Subject: HR2431: The Bill
Date: Wed, 8 Apr 1998 01:49:21 +0000
To: "Hebraic Heritage Newsgroup"<heb_roots_chr@geocities.com>
From: Eddie Chumney
To: heb_roots_chr@geocities.com
Subject: HR2431
For those of you who want more info about HR2431, I have
included in this article summary info about the bill.
FYI: Rabbi Othniel was not the author of the last posted article
on HR2431. He only passed along a forwarded message as was indicated
in the article.
In separate articles, I have included a point - counterpoint
regarding the merits of the HR2431.
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Release: May 20, 1997
Contact: Bridget Bustillos
(202) 225-5136
WOLF, SPECTER INTRODUCE FREEDOM FROM RELIGIOUS
PERSECUTION ACT
(http://www.house.gov/wolf/free/religper.htm)
Washington, D.C.: U.S. Frank R. Wolf (R-VA-10) and Senator Arlen
Spector (R-PA) today introduced the "Freedom from Religious
Persecution Act," legislation aimed at curbing the growth in religious
persecution.
To combat religious persecution, the legislation creates a new Office
of Religious Persecution Monitoring in the State Department and
imposes sanctions on governments who actively participate or fail to
take steps to curtail religious persecution. In addition, the
legislation reforms asylum proceedings by expediting and granting
priority to victims of religious persecution.
"The persecution of people of faith is the great untold human rights
story of the decade," Wolf said. "Religious persecution -- and
especially the persecution of Christians -- did not dissipate with the
Cold War. It has persisted and accelerated and it is my hope that this
legislation will reverse that trend."
The legislation also imposes immediate sanctions against Sudan where
religious persecution and slavery have been well documented.
"The sanctions prescribed in this bill with regard to Sudan are
virtually identical to those imposed on South Africa in the
anti-apartheid act of the 1980's such as bans on flights, ban on
investment, and a ban on imports," Wolf said.
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Release: March 26, 1998
Contact: Bridget Bustillos
(202) 225-4491
Wolf's Freedom From Religious
Persecution Act Over First Major Hurdle
(http://www.house.gov/wolf/free/irpass.htm)
H.R. 2431 PASSES INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS COMMITTEE, 31-5
Washington, D.C.: Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R-VA-10) announced today
that H.R. 2431, the "Freedom From Religious Persecution Act," was
approved by the International Relations Committee with strong
bi-partisan support yesterday by a vote of 31-5. The legislation Wolf
introduced is aimed at curbing the growth in religious persecution.
To combat religious persecution, the legislation would establish
the Office of Religious Persecution Monitoring in the State Department
with its director reporting directly to the secretary of State and
the president. The director would be subject to Senate confirmation. The new
office would provide a permanent mechanism for investigating
religious persecution.
"Committee movement of this bill sends a message to the world
that religious persecution will not be tolerated," Wolf said. "With
strong bi-partisan support, it is my hope that we can move this bill
quickly through Congress that people around the world will be able to
practice the faith that they choose without retribution."
The "Freedom from Religious Persecution Act," which has strong
support in the House leadership, must now clear the House Judiciary,
Ways and Means, and Banking committees. It is expected to be brought
to the full House of Representatives for a vote in May.
Support for the bill includes:
-U.S. Catholic Bishops' Conference
-National Association of Evangelicals
-Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty
Commission
-International Campaign for Tibet
-Anti-Defamation League
-Union of American Hebrew Congregations
-Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregation
-Salvation Army
-Christian Coalition
-Family Research Council
-National Jewish Coalition
-Evangelicals for Social Action
-Prison Fellowship
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Major Elements of
The Freedom from Religious Persecution Act
H.R. 2431
(Summary of HR2431)
(http://www.house.gov/wolf/free/sum.htm)
H.R. 2431 establishes the Office of Religious Persecution
Monitoring in the State Department. It will be headed by a Director
who reports directly to the Secretary of State and the President and
will be subject to Senate confirmation. The new office will provide a
permanent mechanism for investigating religious persecution and help
ensure that this issue will receive the highest level of attention at
the State Department.
The Director must identify and report to Congress each year on
which countries, if any, are engaged in "widespread and ongoing" acts
of persecution which includes "abduction, enslavement, killing,
imprisonment, forced mass relocation, rape, crucifixion or other
forms of torture, and the imposition of systematic fines or penalties
that have a confiscatory purpose or effect."
H.R. 2431 defines two categories of persecution: Category 1
persecution when the government is directly involved; and Category
2 persecution, when the government, though not directly involved,
fails to take serious and sustained efforts to eliminate the persecution
when it has the ability to do so.
When a country is found to be engaged in either category 1
or 2 persecution, the bill:
1. Terminates "non-humanitarian" U.S. foreign aid and
related support to offending regimes, and requires U.S. opposition to
loans to such regimes from taxpayer-supported international agencies;
2. Bans the export of torture, surveillance and crime
control goods to offending countries, and bans trade with the
governmental sub- units that directly carry out persecution
activities (such as prisons and labor camps); and
3. Bans visas to known persecutors.
Each of these actions can be waived by the President for
national security reasons or if the President certifies that waiving the
sanctions would "promote the objectives" of the act. The objective of
the act, as defined in the legislation, is to eliminate and reduce
religious persecution. The bill stipulates that Congress intends this
second waiver authority be used rarely, but the provision provides
the President some flexibility to calibrate the sanctions in
extraordinary cases when withdrawing foreign aid or other support
may actually have a negative impact on the situation. The President
must notify Congress about his intent to waive the sanctions 45
days in advance and provide a detailed explanation for why he
believes a waiver to be necessary.
H.R. 2431 makes minor changes to refugee and asylum law to
help ensure that the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS)
treats fairly those individuals fleeing religious persecution. It
does not, however, loosen the standard used by the INS for providing
refugee status and asylum to applicants. It does not allow
individuals to come to the U.S. permanently just by claiming they are
being persecuted for their faith. They still must meet current
standards under law.
H.R. 2431 requires the State Department to train its foreign
service officers about religious traditions and factors affecting
religious persecution in the world today.
H. R. 2431 imposes a broad array of sanctions on the
government of Sudan - a country where women and children are being
sold into slavery and millions are perishing at the hands of a brutal
regime. Both Muslims and Christian alike are suffering in Sudan and
more than 1.5 million have died in a civil war that has intensified
since 1989.
The sanctions are identical to those imposed on South
Africa during apartheid and include a ban on imports from Sudan,
exports to Sudan and financial transactions with the government
of Sudan. Humanitarian aid is exempted for sanction.
In November, 1997, President Clinton imposed similar
sanctions on Sudan by Executive Order.
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Agreed Changes to H.R. 2431
The Freedom from Religious Persecution Act
to be made at
International Relations Committee Markup
(http://www.house.gov/wolf/free/changes.htm)
The following changes have been agreed to by the
chief sponsors of H.R. 2431 and will be made during the House
International Relations Committee full committee markup when it occurs.
Move the Office of Religious Persecution Monitoring from
the White House to the State Department. Director will be subject to
Senate confirmation and will report directly to the Secretary of
State and the President. As in the original bill, the Director's
chief responsibility is to determine whether category 1 or 2
persecution exists in a country and provide that information in an
annual report to Congress.
Broaden the waiver authority of the President to allow the
sanctions to be waived if the President can certify that doing so
would "advance the objectives of the act." This is in addition to the
President's authority under the bill to waive the sanctions in cases
of national security. The President still must notify Congress 45 days in
advance of his intent to waive and provide a detailed explanation on
why he thinks waiving the sanctions would help reduce religious
persecution. He also must describe other actions he intends to
take to advance this goal.
Narrow the provision which bans the export of
persecution-facilitating products. The new language requires the
Director to identify products on the existing crime control list kept
by the Bureau of Export Administration which are used directly for
persecution. The earlier language gave the Director authority to identify
any product used for persecution. Working from an existing list
ensures the provision will be narrow and will not impose an undue
burden on exporters.
Authorization of the Director of the Office of Religious
Persecution Monitoring to hold public hearings to hear testimony from
independent human rights groups and others regarding evidence of
religious persecution.
Citation of the Declaration of Independence and U.S.
Constitution in the "Findings" section of the bill as the principal
documents expressing the belief in the inalienable right of freedom of
religion for all people and the basis on which the Congress is
opposed to religious persecution.
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