[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 6]
[House]
[Pages 8001-8006]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




        PROTECT AND PRESERVE INTERNATIONAL CULTURAL PROPERTY ACT

  Mr. CHABOT. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 1493) to protect and preserve international cultural 
property at risk due to political instability, armed conflict, or 
natural or other disasters, and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 1493

       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 ``Protect and Preserve 
     International Cultural Property Act''.

     SEC. 2. DEFINITION.

       In this Act:
       (1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
     ``appropriate congressional committees'' means the Committee 
     on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on Ways and Means, the 
     Committee on Armed Services, and the Committee on the 
     Judiciary of the House of Representatives and the Committee 
     on Foreign Relations, the Committee on Finance, the Committee 
     on Armed Services, and the Committee on the Judiciary of the 
     Senate.
       (2) Cultural property.--The term ``cultural property'' 
     includes property covered under--
       (A) the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural 
     Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, concluded at The 
     Hague on May 14, 1954 (Treaty Doc. 106-1(A));
       (B) Article 1 of the Convention Concerning the Protection 
     of the World's Cultural and Natural Heritage, adopted by 
     UNESCO on November 23, 1972 (commonly referred to as the 
     ``1972 Convention''); or
       (C) Article 1 of the Convention on the Means of Prohibiting 
     and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export, and Transfer of 
     Ownership of Cultural Property, adopted by UNESCO on November 
     14, 1970 (commonly referred to as the ``1970 UNESCO 
     Convention'').

     SEC. 3. FINDINGS AND STATEMENT OF POLICY.

       (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
       (1) Over the years, international cultural property has 
     been looted, trafficked, lost, damaged, or destroyed due to 
     political instability, armed conflict, natural disasters, and 
     other threats.
       (2) During China's Cultural Revolution, many antiques were 
     destroyed, including a large portion of old Beijing, and 
     Chinese authorities are now attempting to rebuild portions of 
     China's lost architectural heritage.
       (3) In 1975, the Khmer Rouge, after seizing power in 
     Cambodia, systematically destroyed mosques and nearly every 
     Catholic church in the country, along with many Buddhist 
     temples, statues, and Buddhist literature.
       (4) In 2001, the Taliban destroyed the Bamiyan Buddhas, 
     ancient statues carved into a cliffside in central 
     Afghanistan, leading to worldwide condemnation.
       (5) After the fall of Saddam Hussein, thieves looted the 
     Iraq Museum in Baghdad, resulting in the loss of 
     approximately 15,000 items, including ancient amulets, 
     sculptures, ivories, and cylinder seals. Many of these items 
     remain unrecovered.
       (6) The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami not only 
     affected 11 countries, causing massive loss of life, but also 
     damaged or destroyed libraries, archives, and World Heritage 
     Sites such as the Mahabalipuram in India, the Sun Temple of 
     Koranak on the Bay of Bengal, and the Old Town of Galle and 
     its fortifications in Sri Lanka.
       (7) In Haiti, the 2010 earthquake destroyed art, artifacts, 
     and archives, and partially destroyed the 17th century 
     Haitian city of Jacmel.
       (8) In Mali, the Al-Qaeda affiliated terrorist group Ansar 
     Dine destroyed tombs and shrines in the ancient city of 
     Timbuktu--a major center for trade, scholarship, and Islam in 
     the 15th and 16th centuries--and threatened collections of 
     ancient manuscripts.
       (9) In Egypt, recent political instability has led to the 
     ransacking of museums, resulting in the destruction of 
     countless ancient artifacts that will forever leave gaps in 
     humanity's record of the ancient Egyptian civilization.
       (10) In Syria, the ongoing civil war has resulted in the 
     shelling of medieval cities, damage to five World Heritage 
     Sites, and the looting of museums containing artifacts that 
     date back more than six millennia and include some of the 
     earliest examples of writing.
       (11) In Iraq and Syria, the militant group ISIL has 
     destroyed numerous cultural sites and artifacts, such as the 
     Tomb of Jonah in July 2014, in an effort to eradicate ethnic 
     and religious minorities from contested territories. 
     Concurrently, cultural antiquities that escape demolition are 
     looted and trafficked to help fund ISIL's militant 
     operations.
       (12) On February 12, 2015, the United Nations Security 
     Council unanimously adopted resolution 2199 (2015), which 
     ``[r]eaffirms its decision in paragraph 7 of resolution 1483 
     (2003) and decides that all Member States shall take 
     appropriate steps to prevent the trade in Iraqi and Syrian 
     cultural property and other items of archaeological, 
     historical, cultural, rare scientific, and religious 
     importance illegally removed from Iraq since 6 August 1990 
     and from Syria since 15 March 2011, including by prohibiting 
     cross-border trade in such items, thereby allowing for their 
     eventual safe return to the Iraqi and Syrian people.''.

[[Page 8002]]

       (13) United Nations Security Council resolution 2199 (2015) 
     also warns that ISIL and other extremist groups are 
     trafficking cultural heritage items from Iraq and Syria to 
     fund their recruitment efforts and carry out terrorist 
     attacks.
       (14) The destruction of cultural property represents an 
     irreparable loss of humanity's common cultural heritage and 
     is therefore a loss for all Americans.
       (15) Protecting international cultural property is a vital 
     part of United States cultural diplomacy, showing the respect 
     of the United States for other cultures and the common 
     heritage of humanity.
       (16) The United States Armed Forces have played important 
     roles in preserving and protecting cultural property. In 
     1943, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established a 
     commission to advise the United States military on the 
     protection of cultural property. The commission formed teams 
     of individuals known as the ``Monuments Men'' who are 
     credited with securing, cataloguing, and returning hundreds 
     of thousands of works of art stolen by the Nazis during World 
     War II.
       (17) The Department of State, in response to the Convention 
     on Cultural Property Implementation Act, noted that ``the 
     legislation is important to our foreign relations, including 
     our international cultural relations. The expanding worldwide 
     trade in objects of archaeological and ethnological interest 
     has led to wholesale depredations in some countries, 
     resulting in the mutilation of ceremonial centers and 
     archaeological complexes of ancient civilizations and the 
     removal of stone sculptures and reliefs.''. The Department 
     further noted that ``[t]he United States considers that on 
     grounds of principle, good foreign relations, and concern for 
     the preservation of the cultural heritage of mankind, it 
     should render assistance in these situations.''.
       (18) The U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield was founded in 
     2006 to support the implementation of the 1954 Hague 
     Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the 
     Event of Armed Conflict and to coordinate with the United 
     States military, other branches of the United States 
     Government, and other cultural heritage nongovernmental 
     organizations in preserving international cultural property 
     threatened by political instability, armed conflict, or 
     natural or other disasters.
       (b) Statement of Policy.--It shall be the policy of the 
     United States to--
       (1) protect and preserve international cultural property at 
     risk of looting, trafficking, and destruction due to 
     political instability, armed conflict, or natural or other 
     disasters;
       (2) protect international cultural property pursuant to its 
     obligations under international treaties to which the United 
     States is a party;
       (3) prevent, in accordance with existing laws, importation 
     of cultural property pillaged, looted, stolen, or trafficked 
     at all times, including during political instability, armed 
     conflict, or natural or other disasters; and
       (4) ensure that existing laws and regulations, including 
     import restrictions imposed through the Office of Foreign 
     Asset Control (OFAC) of the Department of the Treasury, are 
     fully implemented to prevent trafficking in stolen or looted 
     cultural property.

     SEC. 4. UNITED STATES COORDINATOR FOR INTERNATIONAL CULTURAL 
                   PROPERTY PROTECTION.

       The Secretary of State shall designate a Department of 
     State employee at the Assistant Secretary level or above to 
     serve concurrently as the United States Coordinator for 
     International Cultural Property Protection. The Coordinator 
     shall--
       (1) coordinate and promote efforts to protect international 
     cultural property, especially activities that involve 
     multiple Federal agencies;
       (2) act as Chair of the Coordinating Committee on 
     International Cultural Property Protection established under 
     section 5;
       (3) resolve interagency differences;
       (4) develop strategies to reduce illegal trade and 
     trafficking in international cultural property in the United 
     States and abroad, including by reducing consumer demand for 
     such trade;
       (5) support activities to assist countries that are the 
     principle sources of trafficked cultural property to protect 
     cultural heritage sites and to prevent cultural property 
     looting and theft;
       (6) work with and consult domestic and international actors 
     such as foreign governments, intergovernmental organizations, 
     nongovernmental organizations, museums, educational 
     institutions, and research institutions to protect 
     international cultural property; and
       (7) submit to the appropriate congressional committees the 
     annual report required under section 6.

     SEC. 5. COORDINATING COMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL CULTURAL 
                   PROPERTY PROTECTION.

       (a) Establishment.--There is established a Coordinating 
     Committee on International Cultural Property Protection (in 
     this section referred to as the ``Committee'').
       (b) Functions.--The full Committee shall meet not less 
     often than annually to coordinate and inform Federal efforts 
     to protect international cultural property and to facilitate 
     the work of the United States Coordinator for International 
     Cultural Property Protection designated under section 4.
       (c) Membership.--The Committee shall be composed of the 
     United States Coordinator for International Cultural Property 
     Protection, who shall act as Chair, and representatives of 
     the following:
       (1) The Department of State.
       (2) The Department of Defense.
       (3) The Department of Homeland Security, including U.S. 
     Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and 
     Border Protection.
       (4) The Department of the Interior.
       (5) The Department of Justice, including the Federal Bureau 
     of Investigation.
       (6) The United States Agency for International Development.
       (7) The Smithsonian Institution.
       (8) Such other entities as the Chair determines 
     appropriate.
       (d) Subcommittees.--The Committee may include such 
     subcommittees and taskforces as the Chair determines 
     appropriate. Such subcommittees or taskforces may be 
     comprised of a subset of the Committee members or of such 
     other members as the Chair determines appropriate. At the 
     discretion of the Chair, the provisions of the Federal 
     Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) and section 552b of 
     title 5 of the United States Code (relating to open meetings) 
     shall not apply to activities of such subcommittees or 
     taskforces.
       (e) Consultation.--The Committee shall consult with 
     governmental and nongovernmental organizations, including the 
     U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield, museums, educational 
     institutions, and research institutions on efforts to promote 
     and protect international cultural property.

     SEC. 6. REPORTS ON ACTIVITIES TO PROTECT INTERNATIONAL 
                   CULTURAL PROPERTY.

       Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of 
     this Act and annually thereafter for the next six years, the 
     Secretary of State, acting through the United States 
     Coordinator for International Cultural Property Protection, 
     and in consultation with the Administrator of the United 
     States Agency for International Development, the Secretary of 
     Defense, the Attorney General, and the Secretary of Homeland 
     Security, as appropriate, shall submit to the appropriate 
     congressional committees a report that includes information 
     on activities of--
       (1) the United States Coordinator and the Coordinating 
     Committee on International Cultural Property Protection to 
     protect international cultural property;
       (2) the Department of State to protect international 
     cultural property, including activities undertaken pursuant 
     to the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural 
     Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, and other statutes, 
     international agreements, and policies, including--
       (A) procedures the Department has instituted to protect 
     international cultural property at risk of destruction due to 
     political instability, armed conflict, or natural or other 
     disasters; and
       (B) actions the Department has taken to protect 
     international cultural property in conflicts to which the 
     United States is a party;
       (3) the United States Agency for International Development 
     (USAID) to protect international cultural property, including 
     activities and coordination with other Federal agencies, 
     international organizations, and nongovernmental 
     organizations regarding the protection of international 
     cultural property at risk due to political unrest, armed 
     conflict, natural or other disasters, and USAID development 
     programs;
       (4) the Department of Defense to protect international 
     cultural property, including activities undertaken pursuant 
     to the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural 
     Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and other cultural 
     property protection statutes and international agreements, 
     including--
       (A) directives, policies, and regulations the Department 
     has instituted to protect international cultural property at 
     risk of destruction due to political instability, armed 
     conflict, or natural or other disasters; and
       (B) actions the Department has taken to avoid damage to 
     cultural property through construction activities abroad; and
       (5) the Department of Homeland Security and the Department 
     of Justice, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, to 
     protect both international cultural property abroad and 
     international cultural property located in, or attempted to 
     be imported into, the United States, including activities 
     undertaken pursuant to statutes and international agreements, 
     including--
       (A) statutes and regulations the Department has employed in 
     criminal, civil, and civil forfeiture actions to prevent and 
     interdict trafficking in stolen and smuggled cultural 
     property, including investigations into transnational 
     organized crime and smuggling networks; and
       (B) actions the Department has taken in order to ensure the 
     consistent and effective application of law in cases relating 
     to both international cultural property abroad and 
     international cultural property located in, or attempted to 
     be imported into, the United States.

[[Page 8003]]



     SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION FOR FEDERAL AGENCIES TO ENGAGE IN 
                   INTERNATIONAL CULTURAL PROPERTY PROTECTION 
                   ACTIVITIES WITH THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION.

       Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any agency that 
     is involved in international cultural property protection 
     activities is authorized to enter into agreements or 
     memoranda of understanding with the Smithsonian Institution 
     to temporarily engage personnel from the Smithsonian 
     Institution for the purposes of furthering such international 
     cultural property protection activities.

     SEC. 8. EMERGENCY PROTECTION FOR SYRIAN CULTURAL PROPERTY.

       (a) Presidential Determination.--Notwithstanding subsection 
     (b) of section 304 of the Convention on Cultural Property 
     Implementation Act (19 U.S.C. 2603) (relating to a 
     Presidential determination that an emergency condition 
     applies with respect to any archaeological or ethnological 
     material of any State Party to the Convention), the President 
     shall apply the import restrictions referred to in such 
     section 304 with respect to any archaeological or 
     ethnological material of Syria, except that subsection (c) of 
     such section 304 shall not apply. Such import restrictions 
     shall take effect not later than 120 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act.
       (b) Annual Determination Regarding Certification.--
       (1) Determination.--
       (A) In general.--The President shall, not less often than 
     annually, determine whether at least one of the conditions 
     specified in subparagraph (B) is met, and shall notify the 
     appropriate congressional committees of such determination.
       (B) Conditions.--The conditions referred to in subparagraph 
     (A) are the following:
       (i) The Government of Syria is incapable, at the time a 
     determination under such subparagraph is made, of fulfilling 
     the requirements to request an agreement under section 303 of 
     the Convention on Cultural Property Implementation Act (19 
     U.S.C. 2602).
       (ii) It would be against the United States national 
     interest to enter into such an agreement.
       (2) Termination of restrictions.--The import restrictions 
     referred to in subsection (a) shall terminate on the date 
     that is five years after the date on which the President 
     determines that neither of the conditions specified in 
     paragraph (1)(B) are met, unless before such termination date 
     Syria requests to enter into an agreement with the United 
     States pursuant to section 303 of the Convention on Cultural 
     Property Implementation Act, in which case such import 
     restrictions may remain in effect until the earliest of 
     either--
       (A) the date that is three years after the date on which 
     Syria makes such a request; or
       (B) the date on which the United States and Syria enter 
     into such an agreement.
       (c) Waiver.--
       (1) In general.--The President may waive the import 
     restrictions referred to in subsection (a) for specified 
     cultural property if the President certifies to the 
     appropriate congressional committees that the conditions 
     described in paragraph (2) are met.
       (2) Conditions.--The conditions referred to in paragraph 
     (1) are the following:
       (A) The foreign owner or custodian of the specified 
     cultural property has requested such property be temporarily 
     located in the United States for protection purposes.
       (B) Such property shall be returned to the foreign owner or 
     custodian when requested by such foreign owner or custodian.
       (C) Granting a waiver under this subsection will not 
     contribute to illegal trafficking in cultural property or 
     financing of criminal or terrorist activities.
       (3) Action.--If the President grants a waiver under this 
     subsection, the specified cultural property that is the 
     subject of such waiver shall be placed in the temporary 
     custody of the United States Government or in the temporary 
     custody of a cultural or educational institution within the 
     United States for the purpose of protection, restoration, 
     conservation, study, or exhibition, without profit.
       (4) Rule of construction.--Nothing in this Act shall 
     prevent application of the Act to render immune from seizure 
     under judicial process certain objects of cultural 
     significance imported into the United States for temporary 
     display or exhibition, and for other purposes (22 U.S.C. 
     2459; Public Law 89-259) with respect to archaeological or 
     ethnological material of Syria.
       (d) Definitions.--In this section--
       (1) the term ``archaeological or ethnological material of 
     Syria'' means cultural property of Syria and other items of 
     archaeological, historical, cultural, rare scientific, or 
     religious importance unlawfully removed from Syria on or 
     after March 15, 2011; and
       (2) the term ``State Party'' has the meaning given such 
     term in section 302 of the Convention on Cultural Property 
     Implementation Act (19 U.S.C. 2601).

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Ohio (Mr. Chabot) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) each will 
control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Ohio.


                             General Leave

  Mr. CHABOT. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to 
include extraneous material on this bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Ohio?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. CHABOT. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, the history of civilization is under attack. The 
Islamic State, also known as ISIS, continues to wreak havoc throughout 
Iraq and Syria, laying a path of death and destruction in order to 
establish and expand its caliphate.

                              {time}  2000

  No offense is more appalling than the terrorists' complete disregard 
for human life. ISIS has unleashed a campaign of sickening violence 
against Shi'a Muslims and fellow Sunnis who do not share their radical 
beliefs, as well as against vulnerable religious and ethnic minorities. 
This includes its public beheadings and executions and the selling of 
women and girls into sexual slavery.
  Besides the human toll of ISIS' deplorable acts, we also mourn the 
loss of society's cultural heritage, as the extremists loot and destroy 
their way through ancient sites in the territories they conquer. We 
have seen heartbreaking footage of ISIS drilling their way through 
priceless artifacts in Mosul and bulldozing magnificent Mesopotamian 
ruins in the 3000-year-old city of Nimrud. ISIS claims the annihilation 
of cultural sites is meant to counter idolatry, but clearly these 
terrorists have another goal: to remove all traces of the region's rich 
and diverse religious and cultural past. By eliminating all evidence of 
humanity's common heritage, they are paving the way for their own 
horrifying brand of Islamist extremism.
  What we are witnessing is a cultural genocide. For ISIS, however, 
this looting of antiquities is big business. Some reports indicate that 
they are earning as much as $100 million annually from the sale of 
stolen artifacts, which they often sell to middlemen who can peddle 
these treasures in old-fashioned markets or online.
  Earlier this year, the United Nations Security Council adopted a 
resolution that urged member states to take steps to prevent the 
trafficking of Iraqi and Syrian cultural properties, and just last 
week, all 193 U.N. members agreed to step up the prosecution of those 
engaged in this illegal trade.
  I want to commend the Committee on Foreign Affairs' ranking member, 
Eliot Engel, for introducing this bipartisan bill that we have before 
us this evening and for his continued leadership on this critical 
issue. This bill, the Protect and Preserve International Cultural 
Property Act, will help the U.S. do its part to counter the smuggling 
and sale of stolen Syrian antiquities.
  Specifically, the bill will improve coordination of U.S. efforts to 
protect cultural property and prevent these artifacts from being 
removed since the start of Syria's civil war from being sold or 
imported into this country, into the United States. It is important to 
note that the legislation's emergency import restrictions are not 
designed to continue into perpetuity and can be waived under certain 
conditions for the temporary safekeeping of cultural property within 
the United States.
  I also want to make clear that this bill only restricts the import of 
certain Syrian antiquities that have been removed from that country 
during the current conflict. Nothing in this legislation is meant to 
interfere with the legal sale of antiquities that do not fall under 
this category nor with other aspects of the import process.
  I want to again thank Eliot Engel, the ranking member of our 
committee, for his work on this measure.
  I reserve the balance of my time.


[[Page 8004]]


                                      Committee on Ways and Means,


                                     House of Representatives,

                                     Washington, DC, May 29, 2015.
     Hon. Edward R. Royce,
     Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs, Rayburn House Office 
         Building, Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Royce: I am writing with respect to H.R. 
     1493, the ``Protect and Preserve International Cultural 
     Property Act.'' As a result of your having consulted with us 
     on provisions in H.R. 1493 that fall within the Rule X 
     jurisdiction of the Committee on Ways and Means, I agree to 
     waive consideration of this bill so that it may proceed 
     expeditiously to the House floor.
       The Committee on Ways and Means takes this action with the 
     mutual understanding that by forgoing consideration of H.R. 
     1493 at this time, we do not waive any jurisdiction over the 
     subject matter contained in this or similar legislation, and 
     the Committee will be appropriately consulted and involved as 
     the bill or similar legislation moves forward so that we may 
     address any remaining issues that fall within our Rule X 
     jurisdiction. The Committee also reserves the right to seek 
     appointment of an appropriate number of conferees to any 
     House-Senate conference involving this or similar 
     legislation, and requests your support for such request.
       Finally, I would appreciate your response to this letter 
     confirming this understanding, and would ask that a copy of 
     our exchange of letters on this matter be included in the 
     Congressional Record during floor consideration thereof.
           Sincerely,
                                                        Paul Ryan,
     Chairman.
                                  ____

                                         House of Representatives,


                                 Committee on Foreign Affairs,

                                     Washington, DC, May 29, 2015.
     Hon. Paul Ryan,
     Chairman, House Committee on Ways and Means, Longworth House 
         Office Building, Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Chairman: Thank you for consulting with the 
     Committee on Foreign Affairs on H.R. 1493, the Protect and 
     Preserve International Cultural Property Act, and for 
     agreeing to be discharged from further consideration of that 
     bill.
       I agree that your forgoing further action on this measure 
     does not in any way diminish or alter the jurisdiction of the 
     Committee on Ways and Means, or prejudice its jurisdictional 
     prerogatives on this bill or similar legislation in the 
     future. I would support your effort to seek appointment of an 
     appropriate number of conferees to any House-Senate 
     conference involving this legislation.
       I will seek to place our letters on H.R. 1493 into the 
     Congressional Record during floor consideration of the bill. 
     I appreciate your cooperation regarding this legislation and 
     look forward to continuing to work with your Committee as 
     this measure moves through the legislative process.
           Sincerely,
                                                  Edward R. Royce,
     Chairman.
                                  ____

                                         House of Representatives,


                               Committee on Homeland Security,

                                     Washington, DC, June 1, 2015.
     Hon. Ed Royce,
     Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs, Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Royce: I am writing to you concerning the 
     jurisdictional interest of the Committee on Homeland Security 
     in H.R. 1493, the ``Protect and Preserve International 
     Cultural Property Act.'' The bill contains provisions that 
     fall within the jurisdiction of the Committee on Homeland 
     Security.
       I recognize and appreciate the desire to bring this 
     legislation before the House of Representatives in an 
     expeditious manner, and accordingly, the Committee on 
     Homeland Security will not assert its jurisdictional claim 
     over this bill by seeking a sequential referral. The 
     Committee takes this action with the mutual understanding 
     that by foregoing consideration of H.R. 1493 at this time, we 
     do not waive any jurisdiction over subject matter contained 
     in this or similar legislation.
       This waiver is also given with the understanding that the 
     Committee on Homeland Security expressly reserves its 
     authority to seek conferees on any provision within its 
     jurisdiction during any House-Senate conference that may be 
     convened on this or any similar legislation, and requests 
     your support for such a request.
       I would appreciate your response to this letter confirming 
     this understanding with respect to H.R. 1493, and ask that a 
     copy of this letter and your response be included in the 
     Congressional Record during consideration of this bill on the 
     House floor.
           Sincerely,
                                                Michael T. McCaul,
     Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security.
                                  ____

                                         House of Representatives,


                                 Committee on Foreign Affairs,

                                     Washington, DC, June 1, 2015.
     Hon. Michael McCaul,
     Chairman, House Committee on Homeland Security, Washington, 
         DC.
       Dear Mr. Chairman: Thank you for consulting with the 
     Committee on Foreign Affairs on H.R. 1493, the Protect and 
     Preserve International Cultural Property Act, and for 
     agreeing to forgo a sequential referral request of that bill 
     to the Committee on Homeland Security.
       I agree that your forgoing further action on this measure 
     does not in any way diminish or alter the jurisdiction of the 
     Committee on Homeland Security, or prejudice its 
     jurisdictional prerogatives on this bill or similar 
     legislation in the future. I would support your effort to 
     seek appointment of an appropriate number of conferees to any 
     House-Senate conference involving this legislation.
       I will seek to place our letters on H.R. 1493 into the 
     Congressional Record during floor consideration of the bill. 
     I appreciate your cooperation regarding this legislation and 
     look forward to continuing to work with your Committee as 
     this measure moves through the legislative process.
           Sincerely,
                                                  Edward R. Royce,
     Chairman.
                                  ____

                                      Committee on Armed Services,


                                     House of Representatives,

                                     Washington, DC, June 1, 2015.
     Hon. Edward R. Royce,
     Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs, House of 
         Representatives, Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Chairman: Thank you for your letter concerning 
     H.R. 1493, the Protect and Preserve International Cultural 
     Property Act, as amended. I am writing to confirm that, 
     although there are certain provisions in the bill that fall 
     within the Rule X jurisdiction of the Committee on Armed 
     Services, the committee will forgo action on this bill in 
     order to expedite this legislation for floor consideration.
       I am glad we agree that forgoing consideration of the bill 
     does not prejudice the Committee on Armed Services with 
     respect to any future jurisdictional claim over the 
     provisions contained in the bill or similar legislation that 
     fall within the committee's Rule X jurisdiction. I appreciate 
     your support for the appointment of committee members to any 
     House-Senate conference convened to consider such provisions.
       Thank you for agreeing to place a copy of your letter 
     acknowledging our jurisdictional interest, along with this 
     response, into the Congressional Record during consideration 
     of the measure on the House floor. I look forward to 
     continuing to work together as this legislation moves toward 
     final passage.
           Sincerely,
                                    William M. ``Mac'' Thornberry,
     Chairman.
                                  ____

                                         House of Representatives,


                                 Committee on Foreign Affairs,

                                     Washington, DC, May 29, 2015.
     Hon. William M. ``Mac'' Thornberry,
     Chairman, House Armed Services Committee, 2216 Rayburn House 
         Office Building, Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Chairman:  Thank you for consulting with the 
     Committee on Foreign Affairs on H.R. 1493, the Protect and 
     Preserve International Cultural Property Act, and for 
     agreeing to be discharged from further consideration of that 
     bill.
       I agree that your forgoing further action on this measure 
     does not in any way diminish or alter the jurisdiction of the 
     Committee on Armed Services, or prejudice its jurisdictional 
     prerogatives on this bill or similar legislation in the 
     future. I would support your effort to seek appointment of an 
     appropriate number of conferees to any House-Senate 
     conference involving this legislation.
       I will seek to place our letters on H.R. 1493 into the 
     Congressional Record during floor consideration of the bill. 
     I appreciate your cooperation regarding this legislation and 
     look forward to continuing to work with your Committee as 
     this measure moves through the legislative process.
           Sincerely,
                                                  Edward R. Royce,
     Chairman.
                                  ____

                                         House of Representatives,


                                   Committee on the Judiciary,

                                     Washington, DC, June 1, 2015.
     Hon. Ed Royce,
     Chairman, Committee on Foreign Affairs, 2170 Rayburn House 
         Office Building, Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairman Royce, I am writing with respect to H.R. 
     1493, the ``Protect and Preserve International Cultural 
     Property Act,'' which was referred to the Committee on 
     Foreign Affairs and in addition to the Committee on the 
     Judiciary. As a result of your having consulted with us on 
     provisions in H.R. 1493 that fall within the Rule X 
     jurisdiction of the Committee on the Judiciary, I agree to 
     discharge our Committee from further consideration of this 
     bill so that it may proceed expeditiously to the House floor 
     for consideration.
       The Judiciary Committee takes this action with our mutual 
     understanding that by foregoing consideration of H.R. 1493 at 
     this time, we do not waive any jurisdiction over subject 
     matter contained in this or similar legislation, and that our 
     Committee will be appropriately consulted and involved as 
     this bill or similar legislation moves forward so that we may 
     address any remaining issues in our

[[Page 8005]]

     jurisdiction. Our Committee also reserves the right to seek 
     appointment of an appropriate number of conferees to any 
     House-Senate conference involving this or similar 
     legislation, and asks that you support any such request.
       I would appreciate a response to this letter confirming 
     this understanding with respect to H.R. 1493, and would ask 
     that a copy of our exchange of letters on this matter be 
     included in the Congressional Record during Floor 
     consideration of H.R. 1493.
           Sincerely,
                                                    Bob Goodlatte,
     Chairman.
                                  ____

                                         House of Representatives,


                                 Committee on Foreign Affairs,

                                     Washington, DC, May 29, 2015.
     Hon. Bob Goodlatte,
     Chairman, House Committee on the Judiciary, 2138 Rayburn 
         House Office Building, Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Chairman: Thank you for consulting with the 
     Committee on Foreign Affairs on H.R. 1493, the Protect and 
     Preserve International Cultural Property Act, and for 
     agreeing to be discharged from further consideration of that 
     bill.
       I agree that your forgoing further action on this measure 
     does not in any way diminish or alter the jurisdiction of the 
     Committee on the Judiciary, or prejudice its jurisdictional 
     prerogatives on this bill or similar legislation in the 
     future. I would support your effort to seek appointment of an 
     appropriate number of conferees to any House-Senate 
     conference involving this legislation.
       I will seek to place our letters on H.R. 1493 into the 
     Congressional Record during floor consideration of the bill. 
     I appreciate your cooperation regarding this legislation and 
     look forward to continuing to work with your Committee as 
     this measure moves through the legislative process.
           Sincerely,
                                                  Edward R. Royce,
                                                         Chairman.

  Mr. ENGEL. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of my legislation, 
H.R. 1493, as amended, and yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, we have worked very, very hard on this bill. This is a 
very, very important bill. So let me first thank Chairman Ed Royce for 
his efforts to move this bill forward. He is a good partner on the 
committee, and we couldn't have gone this far without him. I also want 
to thank the lead cosponsors, Representative Chris Smith and 
Representative Bill Keating, who have been champions on this issue. I 
want to thank Mr. Chabot for his support and his eloquence in speaking 
for the bill.
  One of the things that we do on the Committee on Foreign Affairs is, 
wherever possible, we work in a bipartisan fashion, and this is a 
perfect example of working together in a bipartisan fashion for 
something that is really just so important.
  Madam Speaker, by now we have all seen footage of ISIS extremists 
taking sledgehammers, as Mr. Chabot mentioned, to ancient, 
irreplaceable artifacts across the territory they control. Now, these 
are not random acts of vandalism. We are witnessing a deliberate 
campaign to attempt to rewrite world history. From the tomb of Jonah in 
Mosul to Yazidi shrines in Sinjar, ISIS is leveling sites that preserve 
a record of the region's rich and diverse past. I think Mr. Chabot put 
it very well when he said the same thing.
  We have seen this tactic before. In Afghanistan, the Taliban wiped 
out the Bamiyan Buddhas in March of 2000. Who can forget that? During 
the Holocaust, the Nazis systematically targeted Jewish property as 
part of their effort to wipe out an entire race.
  Now, some people will say why are we talking about the destruction of 
ancient ruins while so many people are suffering and dying at the hands 
of ISIS? That is not important. Of course, we need to stay focused on 
stopping the violence and alleviating the dire humanitarian situation 
festering across the region, but the reality is that we cannot separate 
these issues so easily. After all, before ISIS reduces these sites to 
rubble, the group loots everything they can carry, traffics the 
artifacts on the black market, and uses those resources to fund their 
violent rampage.
  So it is directly connected to the murder and killing of so many 
civilians and their brutality. They use these artifacts to get money so 
that they can keep their war machine going, so that they can keep their 
killings going, so that they can keep their brutality going. So the two 
are connected.
  ISIS has ransacked thousands of artifacts from dozens of World 
Heritage Sites, places like cities of Mari and Dura Europos, which were 
virtually untouched before this crisis. These places are now lost to 
history, and their destruction has funneled, as I said before, millions 
of dollars into ISIS' coffers.
  We need to cut off the source of funding and at the same time work to 
preserve this imperiled cultural history. There is already a good 
effort underway, a global effort underway.
  In February, the U.N. Security Council passed a resolution calling on 
governments to prohibit trade of cultural property looted from Syria 
and Iraq. The Security Council found that this step would reduce ISIS' 
operational capability to organize and carry out terrorist attacks. Our 
Western allies have cracked down on traffickers trying to sell looted 
artifacts from Iraq and Syria. Now is the time for the United States to 
do more, and that is precisely what this bill does.
  First of all, this bill takes steps to ensure the antiquities 
trafficking that is lining ISIS' pockets is not taking place within our 
borders. This legislation would impose tough, new import restrictions 
on cultural artifacts removed from Syria similar to restrictions we 
passed in 2004 with respect to Iraq. So we are doing the same thing 
that we did in Iraq in 2004 with Syria, trying to prevent these looted 
artifacts from funding the terrorist machine.
  Nothing in this legislation would interfere with the legal sale or 
exhibition of antiquities that were not smuggled out of Syria during 
the current crisis, and there are exceptions to allow artifacts to come 
here for protection and restoration. These new rules would remain in 
effect until the crisis in Syria is resolved and America is able to 
work with a new Syrian Government to protect cultural property from 
trafficking under a bilateral agreement in accordance with America's 
national interests.
  Secondly, this bill enhances collaboration among government agencies 
already working on this problem. This bill would bring together 
programs, from the Smithsonian, to the Pentagon, to Homeland Security, 
through a new interagency body with a single coordinator. It would 
improve congressional oversight to make sure we are efficient in the 
way we are addressing this challenge. These steps will not replace the 
authorities of existing bodies but will help ensure their programs work 
together effectively.
  This bill represents the newest chapter in a long tradition. Since 
World War II, America has led the world in protecting historical 
property from those bent on its destruction. That leadership is needed 
today. We must act swiftly to confront this threat, to cut off a 
critical source of ISIS funding, to stand up to this barbaric brand of 
psychological warfare, and to stop those determined to rewrite history. 
I urge all colleagues to support this legislation.
  I thank Mr. Chabot again.
  Madam Speaker, let me close by noting that with each passing day, 
ISIS is selling looted artifacts to the highest bidder, further 
financing death and destruction. Whatever is left behind, they reduce 
to rubble, leveling religious sites, digging up ancient cities, and 
erasing the last traces of long lost civilizations whose histories have 
remained in soil and sand for thousands of years, and these people 
destroy that.
  We must stand up to these acts. We must do more to cut off ISIS' 
funding and save cultural property. That is why it is so important. To 
help achieve this effort, we need to pass H.R. 1493. I urge my 
colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation.
  I yield back the balance of my time.


                             General Leave

  Mr. CHABOT. Madam Speaker, I would first ask unanimous consent that 
all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend 
their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 944.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Ohio?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. CHABOT. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

[[Page 8006]]

  Madam Speaker, the whole world continues to recoil in horror at ISIS' 
depravity. The ancient cities that face destruction at its hands are 
considered the birthplace of modern civilization. Just weeks ago, ISIS 
conquered the ancient city of Palmyra, the so-called jewel of the 
desert. Recent reports that ISIS has not destroyed these sites may give 
some of us hope, but judging from their prior barbaric acts, it is 
probably just a matter of time before they do the same thing there as 
they have done so horrifically in other places.
  The legislation before us today--and I again want to thank Mr. Engel 
for introducing the legislation--and oversight of the U.S. agencies 
responsible for recognizing and protecting cultural property, ensuring 
that such treasures are protected to the best of our ability, that is 
what this legislation would do.
  I appreciate the other committees of jurisdiction for working with 
the Committee on Foreign Affairs on this measure, particularly the 
Committee on Ways and Means for its assistance on the critical import 
restrictions on this bill.
  As Mr. Engel mentioned, when one is looking at this, we are looking 
at cultural things which have been--let's face it--destroyed forever. 
Some of these things are thousands of years old, and you can't bring 
them back. And you can't help but think--we are talking about physical 
things here, but we have also seen them do other horrific things.
  When they take a Jordanian pilot and in a particularly barbaric 
fashion essentially set him on fire in a cage, when they take people 
out to a beach and one by one behead them, when they sell innocent 
women and young girls into slavery, over and over again, we have seen 
these horrific things happening, and it is time the world stood up to 
this group, both for the horrific things they are doing on historic 
artifacts which can't be brought back, but also the human lives that 
they have so callously extinguished. This group must be stopped. Let's 
hope that this evening we are at least taking a step in that direction.
  I again thank Mr. Engel, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mrs. LAWRENCE. Madam Speaker, as we vote on H.R. 1493 in the House 
today, I would like to share with you the series of unfortunate and 
barbaric events that have plagued The Cultural Museum of Mosul and 
robbed the people of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan of their 
historical lineage.
  No stranger to war and tribal conflict, the people of Mosul, Iraq 
have suffered persecution and displacement under the Ottoman Empire, 
British colonial rule, and various tyrannical regimes. Despite all 
these hardships, Mosul was once a city of commercial importance to the 
region. Commerce and trade brought a rich exchange of history and 
culture to Mosul, which was preserved in the Museum of Mosul.
  The museum provided a connection to a national identity and pride, 
which was once flourishing and prosperous. They say it is important to 
know your past so that you can learn from the mistakes of previous 
generations and better prepare for the future that is ahead. The people 
of Mosul were robbed of that opportunity in April of this year by ISIS. 
Just days before the reopening of the museum, which was looted during 
the Iraq War in 2003, ISIS released a horrific video showing militants 
using sledgehammers to demolish stone sculptures and other centuries-
old artifacts.
  The world watched in horror and disbelief as centuries of Assyrian 
history were obliterated in minutes. As we fight against the injustices 
perpetrated by ISIS militants around the world we must also fight to 
preserve the cultural integrity of these historical civilizations. I 
want to thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for their 
dedication in preserving the historical treasures of the people of 
Mosul. ISIS has robbed these people of their freedoms but we must 
protect their past so that they may have a better future.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I would like to begin by 
thanking Mr. Eliot Engel, the Ranking Member of the House Foreign 
Affairs Committee, for his bill, the Protect and Preserve International 
Cultural Property Act, H.R. 1493.
  I am privileged to be the lead co-sponsor of this bill, just as I was 
last year.
  This bill could not be more timely, given the depredations of ISIS 
that we see played out on our TV screens when we turn on the nightly 
news--the horrific beheadings and killing of Christians and other 
religious minorities such as Yezidis by Islamist fanatics.
  These murderers help finance their terror in part by looting cultural 
antiquities and coins from areas of Syria and Iraq that they control. 
Congress has already acted with respect to banning importation of 
``blood antiquities'' from Iraq, which this bill would now extend to 
Syria. As such, this bill is part of the war on terror, helping to dry 
up sources of terror financing.
  We also see that these fanatics will destroy what they cannot loot. 
This bill increases the inter-agency cooperation, including involvement 
of ``Monuments Men'' units of our armed forces, in striving to protect 
a cultural heritage which is part of our world's patrimony.
  Finally, I want to highlight a provision of this bill that was not in 
the version we passed in the last Congress, but one which is an 
important addition, namely, a safe-harbor provision for those who seek 
to bring into the country important cultural artifacts that are being 
threatened with destruction, This safe harbor provision allows them to 
be placed in the temporary protective custody of the United States 
government or a museum.
  I want to close by thanking Ranking Member Engel for introducing this 
important piece of legislation, and would like to thank him and all 
staff members who worked so hard on bringing this important legislation 
to the floor tonight.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Chabot) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 1493, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________