[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 125 (Thursday, July 20, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S3466]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 993. Mr. MERKLEY 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 appropriate place, insert the following:

     SEC. ___. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY AND DEPARTMENT OF 
                   JUSTICE INITIATIVES TO COMBAT TRANSNATIONAL 
                   REPRESSION IN THE UNITED STATES.

       (a) In General.--The Secretary of Homeland Security and the 
     Attorney General, in consultation with the Director of the 
     Federal Bureau of Investigation, shall--
       (1) dedicate resources to ensure that a tip line for 
     victims and witnesses of transnational repression--
       (A) is staffed by people who are--
       (i) equipped with cultural and linguistic ability to 
     communicate effectively with diaspora and exile communities; 
     and
       (ii) knowledgeable of the tactics of transnational 
     repression; and
       (B) is encrypted and, to the maximum extent practicable, 
     protects the confidentiality of the identifying information 
     of individuals who may call the tip line;
       (2) not later than 270 days after the date of the enactment 
     of this Act--
       (A) identify existing Federal resources to assist and 
     protect individuals and communities targeted by transnational 
     repression in the United States; and
       (B) in cooperation with the Secretary of Health and Human 
     Services and the heads of other Federal agencies, publish 
     such resources in a toolkit or guide;
       (3) continue to conduct proactive outreach so that 
     individuals in targeted communities--
       (A) are aware of the tip line described in paragraph (1); 
     and
       (B) are informed about the types of incidents that should 
     be reported to the Federal Bureau of Investigation;
       (4) support data collection and analysis undertaken by 
     Federal research and development centers regarding the needs 
     of targeted communities in the United States, with the goal 
     of identifying priority needs and developing solutions and 
     assistance mechanisms, while recognizing that such mechanisms 
     may differ depending on geographic location of targeted 
     communities, language, and other factors;
       (5) continue to issue advisories to, and engage regularly 
     with, communities that are at particular risk of 
     transnational repression, including specific diaspora 
     communities--
       (A) to explain what transnational repression is and clarify 
     the threshold at which incidents of transnational repression 
     constitute a crime; and
       (B) to identify the resources available to individuals in 
     targeted communities to facilitate their reporting of, and to 
     protect them from, transnational repression, without placing 
     such individuals at additional risk; and
       (6) conduct annual trainings with caseworker staff in 
     congressional offices regarding the tactics of transnational 
     repression and the resources available to their constituents.
       (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized 
     to be appropriated $1,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 
     2024 through 2027, for the research, development, outreach, 
     and training activities described in subsection (a).
                                 ______