[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 18 (Tuesday, January 28, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H594-H601]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
TIBETAN POLICY AND SUPPORT ACT OF 2019
Mr. PHILLIPS. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 4331) to modify and reauthorize the Tibetan Policy Act of
2002, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 4331
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Tibetan Policy and Support
Act of 2019''.
SEC. 2. MODIFICATIONS TO AND REAUTHORIZATION OF TIBETAN
POLICY ACT OF 2002.
(a) Tibetan Negotiations.--Section 613 of the Tibetan
Policy Act of 2002 (22 U.S.C. 6901 note) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a)--
(A) in paragraph (1)--
(i) by inserting ``without preconditions'' after ``a
dialogue'';
(ii) by inserting ``or democratically-elected leaders of
the Tibetan community'' after ``his representatives''; and
(iii) by adding at the end before the period the following:
``and should coordinate with other governments in
multilateral efforts toward this goal'';
(B) by redesignating paragraph (2) as paragraph (3); and
(C) by inserting after paragraph (1) the following:
``(2) Policy communication.--The President shall direct the
Secretary of State to ensure that, in accordance with this
Act, United States policy on Tibet, as coordinated by the
United States Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues, is
communicated to all Federal departments and agencies in
contact with the Government of the People's Republic of
China.'';
(2) in subsection (b)--
(A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1)--
(i) by striking ``until December 31, 2021''; and
(ii) by inserting ``and direct the Department of State to
make public on its website'' after ``appropriate
congressional committees'';
(B) in paragraph (1), by striking ``and'' at the end;
(C) in paragraph (2), by striking the period at the end and
inserting ``; and'' ; and
(D) by adding at the end the following:
``(3) the steps taken by the United States Government to
promote the human rights and distinct religious, cultural,
linguistic, and historical identity of the Tibetan people,
including the right of the Tibetan people to select, educate,
and venerate their own religious leaders in accordance with
their established religious practice and system.''.
(b) Tibet Project Principles.--Section 616 of such Act (22
U.S.C. 6901 note) is amended--
(1) in subsection (d), by striking paragraphs (1) through
(9) and inserting the following:
``(1) neither provide incentive for, nor facilitate the
migration and settlement of, non-Tibetans into Tibet;
``(2) neither provide incentive for, nor facilitate the
transfer of ownership of, Tibetan land or natural resources
to non-Tibetans;
``(3) neither provide incentive for, nor facilitate the
involuntary or coerced relocation of, Tibetan nomads from
their traditional pasture lands into concentrated
settlements;
``(4) be implemented in consultation with the Tibetan
people and, as appropriate, after the conduct of cultural and
environmental impact assessments;
``(5) foster self-sufficiency and self-reliance of
Tibetans;
``(6) respect human rights and Tibetan culture and
traditions;
``(7) be subject to ongoing monitoring and evaluation; and
``(8) be conducted, as much as possible, in the Tibetan
language.''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(e) United States Assistance.--The President shall
provide funds to nongovernmental organizations to support
sustainable development, cultural and historical
preservation, health care, education, and environmental
sustainability projects for Tibetan communities in Tibet, in
accordance with the principles specified in subsection (d)
and with the concurrence of the United States Special
Coordinator for Tibetan Issues under section 621(d).''.
(c) Diplomatic Representation Relating to Tibet.--Section
618 of such Act (22 U.S.C. 6901 note) is amended to read as
follows:
``SEC. 618. DIPLOMATIC REPRESENTATION RELATING TO TIBET.
``(a) United States Consulate in Lhasa, Tibet.--The
Secretary should seek to establish a United States consulate
in Lhasa, Tibet--
``(1) to provide consular services to United States
citizens traveling in Tibet; and
``(2) to monitor political, economic, and cultural
developments in Tibet.
``(b) Policy.--The Secretary may not authorize the
establishment in the United States of any additional
consulate of the People's Republic of China until such time
as a United States consulate in Lhasa, Tibet, is established
under subsection (a).''.
(d) Religious Persecution in Tibet.--Section 620(b) of such
Act (22 U.S.C. 6901 note) is amended by adding at the end
before the period the following: ``, including with respect
[[Page H595]]
to the reincarnation system of Tibetan Buddhism''.
(e) United States Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues.--
Section 621 of such Act (22 U.S.C. 6901 note) is amended--
(1) in subsection (c) to read as follows:
``(c) Objectives.--The objectives of the Special
Coordinator are to--
``(1) promote substantive dialogue without preconditions
between the Government of the People's Republic of China and
the Dalai Lama or his representatives or democratically-
elected leaders of the Tibetan community leading to a
negotiated agreement on Tibet and coordinate with other
governments in multilateral efforts toward this goal;
``(2) encourage the Government of the People's Republic of
China to address the aspirations of the Tibetan people with
regard to their distinct historical, cultural, religious, and
linguistic identity;
``(3) promote the human rights of the Tibetan people;
``(4) promote activities to preserve environment and water
resources of the Tibetan plateau;
``(5) encourage sustainable development in accordance with
section 616(d), cultural and historical preservation, health
care, education, and environmental sustainability projects
for Tibetan communities in Tibet; and
``(6) promote access to Tibet in accordance with the
Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-
330).'';
(2) in subsection (d)--
(A) in paragraph (5), by striking ``and'' at the end;
(B) by redesignating paragraph (6) as paragraph (8); and
(C) by inserting after paragraph (5) the following:
``(6) provide concurrence with respect to all projects
carried out pursuant to assistance provided under section
616(e);
``(7) seek to establish international diplomatic coalitions
to--
``(A) oppose any effort by the Government of the People's
Republic of China to select, educate, and venerate Tibetan
Buddhist religious leaders in a manner inconsistent with
Tibetan Buddhism in which the succession or identification of
Tibetan Buddhist lamas, including the Dalai Lama, should
occur without interference, in a manner consistent with
Tibetan Buddhists' beliefs; and
``(B) ensure that the identification and installation of
Tibetan Buddhist religious leaders, including any future
Dalai Lama, is determined solely within the Tibetan Buddhist
faith community, in accordance with the universally-
recognized right to religious freedom; and''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(e) Personnel.--The Secretary shall ensure that the
Office of the Special Coordinator is adequately staffed at
all times to assist in the management of the responsibilities
of this section.''.
SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY REGARDING THE SUCCESSION OR
REINCARNATION OF THE DALAI LAMA.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) Notwithstanding that Tibetan Buddhism is practiced in
many countries including Bhutan, India, Mongolia, Nepal, the
People's Republic of China, the Russian Federation, and the
United States, the Government of the People's Republic of
China has repeatedly insisted on its role in managing the
selection of Tibet's next spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama,
through actions such as those described in the ``Measures on
the Management of the Reincarnation of Living Buddhas'' in
2007.
(2) On March 19, 2019, Chinese Ministry of Affairs
spokesperson reiterated that the ``reincarnation of living
Buddhas including the Dalai Lama must comply with Chinese
laws and regulations and follow religious rituals and
historical conventions''.
(3) The Government of the People's Republic of China has
interfered in the process of recognizing a successor or
reincarnation of Tibetan Buddhist leaders, including in 1995
by arbitrarily detaining Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, a 6-year old
boy who was identified as the 11th Panchen Lama, and
purporting to install its own candidate as the Panchen Lama.
(4) The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, issued a statement
on September 24, 2011, explaining the traditions and
spiritual precepts of the selection of Dalai Lamas, setting
forth his views on the considerations and process for
selecting his successor, and providing a response to the
Chinese government's claims that only the Chinese government
has the ultimate authority in the selection process of the
Dalai Lama.
(5) The 14th Dalai Lama said in his statement that the
person who reincarnates has sole legitimate authority over
where and how he or she takes rebirth and how that
reincarnation is to be recognized and if there is a need for
a 15th Dalai Lama to be recognized, then the responsibility
shall primarily rest with the officers of the Dalai Lama's
Gaden Phodrang Trust, who will be informed by the written
instructions of the 14th Dalai Lama.
(6) Since 2011, the 14th Dalai Lama has reiterated publicly
on numerous occasions that decisions on the successions,
emanations, or reincarnations of the Dalai Lama belongs to
the Tibetan Buddhist faith community alone.
(7) On June 8, 2015, the United States House of
Representatives unanimously approved House Resolution 337
which calls on the United States Government to ``underscore
that government interference in the Tibetan reincarnation
process is a violation of the internationally recognized
right to religious freedom . . . and to highlight the fact
that other countries besides China have long Tibetan Buddhist
traditions and that matters related to reincarnations in
Tibetan Buddhism are of keen interest to Tibetan Buddhist
populations worldwide''.
(8) On April 25, 2018, the United States Senate unanimously
approved Senate Resolution 429 which ``expresses its sense
that the identification and installation of Tibetan Buddhist
religious leaders, including a future 15th Dalai Lama, is a
matter that should be determined solely within the Tibetan
Buddhist faith community, in accordance with the inalienable
right to religious freedom''.
(9) The Department of State's Report on International
Religious Freedom for 2018 reported on policies and efforts
of the Government of the People's Republic of China to exert
control over the selection of Tibetan Buddhist religious
leaders, including reincarnate lamas, and stated that ``U.S.
officials underscored that decisions on the reincarnation of
the Dalai Lama should be made solely by faith leaders.''.
(b) Statement of Policy.--It is the policy of the United
States that--
(1) decisions regarding the selection, education, and
veneration of Tibetan Buddhist religious leaders are
exclusively spiritual matters that should be made by the
appropriate religious authorities within the Tibetan Buddhist
tradition and in the context of the will of practitioners of
Tibetan Buddhism;
(2) the wishes of the 14th Dalai Lama, including any
written instructions, should play a determinative role in the
selection, education, and veneration of a future 15th Dalai
Lama; and
(3) interference by the Government of the People's Republic
of China or any other government in the process of
recognizing a successor or reincarnation of the 14th Dalai
Lama and any future Dalai Lamas would represent a clear
violation of the fundamental religious freedoms of Tibetan
Buddhists and the Tibetan people.
(c) Holding Chinese Officials Responsible for Religious
Freedom Abuses Targeting Tibetan Buddhists.--It is the policy
of the United States to consider senior officials of the
Government of the People's Republic of China who are
responsible for, complicit in, or have directly or indirectly
engaged in the identification or installation of a candidate
chosen by China as the future 15th Dalai Lama of Tibetan
Buddhism to have committed--
(1) a gross violation of internationally recognized human
rights for purposes of imposing sanctions with respect to
such officials under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights
Accountability Act (22 U.S.C. 2656 note); and
(2) a particularly severe violation of religious freedom
for purposes of applying section 212(a)(2)(G) of the
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(2)(G)) with
respect to such officials.
(d) Department of State Programming To Promote Religious
Freedom for Tibetan Buddhists.--Consistent with section 401
of the Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act
(Public Law 114-281; 130 Stat. 1436), of the funds available
to the Department of State for international religious
freedom programs, the Ambassador-at-Large for International
Religious Freedom should support efforts to protect and
promote international religious freedom in China and for
programs to protect Tibetan Buddhism in China and elsewhere.
SEC. 4. POLICY REGARDING THE ENVIRONMENT AND WATER RESOURCES
ON THE TIBETAN PLATEAU.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) The Tibetan Plateau contains glaciers, rivers,
grasslands, and other geographical and ecological features
that are crucial for supporting vegetation growth and
biodiversity, regulating water flow and supply for an
estimated 1.8 billion people. Global warming threatens the
glaciers in Tibet that feed the major rivers of South and
East Asia, which supply freshwater to an estimated 1.8
billion people.
(2) Rising global temperatures--especially in the Tibetan
Plateau where the average temperature has increased at twice
the global average--will result in variable water flows in
the future.
(3) The construction in Tibet of large hydroelectric power
dams intended to be used in part to transmit power to Chinese
provinces outside of Tibet, as well as other infrastructure
projects, including the Sichuan-Tibet railroad, may also lead
to the resettlement of thousands of Tibetans and transform
the environment.
(4) The grasslands of Tibet play a significant role in
carbon production and sequestration and Tibet's rivers
support wetlands that play a key role in water storage, water
quality, and the regulation of water flow, support
biodiversity, foster vegetation growth, and act as carbon
sinks.
(5) Rising temperatures and intensifying evaporation, can
affect the water supply, cause desertification, and
destabilize infrastructure on the Tibetan Plateau and beyond.
(6) Traditional Tibetan grassland stewardship practices,
which can be key to mitigating the negative effects of
warming on the Tibetan Plateau, are undermined by the
[[Page H596]]
resettlement of nomads from Tibetan grasslands.
(7) The People's Republic of China has approximately 20
percent of the world's population but only around 7 percent
of the world's water supply, while many countries in South
and Southeast Asia rely on the rivers flowing from the
Himalayas of the Tibetan Plateau.
(8) The People's Republic of China has already completed
water transfer programs diverting billions of cubic meters of
water yearly and has plans to divert more waters from the
Tibetan plateau in China.
(b) Water Resources in Tibet and the Tibetan Watershed.--
The Secretary of State, in coordination with relevant
agencies of the United States Government, should--
(1) pursue collaborative efforts with Chinese and
international scientific institutions, as appropriate, to
monitor the environment on the Tibetan Plateau, including
glacial retreat, temperature rise, and carbon levels, in
order to promote a greater understanding of the effects on
permafrost, river flows, grasslands and desertification, and
the monsoon cycle;
(2) engage with the Government of the People's Republic of
China, the Tibetan people, and nongovernmental organizations
to encourage the participation of Tibetan nomads and other
Tibetan stakeholders in the development and implementation of
grassland management policies, in order to utilize their
indigenous experience in mitigation and stewardship of the
land and to assess policies on the forced resettlement of
nomads; and
(3) encourage a regional framework on water security, or
use existing frameworks, such as the Lower Mekong Initiative,
to facilitate cooperative agreements among all riparian
nations that would promote transparency, sharing of
information, pollution regulation, and arrangements on
impounding and diversion of waters that originate on the
Tibetan Plateau.
SEC. 5. DEMOCRACY IN THE TIBETAN EXILE COMMUNITY.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) The 14th Dalai Lama advocates the Middle Way Approach,
which seeks genuine autonomy for the six million Tibetans in
Tibet.
(2) The 14th Dalai Lama has overseen a process of
democratization within the Tibetan polity, beginning in Tibet
in the 1950s and continuing in exile from the 1960s to the
present and to address the needs of the Tibetan people until
such time as genuine autonomy in Tibet is realized, the 14th
Dalai Lama devolved his political responsibilities to the
elected representatives of the Tibetan people in exile in
2011.
(3) In 2011 and again in 2016, members of the Tibetan exile
community across some 30 countries held elections to select
political leaders to serve in the Central Tibetan
Administration parliament and as chief executive, elections
which were monitored by international observers and assessed
to be free and fair.
(4) The Dalai Lama has said that the Central Tibetan
Administration will cease to exist once a negotiated
settlement has been achieved that allows Tibetans to freely
enjoy their culture, religion and language in Tibet.
(b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) Tibetan exile communities around the world should be
commended for the adoption of a system of self-governance
with democratic institutions to choose their leaders;
(2) the Dalai Lama should be commended for his decision to
devolve political authority to elected leaders in accordance
with democratic principles; and
(3) as consistent with section 621(d)(3) of the Tibetan
Policy Act of 2002 (22 U.S.C. 6901 note), the United States
Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues should continue to
maintain close contact with the religious, cultural, and
political leaders of the Tibetan people.
SEC. 6. SUSTAINABILITY IN TIBETAN COMMUNITIES SEEKING TO
PRESERVE THEIR CULTURE, RELIGION, AND LANGUAGE.
The Secretary of State should urge the Government of Nepal
to honor the Gentleman's Agreement with the United Nations
High Commissioner for Refugees and to provide legal
documentation to long-staying Tibetan residents in Nepal who
fled a credible threat of persecution in Tibet in order to
allow them to more fully participate in the economy and
society of Nepal.
SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) Office of the United States Special Coordinator for
Tibetan Issues.--There is authorized to be appropriated
$1,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2021 through 2025 for
the Office of the United States Special Coordinator for
Tibetan Issues.
(b) Tibetan Scholarship Program and Ngawang Choephel
Exchange Programs.--
(1) Tibetan scholarship program.--There is authorized to be
appropriated $675,000 for each of the fiscal years 2021
through 2025 to carry out the Tibetan scholarship program
established under section 103(b)(1) of the Human Rights,
Refugee, and Other Foreign Relations Provisions Act of 1996
(Public Law 104-319; 22 U.S.C. 2151 note).
(2) Ngawang choephel exchange programs.--There is
authorized to be appropriated $575,000 for each of the fiscal
years 2021 through 2025 to carry out the ``Ngwang Choepel
Exchange Programs'' (formerly known as ``programs of
educational and cultural exchange between the United States
and the people of Tibet'') under section 103(a) of the Human
Rights, Refugee, and Other Foreign Relations Provisions Act
of 1996.
(c) Humanitarian Assistance and Support to Tibetan Refugees
in South Asia.--Amounts authorized to be appropriated to
carry out chapter 9 of part I of the Foreign Assistance Act
of 1961 and the Migration and Refugee Assistance Act of 1962
for each of the fiscal years 2021 through 2025 are authorized
to be made available for humanitarian assistance, including
food, medicine, clothing, and medical and vocational
training, for Tibetan refugees in South Asia who have fled
facing a credible threat of persecution in the People's
Republic of China.
(d) Tibetan Autonomous Region and Tibetan Communities in
China.--There is authorized to be appropriated $8,000,000 for
each year of the fiscal years 2021 through 2025 under chapter
4 of part II of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C.
2346 et seq.) to support activities which preserve cultural
traditions and promote sustainable development, education,
and environmental conservation in Tibetan communities in the
Tibet Autonomous Region and in other Tibetan communities in
China.
(e) Assistance for Tibetans in India and Nepal.--There is
authorized to be appropriated $6,000,000 for each of the
fiscal years 2021 through 2025 under part I of the Foreign
Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.) for programs
to promote and preserve Tibetan culture and language
development, and the resilience of Tibetan communities in
India and Nepal, and to assist in the education and
development of the next generation of Tibetan leaders from
such communities.
(f) Tibetan Governance.--There is authorized to be
appropriated $3,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2021
through 2025 for programs to strengthen the capacity of
Tibetan institutions and strengthen democracy, governance,
information and international outreach, and research.
(g) Voice of America and Radio Free Asia.--
(1) Voice of america.--There is authorized to be
appropriated $3,344,000 for each of the fiscal years 2021
through 2025 to Voice of America for broadcasts described in
paragraph (3).
(2) Radio free asia.--There is authorized to be
appropriated $4,060,000 for each of the fiscal years 2021
through 2025 to Radio Free Asia for broadcasts described in
paragraph (3).
(3) Broadcasts described.--Broadcasts described in this
paragraph are broadcasts to provide uncensored news and
information in the Tibetan language to Tibetans, including
Tibetans in Tibet.
SEC. 8. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS.
The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of
complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, shall
be determined by reference to the latest statement titled
``Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation'' for this Act,
submitted for printing in the Congressional Record by the
Chairman of the House Budget Committee, provided that such
statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Minnesota (Mr. Phillips) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. McCaul) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Minnesota.
General Leave
Mr. PHILLIPS. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks
and include extraneous material on H.R. 4331.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Minnesota?
There was no objection.
Mr. PHILLIPS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Madam Speaker, I thank Chairman McGovern, along with Mr. Smith, Mr.
Suozzi, and Mr. Meadows, for authoring this very important bill to
update U.S. policies that support the preservation of Tibetan culture
and faith as well as the environment of the Tibetan Plateau, which is
vital not just to the Tibetan people, but also to the Himalayan
ecosystem.
I also thank Speaker Pelosi, who has been a tireless champion of the
Tibetan people for many years. She has a long history of shining a
spotlight on human rights abuses in China and has ensured that this
Chamber does its part to defend our values.
The Tibetan Policy and Support Act of 2019 updates existing
legislation from 2002 to make sure our policies keep pace with the
challenges facing Tibet today. This legislation comes at a very
critical time for the Tibetan people as they seek to preserve their
cultural and religious identity.
The Chinese Government has repeatedly asserted that it has a role to
play in the selection of the next Dalai
[[Page H597]]
Lama. This is analogous to the Government of Italy announcing that it
can ignore Catholic tradition and unilaterally decide who the next Pope
should be. Such disregard for the Tibetan faith is an undue violation
of international religious freedoms.
This bill sends a very clear message to Chinese officials that, if
they interfere in the selection process for a future Dalai Lama or
other Tibetan Buddhist leader, they can be sanctioned by the United
States for violating human rights.
The Tibetan Policy and Support Act also reauthorizes programs to
preserve Tibetan culture and environment.
The Tibetan Plateau is home to 10 major Asian river systems feeding
10 different Asian states, and these resources are being threatened by
large-scale hydroelectric projects. These rivers are of immense
importance to the livelihood of not only Tibetan communities, but also
the nearly 2 billion people in South and East Asia.
I urge all Members to join me in supporting this very good measure to
continue underscoring our support for the Tibetan people.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
House of Representatives,
Committee on the Judiciary,
Washington, DC, January 10, 2020.
Hon. Eliot L. Engel,
Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Engel: This is to advise you that the
Committee on the Judiciary has now had an opportunity to
review the provisions in H.R. 4331, the ``Tibetan Policy and
Support Act of 2019'' that fall within our Rule X
jurisdiction. I appreciate your consulting with us on those
provisions. The Judiciary Committee has no objection to your
including them in the bill for consideration on the House
floor, and to expedite that consideration is willing to forgo
action on H.R. 4331, with the understanding that we do not
thereby waive any future jurisdictional claim over those
provisions or their subject matters.
In the event a House-Senate conference on this or similar
legislation is convened, the Judiciary Committee reserves the
right to request an appropriate number of conferees to
address any concerns with these or similar provisions that
may arise in conference.
Please place this letter into the Congressional Record
during consideration of the measure on the House floor. Thank
you for the cooperative spirit in which you have worked
regarding this matter and others between our committees.
Sincerely,
Jerrold Nadler,
Chairman.
____
House of Representatives,
Committee on Foreign Affairs,
Washington, DC, January 24, 2020.
Hon. Jerrold Nadler,
Chairman, Committee on Judiciary,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Nadler: I am writing to you concerning H.R.
4331, the Tibetan Policy and Support Act of 2019. I
appreciate your willingness to work cooperatively on this
legislation.
I acknowledge that provisions of the bill fall within the
jurisdiction of the Committee on Judiciary under House Rule
X, and that your Committee will forgo action on H.R. 4331 to
expedite floor consideration. I further acknowledge that the
inaction of your Committee with respect to the bill does not
waive any future jurisdictional claim over the matters
contained in the bill that fall within your jurisdiction. I
will also support the appointment of Committee on Judiciary
conferees during any House-Senate conference convened on this
legislation.
Lastly, I will ensure that our exchange of letters is
included in the Congressional Record during floor
consideration of the bill. Thank you again for your
cooperation regarding the legislation. I look forward to
continuing to work with you as the measure moves through the
legislative process.
Sincerely,
Eliot L. Engel,
Chairman.
Mr. McCAUL. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 4331, the
Tibetan Policy and Support Act.
The Chinese Communist Party's, or CCP's, crusade against faith is the
greatest threat to religious freedom in the world today. This bill
reminds us that the religious persecution didn't begin under Chairman
Xi. The CCP has always hated and feared religion.
Since China invaded Tibet in 1950, the CCP has tried to dismantle
Tibetan Buddhism. In 1995, Chinese authorities kidnapped the second
highest Tibetan faith leader and replaced him with a fraud.
The Chinese Communist Party wants to ensure Tibetan leaders are
chosen according to their political agenda, not according to Tibetan
Buddhist religious practices.
This bill states that the United States will not accept the CCP's
destruction of Tibetan Buddhism, we will not accept fraudulent
religious leaders appointed by Beijing, and we will not accept the
CCP's control of deeply spiritual beliefs.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this important
measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. PHILLIPS. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from
Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern), the author of this important bill and the
chairman of the Rules Committee.
Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and
for his advocacy on behalf of this issue.
And the ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, I am
delighted to be here with him, and I want to thank him for his work on
this.
Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4331, the Tibetan
Policy and Support Act. I am proud to have introduced this legislation
with Congressman Chris Smith of New Jersey and with Senators Rubio and
Cardin in the Senate.
I thank Chairman Engel and Ranking Member McCaul for their strong
support of this bill and, more importantly, for their tireless
leadership in support of the human rights of the Tibetan people.
{time} 1430
Madam Speaker, our bill updates and strengthens the Tibetan Policy
Act of 2002 to address the challenges facing the Tibetan people.
Perhaps as importantly, it reaffirms America's commitment to the idea
that human rights matter, that we care about those who are oppressed,
that we stand with those who are struggling for freedom, and that we
have a moral obligation to do something when we see something that is
not right.
It should be clear that we support a positive and productive U.S.-
China relationship, but it is essential that the human rights of all
the people of China are respected by their government.
Unfortunately, the human rights situation in Tibet has gotten much
worse. The Chinese Government has refused to enter into genuine
dialogue with Tibetan leaders. Restrictions on access to Tibet, both
for Tibetans and foreigners, have been tightened. International
journalists have stated that the isolation of Tibet is as bad as North
Korea, allowing human rights abuses and environmental degradation to be
concealed from the outside world.
Last year, the Congress passed the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act to
demand that American journalists, diplomats, and tourists be given the
same freedom to travel to Tibet that Chinese officials have to travel
freely in America. I hope to see a report from the State Department,
which was due in December, describing the steps that the administration
has taken to implement this policy over the last year.
In addition, the Chinese Government has used advanced technology to
intensify security and surveillance.
It has ratcheted up its so-called anti-crime and vice campaign
targeting Tibetans.
Religious freedom continues to be severely curtailed, including
through mandatory political education for religious leaders and arrests
of Tibetans who display a photo of the Dalai Lama.
The Panchen Lama turned 30 years old this year, but he and his family
remain incommunicado since being kidnapped by Chinese authorities in
1995, making him the world's longest-serving prisoner of conscience.
Finally, Chinese officials have intervened to select Tibetan Buddhist
leaders and threatened to choose the successor to the 14th Dalai Lama.
These actions are in clear violation of China's international
obligations to protect religious freedom.
It is essential that U.S. policy toward Tibet be updated and
strengthened. The bill we are considering today would establish as U.S.
policy that the succession or reincarnation of Tibetan Buddhist
leaders, including a future 15th Dalai Lama, is an exclusively
religious matter that should be decided solely by the Tibetan Buddhist
community.
Send a clear message that Chinese officials who interfere in the
succession or reincarnation process will be subject
[[Page H598]]
to targeted financial, economic, and visa-related sanctions, including
those contained in the Global Magnitsky Act.
Strengthen the role of the State Department Special Coordinator for
Tibetan Issues by including a mandate to work multilaterally to promote
a genuine dialogue.
Mandate that no new Chinese consulates should be established in the
United States until a U.S. consulate is established in Tibet's
historical capital of Lhasa.
Direct the State Department to begin collaborative, multinational
efforts to protect the environment and water resources of the Tibetan
Plateau.
Support democratic governance in the Tibetan exile community.
The Dalai Lama should be commended for his decision to devolve
political authority to elected leaders.
The Tibetan exile community is also to be commended for adopting a
system of self-governance with democratic institutions to choose their
own leaders, including holding multiple free and fair elections to
select its parliament and chief executive.
The adoption of democracy within the Tibetan exile community ensures
that the Central Tibetan Administration in Dharamsala, India,
legitimately represents and reflects the aspirations of the Tibetan
people around the world.
Standing together, the American people will remain steadfast partners
of the Tibetan people. For 60 years, His Holiness the Dalai Lama and so
many Tibetans have remained separated from their land and their home,
while the people in Tibet endure some of the harshest human rights
abuses in the world.
I am proud that today the House of Representatives is taking this
important step to strengthen U.S. policy in support of the Tibetan
people.
Madam Speaker, I thank my colleagues for their support, and I urge
all of my colleagues to support this important legislation.
Mr. McCAUL. Madam Speaker, let me first commend the Congressman from
Massachusetts and his great work on this issue. He has been a really
strong fighter for democracy and freedom-loving peoples around the
world, whether it be the Hong Kong Democracy Act or the Tibetan people
and their persecution in China. I thank Chairman McGovern so much, from
the bottom of my heart.
Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr.
Yoho), the Republican leader of the Asia, the Pacific, and
Nonproliferation Subcommittee.
Mr. YOHO. Madam Speaker, I thank Chairman McCaul and Mr. Phillips for
their leadership on this. Also, Mr. McGovern has been a strong leader
on this, and I appreciate it.
This is the way Congress should work. We come together on a common
goal; we get things passed; and it makes a significant difference.
Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4331, the Tibetan
Policy and Support Act of 2019.
Madam Speaker, I thank Representative McGovern for his work on this
important and timely legislation, which would reauthorize the Tibetan
Policy Act of 2002 and reaffirm our commitment to the Tibetan people.
Since the 1950 invasion of the Chinese PLA forces, Tibet has been a
land of occupation and oppression. For too long, the Chinese Government
has utilized campaigns of aggression and intimidation in trying to
silence and bully its neighbor and territories.
In that regard, the people of Tibet have not been spared. The number
of displaced Tibetans number in the hundreds of thousands, with 110,000
taking refuge just in India alone.
I join my colleagues in Congress in reiterating our support for
Tibet, the Tibetan people, and the protection of their distinct
cultural identity.
I also believe that as one of Tibet's strongest partners, the U.S.
Congress should hear from Tibet's political and spiritual leaders,
which is why I introduced legislation last year to invite the Dalai
Lama to address a Joint Meeting of Congress via teleconference to
discuss the peaceful solutions to international conflicts.
Madam Speaker, this legislation has wide bipartisan support in the
House. To the people of Tibet, know that we support your fight against
adversity and for religious freedom.
This legislation makes it clear that the U.S. Congress will not sit
on the sidelines and watch as a spectator but, rather, advocate
strongly for increased protections for the Tibetan people.
Mr. PHILLIPS. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman
from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton).
Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I
thank him and my colleague on the other side of the aisle for this
resolution.
Madam Speaker, I had the honor and the privilege of visiting the
Dalai Lama, and I welcome this opportunity to speak of his work and the
danger he and his people face.
H.R. 4331 is a bipartisan and bicameral bill to update and strengthen
the Tibetan Policy Act of 2002 in light of new human rights, religious,
and environmental challenges the Tibetan people face today.
In the 18 years since the original Tibetan Policy Act became law,
human rights in Tibet has grown worse. The Chinese Government has
refused any discussions with Tibetan leaders and has threatened to
select Tibetan Buddhist leaders, in clear violation of international
religious freedom and Tibetan Buddhist practices.
The new Tibet Policy and Support Act before us today writes into law
U.S. policy that the succession or reincarnation of Buddhist leaders is
a religious matter to be determined by the Tibetan Buddhist community
alone.
Among other provisions, interference in the process of recognizing a
successor or reincarnation of the Dalai Lama would result in targeted
financial, economic, and visa-related sanctions.
When the Dalai Lama visited the Nation's capital in 2011, I
introduced a resolution welcoming Tibet's spiritual leader and
recognizing his lifelong commitment to world peace and human rights.
The Dalai Lama welcomed me into his home in 2008 as part of a
congressional delegation led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Ms. Houlahan). The time of the gentlewoman
has expired.
Mr. PHILLIPS. Madam Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the
gentlewoman.
Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, I appreciate the additional time.
Tibetan children, monks, and exiles lined the streets to greet our
delegation in 2008.
Our congressional visit heightened attention to continuing cultural
genocide and brutality in Tibet. Our delegation had a meeting and lunch
with the Nobel Prize-winning Dalai Lama and his government in exile.
The Dalai Lama and his people have nothing to fight with except their
own nonviolent determination and the willingness of free people
everywhere to raise their voices.
The Tibet Policy and Support Act before us today is important to
convey and reinforce the understanding that the United States will
never cease working to assure complete freedom for the Dalai Lama and
his people.
Mr. McCAUL. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. PHILLIPS. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
New York (Mr. Suozzi), my friend.
Mr. SUOZZI. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4331, the
bipartisan Tibetan Policy and Support Act of 2019.
By voting for this legislation, we are standing with the Tibetans and
their religious and cultural way of life that the Chinese Government is
seeking to eliminate.
Since President Nixon went to China in 1971, most Americans have
believed that with increased exposure to our economic system and to our
system of democracy, the Chinese Government would become more like us.
That simply hasn't happened.
Whether it is the Hong Kong students, Uighur Muslims, Christians, or
Tibetan Buddhists, China does not support our way of life. It does not
support religious liberty.
Freedom of religion is a fundamental freedom. We must raise our
voices loud and clear for all that are harassed, imprisoned, tortured,
persecuted, or killed seeking to live out their faith. An attack on
religious freedom anywhere is an attack on religious freedom
everywhere.
[[Page H599]]
Chinese officials in Tibet continue to severely restrict religious
freedom, speech, movement, and assembly. They continue to restrict
access to the unique cultural environment of Tibet.
In July 2018, authorities displaced over 200 under-18-year-old monks
from at least two monasteries in Tibet and forced them to attend
government-run schools.
In October 2018, Chinese Communist Party officials opened a new
political education camp to train Tibetans in Chinese Communist Party
ideology, particularly grassroots party-building and antiseparatism.
International journalists have said that the isolation of Tibet is
worse than that of North Korea, allowing the Chinese Government to
conceal human rights abuses.
The aspirations of the Tibetan people for dignity and freedom are
viewed by the Chinese Government as a direct threat to their existence
as an authoritarian state.
Reeducation and surveillance methods pioneered in Tibet are being
used to target the Uighurs in Xinjiang, where the Chinese Government
has created a surveillance state unlike anything the world has ever
seen.
The Chinese Communist Party's repugnant campaign to destroy the
cultural and religious identities of Tibetans and Uighurs requires more
than just words of condemnation. We must stand up to any country that
restricts individual liberty and religious freedom.
This legislation would urge the administration to place economic or
visa sanctions against Chinese officials who interfere with the process
of recognizing the next Dalai Lama.
Chairman McGovern and I hosted a townhall in Queens, New York, this
past summer with the largest Tibetan diaspora community, and we learned
of their inability to visit their families in Tibet.
This legislation will also direct the Department of State to
establish a United States consulate in Lhasa, Tibet, to enable U.S.
citizens better access to Tibet.
I am proud to be part of a legislative body that continues to
advocate for Tibetans, for Uighurs, and for human rights and the rule
of law in China.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
Mr. PHILLIPS. Madam Speaker, I yield an additional 2 minutes to the
gentleman.
Mr. SUOZZI. To quote the Dalai Lama: ``Tragedy should be utilized as
a source of strength. No matter what sort of difficulties, how painful
experience is, if we lose hope, that's our real disaster.''
The United States' strength is in our values, and our policies should
not be separated from them. We must not lose hope.
{time} 1445
Mr. McCAUL. Madam Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my
time.
Mr. PHILLIPS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
The United States has a longstanding record of bipartisan support for
the Tibetan people. Religious tolerance is an American principle, an
American value, and one that we must express around the entire world.
I am pleased that we are moving forward with a measure today that
updates United States policy so that we are not just continuing, but we
are strengthening this support.
I hope all Members will join me today in supporting this important
measure that shows our commitment to preserving Tibet's unique culture,
lands, language, and religion.
I am also proud of the bipartisan work that this Chamber has passed
on China human rights. This is the third bill this Chamber has passed
in recent months, the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, and now
this bill on Tibet.
I urge support for this bill and passage in the Senate of each of
these terribly important measures.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. McCAUL. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Again, I want to thank Chairman McGovern for strengthening U.S.
support for Tibet at this critical moment.
As the Tibetan community prepares for the Dalai Lama's succession, we
must rein in the Communist Party's attempts to destroy the autonomy of
Tibetan Buddhism.
I also want to thank the gentleman from Minnesota, and Speaker Pelosi
for her strong support for human rights and religious liberties. The
gentlewoman stood on the floor when we debated the Hong Kong Human
Rights and Democracy Act. That is what we do as Americans: We defend
freedom and we defend democracy. This Nation was formed upon the idea
of religious freedom and religious liberty.
Under the Communist Party of China's rule, religion really doesn't
exist. In fact, it almost prohibits religious freedom. It persecutes
religious freedom. It kills religious freedom.
The Dalai Lama himself was exiled to India where he is today. The
Communist Party of China is brutally murdering and oppressing the
Tibetan people; oppressing religious freedom and liberty, oppressing
the Uighurs where they sit in camps, as I speak, with no voice, and,
yes, they suppress the Christian community as well.
So, again, I want to thank my friends on the other side of the aisle,
and I thank Speaker Pelosi so much for supporting this legislation as
we stood together to support Hong Kong and the people of Hong Kong.
We spoke earlier today about supporting the people of Iran against
theocracy and oppression, and we support the Tibetan people in their
effort to exercise their religious freedom and liberty.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. PHILLIPS. Madam Speaker, I thank Ranking Member McCaul for his
important words.
Madam Speaker, I am honored to yield such time as she may consume to
the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), our distinguished Speaker
of the House.
Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and for
bringing this legislation to the floor.
I am pleased to follow the distinguished ranking member of the
Foreign Affairs Committee, Mr. McCaul. One of the joys of my service in
Congress is to work in a bipartisan way on issues that relate to
respecting human rights and religious freedom throughout the world.
I thank Mr. McCaul for his leadership and Chairman Eliot Engel for
his leadership in facilitating this all through the committee. I thank
Mr. Phillips for giving us access to the floor today.
Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the Tibetan Policy and Support
Act of 2019, a strong, bipartisan and urgently needed legislation to
strengthen America's commitment to the Tibetan people and their right
to safeguard their distinct identity.
I salute Chairman Jim McGovern, the chair of the Congressional-
Executive Commission on China and chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights
Commission. I thank Mr. McGovern for being a leading voice in Congress
and in the country for human rights.
I thank Congressman Chris Smith--the gentleman and I go back decades.
He is the ranking member of the Congressional-Executive Commission on
China, and also the co-chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission.
I have worked with the gentleman for three decades to hold China
accountable for its oppression, as well as for promoting human rights
throughout the world. I thank Mr. Smith for his leadership.
I also want to acknowledge Senator Marco Rubio for his leadership in
the United States Senate. As we discussed, he has been on some of the
issues we have talked about, supporting the people of Hong Kong, the
Uighurs, and now this important legislation. I thank Senator Marco
Rubio for his leadership and courage in facilitating some of this
legislation through the Senate.
For many of us, the fight to protect human rights in China has been a
long-term commitment, as I acknowledged with Mr. Smith, as well as
Frank Wolf, our former Member who worked with Chris Smith so closely.
In 1987 when I first came to Congress, I heard Tom Lantos--we
mentioned the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission--he invited me to meet
His Holiness the Dalai Lama to be in a small meeting with him. I heard
His Holiness first describe his ``Middle Way Approach'' for Tibet. It
was an approach about autonomy, not about independence.
[[Page H600]]
So, when the Chinese say that it is about independence, that is not
what it ever has been about as far as His Holiness' presentation on
Capitol Hill or to the world.
Among other priorities, the Dalai Lama proposed that Tibet be allowed
to be a zone of peace; that the Tibetan people's human rights be
respected; and Tibet's natural environment be safeguarded.
He said: ``The Tibetan people must once again be free to develop
culturally, intellectually, economically and spiritually and to
exercise basic democratic freedoms.''
I just wanted to acknowledge that because he talks about Tibet's
natural environment.
His Holiness was the first Nobel Laureate, the first winner of the
Nobel Peace Prize to have presented in the testimonial his protection
for the environment. It has been there for a long time. For many of us,
the fight, again, has been a long time.
Twenty years after that meeting, in 2007, and in 2008, as Speaker of
the House, I had the privilege of visiting Dharamshala. Our delegation
was blessed to be received by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and we had
the opportunity to see the aspirations of the Tibetan people firsthand,
especially in the eyes of the Tibetan schoolchildren we met.
It was a bipartisan delegation. We spoke to big crowds waving
American flags. It was a beautiful thing. But it is important to note
the children, the beautiful Tibetan children. In order for their
children to be raised in the tradition of the Tibetan language,
culture, and religion, parents had to send them from Tibet to India
because, sadly, Tibetan aspirations of observing their culture are
under threat because of brutal repression in Beijing. That was in 2008.
Then in 2015, along with Chairman McGovern, the gentleman and I led
the first congressional delegation in decades to enter Tibet. In
Jokhang Temple, Potala Palace, and Sera Monastery, we again witnessed
the deep faith of the Tibetan people and the beauty of their culture.
We also saw the Potemkin Village-like posturing of the Chinese
regime. For example, they said: We are going to invite you to a
family's home so you can see how Tibetan families thrive in their own
culture, language, and religion.
So we go to the home--and you probably have never seen this in
anybody's home--but they had a gigantic picture of President Xi in the
living room. And then they talked about their grandchildren and that
the daughter had taken them to school, and that is why they weren't
there.
So, when the daughter then came back from so-called taking them to
school, we said: Well, how are the children?
And she said: Children? What children?
They had these fake visits to homes to show us how they were
respecting Tibetan culture.
And then years later in 2017, I led another bipartisan delegation,
this time to Nepal in India, where we were blessed to be received by
His Holiness the Dalai Lama again. We saw once more the beautiful
children again waving American flags, but no closer to an autonomous
Tibet.
Today, we are here to pass the Tibetan Policy and Support Act. In
2002, Congress passed the Tibetan Policy Act to support the aspirations
of the Tibetan people to safeguard their distinct identity, as His
Holiness had suggested.
But in the years since, China has cruelly accelerated its outrageous
aggression against the Tibetan people. As the CECC, the Congressional-
Executive Commission on China concluded in its most recent report,
Beijing is increasing Sinicization efforts and restricting the
religious freedom of Tibetan Buddhists, including with mandatory
political education for religious leaders, large-scale evictions from
Buddhist monasteries, and by replacing images of the His Holiness the
Dalai Lama with past and current party leaders.
The report also concludes that Beijing is expanding a massive
surveillance regime to intimidate Tibetans and prevent them from
practicing their culture or observing their religion. We could see the
cameras every place we went, especially near the monasteries.
Pursuing massive infrastructure projects--I have seen that over the
years. And we fought some of this in the World Bank then with Chris Cox
and others here then on the Republican side of the aisle, working
together--pursuing massive infrastructure projects that violate the
social, economic, and cultural rights of Tibetans, forcing scores of
families from their homes and even detaining monks for peaceful
protest.
And tightening access to Tibet for international visitors.
International journalists have stated that the isolation of Tibet is
worse than North Korea, allowing the Chinese Government to conceal
human rights abuses and environmentally damaging large-scale projects.
Today, the House is taking action to update and strengthen the
Tibetan Policy Act to address these growing threats.
We are supporting the Tibetan people's right to religious freedom and
genuine autonomy by formally establishing a U.S. policy that the
Tibetan Buddhist community has exclusive right to choose its religious
leaders, including a future 15th Dalai Lama.
Imagine that the Chinese Government should think that they should be
choosing the next Dalai Lama of the Tibetan Buddhists.
We are sending Beijing a clear signal that they will be held
accountable for interfering in Tibet's religious and cultural affairs,
making it clear that Chinese officials who meddle in the process of
recognizing the new Dalai Lama will be subject to targeted sanctions,
including those in the Global Magnitsky Act.
We are protecting Tibet's environmental and cultural rights, working
with international governments and the business community to ensure the
self-sufficiency of the Tibetan people and protect the environment and
water resources of the Tibetan Plateau. This is really very important
to the sustainability of our planet.
This legislation also deploys America's diplomatic weight to
encourage a genuine dialogue between Tibetan leaders and Beijing. It is
unacceptable that the Chinese Government still refuses to enter into a
dialogue with Tibetan leaders.
{time} 1500
Congress will--and must--continue to take action to hold China
accountable for its many abuses which sadly target so many, including
the Uighur community--which Mr. McCaul and Mr. Rubio in a bipartisan
way had acted upon--which faces horrific human rights abuses, including
forced sterilizations and the mass incarceration of millions. This is
happening as we speak. Millions of people are subjected to this in
China.
And, as we know, the current party chairman of the Uighur Autonomous
Region, Secretary Chen, previously served as the top party official of
the Tibetan Autonomous Region. So oppressive was he, they rewarded him
by sending him to the Uighur Autonomous Region. That is so sad.
We also see human rights abuses, as we know, in Hong Kong, where
millions are fighting for the democratic freedoms they were promised
and, on the mainland, where journalists, human rights lawyers,
Christians, and democracy advocates languish in jail cells.
Today, in the face of rising oppression in China, Congress has an
urgent responsibility to act. Sikyong Dr. Lobsang Sangay, the President
of the Central Tibetan Administration, has said that, ``The very
survival of Tibetan culture and identity is in peril.''
Madam Speaker, if we don't speak out for human rights in China
because of commercial interests, then we lose all moral authority to
speak out for human rights anyplace in the world.
As I have said on this floor to those who take the repressive Chinese
Government's side, we ask: What does it profit a man to have gained the
whole world and suffers the loss of his soul?
Madam Speaker, I urge a strong vote for this legislation and support
the Tibetan people as they seek to defend their culture and their
identity and to pursue a future of freedom of religion and dignity.
I thank, again, the members of the Foreign Affairs Committee for
giving us the opportunity to talk about Tibet on the floor of the House
today.
Repression in Tibet by the Chinese Government is a challenge to the
conscience of the world. Let's take this step to address that
challenge.
[[Page H601]]
Mr. PHILLIPS. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Phillips) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4331, as amended.
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. PHILLIPS. Madam 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.
____________________