3030, H.R. 4989,
                      H.R. 5626, H.R. 5754, and H.R. 5819

                                   __________

                                  MAY 17, 2018

                                   __________

                               Serial No. 115-130

                                   __________

            Printed for the use of the Committee on Foreign Affairs

    [GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

    Available: http://www.foreignaffairs.house.gov/, http://docs.house.gov,

                          or http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/

                                     ______

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                          COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS

                     EDWARD R. ROYCE, California, Chairman
    CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, New Jersey     ELIOT L. ENGEL, New York
    ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN, Florida         BRAD SHERMAN, California
    DANA ROHRABACHER, California         GREGORY W. MEEKS, New York
    STEVE CHABOT, Ohio                   ALBIO SIRES, New Jersey
    JOE WILSON, South Carolina           GERALD E. CONNOLLY, Virginia
    MICHAEL T. McCAUL, Texas             THEODORE E. DEUTCH, Florida
    TED POE, Texas                       KAREN BASS, California
    DARRELL E. ISSA, California          WILLIAM R. KEATING, Massachusetts
    TOM MARINO, Pennsylvania             DAVID N. CICILLINE, Rhode Island
    MO BROOKS, Alabama                   AMI BERA, California
    PAUL COOK, California                LOIS FRANKEL, Florida
    SCOTT PERRY, Pennsylvania            TULSI GABBARD, Hawaii
    RON DeSANTIS, Florida                JOAQUIN CASTRO, Texas
    MARK MEADOWS, North Carolina         ROBIN L. KELLY, Illinois
    TED S. YOHO, Florida                 BRENDAN F. BOYLE, Pennsylvania
    ADAM KINZINGER, Illinois             DINA TITUS, Nevada
    LEE M. ZELDIN, New York              NORMA J. TORRES, California
    DANIEL M. DONOVAN, Jr., New York     BRADLEY SCOTT SCHNEIDER, Illinois
    F. JAMES SENSENBRENNER, Jr.,         THOMAS R. SUOZZI, New York
        Wisconsin                        ADRIANO ESPAILLAT, New York
    ANN WAGNER, Missouri                 TED LIEU, California
    BRIAN J. MAST, Florida
    FRANCIS ROONEY, Florida
    BRIAN K. FITZPATRICK, Pennsylvania
    THOMAS A. GARRETT, Jr., Virginia
    JOHN R. CURTIS, Utah

         Amy Porter, Chief of Staff      Thomas Sheehy, Staff Director

                   Jason Steinbaum, Democratic Staff Director

                                C O N T E N T S

                                  ----------
                                                                       Page

                                   MARKUP ON

    H.R. 1911, To amend the State Department Basic Authorities Act of
      1956 to monitor and combat anti-Semitism globally, and for
      other purposes.................................................     2
      Amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 1911 offered by
        the Honorable Christopher H. Smith, a Representative in
        Congress from the State of New Jersey........................     5
    H.R. 2259, To amend the Peace Corps Act to expand services and
      benefits for volunteers, and for other purposes................     9
      Amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 2259 offered by
        the Honorable Ted Poe, a Representative in Congress from the
        State of Texas...............................................    26
    H.R. 3030, To help prevent acts of genocide and other atrocity
      crimes, which threaten national and international security, by
      enhancing United States Government capacities to prevent,
      mitigate, and respond to such crises...........................    51
      Amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 3030 offered by
        the Honorable Ann Wagner, a Representative in Congress from
        the State of Missouri........................................    71
    H.R. 4989, To require the Department of State to establish a
      policy regarding the use of location-tracking consumer devices
      by employees at diplomatic and consular facilities, and for
      other purposes.................................................    80
    H.R. 5626, To amend the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000 to
      require the Secretary of State to report on intercountry
      adoptions from countries which have significantly reduced
      adoption rates involving immigration to the United States, and
      for other purposes.............................................    83
      Amendments to H.R. 5626 offered by:
          The Honorable Adam Kinzinger, a Representative in Congress
            from the State of Illinois...............................    86
          The Honorable Bradley S. Schneider, a Representative in
            Congress from the State of Illinois......................    87
    H.R. 5754, To promote free and fair elections, political
      freedoms, and human rights in Cambodia, and for other purposes.    88
      Amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 5754 offered by
        the Honorable Ted S. Yoho, a Representative in Congress from
        the State of Florida.........................................    97
          Amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to
            H.R. 5754 offered by the Honorable Ted S. Yoho...........   105
    H.R. 5819, To promote democracy and human rights in Burma, and
      for other purposes.............................................   106
      Amendments to H.R. 5819 offered by:
          The Honorable Eliot L. Engel, a Representative in Congress
            from the State of New York...............................   150
          The Honorable Joe Wilson, a Representative in Congress from
            the State of South Carolina..............................   154

              LETTERS, STATEMENTS, ETC., SUBMITTED FOR THE RECORD
                                    APPENDIX

    Markup notice....................................................   180
    Markup minutes...................................................   181
    Markup summary...................................................   183
    The Honorable Ted Poe, a Representative in Congress from the
      State of Texas: Prepared statement.............................   184

    SPECIAL ENVOY TO MONITOR AND COMBAT ANTI-SEMITISM ACT OF 2017; SAM FARR
       PEACE CORPS ENHANCEMENT ACT; ELIE WIESEL GENOCIDE AND ATROCITIES
    PREVENTION ACT OF 2017; PROTECTING DIPLOMATS FROM SURVEILLANCE THROUGH
     CONSUMER DEVICES ACT; INTERCOUNTRY ADOPTION INFORMATION ACT OF 2018;
                 CAMBODIA DEMOCRACY ACT; AND BURMA ACT OF 2018

                                  ----------

                             THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2018

                           House of Representatives,

                         Committee on Foreign Affairs,

                                Washington, DC.

        The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:00 a.m., in
    room 2167 Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Edward Royce
    (chairman of the committee) presiding.
        Chairman Royce. The committee will come to order.
        And pursuant to notice, we meet today to markup seven
    bipartisan measures. Without objection, all members may have 5
    days to submit statements or extraneous materials on today's
    business.
        As members were notified yesterday, we intend to consider
    today's measures en bloc, and so without objection the
    following items previously provided to members, and also in
    your packets, will be considered en bloc and are considered as
    read.
        They are H.R. 1911, the Special Envoy the Monitor and
    Combat Anti-Semitism Act, Smith Amendment 96 in the nature of a
    substitute; H.R. 2259, the Sam Farr Peace Corps Enhancement
    Act, Poe Amendment 87 in the nature of a substitute; H.R. 3030,
    the Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act with
    Wagner Amendment 33 in the nature of a substitute; H.R. 4989,
    Protecting Diplomats from Surveillance Through Consumer Devices
    Act; and  deg.H.R. 5626, the Intercountry Adoption
    Information Act with the Kinzinger Amendment 28 and the
    Schneider Amendment Number 84; H.R. 5754, the Cambodian
    Democracy Act with Yoho Amendment 123 in the nature of a
    substitute and Yoho Amendment 125; and lastly, H.R. 5819, the
    Burma Act of 2018, Engel Amendment 98, and Wilson Amendment 60.
        [The information referred to follows:]

    [GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]

        Chairman Royce. So I will now recognize myself to speak on
    today's business. First, I'd just like to mention on the
    Cambodian Democracy Act, I want to thank Chairman Yoho. I think
    this is a very important bill to support the people of
    Cambodia.
        Hun Sen aspires to be a tyrant there and he is behaving
    right now as a tyrant in terms of what he has done to the
    political opposition and to his people, and I am very proud to
    support this act, which will hold Hun Sen and hold his regime
    accountable for systematic human rights abuses.
        I also want to recognize in the audience today our
    colleague, Congressman Alan Lowenthal, who's been a leader in
    Congress on U.S.-Cambodia issues. So, Alan, thanks for being
    with us.
        Next, we have H.R. 5819, the BURMA Act. For over three
    decades, Burma has systematically denied the Rohingya even the
    most basic of human rights.
        Last year, this ethnic cleansing reached new horrific
    levels. The Burmese military drove 700,000 Rohingya from their
    homes, burning villages, raping women, and killing thousands.
        A Burmese commander told fleeing Rohingya, ``We will turn
    your village into soil,'' and, tragically, that's what they
    did.
        So I thank the ranking member, Mr. Engel, for introducing
    this important legislation aimed at stopping these horrific
    acts.
        I'd like to comment on the Intercountry Adoption
    Information Act. International adoption is an issue that
    impacts Americans across the country.
        I've been honored to help bring many families together and
    we played a role in going to the Congo in order to bring
    families back home here who were stranded there and we thank
    the members of this committee who participated in that.
        This act requires the State Department to report annually
    on countries that have enacted new laws or policies that would
    impact inter-country adoptions and this information, obviously,
    would have been very helpful, for example, when the Congo or
    when Ethiopia both adopted sweeping new laws that put on hold
    adoptions for American families and left the families stuck
    there.
        So I am glad to support this bill.
        Next, we have H.R. 2259, the Sam Farr and Nick Castle Peace
    Corps Reform Act. We have worked closely with Judge Ted Poe on
    this issue.
        This bill would ensure that Peace Corps volunteers have
    some say in where they are placed, to make sure that those
    volunteers are more aware of risks in the field, and that they
    have better access to qualified medical personnel when they are
    in the field.
        It also extends and enhances expiring provisions in the
    Kate Puzey Act to provide services to victims who have been
    victims of sexual assault.
        Our young men and women who volunteer with the Peace Corps
    deserve to have the information and support that they need as
    they represent our country overseas and this bill does that.
        Next, we consider H.R. 3030, the Elie Wiesel Genocide and
    Atrocities Prevention Act. The U.S. must be a world leader in
    efforts to prevent genocide, in efforts to prevent crimes
    against humanity, and this act improves interagency
    coordination, it bolsters training for our diplomats in the
    field, and it strengthens congressional oversight to make
    programs aimed at preventing global atrocities far more
    effective than they are today.
        Next, we have Chairman Smith's H.R. 1911. As anti-Semitism
    is on the rise around the world, this bill ensures that the
    Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism has direct
    access to the Secretary of State. Elevating this office will
    help keep our promise of ``never again.''
        And finally, we have H.R. 4989, the Protecting Diplomats
    From Surveillance Through Consumer Devices Act. This bill
    rightly addresses the need for the State Department to develop
    a clear modern policy regarding the use of devices that may
    have GPS tracking capability--frequently do--and I thank
    Representative Castro for this timely measure, which will
    ensure that the department's policies keep pace with evolving
    technology. Why? Because we need to keep our men and women safe
    overseas.
        And I now recognize the ranking member, Mr. Engel of New
    York, for his remarks.
        Mr. Engel. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you for calling
    this markup, and let me thank our colleagues for all the hard
    work on the measures we are considering this morning.
        I'll start with the bill I introduced. I want to thank the
    chairman again for bringing it forward today and I am glad we
    are going to address the ongoing tragedy in Burma.
        This crisis has been smoldering for years. The Rohingya in
    the northern part of Burma's Rakhine State have endured hatred,
    bigotry, and systematic discrimination. They've had their
    citizenship revoked and have been pushed to the margins of
    society.
        Last August, the fire began to burn out of control with the
    Burmese military's violent crackdown on the Rohingya, driving
    nearly 700,000 people into Bangladesh, nearly 80 percent women
    and children, many of whom are now victims of horrific gender-
    based violence.
        Humanitarian workers expect up to 40,000 births resulting
    from rape in the refugee camps. That is just horrific, it is
    gut wrenching, and shame on us. The United States has slammed
    the door on refugees when Bangladesh, one of the most densely
    populated countries in the world, has welcomed these people
    with open arms.
        The administration wants to slash resources for combating
    gender-based violence. It has cut off funding for the U.N.
    Population Fund, which works in refugees camps to provide
    access to vital services--things so basic as making sure women
    have a safe place to shower.
        So no thanks to us, the U.N. has requested more than $1
    billion to meet needs just this year, funding which would
    provide round-the-clock lifesaving assistance.
        But with the coming rainy season threatening to wipe out
    the rickety infrastructure around these desperate people, there
    is no end to this tragedy in sight.
        So we need to do more to alleviate this crisis. We also
    need to remember this crisis is manmade. It is ethnic cleansing
    and many believe it is genocide. Nothing has been done to hold
    perpetrators accountable.
        The Burmese civilian government has become more closed, not
    more open, since this tragedy, and meanwhile, our
    administration seems reticent to hold perpetrators accountable
    and publicly call for justice.
        It's unacceptable. It's a betrayal of our values when we
    see this sort of abuse. There must be consequences.
        My bill would dole out these consequences in the form of
    new sanctions against Burmese military and security forces
    involved. It would limit American military engagement with
    Burma's military, promote civil society, push a political
    reform, and require a full accounting of what's taken place.
        I am grateful for the bipartisan collaboration in advancing
    this bill and I ask all members for their support and I thank
    the chairman for helping to push this bill forward.
        Next, I want to thank Chairman Yoho of the Asia and the
    Pacific Subcommittee and Congressman Lowenthal for bringing
    forward the Cambodia Democracy Act. I want to recognize Mr.
    Lowenthal, who is the lead Democratic co-sponsor of H.R. 5754,
    the Cambodia Democracy Act, who was here.
        He was once a member of this committee and welcome back to
    the Foreign Affairs Committee. Thank you.
        For far too often, we see authoritarian leaders following
    China's lead, abandoning democracy in pursuit of short-term
    political gain.
        This bill makes existing sanctions permanent to hold
    Cambodia's leaders accountable for their crackdowns on
    democracy and stripping the Cambodian people of their rights.
        I support this bill and I urge all members to do the same.
        Next, I am a proud original co-sponsor of the Special Envoy
    to Combat and Monitor Anti-Semitism Act. Every day, more and
    more alarming anti-Semitic attacks shock the world and yet the
    Special Envoy position is still vacant.
        That's outrageous. We must have a senior official to push
    back against the intolerance and hatred of anti-Semitism. This
    bill would elevate the position and require the President to
    put forward a nominee no more than 120 days after a vacancy.
        American leadership is needed in the fight against anti-
    Semitism. The measure has my strong support. History has shown
    that failing to address anti-Semitism can lead to violence and
    genocide as a foreign policy priority to prevent these
    tragedies.
        So I thank Representatives Wagner and Crowley for authoring
    the Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act, which
    would improve our ability to prevent and respond to genocide
    and other horrific mass atrocities.
        Let's work on harnessing American capabilities to stop
    these tragedies before they start. I urge my colleagues to join
    me in supporting this bill.
        Next, let me thank Congressmen Poe and Kennedy for their
    bill, the Sam Farr and Nick Castle Peace Corps Enhancement Act.
    This bill works to improve the health, safety, and security of
    Peace Corps volunteers.
        The Peace Corps represents America's best values around the
    world. Volunteers dedicate their time to promote people-to-
    people diplomacy and community-based development in far corners
    of the world.
        This is one of our most cost-effective efforts and we
    should do everything we can to take care of these committed
    young public servants. I very much support this bill.
        I am also glad to support the Intercountry Adoption
    Information Act. Too often we hear heart wrenching stories of
    American families whose adoption process was halted by a
    foreign government's change in policy.
        These families are often left in the dark when these
    changes happen. This bill presents a straightforward fix,
    requiring the State Department to provide this information that
    affects prospective adoptive American families.
        And lastly, I'd like to thank Mr. Castro for introducing
    the Protecting Diplomats From Surveillance Through Consumer
    Devices Act.
        This bill would help the Department of State prevent our
    adversaries from tracking American diplomats through their GPS-
    enabled devices.
        From FitBits and smart watches to phones in cars, most of
    us have at least one tracking device with us at all times.
    Obviously, that can be a security risk. This common sense
    measure would make sure the department takes necessary steps to
    tackle this problem.
        These are all good measures in front of us today. I support
    them all. I thank the chairman for his hard work and I urge all
    members to support them as well.
        I yield back.
        Chairman Royce. Thank you, Mr. Engel.
        We go to Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida.
        Ms. Ros-Lehtinen. Thank you so much, Chairman Royce and
    Ranking Member Engel. I offer my support for all of the bills
    under consideration and will speak briefly in support of three
    of them.
        I am proud to be a sponsor of my friend, Chris Smith's,
    bill, H.R. 1911, the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-
    Semitism Act of 2017.
        This elevates the critical position to the rank of
    Ambassador. This bill has broad bipartisan support including
    from many members of our committee and from all the co-chairs
    of our bipartisan task force for combating anti-Semitism.
        As a fellow founding member and co-chair of the task force,
    along with Ted Deutch, Chris, and Ranking Member Engel, this is
    an issue that is of utmost importance, given the current
    climate in Europe and elsewhere toward Jews.
        This vital position has remained vacant since President
    Trump took office and that is woefully inadequate. The United
    States is a leader in fighting anti-Semitism and we condemn all
    forms of this ancient bigotry.
        But sometimes our message falls far short when other
    countries see that our own administration does not view this
    position as one that is important enough to fill.
        We need our Special Envoy front and center working with
    other governments to help them address and fight anti-Semitism.
        At a time when we see vicious attacks against Jews in
    France and other countries in Europe and when Jewish leaders
    are issuing warnings to their communities to not show outward
    signs of their religious identity, we need American leadership
    and American pressure to help counter this hatred.
        But we cannot do that when we have individuals working part
    time, unable to devote the requisite amount of time to this
    issue. That is why we need the Special Envoy and that is why we
    need that position filled immediately.
        Not only does it require full time attention but it is
    vital that we have someone at the Ambassador level ranked in
    that position so they have access to the highest level
    officials in other countries.
        We need to show other nations how serious we are in taking
    this issue head on and, as such, we need to bestow upon that
    individual who will take this role the appropriate rank and
    title so they can cut through the bureaucratic red tape of
    other nations and have the serious conversations that need to
    be had.
        I am also pleased that my language adding a deadline for
    the appointment--90 days from the enactment of this act and 120
    days from when this position becomes vacant--that has been
    included.
        And as we have seen not just with this administration but
    previous administrations have allowed this statutorily mandated
    position to remain open for an extended period of time.
        That is why it's important that we put a deadline for this
    appointment. I urge my colleagues to support Chris' bill. I
    urge the administration to fill this position immediately.
        I also want to offer my strong support to Ambassador
    Wagner's bill, H.R. 3030, the Elie Wiesel Genocide and
    Atrocities Prevention Act, of which I am proud to be a co-
    sponsor.
        Ambassador Wagner's bill takes necessary and overdue steps
    to make preventing genocide and preventing atrocities a
    priority in our foreign policy.
        For too often and in too many places, these acts are met
    with indifference or neutrality--the kind of neutrality that
    the bill's namesake rightly said only encourages more torment
    and abuses.
        As Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel once said, whenever men
    and women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or
    political views, that place must at that moment become the
    center of the universe.
        Whenever and wherever these acts are occurring we must work
    together and ensure that the United States is at the forefront
    with the full weight of our foreign policy to prevent them from
    ever happening again.
        It is a core national security interest, it is our moral
    responsibility, and I commend always Ambassador Wagner for her
    work on this issue.
        And finally, some words to offer my strong support for
    Ranking Member Engel and Steve Chabot's H.R. 5819, the BURMA
    Act of 2018, of which I am also proud to be a co-sponsor.
        As the former chairman of the Asia and Pacific
    Subcommittee, Steve has been a tireless champion on human
    rights in Burma. I want to commend him and the ranking member
    for their work on this bill.
        The Burmese military ethnic cleansing campaign is a crime
    against humanity, exactly the type of atrocity that Ambassador
    Wagner's bill is seeking to prevent.
        Among other provisions, this bill would authorize
    humanitarian assistance for victims of the Burmese military
    campaign, limit security assistance with security forces, and
    impose targeted sanctions against those responsible for these
    serious human rights abuses.
        We cannot allow this issue to go on unaddressed. I urge my
    colleagues to support this bill and all the measures before us
    today.
        Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        Chairman Royce. Thank you, Ileana.
        Mr. Brad Sherman of California.
        Mr. Sherman. Mr. Chairman, thank you for bringing forth
    outstanding bills. I am pleased to co-sponsor all of them.
        As to the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism
    Act, I commend Mr. Smith and Schneider. This is an important
    office. It ought to be upgraded to the rank of full Ambassador
    and we need to make sure that the President fills the position.
        I've seen this office do outstanding work, particularly
    during the year and a half in which my wife served as the
    Deputy Special Envoy.
        The two bills to deal with Asia and to come through the
    Asia and the Pacific Subcommittee--the Cambodia Democracy Act--
    I want to commend not only Mr. Yoho but also Mr. Lowenthal. He
    has been a constant voice for human rights in Cambodia, and I
    agree with him that Hun Sen's attacks on democracy need to end
    and reporters, among other politically imprisoned individuals,
    need to be released.
        As to the BURMA Act, I commend the ranking member and Mr.
    Chabot, and we may have to go beyond this bill. As long as
    Burma refuses to provide citizenship and protection for the
    Rohingya, we have to wonder whether northern Rakhine State
    should be part of Burma or whether its transfer to the
    sovereignty of Bangladesh might be necessary in order to assure
    that the people who have lived there for generations have
    citizenship and protection. I say that knowing that we are
    loathe to change international borders.
        The Protecting Diplomats from Surveillance Act is an
    important bill as is the Sam Farr Peace Corps Enhancement Act.
    First it's named for Sam Farr, our California colleague, who
    served in the Peace Corps and then was such an effective
    advocate for the Peace Corps.
        And second, the bill focuses on the need for medical care
    for those serving abroad. My wife served in Togo in the Peace
    Corps and found it necessary to get medical care and it was
    quite difficult and her service was interrupted.
        So the idea of making sure that medical care is available
    is an important addition to the Peace Corps' government
    statutes.
        With that, I yield back.
        Chairman Royce. Thank you.
        We go to Chris Smith of New Jersey.
        Mr. Smith. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, and thank you
    for posting this important bill, H.R. 1911, to take the Special
    Envoy to Combat and Monitoring Anti-Semitism and create a
    position of Ambassador-at-Large.
        I want to thank Brad Schneider for being the principal
    Democrat co-sponsor. I deeply appreciate that and, of course,
    as Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, one of the other sponsors, pointed out,
    Eliot Engel and Ted Deutch, all of us who were part of this
    coalition trying to stop anti-Semitism--a bipartisan one--are
    all co-sponsors of this bill.
        And all 80 members, 25 members of this committee, and
    leading Jewish organizations and other human rights groups are
    all for it as well.
        Mr. Chairman, my friend and great former Soviet refusenik--
    and I actually went to the camp where he was, Perm Camp 35, in
    the Ural Mountains in the 1980s--he testified at two of my
    hearings, and I've had several.
        He said that we need to expand our understanding as to what
    anti-Semitism is. It continues to fester and worsen with
    regards to hatred toward Jews--men, women, and children--simply
    because they are Jewish.
        But he also said much of the criticism directed at Israel
    is also laden with anti-Semitism and said there are three D's--
    a 3 D test that we need to apply--and that is the three D's of
    modern anti-Semitism: Demonization of Israel, double standard,
    and delegitimization--in other words, not right to exist.
        I would point out to my colleagues that Rabbi Andy Baker,
    the director for international Jewish affairs for the American
    Jewish Committee and the personal representative for combating
    anti-Semitism for the Organization for Security Cooperation in
    Europe, which I am the co-chair of the U.S. delegation, he has
    said, ``We continue to see physical and even lethal attacks on
    Jews in Europe, efforts to restrict or ban elemental religious
    practices, and emboldened extremist political parties with an
    anti-Semitic agenda.''
        Even as European governments have come to recognize the
    dangers facing their Jewish communities, many still have failed
    to devote the necessary resources to protect them or to be
    clear-eyed in recognizing the sources of the problem.
        According to B'nai B'rith International, unfortunately, we
    continue to see a dramatic growth of anti-Semitism,
    particularly in Europe and the Islamic world.
        The scourge has reached its highest level since World War
    II. B'nai B'rith International--and then they go on to talk
    about what they are doing.
        They also pointed out in Canada last year was a record-
    breaking year for anti-Semitism in Canada, according to their
    new audit.
        There is a need for a comprehensive aggressive robust
    effort by the United States. I would point out to my colleagues
    in 2004 Congress passed and signed into law the Global Anti-
    Semitism Review Act of 2004. I was the prime author of the
    provisions that created both the Office to Monitor and Combat
    Anti-Semitism in the State Department and the position of
    Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism to lead it.
        H.R. 1911, however, would elevate the Special Envoy to
    Ambassador, and that gravitas makes a difference both within
    the building and when he or she takes this message throughout
    the world.
        It would mandate that the Special Envoy serve as the
    primary advisor to the United States Government, including the
    Secretary of State, on monitoring and combating anti-Semitism
    in foreign countries and coordinate efforts across the
    government.
        It also would prohibit the Special Envoy from being double
    hatted, something that we faced early on after the 2004 act.
    Give it to somebody else. Expand their portfolio. That dilution
    of the mandate weakens the efforts.
        I would also point out that we have language saying that
    the envoy--and that would be an Ambassador--needs to be
    nominated within 90 days of the enactment of this act because
    we have had unbelievable delays no matter who is President.
        And I would point out Bush took 583 days, Obama 307 days,
    and then when there was a change 227 days after that when the
    one that he originally had in the position left.
        Long delays--nobody leading the ship or being at the helm.
    I would point out, however, that when Special Envoys Greg
    Rickman, Hannah Rosenthal, and Ira Foreman had the job, they
    did a tremendous job and were the eyes and ears and the were
    the voice of our Government in combating this scourge.
        I want to thank everyone for doing this and backing it. We
    do have a great deal of support for it, and the time has come.
    There should be no further delay.
        We do call on President Trump. We did--all of us asked
    Secretary Tillerson to move in this direction. We are now
    asking Secretary Pompeo to make this appointment and to do it
    immediately, and then, God willing, this becomes law, we can
    then work to elevate that Special Envoy to the Ambassador.
        Thank you.
        Chairman Royce. Thank you.
        We go to Mr. Gerry Connolly of Virginia.
        Mr. Connolly. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just I want to thank
    you for putting all these bills on the agenda today. Glad to
    sponsor as an original co-sponsor or as a co-sponsor of all of
    them.
        I particularly want to highlight four. The BURMA Act--
    really important that we support the democratic transition
    while also holding accountable those that have engaged in
    unbelievable violence against part of the population. I think
    this bill strikes that balance.
        The Sam Farr Peace Corps Enhancement Act--I was privileged
    to work with my friend and colleague, Judge Ted Poe, a number
    of years ago in the previous administration in helping Peace
    Corps work through a sexual assault policy.
        This bill adds to that and honors our former colleague, a
    very gentle and wonderful man, Sam Farr.
        The Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act--
    Elie Wiesel was a towering figure of the last century and a
    survivor of the Holocaust who, out of that incredible
    experience, nonetheless understood how to fight persecution
    while promoting atonement and trying reconciliation for warring
    parties, and it's fitting that we should name this bill after
    him.
        And finally, the Cambodia Democracy Act--I was privileged a
    number of years ago to work on a project with the National
    Democratic Institute in Cambodia to help develop the first
    policy guidelines and legislation government local elections.
        It's very sad for me to see it sliding back by the Hun Sen
    government in Cambodia and, hopefully, this legislation will be
    the building block for a robust U.S. policy and allied policy
    to stop that slide and to return to democratic tradition.
        I thank the chair.
        Chairman Royce. Thank you, Mr. Connolly.
        Mr. Steve Chabot of Ohio.
        Mr. Chabot. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you for
    holding this markup today, and I support H.R. 5819, the BURMA
    Act.
        It's a bill that we worked with Mr. Engel and the chair,
    Mr. Royce, and other members. I think this is really an
    important bill and it holds the perpetrators of the crimes
    committed against the Rohingya Muslims accountable in a strong
    and meaningful way.
        The news from Rakhine State in Burma and in the Cox's Bazar
    in Bangladesh regarding the humanitarian crisis has been
    nothing short of abysmal.
        As former chair of the Asia and Pacific Subcommittee, I'd
    point out that this ongoing crackdown is only the most recent
    persecution of the Rohingya Muslims but it's certainly the
    worst.
        The Rohingya fled to neighboring Bangladesh and nearly
    700,000 new refugees are living on only a few thousand acres,
    and although the Rohingya continue to display their grit and
    resolve, their living conditions are horrendous--just
    unspeakable.
        I believe it's necessary to point out that we had sanctions
    in place against Burma's military for years. Throughout Burma's
    military rule, we imposed a number of increasingly severe
    sanctions designed to specifically target the military and its
    leaders and economically isolate them from the rest of the
    world.
        In large part, these sanctions worked, and the people of
    Burma had free and fair elections that brought Aung San Suu Kyi
    and the NLD to power.
        Unfortunately, the previous administration quickly touted
    Burma as a success story and then, regrettably, almost
    immediately relaxed restrictions on their military.
        A number of us warned--at the time--that this democratic
    transformation was not complete and that the former President's
    optimism was premature.
        Unfortunately, this concern ultimately came true. There is
    no question that the plight of the Rohingya was caused by the
    Burmese military officials and their allies.
        Women and children have been reported being raped. They
    watch the murder of their sons and husbands. There are reports
    that the Burmese military has committed truly unspeakable acts
    against civilians including babies and children.
        One thing is clear. This is textbook genocide. It appears
    to be the worst ethnic cleansing of the 21st century. So that
    is precisely why the BURMA Act of 2018 is so fundamentally
    important.
        Sanctions must be brought against the perpetrators of these
    crimes. We must show the world that these actions will not go
    unpunished. Many provisions in this bill are very important.
        However, I'd like to highlight a particular section and
    that's forfeiture of assets and property, and I want to thank
    my staff and my colleagues on this committee and also on the
    Judiciary Committee and we worked with them and their staff. We
    want to thank them for their cooperation in insisting that this
    language be included in the bill. It will be crystal clear to
    the Burmese military officials that are responsible for this
    senseless violence that one way or another they will pay for
    their crimes.
        Furthermore, it's my hope that proceeds earned through the
    forfeiture of property provisions will eventually be used for
    assistance and restitution for the very people the Burmese
    military have victimized.
        So I would urge my colleagues to support the BURMA Act, and
    then I, with the short time I have left here, I'd like to
    mention as co-chair of Congressional Caucus on Cambodia--and I
    again want to, as others have already recognized, Mr. Lowenthal
    for his hard work in that area.
        We worked together in a bipartisan way to help the people
    of Cambodia in a whole range of ways and so I want to mention
    the Cambodia Democracy Act and commend Chairman Yoho for his
    hard work and leadership on that and also Mr. Lowenthal and
    everyone who contributed to this legislation for their hard
    work.
        The Cambodia Democracy Act demonstrates our continued
    commitment to the Cambodian people by targeting sanctions on
    Hun Sen and his cronies who have systematically worked to
    eliminate Cambodia's democracy.
        Further, with Cambodia's election now only a few months
    away, at the end of July, this legislation is very timely and
    sends a clear message that we will not tolerate such lawless
    actions and I would urge my colleagues to support it.
        I yield back.
        Chairman Royce. Thank you.
        Mr. Ted Deutch of Florida.
        Mr. Deutch. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        Chairman Royce, Ranking Member Engel, thanks for bringing
    these bills forward. I am proud to support all of the measures
    today and will speak briefly on just four of them.
        First, I wanted to thank Chairman Yoho for the Cambodia
    Democracy Act of 2018, and given the ongoing threats in
    Cambodia to free and fair elections this summer, the challenges
    to a free and independent press and the lack of respect for
    NGOs, I am grateful to the leadership of our colleague,
    Representative Lowenthal, who's here and has introduced this
    bill with Chairman Yoho for taking on a vitally important issue
    and showing the respect for human rights that the people of
    Cambodia deserve.
        I am also proud do co-sponsor the Elie Wiesel Genocide and
    Atrocities Prevention Act and I would recognize Ambassador
    Wagner for her work on this bill.
        Out of the darkness of the Holocaust, Elie Wiesel carried
    the ``never again'' banner to prevent genocides or mass
    atrocities in the future.
        With his support, we created the United State Holocaust
    Memorial Museum--a living memorial to those who perished in the
    Holocaust and a research and education center to cover mass
    atrocities that may be taking place right in front of our eyes.
        Tragically, even in 2018 these atrocities continue and we
    don't need to look any further than Burma. Civilians continue
    to be targeted based on their religion, race, ethnicity, or
    some other criteria that drives people to commit mass murder.
        If we want to be able to say and mean, ``never again,''
    then we need to strengthen our laws and empower the government
    officials to carry it out.
        This bill is a significant step in that direction. It
    states unambiguously that genocide or mass atrocities occurring
    in another part of the world pose a threat to our national
    security.
        The methodical and deliberate mass killing of civilians is
    not only egregious and immoral, it is a crime under
    international law and a threat to what we as Americans stand
    for.
        This bill will also train our Foreign Service officers,
    often on the diplomatic front lines, to identify warning signs
    and to direct the administration to report to Congress and the
    American people what steps it has taken to prevent or stop mass
    atrocities. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation
    and improve our Government's response to mass atrocities around
    the world.
        Next, I'd like to express my support for the BURMA Act. The
    plight of the Rohingya has been painful to watch and I am
    especially discouraged that it is happening in a country that
    once appeared to be on the track toward a peaceful civilian-led
    democracy.
        The Burmese military's treatment of the Rohingya people and
    the resulting mass exodus into Bangladesh represents a travesty
    on a shocking scale.
        I am very proud to co-sponsor this legislation. I believe
    it's important to codify the human rights abuses committed by
    the Burmese military and security forces while outlining the
    policy of the United States to support Burma's transition to
    real democracy.
        The bill's emphasis on the safe return of the Rohingya to
    Burma and the promotion of freedom of the press are vital and
    important steps.
        Only until all of the people are included as full citizens
    and are allowed to return, acts of ethnic cleansing are ended,
    and freedom of religion and the press are ensured will Burma
    again resemble a nation moving toward real democracy.
        And finally, I'd like to voice my support for the Special
    Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Act, a bill of which
    I am an original co-sponsor.
        I want to recognize Congressman Chris Smith for leading
    this bill with Chairman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, my many
    colleagues, including Ranking Member Engel, Congressman
    Schneider, Congressman Lowey, Congressman Veasey, Roskam,
    Weber, and Congressman Bilirakis.
        It's been well over a year now and the administration has
    failed to nominate a Special Envoy to combat anti-Semitism
    around the world. It's unacceptable. The position was created
    in 2004 with bipartisan support by provisions authored by
    Congressman Smith.
        This is a law that cannot be ignored. The Special Envoy and
    its staff are tasked with monitoring worldwide anti-Semitism,
    building coalitions by working with governments and NGOs, and
    acting as our nation's leading global advocate for combating
    anti-Semitism.
        This, in a time when we are seeing more anti-Semitic
    activity rise from the political left and right. We are hearing
    appalling stories like the Holocaust survivor who was brutally
    murdered in her apartment and our Government cannot be silent
    in moments like these.
        The United States has historically been a leader in calling
    out anti-Semites and pushing governments to do more to protect
    their Jewish citizens.
        This is not a time to give up that leadership role. We have
    to address it when this troubling--address this troubling trend
    with action.
        Jews are often the canary in the coal mine. Hatred of a
    country's Jewish citizens confirms the presence of hatred in
    that country and everyone in those countries share in its
    interest in combating this and all hatred.
        With this bill, Congress recognizes that this is a problem
    worldwide, that it is our Government's obligation to combat
    anti-Semitism, to defeat this bigotry and defend Jewish
    communities.
        Filling this position must be a top priority and I urge my
    colleagues to vote for this bill, and I thank the chairman.
        Chairman Royce. Mr. Joe Wilson of South Carolina.
        Mr. Wilson. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        I am grateful to Chairman Ed Royce and Ranking Member Eliot
    Engel for holding this markup on critical issues such as
    protecting human rights, enhancing diplomat and Peace Corps
    volunteers' security and safety, and improving international
    adoption procedures, all of which I am grateful to co-sponsor.
        I especially want to thank Congresswoman Ann Wagner for
    introducing the Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention
    Act. Elie Wiesel, who passed away less than 2 years ago,
    survived both Auschwitz and Buchenwald Nazi concentration camps
    after having lost his family to the camps.
        This legislation contributes to his memory by requiring the
    U.S. Government to train Foreign Service officers to spot
    warning signs of genocide and to provide poor nation
    information sharing among the intelligence community in order
    to prevent future crimes against humanity.
        I also want to thank Congressman Chris Smith for his
    providing the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism
    Act of 2017. While the Department of State should be routinely
    setting the instruction and roles of numerous Special Envoys,
    some Special Envoys such as the envoy to monitor and combat
    anti-Semitism will operate best by having Ambassador status
    with direct access to the Secretary of State.
        Sadly, we see anti-Semitism today as there is criticism of
    the U.S. Embassy being located in Jerusalem.
        Lastly, I want to express my gratitude to Ranking Member
    Eliot Engel for introducing the BURMA Act of 2018. This act
    states for the record that the Burmese military is responsible
    for the murder and ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya in Burma
    and provides for sanctions in response to such crimes until
    Burma becomes more transparent.
        Burma should also deliver on its nonproliferation
    commitments by fully disclosing its past and present nuclear
    activities to international inspectors, which was included by
    an amendment I provided.
        Today's markup legislation shows the world that the United
    States cares deeply about the priorities we place on human
    rights and I urge their passage.
        I now yield the balance of my time to Judge Ted Poe.
        Mr. Poe. I thank the gentleman from South Carolina.
        I want to speak specifically on the Sam Farr/Nick Castle
    Peace Corps Act. I want to thank Congressman Joe Kennedy for
    his bipartisan leadership in this and the Kennedy family and
    their long history of supporting the Peace Corps.
        Mr. Chairman, unfortunately, over the last few years, bad
    things have happened to our Peace Corps volunteers when they go
    abroad and we solved some of those problems with the Kate Puzey
    Act. This is a follow-up to that legislation.
        I want to thank the Health and Justice for Peace Corps
    volunteers and the National Peace Corps Association for their
    input and information on what is happening to our Peace Corps
    volunteers.
        This legislation does several things. It requires that we
    provide qualified medical doctors for our Peace Corps
    volunteers. It increases the time for the Sexual Assault
    Advisory Council to another 5 years.
        It provides provisions in the protection of sexual assault
    and harassment as revealed in the Office of Special Counsel
    report detailing what has happened to our Peace Corps
    volunteers abroad and when our Peace Corps volunteers return to
    America, some with injuries and serious medical issues, make
    sure they are taken care of and the bureaucratic red tape of
    the Federal Government gets out of the way so they can be
    treated.
        And I also want to thank the chairman for his leadership in
    this legislation. I ask unanimous consent to provide my entire
    written statement on this bill and these other bills into the
    record.
        Chairman Royce. Mr. David Cicilline of Rhode Island.
        Mr. Cicilline. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you to
    and Ranking Member Engel for bringing these bills before the
    committee for markup. I am a proud co-sponsor of all the bills
    and would like to specifically speak to four.
        First, H.R. 1911, the Special Envoy to Monitor Anti-
    Semitism Act of 2017, which raises the status of the Special
    Envoy to Ambassador in recognition of the position's important
    role and responsibility.
        Earlier this year, I joined the ranking member and several
    other of my colleagues in calling on the President to
    prioritize the appointment of the Special Envoy to monitor and
    combat anti-Semitism.
        Unfortunately, we are still awaiting a nomination on this
    position. Since the position of Special Envoy to monitor and
    combat anti-Semitism was created in 2004, anti-Semitism and
    anti-Semitic attacks throughout the world have become more
    frequent, violent, and deadly. These developments are
    completely unacceptable.
        In the United States, the number of anti-Semitic incidents
    rose 57 percent in 2017--the largest single-year increase on
    record.
        Internationally state-sponsored Holocaust distortion and
    denial taking place in Europe, particularly in Poland and
    Ukraine, has coincided with the increasing incidence of anti-
    Semitic language and actions.
        The United States must assume a leadership position by
    firmly standing against anti-Semitism, upholding values that
    are fair and just to all, and the Office of the Special Envoy
    continues to be a crucial contributor to the development and
    implementation of policies designed to combat anti-Semitism
    around the world.
        H.R. 3030, the Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities
    Prevention Act, and H.R. 5819, the BURMA Act, are also
    incredibly important.
        Elie Wiesel was a Romanian Nobel Prize-winning writer,
    teacher, and activist best known for his memoir ``Night'' in
    which he hauntingly recounted his experiences surviving the
    Holocaust.
        In one passage, he described his thoughts about the murders
    going on around him.
        He wrote,

            ``Never shall I forget that smoke. Never shall I forget
            the little faces of the children whose bodies I saw
            turn into wreaths of smoke beneath the silent blue sky.
            Never shall I forget those flames which consumed my
            faith forever. Never shall I forget the nocturnal
            silence which deprived me for all eternity of the
            desire to live. Never shall I forget those moments
            which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams
            to dust. Never shall I forget these things, even if I
            am condemned to live long as God himself. Never.''

        I wish I could say that the events Mr. Wiesel recounted
    were singular and only a part of our past. Unfortunately,
    genocides and mass atrocities continue to occur.
        I was in Burma last November and visited Myanmar as well as
    Bangladesh and saw firsthand the brutal efforts underway to
    eradicate the Rohingya population and the most horrifying of
    unspeakable brutality being caused by the Burmese military
    against the Rohingya population and it is important that the
    world hear the United States strongly condemn this and take
    action to hold those accountable, and I am very proud to be a
    cosponsor of both H.R. 3030 and H.R. 5819.
        These bills not only reaffirm our nation's commitment to
    prevent and mitigate acts of genocide and other human rights
    atrocities but puts actions behind our words.
        By strengthening our nation's ability to identify, address,
    and respond to the drivers of these atrocities, we hope to
    prevent further mass atrocities.
        By empowering the President to sanction perpetrators of
    genocide, we hope to bring accountability and an end to the
    current situation in Burma and offer these governments the
    possibility of joining the international community and holding
    perpetrators of mass atrocities and genocides accountable,
    because, like Mr. Wiesel, we should never forget.
        And finally, the Cambodian Democracy Act--I am proud to be
    a co-sponsor of this legislation, which also authorizes
    sanctions against individuals found to have undermined
    democracy in Cambodia or to have committed serious human rights
    violations associated with undermining democracy.
        I want to acknowledge the leadership of Chairman Yoho and
    Congressman Lowenthal, who's with us today, who has been a
    champion not only of this legislation but of respect for human
    rights here in the United States and around the world, and we
    thank him for his leadership.
        With these bills we affirm U.S. leadership in countering
    atrocities, supporting democratic development, and supporting
    human rights. I am pleased to support each of these bills being
    considered today and urge their passage, and thank you, Mr.
    Chairman.
        And I yield back.
        Chairman Royce. Thank you, David.
        We go now to Mike McCaul of Texas.
        Mr. McCaul. I thank you, Mr. Chairman and Ranking Member,
    for holding today's markup on these bipartisan measures.
        I'd also like to thank Congressman Castro and his staff for
    their hard work on the Protecting Diplomats from Surveillance
    Through Consumer Devices Act and I am proud to be the lead co-
    sponsor of this bill.
        It's a simple yet a necessary response to the revelations
    in January. GPS-enabled electronic devices such as FitBits and
    Jawbones exposed diplomatic and military personnel to security
    vulnerabilities abroad.
        The data from these devices are publicly available,
    revealing the locations of key U.S. Government facilities
    across the globe and the movements of our personnel.
        As such the bill requires the Secretary of State to
    establish a policy concerning the use of location-tracking
    consumer devices including GPS at U.S. diplomatic and consular
    facilities.
        So I'd like to thank the State Department also for taking
    this matter seriously. I think it's a vulnerability that we
    need to close the gap on to protect our diplomats and our
    security abroad and I look forward to congressional action in
    protecting them as they serve our nation.
        So, Mr. Chairman, with that, thank you for moving these
    bills through the committee and I'll yield back the balance of
    my time.
        Chairman Royce. Thank you, Mr. McCaul.
        We now go to Lois Frankel of Florida.
        Ms. Frankel. Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you and the
    ranking member and all my colleagues for that leadership and I
    welcome back Mr. Lowenthal to our committee and sitting here.
    Thank you for your work on the Cambodia Democracy Act.
        I want to--I support all these bills here today. I just
    want to make a comment on two of them.
        The first one, the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat
    Anti-Semitism Act of 2017, and I think we all know that global
    anti-Semitism is, unfortunately, on the rise.
        Jewish communities face bigotry and violence at levels not
    seen in decades. I want to give an example--Mireille Knoll, an
    85-year-old Holocaust survivor living in Paris, loved by
    friends and neighbors, known for welcoming everyone in her
    home, in March an attacker broke into her apartment, stabbing
    her 11 times and burning her alive.
        The French Government described it as anti-Semitic--yes,
    you would say that. She had escaped the Holocaust only to be
    brutally murdered in her own home just because she was Jewish.
        According to a study, Europe's largest Jewish communities
    are experiencing a normalization and main streaming of anti-
    Semitism not seen since World War II and yet--and this is--I do
    not understand this--nearly a year and a half into this
    administration, a Special Envoy to monitor and combat anti-
    Semitism position be responsible for--responsible for
    developing and implementing policies to combat anti-Semitism
    worldwide, this position remains vacant.
        And I just want to say that I think it's dangerous and it's
    shameful and--because combating anti-Semitism must be a foreign
    policy priority. So this important legislation, it elevates the
    role of our anti-Semitism envoy to that of Ambassador and
    requires him or her to report directly to the Secretary of
    State.
        I'd also like to draw attention to the BURMA Act of 2018.
    Last fall, we had a hearing in this committee about the
    Rohingya crisis and last week the Democratic Working Women's
    Group heard from U.N. Refugee Agency's goodwill ambassador,
    Kristin Davis, an actress and humanitarian, and I think we have
    heard this from my other colleagues--about more than 700,000
    Rohingya refugees have been forced to flee Burma by security
    forces--villages burned, unarmed civilians shot, women and
    girls assaulted.
        The United States Government has called these actions
    ethnic cleansing and many in the international community
    believe it's genocide, and that's why this bill is so
    important.
        It imposes sanctions on those who have committed acts of
    violence and limits security assistance to Burma until it's
    certified that human rights abuses have ended, like the horror
    of a mother who was forced to stand in a river at gunpoint,
    holding her child in her arms as she squeezed her baby tight.
        Soldiers clubbed her in the face, tore her child out of her
    arms, hurled them into a fire, and then dragged her into a
    house where she was gang raped. It's hard to even say this.
        And just, unbelievably, she's one of hundreds of thousands
    of Rohingya refugees who are either women or children in
    refugee camps in Bangladesh.
        Fortunately--I want to underline this--the U.N. Population
    Fund is on the ground with midwives and mobile health camps to
    care for survivors of rape and conduct information sessions to
    stop human trafficking.
        And since we all care about this tragedy, I want to point
    out that this administration has cruelly cut off funding to the
    U.N. Population Fund for the second year in a row, leaving it
    to the rest of the international communities to fill in the
    gap.
        With monsoon season approaching, floodings and disease
    outbreaks expected, many of the lives of these refugees who
    have suffered so much are already going to get harder.
        So, again, I strongly support the adoption of this bill and
    I urge my colleagues to look beyond and recognize that our
    response to a humanitarian crisis will not be sufficient unless
    we restore the funding to the U.N. FPA. I thank my colleagues
    and I yield back.
        Chairman Royce. Thank you.
        We go to Congresswoman Ann Wagner from Missouri.
        Mrs. Wagner. I thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        I am speaking today in support of the Elie Wiesel Genocide
    and Atrocities Prevention Act, a bill I introduced to improve
    U.S. efforts to prevent mass atrocity crimes.
        The legislation honors the legacy of Nobel Laureate Elie
    Wiesel and his life work to fight evil around the world. Mr.
    Wiesel was just 15 years old when the Nazis deported him and
    his family to Auschwitz.
        He was the only member of his family to survive, and having
    witnessed the near total destruction of his people, he spent
    his life defending the persecuted.
        As Mr. Wiesel understood so well, the true horror of
    genocide is that it is preventable. We are haunted by repeated
    failures and missed opportunities to end these tragedies before
    they begin and I know everyone in this room agrees that there
    is more the United States can and must do to help vulnerable
    communities and persecuted people around the world.
        The reality is that good intentions and platitudes like
    ``never again'' have not prevented the deaths of hundreds of
    thousands of civilians at the hands of the Assad regime nor the
    ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims in Burma.
        It is past time to take a clear-eyed look at our policy and
    programmatic mechanisms for atrocity prevention and ask
    ourselves what can we do better.
        The U.S. Government has the capacity to effect real change
    and the Elie Wiesel Act expresses Congress' strong support for
    better utilization of existing resources, particularly the
    United States Atrocities Prevention Board, which is dedicated
    to coordinating U.S. atrocity prevention and response, and the
    Complex Crisis Fund, which supports agile efficient responses
    to unforeseen crises overseas.
        The bill also expresses the Congress' belief that the
    Atrocities Prevention Board should conduct outreach with civil
    society groups and NGOs to receive assistance for its efforts
    and provide greater public understanding of the work of the
    board.
        Additionally, we require the administration to evaluate
    existing prevention efforts, report on countries at risk of
    genocide and mass atrocity crimes, and recommend concrete
    improvements to our early warning and response systems.
        The bill also mandates that U.S. Foreign Service officers
    are trained in atrocities recognition and response. Should this
    bill become law, America's diplomats will be better equipped to
    respond to conflict and act before violence spirals out of
    control.
        The Elie Wiesel Act establishes that the official policy of
    the United States is to regard atrocity prevention as a core
    national security interest and to address root causes of
    conflict through our humanitarian, development, and strategic
    endeavors.
        Let me be clear. Genocide is preventable and the United
    States is a global leader in genocide and atrocities response.
    But we must ensure that our efforts are better targeted toward
    prevention so that no one ever becomes a victim of violence in
    the first place.
        H.R. 3030 is an important first step and I thank the
    committee and the many civil society organizations that have
    come alongside us for their strong support of this legislation.
        I yield back.
        Chairman Royce. Congresswoman Dina Titus from Nevada.
        Ms. Titus. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you and
    Ranking Member Engel for holding this markup on these important
    bills.
        I am a co-sponsor of several of them and I support all the
    legislation being considered. I also want to extend my thanks
    to the many people aforementioned who worked so hard to bring
    this legislation before us.
        I am proud to co-sponsor H.R. 1911, the Special Envoy to
    Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Act. This elevates and empower
    the position of the Special Envoy so that the United States can
    continue to lead in combating anti-Semitism globally.
        We see a rise in anti-Semitic incidents, threats, and
    rhetoric around the world these days, and hateful groups and
    individuals are now empowered by being able to connect and
    coordinate online.
        We must show other countries that the United States takes
    combating anti-Semitism seriously and this starts with high-
    profile leaders in the administration.
        But it's not just this Special Envoy position that remains
    vacant at the State Department. Others include the Special
    Envoy for Human Rights of LGBTI Persons and the Special Advisor
    for International Disability Rights.
        By leaving these important roles vacant, we are
    relinquishing U.S. leadership in fighting violence, hatred, and
    discrimination among other targeted populations.
        So I hope that Secretary Pompeo will make appointing
    qualified people to these important positions a priority early
    in his tenure.
        I am also a co-sponsor of H.R. 3989, the Protecting
    Diplomats from Surveillance Through Consumer Devices Act, and I
    thank Congressman Castro and McCaul for their quick response to
    the public release of GPS tracking data of U.S. personnel and
    activities abroad.
        Our policies and security must keep up with advances in
    technology to protect our diplomats, service members, and other
    personnel serving overseas.
        So I look forward to supporting these bipartisan bills and
    seeing their swift passage on the House floor.
        And I yield back.
        Chairman Royce. Thank you.
        We go to Chairman Ted Yoho.
        Mr. Yoho. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I'd like to
    congratulate you and the ranking member for another bipartisan
    markup. I think it's just a credit to you and what you've done.
        And I'd also like to thank you for including the
    legislation our team authored with the help of this committee--
    the Cambodian Democracy Act of 2018 in this markup today.
        I want to thank you, Ranking Member Engel, Mr. Sherman, Mr.
    Chabot, and Mr. Lowenthal for their support as well. This ANS
    includes language from Mr. Lowenthal's House Resolution 661. So
    I want to once again thank him for working with us in a
    bipartisan manner. I appreciate it, Alan.
        As you well know, Cambodia is set to hold general elections
    in just 2 months. So the inclusion of this legislation is very
    timely.
        Following regional elections last year and the 2013 general
    elections, opposition parties saw unprecedented gains, helping
    to consolidate the opposition movement.
        Many observers believe that in July's national election the
    CNRP would have won an unprecedented parliamentary majority.
    Unfortunately, Cambodia's authoritarian leader, Hun Sen, had
    other plans.
        Over the last few years, Hun Sen's brutal consolidation of
    power played out on numerous fronts. Hun Sen has chilled
    support for the opposition by threatening to deploy the
    military if elections don't go his way and has used his control
    of the government to dismantle threats to his grip on power.
        Illustrations of such, 2 years ago, the CNRP lawmakers were
    savagely dragged from their cars and beaten by Hun Sen's
    bodyguards while the perpetrators served token sentences. They
    were then promoted to colonel barely 2 weeks after being
    released from prison. Such is the reward for crushing the
    opposition.
        Last September, authorities arrested Kem Sokha, the leader
    of the CNRP, and charged him with treason, allegedly for
    participating in an American plot to undermine Hun Sen's
    regime.
        Cambodia's Supreme Court followed up on this act by
    dissolving the CNRP, again citing the party's involvement in an
    alleged U.S.-backed plot.
        The regime has also shut down the Office of National
    Democratic Institute, a preeminent NGO that is active in
    promoting democracies around the world, and forced the closures
    of independent media outlets that challenged its control over
    information.
        Radio Free Asia, the Voice of America, and other
    publications and radio stations have been shuttered. To shine a
    light on these abuses, late last year we held a hearing
    entitled ``Cambodia's Descent'' in which we heard from experts
    including Mona Kem, the daughter of imprisoned opposition
    leader, Kem Sokha, on Cambodia's crackdown on political
    opposition and civil societies.
        As Mona Kem testified, we must place targeted financial
    sanctions on Cambodian Government officials identified as
    undermining democracy. This bill does precisely that and is a
    product of many of the recommendations made at that hearing.
        We must send a signal to Hun Sen and his CPP cronies that
    they cannot deny the freedoms that the Cambodian people yearn
    and desire.
        Although Cambodia often does not get the attention it
    deserves, the human rights and democracy in Cambodia have broad
    implications for the region and the world.
        Cambodia is a member of ASEAN, the premier international
    forum in Southeast Asia, with nine other nations and accounts
    for 633 million people and $2.5 trillion in trade.
        Every one of its 10 members must agree in order for the
    bloc to act. So any nation operating outside the bounds of
    humanity and decency will have an outsized effect on the entire
    group.
        This is such an important issue not just for the Cambodian
    people but for that whole region and, really, for the rest of
    the world.
        Again, I thank the chairman and ranking member for
    considering this measure today and I want to thank my
    colleagues for their support as well.
        I yield back. Thank you.
        Chairman Royce. Thank you, Mr. Yoho. We go now to Mr. Brad
    Schneider of Illinois.
        Mr. Schneider. Thank you, Chairman Royce.
        I want to thank the chairman and ranking member for holding
    today's markup and, in particular, for your leadership in
    bringing this legislation before our committee this morning.
        In particular, I am proud to join Congressman Chris Smith
    and Ranking Member Engel in introducing H.R. 1911, the Special
    Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Act of 2017.
        This important bill would elevate the Special Envoy to the
    rank of Ambassador and today's amendment in the nature of a
    substitute would require the President to nominate someone for
    this position no later than 90 days after the bill's enactment
    and no more than 120 days after the position is vacated.
        I am extremely concerned and frustrated that after many
    pleas to do so this adminsration has yet to fill the position
    of Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism,
    especially given the rise in anti-Semitism across the globe.
        We need to do all we can to support our allies and combat
    anti-Semitism wherever it manifests itself, and I hope the
    administration sees the value in this position and will fill it
    soon.
        I am also pleased so support H.R. 3030, the Elie Wiesel
    Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act, of which I am a co-
    sponsor. I appreciate the work of my colleagues, Congresswoman
    Wagner and Congressman Crowley, in sponsoring this bill and the
    support from many stakeholders including the Holocaust Memorial
    Museum, Friends Committee on National Legislation, to name just
    a few.
        Elie Wiesel taught us that we must never forget the
    atrocities committed during the Holocaust and that we must do
    everything in our power to ensure this type of war never
    happens again.
        Unfortunately, hatred, persecution, and genocide continue
    to unfold in many parts of the globe and therefore legislation
    such as the Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act
    is still necessary.
        This bill affirms the importance of continuing to
    strengthen our Government's efforts to prevent and respond to
    atrocities and states that it is in our national security
    interests to prevent genocide and other atrocities.
        The bill also takes important steps to require training for
    Foreign Service officers who are often at the front lines so
    they can better detect the early warnings signs of potential
    violence and atrocities.
        I also thank the chairman for including my amendment to
    H.R. 5626, the Intercountry Adoption Information Act of 2018 to
    ensure we know the date upon which a country implements a
    policy to prevent or prohibit adoptions involving immigration
    to the United States.
        Adopting a child can be a long, but nevertheless life-
    transforming, process. So we owe it prospective parents to
    ensure they have useful and up-to-date information about
    foreign country adoption policies.
        Finally, I am pleased to see inclusion of the BURMA Act in
    today's markup. The violence of human rights abuses committed
    by the Burmese military and security forces against the ethnic
    Rohingya in Burma's Rakhine State since August 2017 are truly
    horrific.
        Nearly 700,000 Rohingya refugees have fled and are living
    in Bangladesh. I hope this bill draws the attention of the
    Burmese Government and security establishment and that they
    will stop this violence and allow Rohingya refugees to safely
    return home.
        I, again, thank the chairman and the ranking member for
    convening today's markup and with that, I yield back.
        Chairman Royce. Thank you.
        We go now to Mr. Tom Garrett of Virginia.
        Mr. Garrett. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        I'd like to begin briefly on 5626, Intercountry Adoption
    Information Act. I think, Mr. Chairman, that this is an
    extraordinary piece of legislation and that's highlighted by my
    personal experience as a member in this body wherein I've come
    to know a constituent who spent 7 years working to adopt a 6-
    year-old child--that is, she started before the child was
    born--from a foreign nation only to have been wrung through the
    process such that she's traveled back and forth to the African
    continent 14 times and spent countless tens of thousands,
    probably more, dollars by virtue of the fact that we did not
    receive information or she did not receive information with
    regard to the change of the nation from which she chose to
    adopt this child as it related to their status as a member of
    the Hague Convention on Adoption.
        So that we could change this one life story of which I know
    and so many others by virtue of this legislation is testimony
    significant and sufficient in my regard--in my estimation to
    justify this fine piece of bipartisan legislation.
        Moving on, the Sam Farr Peace Corps Enhancement Act really
    recognizes the ability of the Peace Corps to do in a very cost
    effective way what America tends to not do so well for itself.
        That is to say, in a world where we dominate mass and
    global media, if images of American seen by foreign nationals
    are of violent car chases, drug dealers, and philandering
    perhaps an opinion of the United States might be poor.
        But when your first image of America is of a volunteer who
    seeks to bring clean water to your village, perhaps then your
    image of America will be positive.
        And that, Mr. Chairman, is a step toward creating a world
    with peace and opportunity expanded regardless of race,
    ethnicity, religion, or geographic location and therefore, too,
    also a worthwhile bill.
        From there I'd move to H.R. 1911 and the promotion of the
    envoy to an Ambassador status as it relates to monitoring and
    pursuing anti-Semitism.
        It strikes me that the worst elements of the BDS movement
    as it relates to Israel and the actions of Israel and the
    Jewish-based nation state that it is rises to that level.
        So many accounts have been put forth by my colleagues on
    both sides of the aisle today of the experiences of Jewish
    people living not only in Israel and across the world but even
    in nations where one would think the lessons of anti-Semitism
    would be learned like Germany, like France, torn from
    contemporary news sources.
        And so it is time to recognize that indeed in the words of
    my colleague, Mr. Sherman, and the Jewish community oftentimes
    is a canary in a coal mine, and promotion to Ambassador status
    of this position is one that will help us, hopefully, avoid
    repeating the mistakes of the past.
        Moving to H.R. 3030 and tangentially to H.R. 5819 and 5754,
    and I say tangentially because both of these nations have
    experienced things that one reasonable observer might well call
    genocide within the last two generations, I think it's
    noteworthy not only to take a leading role in combating
    genocide but also to acknowledge the prevalence of this
    horrific practice in the world today.
        All too many people are all too well aware, and some are
    not, of the horrific outcomes of the genocide perpetrated by
    the Germans during the Second World War.
        But also might I point out that in the last 30 years there
    was a genocide in Bosnia with 2.2 million people displaced and
    up to 200,000 killed, up to 50,000 rapes.
        In Rwanda, where 1 million people, it is estimated, died in
    100 days. That's 10,000 human lives per day for 100 days, and 2
    million were displaced.
        The genocide and mass displacement in Iraq and Syria where
    up to 6 million displaced individuals seek simply a place to
    live and sleep and raise families safely, where the Christian
    population of the nation of Iraq estimated at 1.5 million in
    2004 is today perhaps one-sixth of that, where Yazidis and
    Assyrians and Mandeans have been rooted out and entire
    communities and cultures destroyed by ISIS and their ilk, the
    Rohingya genocide again brought up in the BURMA Act, the
    Cambodian genocide where a Communist utopia resulted in one-
    quarter of the entire population of the country being
    massacred, the Armenian genocide where 1.5 million Christians
    were killed by the Ottoman Turks because they were a religious
    minority, and the Kurdish genocides--with an S--that have taken
    place repeatedly throughout history and which we may be on the
    verge of now--if the United States cannot adopt a leading role
    in advocating against this sort of violence, who will?
        If this body will not speak, who will? And so, Mr. Chairman
    and Ranking Member, it is with pride that I have the
    opportunity to support these measures and be a participant in
    this process because the names of the peoples whose lives we
    save will never be known.
        But, tragically, the result of inaction would be that the
    names of the people who died might never be known as well.
        With that, I'd yield back.
        Chairman Royce. Mr. Espaillat of New York.
        Mr. Espaillat. Yes, you got it right.
        Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and of course, I want to thank
    Ranking Member Engel. Thank you so much for continuing this
    important bipartisan work of this committee.
        Several of the bills today take a common thread, which to
    prevent genocides and mass atrocities and to combat patterns
    that may lead to such horrible events.
        We, as leaders in the world community of nations, have a
    responsibility to do our part in ensuring that these heinous
    crimes never, never happen again.
        That is why I am a proud co-sponsor of the Elie Wiesel
    Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act. Elie Wiesel was not
    just defined by his experience surviving the Holocaust.
        Rather, he used that experience to drive humanitarian work
    that he devoted his whole life to. This bill would require
    training of Foreign Service officers on recognizing early
    warnings signs of mass atrocities and will further require an
    annual report to Congress on potential threats of mass
    atrocities.
        I hope that this bill will be a stronger starting point for
    improving our Government's responsiveness to man's atrocities
    and will ensure that we are equipped to mitigate a response to
    emerging crises around the world.
        As we saw in the Anti-Defamation League report, anti-
    Semitic incidents were up 60 percent in 2017. The Special Envoy
    to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Act is as important as
    ever.
        This act will bring forward the position of Special Envoy
    appointed by the President and the Senate, elevating it to the
    rank of Ambassador and directly reporting to the President.
        Obviously, it will ensure that our Government has a
    stronger coordinated effort to monitor and combat anti-
    Semitism.
        We all know the horrible history of anti-Semitism and it is
    incumbent upon all of us to opposed it whenever and wherever we
    see it.
        This rises not only to the level of genocide prevention but
    also to violent attacks we have seen across the world and
    through just everyday language that is used to demean and
    attack the Jewish people.
        We know that small acts of anti-Semitism can lead to
    further intolerance, and I am proud to support a bill that
    recognizes the important work we must undertake to combat
    intolerance of any kind.
        We have seen far too many times occurrences of mass
    atrocities in recent years. The Rohingya people have endured
    terrible unthinkable violence at the hands of the Burmese
    military.
        As this bill I just spoke about entails, we must stand up
    to these horrific human rights violations wherever they occur.
        The BURMA Act will sanction and hold accountable the
    Burmese military and security forces responsible for the ethnic
    cleansing of the Rohingya people and further serve to encourage
    a full democratic transition in this country.
        We must be consistent in our values and our commitment to
    combat genocide and we must work with the people of Burma to
    support national reconciliation and constitutional reforms that
    ensure that violence of this kind never, never happens again.
        Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I yield back the remaining
    part of my time.
        Chairman Royce. Mr. Dan Donovan of New York.
        Mr. Donovan. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
        Mr. Chairman, I support all the bills here today but
    especially the Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention
    Act of 2017 and the BURMA Act of 2018, both of which I have co-
    sponsored.
        It saddens me that we still need bills to combat genocide.
    We must do whatever we can to save lives and end destabilizing
    conflicts across the globe.
        This committee will continue to work in a bipartisan
    fashion as always to combat these atrocities and with that, Mr.
    Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.
        Chairman Royce. Thank you.
        Any other members seeking recognition?
        Hearing no further requests, the question occurs on the
    items considered en bloc.
        All those in favor, say aye.
        All those opposed, no.
        In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it and the
    measures considered en bloc are agreed to.
        Without objection, each measure in the en bloc is ordered
    favorably reported as amended as a single amendment in the
    nature of a substitute and staff is directed to make any
    technical and conforming changes and the chair is authorized to
    seek House consideration under suspension of the rules.
        So that will conclude our business for today and I want to
    thank Ranking Member Engel and all of the committee members for
    their contributions and assistance with this markup today.
        We stand adjourned.
        [Whereupon, at 11:57 a.m., the committee was adjourned.]

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