[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 151 (Tuesday, September 23, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H8638-H8643]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      TOM LANTOS HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION ESTABLISHMENT RESOLUTION

  Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1451) establishing the Tom Lantos 
Human Rights Commission in the House of Representatives.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 1451

       Resolved,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This resolution may be cited as the ``Tom Lantos Human 
     Rights Commission Establishment Resolution''.

     SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF TOM LANTOS HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION.

       (a) Establishment.--There is established in the House of 
     Representatives the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission 
     (hereafter in this resolution referred to as the 
     ``Commission''), which shall promote and advocate in a 
     nonpartisan manner, both within and outside of Congress, 
     internationally recognized human rights norms as enshrined in 
     the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other relevant 
     international human rights instruments by carrying out the 
     following activities:
       (1) Developing congressional strategies to promote, defend, 
     and advocate internationally recognized human rights norms 
     reflecting the role and responsibilities of the Congress.
       (2) Raising greater awareness among Members of the House of 
     Representatives, their staffs, and the public regarding 
     international human rights violations and developments.
       (3) Providing Members and staff with expert human rights 
     advice and information and by supporting entities of Congress 
     in their work on human rights issues.
       (4) Advocating on behalf of individuals and entities whose 
     internationally recognized human rights have been violated or 
     are in danger of being violated.
       (5) Collaborating closely with other professional staff 
     members of the Committee on Foreign Affairs.
       (6) Collaborating closely with the President, other 
     officials of the executive branch, and recognized national 
     and international human rights entities and nongovernmental 
     organizations in promoting human rights initiatives within 
     Congress.
       (7) Encouraging and supporting Members, especially Members 
     who have been recently elected to the House, to become active 
     in supporting human rights issues so that the United States 
     will continue to be recognized throughout the world as a 
     leader in the defense of internationally recognized human 
     rights norms.
       (b) Eligibility.--Any Member of the House of 
     Representatives may join the Commission by submitting a 
     written statement to that effect to the co-chairs of the 
     Commission.
       (c) Relationship With Senate.--In carrying out its 
     activities, the Commission is encouraged to establish a 
     cooperative working relationship with Members and other 
     entities of the Senate, and to invite Members and other 
     entities of the Senate to work cooperatively with the 
     Commission to promote human rights.
       (d) Definition.--In this resolution, the term ``Member of 
     the House of Representatives'' includes a Delegate or 
     Resident Commissioner to the Congress.

     SEC. 3. CO-CHAIRS OF THE COMMISSION.

       (a) Appointment.--Two members of the Commission shall be 
     appointed to serve as co-chairs of the Commission as follows:
       (1) One member shall be appointed by the Speaker of the 
     House of Representatives after consultation with the Chairman 
     of the Committee on Foreign Affairs.
       (2) One member shall be appointed by the minority leader of 
     the House of Representatives after consultation with the 
     ranking minority member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs.
       (b) Term of Service.--A member's term as co-chair of the 
     Commission shall continue throughout the Congress during 
     which the member is appointed as a co-chair under this 
     section until the member leaves the Commission, resigns from 
     the position of co-

[[Page H8639]]

     chair, or is removed pursuant to subsection (c).
       (c) Removal.--The co-chair appointed pursuant to subsection 
     (a)(1) may be removed by the Speaker after consultation with 
     the Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and the co-
     chair appointed pursuant to subsection (a)(2) may be removed 
     by the minority leader after consultation with the ranking 
     minority member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs.
       (d) Vacancy.--A vacancy in the position of any of the co-
     chairs of the Commission shall be filled in the same manner 
     in which the original appointment was made.
       (e) Duties.--The co-chairs shall be responsible for setting 
     the general agenda of the Commission.

     SEC. 4. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.

       (a) In General.--The Commission shall have an Executive 
     Committee which shall consist of 8 members of the Commission 
     equally divided between members of the majority and minority 
     parties selected jointly by the co-chairs of the Commission 
     with the approval of the Speaker of the House of 
     Representatives and the minority leader of the House of 
     Representatives.
       (b) Vacancy.--A vacancy in the membership of the Executive 
     Committee shall be filled in the same manner in which the 
     original selection was made.

     SEC. 5. ROLE OF THE COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS.

       (a) Use of Committee Staff and Resources.--Subject to 
     subsection (b), the Commission shall carry out its duties 
     using the staff and resources of the Committee on Foreign 
     Affairs, including the use of consultants or temporary 
     employees, such as individuals with expertise in human rights 
     issues, related legislative matters, and technology systems 
     management, as appropriate.
       (b) Requirements for Staff.--
       (1) Appointment.--The staff of the Committee on Foreign 
     Affairs who may be used by the Commission under subsection 
     (a) to carry out its duties shall be professional staff 
     members of the Committtee who are appointed for this purpose 
     by the Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, of whom 
     half of the full-time equivalent positions shall be appointed 
     from among a list of individuals presented to the Chairman of 
     the Committee by the co-chair appointed pursuant to section 
     3(a)(1) and half of the full-time equivalent positions shall 
     be appointed from among a list of individuals presented to 
     the Chairman of the Committee by the co-chair appointed 
     pursuant to section 3(a)(2).
       (2) Special rule for determination of number of committee 
     staff members.--Any professional staff member of the 
     Committee on Foreign Affairs who is used by the Commission to 
     carry out its duties on a full-time basis shall not be 
     included in determining the number of professional staff 
     members of the Committee under subparagraphs (1) and (2) of 
     clause 9(a) of rule X of the Rules of the House of 
     Representatives.

     SEC. 6. OTHER POWERS AND DUTIES.

       (a) Bylaws.--The Commission shall adopt and publish such 
     bylaws to govern its organization and operation (including 
     the duties of the Executive Committee) as it considers 
     appropriate, subject to the applicable Rules of the House of 
     Representatives.
       (b) No Legislative Authority.--The Commission shall not 
     have legislative jurisdiction and shall have no authority to 
     take legislative action on any bill or resolution.

     SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       In addition to any other amounts made available for 
     salaries and expenses of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of 
     the House of Representatives during a Congress, there are 
     authorized to be appropriated from the applicable accounts of 
     the House of Representatives such sums as may be necessary 
     for the Committee to provide staff and resources for the 
     Commission pursuant to section 5.

     SEC. 8. TRANSITION FOR CURRENT MEMBERS OF CONGRESSIONAL HUMAN 
                   RIGHTS CAUCUS.

       For purposes of this resolution--
       (1) each Member of the House of Representatives who is a 
     member of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus as of the 
     date of the adoption of this resolution shall be deemed to 
     have joined the Commission; and
       (2) the 2 Members of the House of Representatives who are 
     the co-chairs of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus as of 
     the date of the adoption of this resolution shall be deemed 
     to have been appointed as co-chairs of the Commission.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Georgia (Mr. Scott) and the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Georgia.


                             General Leave

  Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Georgia?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this 
resolution and yield myself as much time as I may consume.
  I first want to thank our colleague, the newly appointed Democratic 
cochairman of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, Congressman Jim 
McGovern, and the distinguished Republican Human Rights Caucus 
cochairman, Congressman Frank Wolf, for their strong leadership in 
bringing this important legislation before the House of 
Representatives.
  This legislation before us will immediately and fully 
institutionalize the biggest and most active human rights entity in the 
United States Congress, the Congressional Human Rights Caucus. The new 
entity will carry the name Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission and will 
be led by the current caucus cochairs assisted by the executive 
committee.
  This year, the caucus should have joyfully and proudly celebrated its 
25th anniversary, on which Members of this House and human rights NGOs 
could have paid tribute to the tremendous human rights accomplishments 
of the caucus under the leadership of its founding cochairman, Tom 
Lantos.
  This joy was, of course, overshadowed earlier this year with the 
passing of this extraordinary human being and human rights giant, our 
good friend and distinguished former chairman of our Foreign Affairs 
Committee, the Honorable Tom Lantos.
  With him, the caucus had lost its inspiring cochairman; the Foreign 
Affairs Committee, its visionary leader; this body, one of its most 
respected, passionate and eloquent colleagues; and this Nation, a 
foreign-born public servant who loved this country with every fiber of 
his body.

                              {time}  1630

  Given Tom's biography and life experiences before he was elected as 
the only Holocaust survivor to this distinguished body, and his burning 
desire to stand up for people around the world who do not have a voice 
in the corridors of power, it certainly is no surprise that 25 years 
ago our distinguished former colleague, John Edward Porter, 
collaborated with Tom to establish a working group dedicated to the 
defense of global human rights.
  With Annette Lantos and Kathryn Cameron Porter at their sides, the 
Congressional Human Rights Caucus was launched. It is impossible today 
to chronicle every single accomplishment of the Human Rights Caucus. 
But over the last 25 years, the caucus has intervened on behalf of 
countless individuals and groups whose human rights have been violated, 
raised human rights issues which were on nobody's radar screen, used 
its strong voice for the voiceless, and has actively engaged Members of 
the United States Congress on the important matter of human rights.
  Over the last 25 years, the caucus has also proven that human rights 
is a truly bipartisan issue and has driven totalitarian regimes and 
their lobbying agents to the brink of utter despair when liberal 
Democrats and conservative Republicans--and every shade in between--
relentlessly stood shoulder to shoulder on global human rights issues.
  Under the strong leadership of our colleagues, Jim McGovern and Frank 
Wolf, I have no doubt that the new commission will continue to stand as 
a beacon for human rights around the world.
  Madam Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this important 
resolution.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Madam Speaker, I would like to yield myself such 
time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of House Resolution 1451 
establishing the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission.
  I want to thank my colleagues, my friends Mr. McGovern and Mr. Wolf, 
the cochairs of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, who authored 
this fitting tribute to the late chairman of the Foreign Affairs 
Committee, our dear friend, Congressman Tom Lantos of California.
  A quarter century ago, Tom Lantos was the founding cochair of the 
Human Rights Caucus. With the tireless assistance of his wife, his 
partner in life, Annette, Tom spent the remainder of his life at its 
helm, and it grew to become one of the largest and most active caucuses 
on the Hill.
  It is a fitting tribute to his heroic life that we meet here today, 
Madam

[[Page H8640]]

Speaker, to upgrade the status of that organization and name it in Tom 
Lantos' honor.
  Tom Lantos was born in Budapest in 1928, and came of age as Nazism 
descended upon the European continent. Imprisoned during the Second 
World War merely for being Jewish, Tom Lantos twice escaped the labor 
camps and survived the Holocaust with the help of the Hungarian 
resistance movement and the Swedish humanitarian Raoul Wallenberg.
  Tragically, Tom's family was not so fortunate and they perished in 
the death camps alongside millions more.
  Tom experienced human nature at its worst, and his later work as a 
champion of human rights cannot be separated from the trials that he 
endured as a young man.
  The horrors of fascism helped to forge his unshakeable commitment to 
the protection of human dignity. It is hard to think of a major human 
rights issue of the past three decades on which Tom Lantos was not a 
leader, whether it was the fight against anti-Semitism, religious 
persecution, human trafficking, genocide in Darfur, or repression in 
Tibet, just to name a few.
  The bill before us today will create the Tom Lantos Human Rights 
Commission as the formal successor to the Human Rights Caucus. The new 
commission will carry on the nonpartisan work of promoting fundamental 
human rights both inside and outside Congress. It will be cochaired by 
a majority and minority member, and may be joined by any Member of the 
House. Although it does not have legislative responsibility nor 
oversight, the commission will be staffed by professionals from the 
Committee on Foreign Affairs which it is required to collaborate with 
closely.
  I am thankful and blessed for the years that I was able to serve the 
people of our Nation alongside a hero like Tom Lantos. I appreciate the 
opportunity that this resolution gives us to honor his life and to 
recommit ourselves to the ideals by which he lived every day.
  I look forward to many years of spirited advocacy by the Tom Lantos 
Human Rights Commission, and I urge unanimous support for this 
important resolution.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Madam Speaker, it is my distinct pleasure to 
yield 5 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. 
McGovern) who has taken over Chairman Lantos' duties as cochair of the 
Human Rights Caucus as the new Democratic cochairman of the 
Congressional Human Rights Caucus.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend for yielding and for 
his generous words.
  Madam Speaker, I want to express my appreciation to the many Members 
and staff who worked on the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission 
Establishment Act. It was truly a collaborative, bipartisan effort, and 
a genuine desire to pay tribute to the work and legacy of our former 
colleague, Tom Lantos.
  I want to thank Chairman Howard Berman and Ranking Member Ileana Ros-
Lehtinen for all of the support and guidance they have provided. They, 
and their incredible staffs, were true partners in crafting this 
resolution. I especially want to thank my colleague from Virginia, my 
fellow cochair of the Human Rights Caucus, Frank Wolf, for welcoming me 
as his new partner and for his leadership in shaping this resolution.
  I also want to thank his staff, Molly Miller, Elizabeth Hoffman, and 
Elyse Anderson, who contributed so much time and careful attention to 
the resolution before us today.
  I also want to thank my staff, Cindy Buhl and Keith Stern, who have 
done magnificent work in making this resolution a reality.
  Madam Speaker, I can't think of a more fitting tribute to Congressman 
Tom Lantos than institutionalizing human rights work by Members of this 
House. This commission will be a living, breathing legacy to the vision 
and inspiration of Tom Lantos. It reminds us that protecting and 
promoting human rights is not just the right thing to do, but it has 
the capacity of transforming us, of making us better people, better 
Members of Congress, and better citizens of the world. That's what 
helping to save lives around the world can do to you. That is what 
giving voice to the voiceless can do to you. That is what standing up 
for something, standing for the universal declaration of human rights 
can do to you.
  The Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission will promote and protect human 
rights, whether that is the freedom to worship as you choose, run a 
newspaper or be a journalist without interference, organize a union, 
expect fair and equal justice before the courts, or receive fair 
treatment regardless of your gender, race, or your sexual orientation 
or your racial or ethnic heritage. And most importantly, it is the 
right to live your life, raise your family, and carry out your daily 
activities without the constant threat of being killed, jailed or 
disappearing.
  When Speaker Pelosi appointed me to be just the second Democratic 
cochair in the history of the Human Rights Caucus, I couldn't quite 
grasp what it would mean to try to follow in the footsteps of Tom 
Lantos. Then Annette Lantos gave me a call, and Kathryn Cameron Porter 
came in to visit me, and they gave me their support and their blessing. 
We talked about how to strengthen the structure and permanence of the 
caucus, how to encourage and support other Members, especially new 
Members of Congress to become active on human rights issues so the 
United States will continue to be recognized throughout the world as a 
leader in the defense of human rights.
  It was in this spirit that the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission 
Establishment Act gradually took form and came into being.
  Madam Speaker, there is one other person I would like to recognize 
and thank for all his knowledge and insights in the many discussions 
and process of establishing this commission, and that is Hans Hogrefe. 
Hans handles the human rights portfolio for the Foreign Affairs 
Committee, and he also staffs the Congressional Human Rights Caucus. I 
cannot think of anyone else on the Hill who has his institutional 
memory on human rights legislation and the many human rights issues 
that Members have worked on over the past 25 years. He is a human 
rights encyclopedia, and I want to thank him for his dedication to the 
cause of human rights.
  Madam Speaker, I believe establishing the Tom Lantos Human Rights 
Commission will allow Members of Congress to take human rights work to 
a new level, and it will better serve and support the Members of this 
House as they take up human rights issues.
  As I have often said, it is my strong belief that if the United 
States is going to stand for anything, it needs to stand out loud and 
foursquare for human rights. I look forward to working with Frank Wolf 
and taking on this task, and I urge all of my colleagues to support 
this resolution and join us in our work.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 4 minutes to 
the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wolf), the primary sponsor of this 
bill, the ranking member on the appropriations subcommittee on State, 
Foreign Ops and Related Agencies and cochair of the Congressional Human 
Rights Caucus.
  (Mr. WOLF asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. WOLF. I thank the gentlelady.
  First off, I would like to thank Chairman Berman and Ranking Member 
Ros-Lehtinen for their support on the resolution, and also the staff. 
At the end I will include all of the staff members who have worked on 
this issue from my side from the very beginning.
  I also want to thank my colleague, Jim McGovern, who has taken on the 
role of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus succeeding our good 
friend and colleague, the late Tom Lantos, for whom this resolution is 
named.
  Mr. McGovern has hit the ground running, and I believe that Mr. 
Lantos would be very proud of the job he is doing.
  I first became interested in human rights when in 1984 my good 
friend, former Congressman Tony Hall, asked me to go to Romania with 
him. It was a life-changing trip. I would urge all Members to sort of 
try to find these different events and places around the world where 
people are being oppressed and suffering. It is an eye opener for us.

[[Page H8641]]

  Ronald Reagan once said that the Constitution is kind of a covenant. 
It is a covenant that we have made not only with ourselves, but with 
all of mankind.
  By making the Congressional Human Rights Caucus into a commission, 
which will serve as an arm of the House of Representatives, I believe 
we are helping to take a step to fulfill that covenant. The creation of 
the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission will tell the world that the 
United States is still the shining city upon a hill, a beacon of hope 
in a world of turmoil and vision.
  It was the vision that led Congressman Lantos and former Congressman 
John Porter, with the help of their wives, Annette Lantos and Kathryn 
Porter, to really establish the Human Rights Caucus in 1983.
  There is much else that I can say. One, I am looking forward to 
working with Jim. This is to honor Mr. Lantos. It has seemed in the 
past that when major issues came up, the giants were Mr. Lantos and Mr. 
Hyde. And I may say, my colleague to the right, Mr. Smith and the 
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen), and Mr. Berman and some 
others, but really not a lot of others. This is an opportunity for us 
to come together to really care about this issue and hopefully we can 
get some of the new Members who don't know they are going to be Members 
who are campaigning around the country somewhere who will come here in 
January next year so the baton is passed to new Members so there will 
be other people like Mr. Lantos and Mr. Hyde who will carry it well 
into the future.
  I thank the leadership on that side for this. And I want to thank Jim 
and I thank Mr. Berman and Ms. Ros-Lehtinen.
  Madam Speaker, first of all, I would like to thank Chairman Berman 
and Ranking Member Ros-Lehtinen for their support of this resolution 
and the staff on both sides.
  I would also like to thank my colleague, Representative Jim McGovern, 
who has taken on the role of co-chairman of the Congressional Human 
Rights Caucus, succeeding our good friend and colleague the late 
Congressman Tom Lantos, for whom this resolution is named.
  Representative McGovern has hit the ground running, and I believe 
that Mr. Lantos would be very proud of the job he is doing.
  I first became interested in human rights when in 1984, Congressman 
Tony Hall, a Democrat and my best friend in Congress invited me to go 
on a trip with him to Romania.
  At that time Romania was a very dark place. Under Nicolae Ceausescu, 
the securitate engaged in severe violations of human rights and 
religious freedom.
  Many people I met slipped notes in my hand telling me that their 
family members had been taken away or killed by the government.
  The trip to Romania, combined with a trip I took later that year to 
Ethiopia, which was in the midst of a famine, sparked my passion for 
human rights.
  In Ethiopia, I held malnourished babies in my arms. It is a profound 
and humbling experience to see this kind of suffering first hand.
  Ronald Reagan once said that the Constitution is ``a kind of 
covenant. It is a covenant that we've made not only with ourselves, but 
with all of mankind.''
  By making the Congressional Human Rights Caucus into a Commission 
which will serve as an arm of the House of Representatives, we are 
fulfilling this covenant.
  This creation of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission will tell the 
world that the United States is still the ``shining city upon the 
hill,'' a beacon of hope in a world of turmoil and tragedy.
  No other Member of Congress can claim to have known turmoil and 
tragedy like our late colleague.
  In the ashes of despair, Tom saw hope and opportunity. It was this 
vision that led Congressman Lantos and former Congressman John Porter 
with the support of their wives, Annette Lantos and Kathryn Porter, to 
form the Congressional Human Rights Caucus in 1983.
  Since then, it has grown into one of the largest, most active, 
bipartisan caucuses in the Congress.
  I was deeply honored to succeed Congressman Porter as the Republican 
co-chair of the caucus when he retired in 2001.
  After the retirement of John Porter and then with the losses of 
Representative Tom Lantos and Representative Henry Hyde, we are without 
some of the greatest champions of international human rights and 
religious freedom
  It is fitting that we ensure that their legacy is preserved and 
honored through the creation of this commission.
  It is our duty as Representatives of the people of the United States 
of America, to speak out for those who cannot speak for themselves.
  Our world will be a better and safer place for our children and 
grandchildren, when all people can live together and respect the most 
basic dignities and freedoms of all human beings.
  Madam Speaker, over the years I have been supported in my work on 
human rights by a dedicated staff who has shared my passion for 
advocating on behalf of the oppressed and persecuted people in this 
world and worked to promote the mission of the Congressional Human 
Rights Caucus. I want to thank those staff members and recognize them 
today:
  Molly Miller, Elizabeth Hoffman, Elyse Anderson, Samantha Stockman, 
Anne Huiskes, David Dettoni, Karen Feaver, Scott Flipse, Stuart 
Mallory, Brett Dody, Karin Finkler, Aldo de Pape, Fay Johnson, Hillary 
Hosford, Evan Baehr.
  Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield 3 
minutes to the distinguished congresswoman from Nevada, Ms. Shelley 
Berkley.
  Ms. BERKLEY. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  When I was a freshman Member of Congress about 10 years ago, a very 
senior Member, Tom Lantos, came to me and asked if I would be willing 
to be a member of the Human Rights Caucus. I, of course, would not 
hesitate for a moment if Tom Lantos asked me to in fact participate. It 
was, and has been, among one of the most rewarding experiences I have 
had in Congress, and I cannot think of a more fitting tribute to an 
absolutely extraordinary man and dear friend, Tom Lantos, than to 
create this Human Rights Commission in his name, and I support this 
resolution wholeheartedly.
  But when I think of Tom Lantos, I also think of the last resolution 
that Congress took up a few moments ago marking the 70th anniversary of 
Kristallnacht, The Night of Broken Glass. In many ways Kristallnacht 
marked the turning point in the history of European Jewry.

                              {time}  1645

  Tragically, too few nations, including our own, dared to speak out or 
even thought to speak out against this horrific pogrom. As a result, 
the Nazis concluded that the world would stand by and do nothing as 
they committed atrocities that the world had never seen before. Indeed, 
after Kristallnacht, they intensified their genocidal operations, 
ultimately leading to the gas chambers and the Final Solution.
  Sadly, the Nazis were proven right, that the world would stand by and 
watch a feeble response that has been repeated far too often since that 
horrific night in 1938.
  Madam Speaker, the grim anniversary of Kristallnacht reminds us that 
evil must be confronted forcefully and early, or else these unspeakable 
acts will be repeated again and again.
  I think, given the fact that we will be creating a Human Rights 
Commission in Tom Lantos' name, that perhaps because of this bold move 
on the part of Congress, that a Kristallnacht could never and should 
never be able to happen again. I support both resolutions.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Madam Speaker, I would like to yield 3 minutes to 
the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Pitts), one of the House's most 
consistent voices in defense of human dignity.
  Mr. PITTS. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 1451, 
which would form a permanent Human Rights Commission in the House of 
Representatives. As we've heard, we currently have a Human Rights 
Caucus here in the House which does great work on behalf of many of 
those around the world that simply lack a voice. This resolution would 
create a Commission that would ensure the activities of the Caucus 
would be more stable and permanent by creating a budget and a permanent 
staff devoted to working on these issues.
  I want to thank all of the various parties that have worked on 
getting this legislation to the floor so quickly, including the 
leadership on each side of the aisle.
  This resolution is aptly named after our friend and colleague, Tom 
Lantos, who passed away earlier this year. Tom was a survivor of one of 
the most heinous crimes against humanity, the Holocaust, and he 
dedicated his public service to ensuring that good people

[[Page H8642]]

would not stand silently by while people were deprived of their most 
basic, God-given rights.
  The resolution would establish the permanent Commission in order to 
promote and advocate in a nonpartisan manner, both inside and outside 
Congress, internationally recognized human rights norms.
  Our Founding Fathers believed that we are born with certain 
unalienable rights, namely, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, 
and they established in our Constitution, in the very first amendment, 
the rights of freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, redress of 
grievances.
  And yet we live in a world where people are deprived each day of even 
these most basic rights. We have a duty, as fellow human beings, to 
speak out against these most depraved violations of human rights.
  The creation of this Commission will dedicate the necessary resources 
to ensure that the Members of this great body are informed on this 
issue, and have an opportunity to affect real change in the lives of 
people who need it most around the world.
  I urge support for this resolution.
  Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to 
the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Wamp), a member of the Appropriations 
Committee and a good friend.
  Mr. WAMP. I thank the gentlelady for the time.
  I just come today because we need to remember that our moral 
authority as a Nation in the world doesn't come from our extraordinary 
free enterprise system or our capital markets or our military strength, 
as important as that is. Frankly, our moral authority comes when we 
uphold the rights of every human being in the world given to them by 
God, their Creator, and not by the government.
  Frankly, the decline in human rights in the world over the last 20 
years is one of the greatest challenges that we face. The combination 
of human rights violations around the world, and the intolerance of 
religious views, and the lack of religious freedom, are creating such a 
divide in the world that if we're not careful, we face a Crusades-like 
event. And the two go together. This is so appropriate.
  I want to thank people like Frank Wolf. I miss Mr. Hyde and Mr. 
Lantos. What a privilege to serve with people who are here because they 
care so much about the rights of individuals, not just in this country 
where it's guaranteed under our Constitution, but everywhere.
  I am maybe one the younger Members, even though I'm 50 now, who has 
traveled the world and tried to be engaged on these issues, like Mr. 
Aderholt, Mr. Pitts and many others, Mr. Smith on our side. This is so 
fundamental to our way of life and our moral authority in the world and 
we lose that. Not everybody is worried about money. In the world they 
look to us because we're basically good and we uphold the right of the 
individual, and those are inherent human rights.
  This Commission is the right approach. Otherwise, it just gets lost 
in the shuffle of this crisis and this bailout and this conflict. The 
world is really struggling, and our country needs to be a light and a 
beacon of hope.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. I would like to yield an additional minute to the 
gentleman.
  Mr. WAMP. We have to be that light, that shining city on a hill, and 
we have to uphold the rights of the individual. And we have to be 
engaged in the world in order for that to happen. We can't just pull in 
and hunker down and look at the world as if it's not our problem. It 
is, more so today than ever, because this is a global marketplace, and 
we are connected to the entire world.
  And there are so many wrongs around the world. We can't be the 
world's police force. We can't solve every single problem. But if we 
uphold the right of the individual, and it's fundamental to what 
happens here on the floor of the greatest deliberative body in the 
history of mankind, we have a chance of standing for the rights of the 
individual. Human rights are fundamental to our way of life.
  This Commission is so important. I commend those that have brought it 
to the floor today, and urge passage by every single Member of the 
House.
  Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Madam Speaker, I would like to yield such time as 
he may consume to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), the 
ranking member on the Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health, whose 
name is synonymous with support for human rights.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Thank you to the distinguished ranking 
member, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, for her leadership, for her leadership on 
human rights. She has been a stalwart for years, and I want to thank 
her for her tremendous leadership.
  I want to thank Mr. McGovern for sponsoring this, and for his 
commitment as well.
  And I especially want to thank Congressman Frank Wolf with whom I've 
been in Congress now for 28 years. And there is no one that I know or 
have ever met who cares more deeply, more passionately, more fervently, 
nor works more effectively to promote human rights around the globe. I 
have traveled with Frank. I would be more than happy to carry his bags. 
He is just such a tremendous individual.
  I'll never forget when the International Religious Freedom Act was 
being considered. It was his legislation. He was the prime sponsor. I 
held a number of hearings on it as chairman of the Global Human Rights 
Subcommittee on the Foreign Affairs Committee, and there was 
significant opposition to that legislation. The Clinton administration 
was against it, on the record, said so in hearings.
  Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Labor and Human Rights, John 
Shattuck, couldn't have made it more clear. They made a bogus argument 
that the legislation would set up a hierarchy of human rights, vis-a-
vis, all other human rights.
  Our argument was religious freedom was integral, and a necessary part 
of a fabric of protecting everyone who was weak and disenfranchised. 
That includes religious believers, regardless of what their belief 
system might be. And we wanted to speak out in a very powerful way.
  Mr. Wolf pushed that bill to a successful completion. It ended up 
being signed into law and the International Committee for Religious 
Freedom, its designation of countries of particular concern, those 
egregious violators of religious liberties now get put on a list. 
They're subject to sanctions. We have an ambassador at large who combs 
the Earth promoting religious liberty and freedom, and then issues 
reports that holds countries to account and speaks truth to power. 
That's all a direct result of Congressman Frank Wolf, the prime sponsor 
of legislation that was as dead as a door nail when he introduced it 
because of opposition in very high places and indifference.
  So it is very fitting that Mr. Wolf will be serving as cochair of 
this extraordinarily important Human Rights Commission, named very 
aptly and very importantly after another great man, Congressman Tom 
Lantos. No one has done more on such issues as anti-Semitism than 
Congressman Lantos, Chairman Lantos, who is not, sadly, with us, but 
I'm sure is looking down from heaven with a great smile on his face 
because he cared passionately about human rights as well.
  Madam Speaker so it ought to be clear, I believe it is time to turn 
the Caucus into a Commission. When the Human Rights Caucus was founded 
back in 1983, human rights was, at best, a foreign policy sideshow, an 
obligatory mention, often uttered after the more ``weighty matters'' of 
statecraft took place, like trade and other issues. It was always at 
the end if at all. An afterthought. It always had some asterisk next to 
it on the talking point memo. In case after case, high level diplomats 
would essentially say, oh yeah, by the way, I have to bring up human 
rights, because when I go back home I have to mention it. And many of 
our Secretaries of State, with some exceptions, often would take it to 
that point. It was never a central core issue in our foreign policy. 
There was little predictability or consistency.
  The Caucus certainly has helped move human rights concerns forward. 
The Commission, I believe, will take it to the next level.
  I hope that more Members will realize that genuine respect for human

[[Page H8643]]

rights is the key to good governance. It's also the key, if you want 
intellectual property rights respected. If you want contract law 
observed and honored in places like China where human rights are 
violated with impunity, respect fundamental human rights for the 
individual. Stop torturing. Protect women from the violence of coercive 
population control and forced abortion. Help the Falun Gong and the 
Christians and the Uighurs and the Buddhists and all the others, the 
Catholic bishops who are languishing in prison. Get it right on 
fundamental human rights and you also help on the trade side as well, 
because if they respect one, if they respect their own people, they'll 
adhere to contract law and intellectual property rights.
  I do believe that we must care for and protect all, no exceptions, 
everywhere, every place, every time from violence; and from my point of 
view, that includes unborn children, newly born children, the 
handicapped, disabled; it includes those who are of a religious 
denomination that some government official thinks ought not to have 
their rights or liberties. It is about everyone being included. Nobody 
being excluded. The politics of inclusion. And again, for me that means 
the unborn child and everyone else who is weak and at risk.
  I do believe that we have to, Madam Speaker, realize that human 
rights can be respected. It is a matter of political will. It is a 
matter of understanding and empathizing. Get in the minds and hearts of 
victims and get motivated. Go into the prison, empathize with someone 
who has been victimized by torture. And we all come out with a 
different, enlightened, compassionate perspective. Empowered and 
knowledgable, we then must--we have a duty--to act!
  We'll never know the full extent of the Caucus's success over these 
25 years, the impact that it has had, but I believe it has had a 
tremendously positive impact, as a result of broad bipartisan action, 
Democrats and Republicans, staff, doing yeoman's work. Hans was 
mentioned a moment ago. He's a fighter. There are so many who have done 
so much, often without any kind of accolade whatsoever, but they stand 
up and they do the hard work of human rights, and they do it each and 
every day because they care, because they love and because they have 
compassion.

                              {time}  1700

  Again, this is a resolution that takes the Human Rights Caucus to the 
next level, and I think it's about time we did it. This Congress, I 
think, will be much improved; we will have more insights. Good staffing 
does make a difference. We've had great staffing, but I think now as we 
build out that staff, I think more victimized people everywhere will be 
represented.
  Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. Madam Speaker, as we have heard and seen with 
this extraordinary outpouring of passion and support, this legislation 
establishing the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission naming Mr. McGovern 
and Mr. Wolf as cochairmen is extraordinary important, and we urge 
support across the aisle for this important piece of legislation.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of 
H. Res. 1451. This is important. It is a nonpartisan human rights 
commission that will have a universal code of human rights which is 
imperative. This human rights commission will look at charges of human 
rights violations according to the Universal Declaration of Human 
Rights that will certainly show countries and individuals who choose to 
violate what every individual has a right to: their civil liberties. I 
urge my colleagues to support H. Con. Res. 1451 because it establishes 
a commission on human rights that creates a way for Congress to 
promote, defend, and advocate internationally recognized human rights.
  This resolution is timely because there have been numerous violations 
of civil rights all over the world. Egregious human rights violations 
are occurring in countries such as Sudan, Pakistan, Colombia, and China 
every day.
  Sudan's own president is wanted by the ICC for genocide, crimes 
against humanity, and war crimes. This is the first time the ICC 
Prosecutor has named a sitting head of state, and the first time it has 
accused a suspect of genocide. There are also allegations of attacks on 
peacekeepers by rebels in Darfur. There are also numerous abuses of 
women in Pakistan where Dr. Shazia was a 32-year-old Pakistani 
physician who worked at a hospital run by Pakistan Petroleum Limited, a 
state-owned natural gas supplier in Baluchistan, a remote area of 
Pakistan. On January 2, 2005, Dr. Shazia was attacked and raped in her 
home, a guarded compound, by an intruder who broke in at night while 
she was sleeping. She reported the crime although told to stay quiet. 
Doctors sedated her and flew her to a psychiatric hospital in Karachi. 
The government forced Dr. Shazia to sign a statement saying that she 
had been given government help and that she wanted to close the matter.
  China is also a country that commits numerous civil rights 
violations. It has a 1982 constitution that guarantees freedom of 
speech, but the Chinese Government often uses the subversion of state 
power clause to imprison those who are critical of the government. The 
PRC is known for its intolerance of organized dissent toward the 
government. Dissident groups are routinely arrested and imprisoned, 
often for long periods of time and without trial. The Chinese 
Government also limits religious freedom by requiring that members of 
the Communist Party be atheists.
  Between June 2006 and June 2007, at least 280 Colombian civilians 
were extra judicially killed by Colombian security forces and many of 
them were subsequently presented by those forces as guerrillas killed 
in conflict. And this year human rights groups have continued to 
document extrajudicial killings by some Colombian military forces.
  As a civilized nation, we cannot remain silent at outrages such as 
these. We must give voice to those who cannot on their own, and we must 
scream at the offense to human rights and settle for nothing less than 
full and complete justice. The United States Congress must show the 
violators that their actions will not be condoned or ignored. We must 
come together and take action on the atrocities occurring in the 
international community.
  The human rights commission will promote human rights education, 
serve as a medium for dialogue on human rights issues, and promote the 
realization of human rights obligations. Promoting human rights 
education is vital for administering justice to those who have been 
wronged and this bill proposes to do just that. We need to know what is 
wrong in order to help those who have been wronged.
  Establishing a human rights commission is important in establishing a 
united American foreign policy that consistently stands for human 
dignity around the world. We need to use this commission to find the 
best course of action to encourage countries from around the world to 
adopt principles for the protection of human rights.
  Mr. SCOTT of Georgia. We have no further speakers. I yield back my 
time.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Madam Speaker, we also have no further requests for 
speakers. We yield back our time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Scott) that the House suspend the rules and 
agree to the resolution, H. Res. 1451.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Madam Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground 
that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum 
is not present.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.
  The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.

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