[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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