[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 10]
[House]
[Pages 14670-14674]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         NORTH KOREAN HUMAN RIGHTS REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2017

  Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 2061) to reauthorize the North Korean Human Rights 
Act of 2004, and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 2061

       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 ``North Korean Human Rights 
     Reauthorization Act of 2017''.

[[Page 14671]]



     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds the following:
       (1) The North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004 (22 U.S.C. 
     7801 et seq.), the North Korean Human Rights Reauthorization 
     Act of 2008 (Public Law 110-346), and the Ambassador James R. 
     Lilley and Congressman Stephen J. Solarz North Korea Human 
     Rights Reauthorization Act of 2012 (Public Law 112-172) were 
     the products of broad, bipartisan consensus regarding the 
     promotion of human rights, transparency in the delivery of 
     humanitarian assistance, and the importance of refugee 
     protection.
       (2) Fundamental human rights and humanitarian conditions 
     inside North Korea remain deplorable, North Korean refugees 
     remain acutely vulnerable, and the congressional findings 
     included in the Acts listed in paragraph (1) remain 
     substantially accurate today.
       (3) The United States, which has the largest international 
     refugee resettlement program in the world, has resettled 212 
     North Koreans since the enactment of the North Korean Human 
     Rights Act of 2004.
       (4) In addition to the longstanding commitment of the 
     United States to refugee and human rights advocacy, the 
     United States is home to the largest Korean population 
     outside of northeast Asia, and many people in the Korean-
     American community have family ties to North Korea.
       (5) Notwithstanding high-level advocacy by the United 
     States, South Korea, and the United Nations High Commissioner 
     for Refugees, China has forcibly repatriated tens of 
     thousands of North Koreans.
       (6) Congressman Eni F.H. Faleomavaega served 25 years in 
     the House of Representatives, including as the Chairman and 
     the Ranking Member of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on 
     Asia and the Pacific, was a leader in strengthening the 
     relationship between the American and Korean peoples, 
     authored multiple resolutions regarding issues on the Korean 
     Peninsula, was a champion of human rights, and stated, in 
     support of the Ambassador James R. Lilley and Congressman 
     Stephen J. Solarz North Korea Human Rights Reauthorization 
     Act of 2012, that ``just as Ambassador Lilley and Congressman 
     Solarz worked hard to protect the human rights of the North 
     Korean people, we must remain vigilant in helping the people 
     of North Korea who struggle daily to escape the oppression 
     and tyranny of the North Korean regime''.

     SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

       (a) In General.--It is the sense of Congress that--
       (1) the United States should continue to seek cooperation 
     from all foreign governments to allow the United Nations High 
     Commissioner for Refugees access to process North Korean 
     refugees overseas for resettlement and to allow United States 
     officials access to process refugees for resettlement in the 
     United States (if that is the destination country of the 
     refugees' choosing);
       (2) the Secretary of State, through persistent diplomacy by 
     senior officials, including United States ambassadors to 
     Asia-Pacific countries, and in close cooperation with United 
     States ally South Korea, should make every effort to promote 
     the protection of North Korean refugees and defectors; and
       (3) because North Koreans fleeing into China face a well-
     founded fear of persecution upon their forcible repatriation, 
     the United States should urge China to--
       (A) immediately halt the forcible repatriation of North 
     Koreans;
       (B) allow the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees 
     unimpeded access to North Koreans inside China to determine 
     whether such North Koreans require protection as refugees; 
     and
       (C) fulfill its obligations under the 1951 United Nations 
     Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, the 1967 
     Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees, and the 
     Agreement on the Upgrading of the UNHCR Mission in the 
     People's Republic of China to UNHCR Branch Office in the 
     People's Republic of China (signed December 1, 1995).
       (b) Continuing Sense of Congress.--It remains the sense of 
     Congress, as specified in section 3(3) of the North Korean 
     Human Rights Reauthorization Act of 2008 (Public Law 110-346; 
     22 U.S.C. 7801 note), that ``the Special Envoy for North 
     Korean Human Rights Issues should be a full-time position 
     within the Department of State in order to properly promote 
     and coordinate North Korean human rights and humanitarian 
     issues, and to participate in policy planning and 
     implementation with respect to refugee issues, as intended by 
     the North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004 (Public Law 108-
     333; 22 U.S.C. 7801 et seq.)''.

     SEC. 4. REAUTHORIZATION OF THE NORTH KOREAN HUMAN RIGHTS ACT 
                   OF 2004.

       (a) Human Rights and Democracy Programs.--Paragraph (1) of 
     section 102(b) of the North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004 
     (22 U.S.C. 7812(b)) is amended by striking ``2017'' and 
     inserting ``2022''.
       (b) Promoting Freedom of Information.--Section 104 of the 
     North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004 (22 U.S.C. 7814) is 
     amended--
       (1) in subsection (b)(1)--
       (A) by striking ``$2,000,000'' and inserting 
     ``$3,000,000''; and
       (B) by striking ``2017'' and inserting ``2022''; and
       (2) in subsection (c), by striking ``2017'' and inserting 
     ``2022''.
       (c) Report by Special Envoy on North Korean Human Rights.--
     Subsection (d) of section 107 of the North Korean Human 
     Rights Act of 2004 (22 U.S.C. 7817) is amended by striking 
     ``2017'' and inserting ``2022''.
       (d) Report on Humanitarian Assistance.--Section 201 of the 
     North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004 (22 U.S.C. 7831) is 
     amended in the matter preceding paragraph (1) by striking 
     ``2017'' and inserting ``2022''.
       (e) Assistance Provided Outside of North Korea.--Paragraph 
     (1) of section 203(c) of the North Korean Human Rights Act of 
     2004 (22 U.S.C. 7833(c)) is amended by striking ``2017'' and 
     inserting ``2022''.
       (f) Annual Reporting.--Section 305 of the North Korean 
     Human Rights Act of 2004 (22 U.S.C. 7845) is amended in the 
     matter preceding paragraph (1) by striking ``2017'' and 
     inserting ``2022''.

     SEC. 5. ACTIONS TO PROMOTE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION AND 
                   DEMOCRACY IN NORTH KOREA.

       The North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004, as amended by 
     this Act, is further amended--
       (1) in subsection (a) of section 103 (22 U.S.C. 7813)--
       (A) by striking ``radio broadcasting'' and inserting 
     ``broadcasting, including news rebroadcasting,''; and
       (B) by striking ``increase broadcasts'' and inserting 
     ``increase such broadcasts, including news rebroadcasts,''; 
     and
       (2) in subsection (a) of section 104 (22 U.S.C. 7814)--
       (A) by striking ``The President'' and inserting the 
     following:
       ``(1) In general.--The President'';
       (B) by inserting ``, USB drives, micro SD cards, audio 
     players, video players, cell phones, wi-fi, wireless 
     internet, webpages, internet, wireless telecommunications, 
     and other electronic media that share information'' before 
     the period at the end; and
       (C) by adding at the end the following new paragraphs:
       ``(2) Distribution.--In accordance with the sense of 
     Congress described in section 103, the President, acting 
     through the Secretary of State, is authorized to distribute 
     or provide grants to distribute information receiving 
     devices, electronically readable devices, and other 
     informational sources into North Korea, including devices and 
     informational sources specified in paragraph (1). To carry 
     out this paragraph, the President is authorized to issue 
     directions to facilitate the free-flow of information into 
     North Korea.
       ``(3) Research and development grant program.--In 
     accordance with the authorization described in paragraphs (1) 
     and (2) to increase the availability and distribution of 
     sources of information inside North Korea, the President, 
     acting through the Secretary of State, is authorized to 
     establish a grant program to make grants to eligible entities 
     to develop or distribute (or both) new products or methods to 
     allow North Koreans easier access to outside information. 
     Such program may involve public-private partnerships.
       ``(4) Culture.--In accordance with the sense of Congress 
     described in section 103, the Broadcasting Board of Governors 
     may broadcast American, Korean, and other popular music, 
     television, movies, and popular cultural references as part 
     of its programming.
       ``(5) Rights and laws.--In accordance with the sense of 
     Congress described in section 103, the Broadcasting Board of 
     Governors shall broadcast to North Korea in the Korean 
     language information on rights, laws, and freedoms afforded 
     through the North Korean Constitution, the Universal 
     Declaration of Human Rights, the United Nations Commission of 
     Inquiry on Human Rights in the Democratic People's Republic 
     of Korea, and any other applicable treaties or international 
     agreements to which North Korea is bound.
       ``(6) Broadcasting report.--Not later than--
       ``(A) 180 days after the date of the enactment of this 
     paragraph, the Secretary of State, in consultation with the 
     Broadcasting Board of Governors, shall submit to the 
     appropriate congressional committees a report that sets forth 
     a detailed plan for improving broadcasting content for the 
     purpose of reaching additional audiences and increasing 
     consumption of uncensored news and information using all 
     available and reasonable means; and
       ``(B) one year after the date of the enactment of this 
     paragraph and annually thereafter for each of the next five 
     years, the Secretary of State, in consultation with the 
     Broadcasting Board of Governors, shall submit to the 
     appropriate congressional committees a report on the 
     effectiveness of actions taken pursuant to this section, 
     including data reflecting audience and listenership, device 
     distribution and usage, technological development and 
     advancement usage, and other information as requested by such 
     committees.''.

     SEC. 6. REPEAL OF DUPLICATE AUTHORIZATIONS.

       Section 403 of the North Korea Sanctions and Policy 
     Enhancement Act of 2016 (Public Law 114-122; 22 U.S.C. 9253) 
     is hereby repealed.

[[Page 14672]]



     SEC. 7. REPORT BY THE BROADCASTING BOARD OF GOVERNORS.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 120 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Broadcasting Board of 
     Governors shall submit to the appropriate congressional 
     committees a report that--
       (1) describes the status of current United States 
     broadcasting to North Korea and the extent to which the Board 
     has achieved the goal of 12-hour-per-day broadcasting to 
     North Korea, in accordance with section 103(a) of the North 
     Korean Human Rights Act of 2004 (22 U.S.C. 7813(a)); and
       (2) includes a strategy to overcome obstacles to such 
     communication with the North Korean people, including through 
     unrestricted, unmonitored, and inexpensive electronic means.
       (b) Form.--The report required under subsection (a) shall 
     be submitted in unclassified form, but may include a 
     classified annex.
       (c) Appropriate Congressional Committees.--In this section, 
     the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
       (1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on 
     Appropriations of the House of Representatives; and
       (2) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on 
     Appropriations of the Senate.

     SEC. 8. REPORT BY THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 120 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in 
     consultation with the heads of other relevant Federal 
     departments and agencies, shall submit to the appropriate 
     congressional committees a report that includes a description 
     of any ongoing or planned efforts of the Department of State 
     with respect to each of the following:
       (1) Resuming the repatriation from North Korea of members 
     of the United States Armed Forces missing or unaccounted for 
     during the Korean War.
       (2) Reuniting Korean Americans with their relatives in 
     North Korea.
       (3) Assessing the security risks posed by travel to North 
     Korea for United States citizens.
       (b) Form.--The report required under subsection (a) shall 
     be submitted in unclassified form.
       (c) Appropriate Congressional Committees.--In this section, 
     the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
       (1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on 
     Appropriations of the House of Representatives; and
       (2) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on 
     Appropriations of the Senate.

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


                             General Leave

  Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that 
all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their 
remarks and include any extraneous material in the Record.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, let me point out that the world is rightly focused on 
the threat that North Korea poses to global security--the detonations, 
the missile launches, the forward-deployed artillery--that we have seen 
from across the border in South Korea.
  I have been once to North Korea. I know my colleague, Eliot Engel, 
has been twice to the capital there. But going along the eastern 
coast--the eastern seaboard into North Korea--you can see the threat. 
You can see the artillery--the tanks, the Katyusha rockets, and the 
howitzers lined up--and you can see where they are aimed.
  I think we have to maybe point out that the provocations underscore a 
simple, jarring fact, and that is that Kim Jong-un wants to pose a 
mortal threat, and not just to the United States, but to our democratic 
treaty allies--to South Korea and to Japan.
  But I think, as we face that reality, we cannot afford to forget that 
the regime's greatest victims are the people of North Korea themselves. 
That is the longest held hostage here. And remembering that this is not 
just a moral imperative, but, also, it is a strategic one, too. If Kim 
Jong-un had to answer to the North Korean people, he would pose far 
less a danger to us, to South Korea, and to Japan. Maybe he would pose 
no danger whatsoever if he really had to answer to his own people.
  The truth is that Kim Jong-un's most potent enemy is his own 
citizens, if they were to be empowered. The regime should be forced to 
confront the dismal reality that it has inflicted on its own 
population. Obsessed not just with self-preservation, but also with his 
concept of reunification of the peninsula--based on the words he uses--
under his own leadership, he and his father and his father's father 
have been willing to inflict starvation and stunting.
  I asked Hwang Jang-yop, the former minister of propaganda--myself and 
one of my colleagues here had asked him--and he said that 2 million 
people had been starved by the regime. He said the real number was 1.9 
million. And he said: You have to understand, we put all the resources 
into the weapons program, into the ICBM program, and into the nuclear 
capability. People fend for themselves basically. That is the system 
there. And when he defected, the propaganda minister shared that with 
us.
  In the meantime, you will notice that there is one man in that system 
that feasts on imported luxuries and on liquor, and that is the deity 
himself. That is Kim Jong-un. The bonds of public affection for Kim 
certainly are strong in the capital, but, in the countryside, those who 
have defected tell me that they are so fragile that they can only be 
maintained with purges, with public executions, and with deadly prison 
camps.
  It is no wonder, then, that the regime's harshest critics are escaped 
North Koreans who have seen through the wall of misinformation that Kim 
Jong-un works so hard to maintain. We have heard, time and again, from 
North Korean refugees about the indelible impact of real information 
from the outside world, whether it be defector broadcasts or pirated 
South Korean TV dramas set in the affluent bustling metropolis of 
Seoul.
  Just last month, I was discussing these issues in Seoul with Thae 
Yong-ho, the highest ranking North Korean defector. The minister is the 
former ambassador to the U.K. Many of you read about his defection 
there in Britain. He is now in Seoul. He emphasized that such knowledge 
undermines the lie that North Korea is a worker's paradise and that it 
is the envy of the world.
  Increasingly, he says, for 30-some dollars, a village or a family can 
purchase a device that plays these dramas from South Korea that come in 
from the porous border with China, and, as a result of that, they learn 
more. And, frankly, I will say that as a result of the two different 
organizations of defectors from North Korea who broadcast on shortwave, 
people are learning more as well. Our problem is that it needs to be 
broadcast beyond just the area around the border. We need to figure out 
how to help others hear the truth.
  So, today, harnessing the power of information and public 
expectations inside North Korea is more important than ever. Along with 
enhanced sanctions on the regime's enablers, this is critical. It is a 
critical nonmilitary tool because it confronts the growing North Korean 
threat to our safety with a very different methodology by educating and 
empowering North Koreans themselves.
  This bill, H.R. 2061, does not merely reauthorize activities under 
the North Korean Human Rights Act, but it enacts important updates to 
freedom-of-information authorities, to reflect technological advances 
beyond radio broadcasting, including USB drives, mobile devices, and 
other very promising tools. It also renews the obligations of the 
special envoy for North Korean human rights.
  Finally, the bill enhances congressional oversight tools to help 
ensure that our investments stand the best chance of paying dividends 
in freedom for North Korea, and greater security for the rest of the 
world will be the result of this.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman emeritus of the Foreign Affairs 
Committee, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, for authoring this bill. I also thank 
our ranking member, Eliot Engel, for his work on this issue. And I 
thank the chair and ranking member of our Asia and the Pacific 
Subcommittee as well, Ted Yoho and Brad Sherman. The gentlewoman from 
Florida is tireless in her

[[Page 14673]]

defense of human rights and has been a legislative leader on North 
Korea for more than a decade.
  I am a proud cosponsor of this excellent bill, which deserves our 
unanimous support.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this measure.
  First, I thank our chairman, who always conducts himself in such a 
bipartisan fashion. I thank him for including everyone and thank him 
for the work that he does.
  I also thank the bill's author, our former chair of the Foreign 
Affairs Committee, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen from Florida. I am pleased to join 
her as the Democratic cosponsor of this legislation. She authored an 
earlier version of this bill, which is a testament to how long she has 
been working to shine a light on the daily horror of so many living in 
North Korea and to bring American leadership to bear, to ease their 
suffering.
  We have been focused on North Korea a great deal lately because of 
the Kim regime's increasingly provocative behavior and our own 
administration's inconsistent and irresponsible rhetoric.
  North Korea poses a great threat to our national security and the 
security of our friends and allies. We need a smart, coherent approach 
that combines diplomacy, pressure, and deterrence to halt North Korea's 
progress in developing nuclear weapons.
  At the same time, we cannot lose sight over what the North Korean 
people are enduring. This is a country where people don't have rights, 
and anyone who dares speak his or her mind may find themselves 
subjected to beatings, torture, brutal imprisonment, or even death.
  The United States Commission of Inquiry found that Kim Jong-un's 
regime is very likely committing crimes against humanity.
  Mr. Speaker, I visited North Korea twice. When I was there with a few 
of our colleagues on both sides of the aisle, our North Korean minders 
were very careful to make sure we only saw what we were supposed to 
see.

                              {time}  1515

  But we could sense that beneath the surface, something was terribly, 
terribly wrong. First of all, they wouldn't let us go out of Pyongyang; 
that just out of sight, it was amazing that there were so many people 
living under the most brutal conditions imaginable and that no one 
dared shatter the illusion that the North Korean authorities had just 
created.
  When you go into North Korea, it feels like you are stepping back 
into 1953 Berlin. Everything was gray and dark and drab, and you could 
just see something was wrong.
  We know better. We have seen year after year of disturbing reports 
and stories from defectors who have told us exactly what life is like 
for most North Koreans, and we haven't forgotten them.
  The law that we are reauthorizing today first became law in 2004. 
This legislation will preserve funding for American assistance to North 
Korean refugees, for humanitarian assistance inside the country, as 
well as information efforts by our government, and to try every means 
possible to get the message out to regular North Korean people that we 
are not their enemy.
  I will say that I am greatly concerned that the latest iteration of 
the President's travel ban, which now includes North Korea, sends 
exactly the wrong message to defectors from that country. By closing 
our door to them, we reinforce the paranoia that the regime 
perpetrates. We have to be careful not to get caught in the middle of 
that.
  An earlier version of this law created a senior State Department 
position to focus on human rights in North Korea. It is a big job, Mr. 
Speaker, and in recent years, there has been someone to do this 
important work full time, but it has been reported that the 
administration plans to combine this position with the Under Secretary 
for Democracy. I think that would be a mistake.
  The Under Secretary position already oversees the bureaus and offices 
that deal with a huge range of issues from counterterrorism, to 
refugees, to narcotics, to human trafficking. It is a pretty full 
agenda, yet the administration on the one hand says North Korean human 
rights should be combined with that job, and on the other hand has not 
yet nominated anyone to fill the position.
  So I think there is a lot of work to be done on both sides, and that 
is what we are doing on the Foreign Affairs Committee. We are working 
together.
  This reauthorization reaffirms Congress' view that we should have a 
senior full-time diplomat dealing with North Korean human rights. I ask 
that this provision be included once again. I am grateful to Chairman 
Royce and Chairman Emeritus Ros-Lehtinen that Congress will continue to 
speak out on the importance of this role.
  It is also my view that we need to stop neglecting our diplomacy and 
get these positions filled. We cannot expect the State Department to 
deal with these challenges--whether North Korea's nuclear program or 
North Korea's human rights record--without leadership in place, but I 
am glad that Congress is continuing to do its job in helping to promote 
human rights for the North Koreans.
  I am, again, grateful to my friend from Florida and the chairman.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the 
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Yoho), chairman of the Foreign Affairs 
Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific.
  Among a number of amendments that he has contributed to this bill, 
there is one in particular that I think is very important, and that is 
increasing the number of tools that can be used here, to include new 
technologies to North Korea, like USB drives. It is a lot easier for 
people to watch on USB drives as well as, of course, mobile phones and 
DVDs.
  Mr. YOHO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2061, the North Korean Human 
Rights Reauthorization Act of 2017. I commend Chairman Emeritus Ros-
Lehtinen for leading this reauthorization effort, and Chairman Royce 
and my colleagues on the Foreign Affairs Committee for their support of 
this legislation.
  The horrific human rights abuses committed by Kim Jong-un are an 
integral part of his power structure. Countering these unspeakable 
crimes, however we can, is both a moral imperative and a sound 
strategy.
  As amended, H.R. 2061 includes my Distribution and Promotion of 
Rights and Knowledge Act, which will improve U.S. efforts to broadcast 
outside information into North Korea, weakening Kim Jong-un's regime by 
eroding his stranglehold on information. It will provide light to the 
North Koreans; not just light to read by, but shine light on those 
innate basic beliefs of liberty and freedom.
  Specifically, this language updates the means in which information 
can be disseminated, helping to find new ways to end the Kim regime's 
monopoly on information.
  The two bills are natural partners and, together, they can 
meaningfully advance human rights and free flow of information in North 
Korea.
  Mr. Speaker, I again thank the chairman for yielding.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Mr. Speaker, the Kim regime poses a grave threat to global security, 
and it is critical that the United States move ahead with a coherent 
strategy to help meet this challenge.
  At the same time, the Kim regime's treatment of its own people 
represents one of the worst human rights situations in the entire 
world. We cannot lose sight of that human suffering that is going on 
every day.
  For years, the United States has made it a priority to do what we can 
to help those living under this brutal dictatorship and to assist those 
who have escaped it. This legislation will ensure that the United 
States continues this important work in the years ahead.
  I want to say that Chairman Royce has made it a mark of his to travel 
the region, to speak with South Korea, to

[[Page 14674]]

speak with the leaders in Asia. I am pleased that we are well 
represented when he goes there and lets the regimes know that we in 
Congress have a lot of things to say and that we want to stand by our 
allies and let North Korea understand that they cannot push anybody 
around.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for having visited Korea with him 
and for all the things he does in Asia. I think the committee is united 
in supporting this legislation. We have to speak out. We have to 
protect the North Korean people who have no protection from a brutal 
dictator and a regime that treats them like they are worthless.
  I urge Members to support this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank our ranking member, Mr. Eliot Engel, 
also for his work on the original bill.
  For a number of years, we have been focused in a bipartisan way, 
those of us who are concerned about human rights in North Korea. This 
is the reauthorization, but the original measure was to promote human 
rights and free information inside North Korea, and to focus on the 
protection of North Koreans who have fled the country and face a 
heightened risk of exploitation and human trafficking. We have been 
able to work on enforcement, but now with reauthorization, there is a 
chance to update it.
  Those updates in H.R. 2061 not only reauthorize the North Korean 
Human Rights Act, but there are these promising new technological 
advances to pierce the information darkness, as Mr. Ted Yoho mentioned. 
That darkness is maintained intentionally by Kim Jong-un's regime. 
Confronted by a rapidly nuclearizing North Korea, these tools are more 
important than ever.
  Rather than putting all of his energy into menacing the world, as he 
does with his nuclear program, Kim Jong-un must be confronted with the 
urgent needs, with the legitimate aspirations of the people of North 
Korea. There are 120,000 of his people that are in what we call these 
gulags across North Korea. Without reforms, these individuals are never 
going to see the light of day, they are never going to be released to 
freedom.
  This critical bipartisan bill deserves our unanimous support.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise to support H.R. 2061, the 
North Korean Human Rights Reauthorization Act of 2017. This is an 
important piece of legislation and I am pleased to support it.
  H.R. 2061 reinstates the North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004, which 
was originally designed to address the ``deplorable human rights 
conditions'' for North Koreans, as well as support various human rights 
groups and provide solutions toward permanent resettlement for North 
Korean refugees. Since 2004, the United States has resettled 244 North 
Korean refugees, making it the largest refugee resettlement program in 
the world. However, Congress has found that human rights conditions 
still have not improved as refugees remain at risk of losing their 
lives. As Americans, we have an enduring bipartisan interest to promote 
freedom for human rights, the transparency of human rights, and the 
importance of refugee protection. As members of Congress, we should 
work with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees to expedite 
the resettlement of refugees, to increase our diplomatic efforts to 
cooperate with neighboring countries, and to urge China to work with us 
to help tackle the status of North Korean refugees within their 
territory.
  I have seen, firsthand, the positive impact that refugees have had on 
my community. Clarkston, a city within my district, has received over 
40,000 refugees over the past 25 years and almost 1,500 within the past 
year. These refugees have contributed to our economy and democracy.
  Clarkston embodies the American spirit, providing a chance to these 
individuals who left everything behind in the hopes of finding a better 
life here in America. I am proud of the hope and opportunity of what 
Clarkston stands for, and that is why I am pleased to support H.R. 
2061.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Royce) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 2061, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and 
nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

                          ____________________