[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 186 (Wednesday, November 20, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H9096-H9098]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  PROHIBITING THE COMMERCIAL EXPORT OF COVERED MUNITIONS ITEMS TO THE 
                         HONG KONG POLICE FORCE

  Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (S. 2710) to prohibit the commercial export of covered munitions 
items to the Hong Kong Police Force.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                S. 2710

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. DEFINITIONS.

       (1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
     ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
       (A) the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs 
     and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate; and
       (B) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 
     Representatives.
       (2) Covered munitions items.--The term ``covered munitions 
     items'' means tear gas, pepper spray, rubber bullets, foam 
     rounds, bean bag rounds, pepper balls, water cannons, 
     handcuffs, shackles, stun guns, and tasers.
       (3) Hong kong.--The term ``Hong Kong'' has the meaning 
     given such term in section 3 of the United States-Hong Kong 
     Policy Act of 1992 (22 U.S.C. 5702).
       (4) Hong kong police force.--The term ``Hong Kong Police 
     Force'' means--
       (A) the Hong Kong Police Force; and
       (B) the Hong Kong Auxiliary Police Force.

     SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON COMMERCIAL EXPORT OF COVERED MUNITIONS 
                   ITEMS TO THE HONG KONG POLICE FORCE.

       (a) In General.--Except as provided in subsection (b), 
     beginning on the date that is 30 days after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act, the President shall prohibit the 
     issuance of licenses to export covered munitions items to the 
     Hong Kong Police Force.
       (b) Exceptions.--The prohibition set forth in subsection 
     (a) shall not apply to the issuance of a license with respect 
     to which the President submits to the appropriate 
     congressional committees, not fewer than 30 days before the 
     date of such issuance, a written notice--
       (1) certifying that the exports to be covered by such 
     license are important to the national interests and foreign 
     policy goals of the United States; and
       (2) describing the manner in which such exports will 
     promote such interests and goals.

     SEC. 3. SUNSET.

       The prohibition under section 2 shall expire one year after 
     the date of the enactment of this Act.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Sherman) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.


                             General Leave

  Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members

[[Page H9097]]

have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous materials on S. 2710.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, let me start by thanking Senator Merkley for his hard 
work on this legislation. The House a few weeks before passed a similar 
measure, the PROTECT Hong Kong Act, authored by the gentleman from 
Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern), whom I was about to refer to as the Chair 
but has now joined us here in the regular seats of the House.
  Such bipartisan, bicameral legislation supporting the people of Hong 
Kong is a testament to the relationship between our two peoples, but it 
is also an indication of Congress' deep concern over the growing 
violence in Hong Kong.
  In recent weeks, we have seen an escalation in the conflict between 
Hong Kong's security forces and the people of Hong Kong. The same 
police forces sworn to protect the people are now indiscriminately 
targeting people with tear gas, pepper spray, and water cannons. I am 
particularly heartbroken over the images of students under siege and 
parents begging the police not to shoot their children.
  We have seen similar images before, just 30 years ago in Beijing. The 
fact that these horrors are now taking place in Hong Kong, a beacon of 
democracy and human rights, is worrisome. I am deeply concerned by the 
recent escalation of violence, and I call on all parties to exercise 
restraint and seek a peaceful solution to address the very legitimate 
concerns of the people of Hong Kong.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this 
important measure and ensure that U.S. companies are not contributing 
to the suppression of Hong Kong's people in their fight to secure their 
freedoms and their democracy.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of S. 2710, a bill that would 
prohibit the commercial export of covered munition items to the Hong 
Kong Police Force.
  Mr. Speaker, I especially want to thank my good friend and colleague, 
Chairman McGovern, for his legislation, which is pretty much a 
companion bill that passed a little over 1 month ago, again, on the 
whole idea of U.S.-originated equipment being exploited in Hong Kong 
against these protesters. I thank him for doing that. We have raised 
this at hearings, and his bill was a great bill.
  As the largest protest movement Hong Kong has ever seen continues, 
major concerns have arisen about the Hong Kong police's independence 
and professionalism. The people of Hong Kong are rightfully furious 
about well-documented cases of excessive force, brutal tactics, and 
tolerance of violence against protesters. The Hong Kong police 
themselves are now a cause of the protests.
  There has been widespread police misuse of crowd control equipment 
and less-lethal weaponry, including incidents that have seriously 
injured journalists.
  I am glad this bill is before us. After it passes, it goes to the 
President, and I fully expect he will sign it into law.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, Members of this House will remember that, 
just a few months ago, we passed very similar legislation in the House 
to the bill that is in front of us today.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts 
(Mr. McGovern), who is an important leader on this issue. The gentleman 
wrote the House version of this bill.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from California (Mr. 
Sherman) for his leadership on this and so many other important issues 
to uphold a high standard of human rights.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 2710, the Placing Restrictions 
on Teargas Exports and Crowd Control Technology to Hong Kong Act, 
otherwise known as the PROTECT Hong Kong Act.
  I am proud to have introduced this bipartisan legislation, along with 
my colleagues Chris Smith from New Jersey and Ro Khanna from 
California, in the House. Senator Merkley and Senator Cornyn introduced 
it in the Senate.
  This bill responds to the excessive and unnecessary use of force by 
the Hong Kong police targeting those engaged in peaceful protests.
  The PROTECT Hong Kong Act prohibits U.S. exports of police equipment 
to Hong Kong, including tear gas, pepper spray, grenades, rubber 
bullets, foam rounds, beanbag rounds, pepper balls, water cannons, stun 
guns, and tasers.
  The Hong Kong Police Force is simply out of control. The reckless and 
escalating use of violence flies in the face of manufacturer guidelines 
and international standards on the use of force. In recent days, the 
world has seen eyewitness evidence showing protesters sprayed with tear 
gas directly in the face at short distances, rampant beatings and 
arbitrary arrests of people ages 11 to 74, police driving at high 
speeds into crowds, and unarmed protesters shot with live rounds.
  The British Government already suspended export licenses for the sale 
of tear gas and crowd control equipment until concerns about human 
rights abuses are addressed. The United Nations High Commissioner for 
Human Rights called for an investigation of the use of crowd control 
tactics in Hong Kong.
  Mr. Speaker, enough is enough. It is time for American companies to 
stop selling police equipment that is being used to suppress peaceful 
protests.
  Mr. Speaker, today, we will cast votes on two pieces of legislation 
that will make it crystal clear to Beijing that we in this Congress in 
a bipartisan manner stand in solidarity with the protesters of Hong 
Kong, and we also stand with them in their demands, among which is 
there needs to be an independent investigation and inquiry into the 
brutal tactics of the Hong Kong Police Force.
  It is absolutely outrageous. It is unacceptable. It goes beyond the 
pale. We have all seen the pictures, the photographs, and the videos 
that are on social media. Anybody who cares about human rights will 
stand with us proudly and vote for these two pieces of legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this PROTECT Hong 
Kong Act.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for 
time, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume 
for the purpose of closing.
  Mr. Speaker, we have watched as the Chinese Communist Party works to 
break down and undermine the ``one country, two systems'' framework 
that has paved the way for a strong relationship between Hong Kong and 
the United States.
  This has motivated millions of Hong Kongers, the people of Hong Kong, 
to take to the streets for months to protest in defense of their basic 
human rights. These prodemocracy activists have faced tear gas, pepper 
spray, and rubber bullets by a police force sworn to protect them, and 
now they face lethal force as well.

                              {time}  1615

  The passage of this bill demonstrates, once again, to the people of 
Hong Kong that the United States stands with them in their protest of 
China's erosion of the autonomy and the way of life that was promised 
them back in 1997.
  It takes a step to ensure that U.S. companies demonstrate a 
commitment to U.S. values in this regard, making sure that U.S. 
companies aren't facilitating violence against the protestors by 
selling what we, sadly, know can be lethal crowd control mechanisms.
  This bill is an important part of Congress' response by the effort of 
Beijing to deprive Hong Kong of the autonomy and democracy that it was 
promised back in 1997.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill, 
and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Cuellar). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from

[[Page H9098]]

California (Mr. Sherman) that the House suspend the rules and pass the 
bill, S. 2710.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

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