[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 71 (Tuesday, April 23, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S3065]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 1906. Ms. WARREN submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by
her 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:
At the appropriate place, insert the following:
SEC. __. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CIVILIAN HARM INCIDENT
RESPONSE GUIDANCE.
(a) Appropriate Congressional Committees Defined.--In this
section, the term ``appropriate congressional committees''
means--
(1) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate;
(2) the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate;
(3) the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate;
(4) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of
Representatives;
(5) the Committee on Armed Services of the House of
Representatives; and
(6) the Committee on Appropriations of the House of
Representatives.
(b) Allocation of Funding.--Of the amount appropriated by
this Act, $10,000,000 shall be made available to the
Department of State for the 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 1-year period ending on
the date of the enactment of this Act.
(c) 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.
(d) 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 a report to the appropriate
congressional committees that summarizes all civilian harm
events considered in the preceding year under the Civilian
Harm Incident Response Guidance, including the location,
summary of investigation, and findings.
(e) 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 an
unclassified report to the appropriate congressional
committees 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.
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