[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 23 (Thursday, February 8, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S506-S507]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 1403. Ms. WARREN (for herself, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Welch, Mr. 
Merkley, and Mr. Kaine) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed 
to amendment SA 1388 submitted by Mrs. Murray (for herself and Mr. 
Schumer) and intended to be proposed to the bill H.R. 815, to amend 
title 38, United States Code, to make certain improvements relating to 
the eligibility of veterans to receive reimbursement for emergency 
treatment furnished through the Veterans Community Care program, and 
for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       On page 61, between lines 14 and 15, insert the following:

     SEC. 709. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CIVILIAN HARM INCIDENT 
                   RESPONSE GUIDANCE.

       (a) Allocation of Funding.--Of the amount appropriated by 
     this Act, $10,000,000 shall be made available to the 
     Department of State for implementation by the Bureau of 
     Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, in coordination with the 
     Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, of the Civilian Harm 
     Incident Response Guidance, with a priority on investigating 
     reports of civilian harm caused by United States-origin 
     weapons in conflict areas during the one-year period ending 
     on the date of the enactment of this Act.
       (b) Publication of Civilian Harm Incident Response 
     Guidance.--The Secretary of State shall publish the text of 
     the Civilian Harm Incident Response Guidance on a publicly 
     accessible website in unclassified form.
       (c) Annual Report.--Not later than 90 days after the date 
     of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the 
     Secretary of State shall submit to the appropriate 
     congressional committees a report summarizing all civilian 
     harm events considered in the preceding year under the 
     Civilian Harm Incident Response Guidance, including the 
     location, summary of investigation, and findings.

[[Page S507]]

       (d) Reports on Civilian Harm Events in Violation of 
     International Law.--Not later than 30 days after the 
     Secretary of State determines that United States-origin 
     weapons have been used in a civilian harm event in violation 
     of international law, the Secretary of State shall submit to 
     the appropriate congressional committees an unclassified 
     report that includes--
       (1) a description of the civilian harm event, including the 
     nature of the violation, the perpetrator, and the event's 
     location;
       (2) a description of the Department of State's 
     investigation of the civilian harm event;
       (3) a description of all United States defense articles or 
     services used in the civilian harm event;
       (4) the authority under which a transfer of such defense 
     articles of services occurred; and
       (5) a description of measures that the Department of State 
     has taken to ensure accountability for and nonrecurrence of 
     such harm.
       (e) Appropriate Congressional Committees Defined.--In this 
     section, the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' 
     means--
       (1) the Committee on Foreign Relations, the Committee on 
     Armed Forces, and the Committee on Appropriations of the 
     Senate; and
       (2) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on 
     Armed Forces, and the Committee on Appropriations of the 
     House of Representatives.
                                 ______