[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 130 (Tuesday, July 29, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Page S4834]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 3075. Mr. KAINE submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by 
him to the bill S. 2296, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 
2026 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 F of title X, add the following:

     SEC. 1067. NATIONAL REGISTRY OF KOREAN AMERICAN DIVIDED 
                   FAMILIES.

       (a) National Registry.--
       (1) In general.--The Secretary of State, acting through the 
     Special Envoy on North Korean Human Rights Issues, the 
     Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs, or such 
     other individual as the Secretary may designate, shall--
       (A) engage, to the extent practicable, Korean American 
     families who wish to be reunited with family members residing 
     in North Korea from which such Korean American families were 
     divided after the signing of the Agreement Concerning a 
     Military Armistice in Korea, signed at Panmunjom July 27, 
     1953 (commonly referred to as the ``Korean War Armistice 
     Agreement'' ), in anticipation of future reunions for such 
     families and family members, including in-person and video 
     reunions; and
       (B) establish a private, internal national registry of the 
     names and other relevant information of such Korean American 
     families--
       (i) to facilitate such future reunions; and
       (ii) to provide for a repository of information about such 
     Korean American families and family members in North Korea, 
     including information about individuals who may be deceased.
       (2) Disclosure of information.--The Secretary of State may 
     enter into agreements with Korean individuals and families, 
     academic institutions, or other members of the public, as 
     appropriate, to share, in whole or in part, information 
     collected and housed in the database if--
       (A) the United States person whose personally identifiable 
     information would be disclosed as a result of an agreement 
     has provided consent to such disclosure; and
       (B) the agreement outlines reasonable steps and commitments 
     to ensure that any information disclosed as a result of such 
     agreement is--
       (i) kept private and confidential; and
       (ii) will not be disclosed improperly to other parties 
     outside the agreement.
       (b) Actions to Facilitate Dialogue Between the United 
     States and North Korea.--
       (1) In general.--The Secretary of State should take steps 
     to ensure that any direct dialogue between the United States 
     and North Korea includes progress towards holding future 
     reunions for Korean American families and their family 
     members in North Korea.
       (2) Consultations.--The Secretary of State shall consult 
     with the Government of the Republic of Korea, as appropriate, 
     in carrying out this subsection.
       (3) Reporting requirement.--
       (A) In general.--The Secretary of State, acting through the 
     Special Envoy on North Korean Human Rights Issues, shall 
     include in each report required under section 107(d) of the 
     North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004 (22 U.S.C. 7817(d)) a 
     description of the consultations described in paragraph (2) 
     conducted during the year preceding the submission of the 
     report.
       (B) Elements.--The reporting required under subparagraph 
     (A) should include--
       (i) the status of the national registry established 
     pursuant to subsection (a)(1)(B);
       (ii) the number of individuals included on the registry 
     who--

       (I) have met their family members in North Korea during 
     previous reunions; and
       (II) have yet to meet their family members in North Korea;

       (iii) a summary of responses by North Korea to requests by 
     the United States Government to hold reunions of divided 
     families; and
       (iv) a description of actions taken by North Korea that 
     prevent the emigration of family members of Korean American 
     families.
       (c) Appropriate Congressional Committees Defined.--In this 
     section, the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' 
     means the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and 
     the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 
     Representatives.
                                 ______