[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 21]
[House]
[Pages 29723-29727]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           TORTURE VICTIMS RELIEF REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2003

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 1813) to amend the Torture Victims Relief Act of 
1998 to authorize appropriations to provide assistance for domestic and 
foreign centers and programs for the treatment of victims of torture, 
and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 1813

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Torture Victims Relief 
     Reauthorization Act of 2003''.

     SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR DOMESTIC 
                   TREATMENT CENTERS FOR VICTIMS OF TORTURE.

       (a) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 5(b)(1) of 
     the Torture Victims Relief Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 2152 note) 
     is amended to read as follows:
       ``(1) Authorization of appropriations.--Of the amounts 
     authorized to be appropriated for the Department of Health 
     and Human Services for fiscal years 2004 and 2005, there are 
     authorized to be appropriated to carry out subsection (a) 
     (relating to assistance for domestic centers and programs for 
     the treatment of victims of torture) $20,000,000 for fiscal 
     year 2004 and $25,000,000 for fiscal year 2005.''.
       (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) 
     shall take effect October 1, 2003.

     SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR FOREIGN TREATMENT 
                   CENTERS FOR VICTIMS OF TORTURE.

       (a) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 4(b)(1) of 
     the Torture Victims Relief Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 2152 note) 
     is amended to read as follows:
       ``(1) Authorization of appropriations.--Of the amounts 
     authorized to be appropriated for fiscal years 2004 and 2005 
     pursuant to chapter 1 of part I of the Foreign Assistance Act 
     of 1961, there are authorized to be appropriated to the 
     President to carry out section 130 of such Act (relating to 
     assistance for centers in foreign countries and programs for 
     the treatment of victims of torture) $11,000,000 for fiscal 
     year 2004 and $12,000,000 for fiscal year 2005.''.
       (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) 
     shall take effect October 1, 2003.

     SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE UNITED STATES 
                   CONTRIBUTION TO THE UNITED NATIONS VOLUNTARY 
                   FUND FOR VICTIMS OF TORTURE.

       Of the amounts authorized to be appropriated for fiscal 
     years 2004 and 2005 pursuant to chapter 3 of part I of the 
     Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, there are authorized to be 
     appropriated to the President for a voluntary contribution to 
     the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture 
     $6,000,000 for fiscal year 2004 and $7,000,000 for fiscal 
     year 2005.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
Jersey (Mr. Smith) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) each 
will control 20 minutes.

[[Page 29724]]

  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith).


                             General Leave

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that 
all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and 
extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill that 
is under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New Jersey?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, torture remains a cruel weapon of choice for 
antidemocratic, dictatorial regimes around the globe. It is used to 
silence opposition leaders and to suffocate political dissent.
  Today, torture is commonplace and, sadly, systematic. In many 
countries around the globe, including the People's Republic of China, 
Cuba, and many countries in Africa, the Middle East, it is used to 
extract confessions. It is used to humiliate, to punish. It is used to 
crush people's souls and hearts and their bodies and to break them 
while they are in captivity. Torturers themselves, it turns out and is 
no surprise to any of us, are sadistic and cruel beyond imagination.
  Mr. Speaker, even torturing a single, carefully targeted individual 
can have a multiplier effect, sending a message of fear throughout the 
entire community and even across generations. For example, the 
paralyzing effect of torture is painfully clear in Turkmenistan where 
countless people have been tortured, killed and disappeared in the wake 
of last year's November 25 attack on President Niyazov's motorcade.
  We see it throughout China, especially regarding people who are part 
of the Falun Gong. Hundreds of them have been tortured to death simply 
because of their expression of their conscience in that religious 
expression. We see it with the Buddhists and others. We see it with the 
Catholics in the underground church in China where, again, these 
individuals are routinely and through incredible harshness tortured.
  I point out to my colleagues that even after a dictatorial regime has 
fallen, as it has in Iraq, the impact of torture can be felt for years. 
Leaders are broken and lost. There is a profound lack of trust in 
public institutions, in the police and in courts. Unless we find a way 
to understand and to heal the legacy of torture people will be unable 
to work with each other to rebuild their nation. Individuals who are 
tortured, who carry around both psychologically and in their person 
that legacy, very often suffer post-traumatic stress disorder, one of 
the worst expressions or manifestations or legacies of that torture. 
Unless we are able to heal or provide or facilitate that healing, these 
people are literally walking time bombs, and we will find it hard both 
in these countries and the emigre community to build institutions that 
will not fail.
  I think many Members will be surprised to learn that in the United 
States there are an estimated 500,000 torture survivors, most of whom 
came to the United States as refugees. Worldwide, while it is 
impossible to count the actual number, Amnesty International has 
documented torture in 150 countries. So we know the number is in the 
millions.
  The Torture Victims Relief Reauthorization Act before the body today 
provides $20 million to the Department of Health and Human Services to 
assist treatment programs in the United States for fiscal 2004 and $25 
million for fiscal year 2005.
  Mr. Speaker, in spite of these numbers, and this is an increase over 
the previous year's, the number of survivors seeking treatment in U.S. 
centers funded through this legislation has steadily increased. The 
word is getting out that one can go to these centers and get treatment, 
and the process, very often a lifelong process of healing, can begin.
  We found, or there has been a finding I should say, that when the 
centers first opened there were about 935 people who were helped in 
1999 as a result of the legislation we passed then. That jumped to 
1,550 clients served in 2000 to 2,579 in 2001. We now know that there 
are some 3,664 clients that have gotten services at a cost of about 
$3,500 per client in fiscal year 2002. With the additional funding that 
we contemplate that this bill would authorize, it is estimated that 
U.S. centers would have the capacity and the ability to serve an 
additional 2,800 survivors per year.
  Torture treatment centers provide a range of services, Mr. Speaker, 
including medical exams, lab tests, psychological and psychiatric 
screening evaluations, psychiatric medication, individual, group and 
family therapy, and crisis counseling.
  In addition, the network of treatment centers already in the U.S., 
and we know this, needs to be expanded; and I would point out to my 
colleagues there are a number of large cities with large emigre 
communities with torture victims who are not being served in places 
like Miami, New Orleans, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, Cleveland, St. 
Louis, Kansas City, Salt Lake City, and Seattle. Hopefully, as a result 
of this reauthorization and the subsequent appropriations, money will 
be made available to craft or to establish those centers that are so 
vitally needed in those cities.
  The Torture Victims Relief Reauthorization Act also authorizes $11 
million in U.S. funds for the Agency for International Development to 
support foreign treatment centers in 2004 and $12 million in fiscal 
year 2005. This is a modest increase from the $10 million we first 
authorized in 1999; and, of course, the need is much more than that, 
but at least this is an attempt to try to meet some of that need.
  USAID's Victims of Torture Fund, I would point out to my colleagues, 
administers treatment programs in 26 countries in Latin America, 
Africa, Asia, the Near East, and in Europe. Last year, the fund 
supported approximately 45 treatment programs. Nongovernmental 
organizations that receive this funding provide a direct service to 
survivors, to their families and communities. They strengthen the 
capacity of country-based institutions to deliver services to survivors 
and increase the level of knowledge and understanding about the needs 
of torture victims. These treatment centers can also gather forensic 
evidence that can be used to improve the capability of those 
documenting and seeking redress from the practice of torture.
  To help meet the needs of victims around the globe, I would remind my 
colleagues that the U.N. established a fund back in 1981, and before we 
passed our first act, the United States' contribution to that fund was 
only in the hundreds of thousands. We have now pushed that number to $5 
million, and this legislation would increase it to $7 million; and 
hopefully that, too, will be part of the fix to help mitigate the 
suffering endured by torture victims.
  This is a good bill. I hope my colleagues will support it. I want to 
thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos), my good friend and 
colleague and the ranking member of the committee, who is the chief 
cosponsor and has worked with us hand in glove in crafting this 
legislation. I especially want to thank the gentleman from Illinois 
(Mr. Hyde), our good friend and colleague, the chairman of our 
committee, for his leadership on this very unrecognized and very below-
most-people's-radar-screens issue. They often say torture victims, what 
are we talking about, and yet they are in our midst. They are 
suffering. They need help. This legislation provides at least some 
help.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, 
and I rise in strong support of this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, the Torture Victims Relief Reauthorization Act of 2003 
ensures that our Nation continues to play a leadership role in 
combatting one of the most despicable of all human rights violations, 
the use of torture around the globe.
  I was very pleased to join with the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. 
Smith), my good friend and distinguished colleague, in sponsoring this

[[Page 29725]]

measure. I would like to commend the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. 
Smith) for his long-standing leadership on this issue, and I want to 
congratulate him for all of his work to support the heroic endeavors of 
all clinics around the world in the treatment of victims of torture. He 
is in the forefront of every single issue relating to human rights, and 
he has carried the ball on this issue as well.
  On June 26, 1945, Mr. Speaker, the United Nations charter was signed, 
inaugurating the global fight for human rights. On the same day, 42 
years later, the United Nations convention against torture came into 
force, declaring the depravity of torture and affirming the equal and 
inalienable rights of all members of the human family. In 1998, the 
United Nations declared June 26 an international day in support of 
torture victims.
  Mr. Speaker, despite the work that has been done on the international 
front to prevent torture, it is a grim truth that governments worldwide 
continue to torture their citizens with impunity. Exact figures are 
difficult to come by, but Amnesty International estimates that some 117 
countries, more than half of the countries on the face of this planet, 
still practice torture on their own citizens.
  Pakistan, Guatemala, Zimbabwe, and China consistently rank high on 
this grim and despicable list. In some nations, the governments 
themselves carry out the torture. In some, they condone its use by the 
nation's political machinery.
  The ramifications of torture practices are beyond the realm of the 
comprehension of normal human beings. Torture leaves no victim 
unscarred. It effectively shapes the remainder of his or her life. 
Torture survivors need psychological and physical therapy to cope with 
the post-traumatic stress that afflicts them every single day.

                              {time}  1300

  Recovering from torture, Mr. Speaker, is a long-term process. It can 
take years before torture survivors can once again feel emotionally 
stable and comfortable in their own society.
  Mr. Speaker, it sometimes just takes one individual to stand strong 
against the darkness of human rights violations. The torture victims 
treatment center community is fortunate to have such a person in my 
wife's and my good friend, Dr. Inge Genefke, of Copenhagen, Denmark.
  Dr. Genefke started her work for torture victims as cofounder of the 
Danish Medical Group of Amnesty International 30 years ago. She 
observed during the treatment of torture victims that the physical 
wounds of those lucky enough to survive torture heal with time, but the 
trauma of her clients lingered on much longer.
  In 1982, Dr. Genefke started a multidisciplinarian treatment approach 
integrating physical and psychological treatment. Her work has been 
utilized by torture victim treatment centers across the globe, 
dramatically improving the treatment of torture victims in scores of 
countries.
  An estimated half a million foreign torture survivors reside in the 
United States, and we estimate that about 100 million live worldwide. 
There are now 250 treatment centers for torture victims 
internationally, with the sole purpose of providing crucial services to 
survivors of torture. In our own country, the Center for Victims of 
Torture in Minnesota was the first of its kind in the United States and 
the third torture victims center in the world, and I want to pay 
tribute to my friend and colleague, the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. 
McCollum), for her leadership role in connection with this important 
center.
  These centers are among those funded through the Torture Victims 
Relief Act, and their work is the only hope for people who have endured 
torture. I urge all of my colleagues to support our legislation, H.R. 
1813.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to yield 4 minutes to the 
gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. McCollum), my good friend and 
distinguished colleague, who has been a leader on all human rights 
issues, including the plight of torture victims.
  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge the valuable 
work that is being done to aid victims of torture and in strong support 
of the Torture Victims Relief Reauthorization Act of 2003. I commend my 
colleagues, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), the ranking 
member, the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) and the gentleman 
from Illinois (Mr. Hyde) for this important piece of legislation, and I 
commend the leadership of the House for bringing this bill to the floor 
today.
  Mr. Speaker, Minnesota is the home for the Center for the Victims of 
Torture, a world renowned treatment center for the healing of torture 
victims. When the center opened in 1985, it became the first of its 
kind in the United States and the third treatment center in the entire 
world. And right now the center is putting the final touches on a 
second clinic in St. Paul, Minnesota. In fact, this new clinic is only 
a few blocks from my home, and my neighbors and I welcome the center 
and their tireless commitment to serve torture victims.
  Mr. Speaker, the use of torture is a tool of intimidation, and the 
oppression continues to take place in more than 120 countries 
worldwide. It is estimated that one-third of the world's 12 million 
refugees are victims of torture. Many victims of torture are community 
leaders, those individuals who stand up and speak out for social 
change, political and religious change. The victims are often teachers, 
students, journalists, trade union organizers, human rights activists, 
or elected leaders, and they represent people of all ages, social 
classes, and religious beliefs.
  Groups that sanction and sponsor and commit torture focus on these 
leaders because they want to inflict terror, intimidation and fear on 
entire communities because torture is about control. Frequently, the 
aim of this brutality is not to kill the victim, but to break their 
will. In many instances, doctors and medical personnel participate 
during the torture sessions to ensure that the victim will not die. The 
victims are humiliated, crippled, traumatized and then returned to 
their communities as a brutal message of intimidation to others.
  Once a person has been tortured, their life has been fundamentally 
changed. But there is hope. Through this bill, thousands of torture 
victims living in the United States will receive the care that they 
need to heal and reenter society and lead positive, productive lives. 
The U.S. can be proud of the leadership we have shown in working to 
heal the victims of torture. Our country is a leader in the 
rehabilitation programs and continues to work to prevent torture around 
the globe.
  The world community should continue to look to the United States for 
leadership because in the struggle of torture, the American people have 
answered the call. Torture relief is providing hope and opportunity for 
victims and families. The treatment is working, but there is more that 
can be done. This legislation will double the current support for our 
Nation's treatment centers, ensuring hope and opportunity for victims 
to receive the care that they need.
  This legislation also creates a partnership by increasing funding for 
foreign treatment centers and strengthening our commitment to the 
United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture. This bill sends a 
strong message to the international community that treating victims of 
torture is a priority and that we welcome the support of our like-
minded friends around the globe.
  Mr. Speaker, in closing, I would like to say that torture is a crime 
against humanity, unacceptable at any time by any nation, and any 
nation that tortures or tolerates torture is not truly free. Any 
government that silently witnesses the horrors of torture or hears the 
screams of the victims but does not act contributes to this oppressive, 
inhumane crime that extinguishes the essence of our human dignity.
  Today, this Congress has an opportunity to speak with one voice for

[[Page 29726]]

those who have suffered the unimaginable and continue to suffer. The 
message is clear and simple: Support this bill. And I encourage my 
colleagues to not only support the legislation, but to help fund this 
legislation.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume to 
thank my friend from Minnesota for her eloquent and powerful statement.
  Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to yield such time as he may consume to 
the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cardin), a fighter for human rights 
and the distinguished ranking member of the Helsinki Commission, the 
most successful international entity working for human rights.
  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. Speaker, let me thank the gentleman for yielding me 
this time and just associate myself with the comments that he has made, 
that the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. McCollum) has made and those 
that the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) has made. I think we are 
all in agreement that the United States must continue its leadership 
role in the international community to condemn in the strongest 
possible way the use of torture and to be a leader in rehabilitating 
those victims of torture.
  We are talking about the physical and mental rehabilitation of people 
who have suffered from torture. These are people who need help, and 
this legislation will provide that additional assistance. It is the 
right thing to do.
  I want to thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos), who has 
been a leader in this Congress on so many human rights issues in so 
many different ways. He has really, I think, provided the moral compass 
for this Congress to take up many of these very important issues. So I 
applaud all of his efforts in this regard.
  Mr. Speaker, I agree with the gentleman from California on his 
assessment of the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), who is the 
chairman of our Helsinki Commission. I have had the honor of being the 
ranking Democrat, and our commission has put a very high focus on the 
issues of torture. And, quite frankly, we do not care whether the 
country has good relationships with us or not. If they use torture, it 
is wrong, and we are going to bring it to the international community's 
attention, and we are going to do everything we can in order to make 
sure it does not occur.
  I have a list here of all the different hearings and briefings we 
have had on our commission, and you will see the country list, 
unfortunately, is very long. It includes many countries. We have put a 
spotlight and I think we have done a lot of good in slowing down the 
use of torture and making it clear that there will be a price to pay if 
you use torture in your country.
  This legislation basically extends our role, to make it clear that 
the United States will continue to be a leader on this issue 
internationally by doing what we can here domestically, as well as 
internationally, to aid the victims of torture. I am pleased that it 
significantly increases the dollars that will be made available for our 
treatment programs here in the United States, as well as our 
participation internationally.
  The gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. McCollum) mentioned the first 
center in the United States in Minnesota, and she is very proud of the 
role that was played by her State and herself, through her leadership, 
on this issue. I am pleased there is an organization in my district, 
the Advocates for Survivors of Torture and Trauma that aids victims of 
torture. Since 2000, the number of people that have sought assistance 
in this center has tripled. That is an indication of the problem that 
we are confronting in being a country that is willing to take people 
who have to flee other countries because of persecution, and now we 
have a responsibility to bring them back fully within our society. The 
funding of these centers will help to do that. It is the right thing to 
do. Without these additional funds in my community, it would take over 
a month to get an appointment. We hope this money will speed up the 
opportunity to seek and be able to receive the appropriate type of 
assistance.
  The bottom line is this is an important bill. It is going to help 
people and will continue our commitment to fight torture and to be a 
player in rehabilitating the lives of those who have suffered from the 
use of torture. I encourage all of colleagues to support this 
legislation.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume to 
thank my friend for his powerful and significant statement.
  Mr. Speaker, I have no additional requests for time, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 1 minute to 
thank my friends and colleagues for their very strong statements and 
their passion on this issue.
  The gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cardin), who is the ranking Democrat 
on the Helsinki Commission, we work together. There is no division. 
There is no air between our shoulders as we promote human rights in 
general and the elimination, or a zero tolerance policy towards torture 
within the OSCE.
  There are 55 countries that make up the OSCE. At the parliamentary 
assemblies and with bilateral meetings and with country visits, we 
bring this issue up. We bring it up with the heads of state, we go to 
gulags, like the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wolf), who is also a 
member of our commission, and we do all that we can to stop torture in 
the first place.
  But as this bill seeks to do, there are victims, they number in the 
millions, and their needs are not being cared for in many instances, 
especially overseas. The lucky ones make it here as emigres and as 
asylum seekers, and we have to make sure that both domestically and 
internationally, we try to mitigate that enormous pain and the 
nightmares they carry with them. As we know from our hearings and from 
our site visits from talking to these victims, maybe they cannot be 
cured fully and completely, but the pain can be eliminated to a great 
extent, and they can develop coping mechanisms and the like in order to 
deal with it and live a more normal life despite the fact that they 
have suffered so horrifically.
  So I want to thank my friends and colleagues. And again, the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos), who knows this personally, who 
is a Holocaust survivor and is always out front on human rights. It is 
always great to work as a teammate with him. And, again, I thank the 
gentleman from Maryland for his kinds words, as well as my friend and 
colleague from Minnesota, I want to thank her as well.
  Mr. SABO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge the important work 
that is being done to aid victims of torture, and to reemphasize my 
support for the reauthorization of the Torture Victims Relief Act, 
TVRA.
  Minneapolis, Minnesota, is home to the United States first 
comprehensive torture treatment center, the Center for Victims of 
Torture, CVT. When CVT opened in 1985 they were the first center in the 
United States and only the third in the entire world.
  Freedom from torture is a universal and fundamental human right. Yet 
torture continues to take place in more than 120 countries worldwide. 
It is estimated that one-third of the world's 12 million refugees are 
victims of torture. Politicians, journalists, teachers, students, 
religious leaders, trade union and human rights activists are all 
targets. The aim of torture is not to kill the victim, but to break 
down the victim's personality. Crippled, traumatized, and humiliated, 
the victims are returned to their communities as a warning to others.
  Torture is fundamentally a political weapon, employed by repressive 
regimes to shape cultures through fear. For over a decade, what the 
clients in Minnesota have taught us, as well as victims from over 70 
other nations of the world, is that torture:
  Targets leadership of the opposition, to snuff out creativity and 
emerging movements, which may threaten the regimes corrupt hold on 
society;
  Sends a message of fear throughout the network of that leader's 
family and community of followers and admirers. As a bishop from Africa 
once said about the meaning of torture, the message is clear: ``If 
they'll do this to me, what will they do to my flock?''
  In Minnesota we have also learned how traumas of this severity and 
scale have a trans-generational effect, shaping the health, the hopes 
and the aspirations of future generations.

[[Page 29727]]

  Because of these significant and predictable effects, torture is the 
most effective weapon against democracy. Even after a dictatorial 
regime has fallen, as it has in Iraq, we can expect that the impact of 
torture will be felt for generations: leadership broken and lost; their 
families and communities still frightened and disengaged from public 
life; a profound lack of trust in public institutions, police, and 
courts; a lesson in forced political apathy learned and lived out every 
day.
  There are more than 500,000 torture survivors in the United States 
alone--refugees and asylum seekers who have fled repressive regimes. In 
recent years, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of 
victims of torture seeking help at U.S. rehabilitation centers. In the 
U.S. there are 34 rehabilitation centers and programs joined together 
under the National Consortium of Torture Treatment Programs, which was 
first started by the Center for Victims of Torture in Minnesota.
  I have seen leadership restored and people made whole after they have 
received care at CVT. Restoring a torture survivor to full health has a 
lasting benefit for the entire community. Former clients of CVT are now 
public school teachers, small business owners, nurses, doctors and 
more. I would like to commend CVT for their tireless work on behalf of 
torture victims in the U.S. and worldwide, and encourage my colleagues 
to support the reauthorization of the Torture Victims Relief Act.
  Mr. RAMSTAD. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise in strong support of 
H.R. 1813, the Torture Victims Relief Authorization Act.
  I am especially proud that the first Center for Victims of Torture in 
the United States is located in Minnesota. Minnesota's Center for 
Victims of Torture is certainly one of the premier centers for torture 
survivors in the entire world.
  Minnesota is home to about 14,000 victims of torture, and there are 
some 400,000 victims of torture in our country. Even though people are 
becoming increasingly aware of the issue of torture, support and 
treatment for the victims have often been lacking.
  That's where the center, with its excellent leadership, comes in. We 
in Minnesota have learned much, and now we want to bring that 
leadership, and the path-breaking work of the center, to the rest of 
the country.
  Mr. Speaker, this important legislation provides support for 
Minnesota's Center for Victims of Torture and will enable our world-
renowned Center to continue providing rehabilitation and other critical 
services to victims of torture.
  All Minnesotans can be proud of our Center for Victims of Torture, 
which helps victims of torture recover from their horrific pain, 
suffering and scars.
  Mr. Speaker, the issues of torture and human rights have finally 
penetrated the global consciousness, and I urge my colleagues to 
support passage of this important legislation.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for 
time, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Shimkus). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1813, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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