[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 120 (Thursday, July 13, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S2485]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 289. Mr. MENENDEZ submitted an amendment intended to be proposed 
by him to the bill S. 2226, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 
2024 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military 
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, 
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for 
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the end of subtitle D of title XII, add the following:

     SEC. 1269. ENHANCED COOPERATION WITH ASEAN.

       (a) Statement of Policy on Deepening Cooperation With 
     ASEAN.--It is the policy of the United States--
       (1) to reaffirm the United States-ASEAN Comprehensive 
     Strategic Partnership, established in 2022 following 45 years 
     of Dialogue Partnership;
       (2) to enhance United States-ASEAN cooperation in support 
     of an open, transparent, resilient, inclusive and rules-based 
     regional architecture in the Indo-Pacific;
       (3) to support regular, high-level United States official 
     engagement with ASEAN, including the participation in the 
     annual ASEAN Summit held each year;
       (4) to enhance cooperation with ASEAN member states, as 
     appropriate, as well as with the institution of ASEAN and the 
     ASEAN Secretariat, including through the United States 
     Mission to ASEAN, led by the United States Ambassador to 
     ASEAN; and
       (5) to welcome the decision in-principle by ASEAN to admit 
     Timor-Leste to be ASEAN's 11th member state and to encourage 
     United States support to Timor-Leste in its capacity as an 
     official ASEAN observer.
       (b) Sense of Congress on the Establishment of an ASEAN 
     Delegation to the United States.--It is the sense of Congress 
     that--
       (1) it is in the United States interest to encourage the 
     establishment, at the earliest opportunity, of an ASEAN 
     delegation to the United States, to enhance cooperation 
     between ASEAN and the United States at all levels; and
       (2) the establishment of an ASEAN center in the United 
     States would support United States economic and cultural 
     engagement with Southeast Asia.
       (c) Extension of Diplomatic Immunities to the Association 
     of Southeast Asian Nations.--The provisions of the 
     International Organizations Immunities Act (22 U.S.C. 288 et 
     seq.) may be extended to the Association of Southeast Asian 
     Nations in the same manner, to the same extent, and subject 
     to the same conditions as such provisions may be extended to 
     a public international organization in which the United 
     States participates pursuant to any treaty or under the 
     authority of any Act of Congress authorizing such 
     participation or making an appropriation for such 
     participation.
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