[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 78 (Tuesday, June 16, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6424-S6425]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          AMENDMENTS SUBMITTED

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      THE NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 1999

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                     HUTCHINSON AMENDMENT NO. 2706

  (Ordered to lie on the table.)
  Mr. HUTCHINSON submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him 
to the bill (S. 2057) to authorize appropriations for the fiscal year 
1999 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military 
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, 
to prescribe personnel strengths for such fiscal year for the Armed 
Forces, and for other purposes; as follows:

       Add at the end the following new title:
                       TITLE __--RADIO FREE ASIA

     SEC. __. SHORT TITLE.

       This title may be cited as the ``Radio Free Asia Act of 
     1998''.

     SEC. __. FINDINGS.

       Congress makes the following findings:
       (1) The Government of the People's Republic of China 
     systematically controls the flow of information to the 
     Chinese people.
       (2) The Government of the People's Republic of China 
     demonstrated that maintaining its monopoly on political power 
     is a higher priority than economic development by announcing 
     in January 1996 that its official news agency Xinhua, will 
     supervise wire services selling economic information, 
     including Dow Jones-Telerate, Bloomberg, and Reuters 
     Business, and in announcing in February of 1996 the ``Interim 
     Internet Management Rules'', which have the effect of 
     censoring computer networks.
       (3) Under the May 30, 1997, order of Premier Li Peng, all 
     organizations that engage in business activities related to 
     international computer networking must now apply for a 
     license, increasing still further government control over 
     access to the Internet.
       (4) Both Radio Free Asia and the Voice of America, as a 
     surrogate for a free press in the People's Republic of China, 
     provide an invaluable source of uncensored information to the 
     Chinese people, including objective and authoritative news of 
     in-country and regional events, as well as accurate news 
     about the United States and its policies.
       (5) Radio Free Asia currently broadcasts only 5 hours a day 
     in the Mandarin dialect and 2 hours a day in Tibetan.
       (6) Voice of America currently broadcasts only 10 hours a 
     day in Mandarin and 3 \1/2\ hours a day in Tibetan.
       (7) Radio Free Asia and Voice of America should develop 24-
     hour-a-day service in Mandarin, Cantonese, and Tibetan, as 
     well as further broadcasting capability in the dialects 
     spoken in the People's Republic of China.
       (8) Radio Free Asia and Voice of America, in working toward 
     continuously broadcasting to the People's Republic of China 
     in multiple languages, have the capability to immediately 
     establish 24-hour-a-day Mandarin broadcasting to that nation 
     by staggering the hours of Radio Free Asia and Voice of 
     America.
       (9) Simultaneous broadcasting on Voice of America radio and 
     Worldnet television 7 days a week in Mandarin are also 
     important and needed capabilities.

     SEC. __. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR INCREASED 
                   FUNDING FOR RADIO FREE ASIA AND VOICE OF 
                   AMERICA BROADCASTING TO CHINA.

       (a) Authorization of Appropriations for Radio Free Asia.--

[[Page S6425]]

       (1) Authorization of appropriations.--There are authorized 
     to be appropriated for ``Radio Free Asia'' $30,000,000 for 
     fiscal year 1998 and $22,000,000 for fiscal year 1999.
       (2) Limitations.--
       (A) Of the funds under paragraph (1) authorized to be 
     appropriated for fiscal year 1998, $8,000,000 is authorized 
     to be appropriated for one-time capital costs.
       (B) Of the funds under paragraph (1), $700,000 is 
     authorized to be appropriated for each such fiscal year for 
     additional personnel to staff Cantonese language 
     broadcasting.
       (b) Authorization of Appropriations for International 
     Broadcasting to China and North Korea.--In addition to such 
     sums as are otherwise authorized to be appropriated for 
     ``International Broadcasting Activities'' for fiscal years 
     1998 and 1999, there are authorized to be appropriated for 
     ``International Broadcasting Activities'' $10,000,000 for 
     fiscal year 1998 and $7,000,000 for fiscal year 1999, which 
     shall be available only for enhanced Voice of America 
     broadcasting to China and North Korea.
       (c) Authorization of Appropriations for Radio 
     Construction.--
       (1) Authorization of appropriations.--In addition to such 
     sums as are otherwise authorized to be appropriated for 
     ``Radio Construction'' for fiscal years 1998 and 1999, there 
     are authorized to be appropriated for ``Radio Construction'' 
     $10,000,000 for fiscal year 1998 and $3,000,000 for fiscal 
     year 1999, which shall be available only for construction in 
     support of enhanced broadcasting to China.
       (2) Limitation.--Of the funds under paragraph (1) 
     authorized to be appropriated for fiscal year 1998, 
     $3,000,000 is authorized to be appropriated to facilitate the 
     timely augmentation of transmitters at Tinian, the 
     Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
       (d) Allocation.--Of the amounts authorized to be 
     appropriated for ``International Broadcasting Activities'', 
     the Director of the United States Information Agency and the 
     Board of Broadcasting Governors shall seek to ensure that the 
     amounts made available for broadcasting to nations whose 
     people do not fully enjoy freedom of expression do not 
     decline in proportion to the amounts made available for 
     broadcasting to other nations.
       (e) Allocation of Funds for North Korea.--Of the funds 
     under subsection (b), $2,000,000 is authorized to be 
     appropriated for each fiscal year for additional personnel 
     and broadcasting targeted at North Korea.

     SEC. __. REPORTING REQUIREMENT.

       Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this 
     Act, in consultation with the Board of Broadcasting 
     Governors, the President shall prepare and transmit to 
     Congress a report on a plan to achieve continuous 
     broadcasting of Radio Free Asia and Voice of America to the 
     People's Republic of China in multiple major dialects and 
     languages.

     SEC. __. UTILIZATION OF UNITED STATES INTERNATIONAL 
                   BROADCASTING SERVICES FOR PUBLIC SERVICE 
                   ANNOUNCEMENTS REGARDING FUGITIVES FROM UNITED 
                   STATES JUSTICE.

       United States international broadcasting services, 
     particularly the Voice of America, shall produce and 
     broadcast public service announcements, by radio, television, 
     and Internet, regarding fugitives from the criminal justice 
     system of the United States, including cases of international 
     child abduction.

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