[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3189 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 3189
To authorize assistance to support activities relating to the clearance
of landmines, unexploded ordnance, and other explosive remnants of war
in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam, to recognize the refugee and immigrant
communities that supported and defended the United States Armed Forces
during the conflict in Southeast Asia in the 1960s and 1970s, including
Hmong, Cham, Cambodian, Iu Mien, Khmu, Lao, Montagnard, and Vietnamese
Americans, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
November 1, 2023
Ms. Baldwin (for herself and Mr. Moran) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To authorize assistance to support activities relating to the clearance
of landmines, unexploded ordnance, and other explosive remnants of war
in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam, to recognize the refugee and immigrant
communities that supported and defended the United States Armed Forces
during the conflict in Southeast Asia in the 1960s and 1970s, including
Hmong, Cham, Cambodian, Iu Mien, Khmu, Lao, Montagnard, and Vietnamese
Americans, and for other purposes.
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 ``Legacies of War Recognition and
Unexploded Ordnance Removal Act''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Appropriate committees of congress.--The term
``appropriate committees of Congress'' means--
(A) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the
Senate;
(B) the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate;
(C) the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate;
(D) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House
of Representatives;
(E) the Committee on Armed Services of the House of
Representatives; and
(F) the Committee on Appropriations of the House of
Representatives.
(2) Armed forces.--The term ``Armed Forces'' means the
United States Armed Forces.
(3) Unexploded ordnance; uxo.--The terms ``unexploded
ordnance'' and ``UXO'' have the meaning given the term
``unexploded ordnance'' in section 101 of title 10, United
States Code.
SEC. 3. RECOGNITION OF THE COMMUNITIES THAT SUPPORTED AND DEFENDED THE
UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES IN SOUTHEAST ASIA.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) During the conflict in Southeast Asia during the 1960s
and 1970s, many Hmong, Cham, Cambodians, Iu Mien, Khmu, Lao,
Montagnard, and Vietnamese people--
(A) supported the Armed Forces;
(B) rescued United States pilots shot down in
enemy-controlled territory and returned the pilots to
safety;
(C) gathered and provided intelligence to the Armed
Forces about enemy troop positions, movement, and
strength; and
(D) provided food, shelter, and support to members
of the Armed Forces.
(2) The national armed forces of Cambodia facilitated the
evacuation of the United States Embassy in Phnom Penh on April
12, 1975, by fighting Khmer Rouge forces that advanced upon the
capital.
(3) A tragic legacy of this conflict in Southeast Asia is
the lethal risk posed by landmines, unexploded ordnance, and
explosive remnants of war in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia that
still litter forests, rice fields, villages, school grounds,
roads, and other populated areas, which hinders development and
efforts to reduce poverty.
(4) Vietnam remains one of the world's most contaminated
countries, with an estimated 800,000 tons of UXO left over from
the conflict in Southeast Asia that ended more than 40 years
ago. Since 1975, UXO accidents have caused more than 105,000
casualties, including more than 38,000 deaths of Vietnamese
civilians.
(5) In Laos, much of the country's land remains
contaminated with tens of millions of small, unexploded cluster
munitions. Since 1964, UXO and other explosive remnants of war
have injured or killed more than 50,000 civilians in Laos.
(6) Cambodia has experienced one of the highest rates of
landmine and UXO casualties in the world. Since 1979, more than
64,000 Cambodians have been injured or killed by landmines,
UXO, or other explosive remnants of war.
(7) The United States is the world's leading financial
supporter of demining and programs to remove UXO. Since 1993,
the United States has provided more than $4,200,000,000 in
assistance for locating and destroying UXO and other explosive
remnants of war and related programs in more than 100
countries, including more than $185,000,000 in Vietnam,
$310,000,000 in Laos, and $180,000,000 in Cambodia.
(b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) the Hmong, Cham, Cambodian, Iu Mien, Khmu, Lao,
Montagnard, and Vietnamese people deserve recognition for their
support and defense of the Armed Forces during the conflict in
Southeast Asia; and
(2) the United States should continue to support activities
to clear landmines, UXO, and other explosive remnants of war
and to provide related assistance in Vietnam, Laos, and
Cambodia, while strengthening people-to-people ties and
reaffirming the long-standing commitment of the United States
to Southeast Asia.
SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF ASSISTANCE FOR VIETNAM, LAOS, AND CAMBODIA.
(a) In General.--The President may provide humanitarian assistance
to Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia for programs to support--
(1) the development or updating of national surveys of
landmines, UXO, and other explosive remnants of war;
(2) the clearance of such landmines, UXO, and other
explosive remnants of war;
(3) stockpile management of small arms, light weapons, and
ammunition;
(4) capacity building, risk education, destruction, and
physical security related to landmines, UXO, and other
explosive remnants of war; and
(5) survivors of incidents involving landmines, UXO, and
other explosive remnants of war, including by providing medical
assistance and prosthetic devices related to landmines, UXO,
and other explosive remnants of war.
(b) Coordination.--In carrying out this section, the President
shall seek to consult, partner, and coordinate with international
organizations, civil societies, donor governments, and other
stakeholders, as the President determines appropriate, to leverage the
expertise, financial support, and resources of such entities to
minimize duplication of efforts and maximize the efficient and
effective provision of assistance from the United States.
(c) Report and Briefings.--
(1) Report.--
(A) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the
date of enactment of this Act, the President shall
submit a report to the appropriate committees of
Congress regarding--
(i) the activities undertaken pursuant to
this section; and
(ii) the amounts made available from the
Nonproliferation, Anti-terrorism, Demining, and
Related Programs account for demining and
clearance of landmines, UXO, and other
explosive remnants of war in Vietnam, Laos, and
Cambodia.
(B) Contents.--The report required under
subparagraph (A) shall include--
(i) the status of--
(I) amounts made available from the
Nonproliferation, Anti-terrorism,
Demining, and Related Programs account
that are obligated pursuant to
authorities provided by prior Acts; and
(II) unallocated amounts made
available to such account as of the
date of the enactment of this Act;
(ii) a description of how funds from such
account have contributed to landmine, UXO, and
other explosive remnants of war clearance
efforts in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia;
(iii) estimates of how much--
(I) contaminated land has been
cleared;
(II) land that still contains
landmines, UXO, and other explosive
remnants of war; and
(III) land that has not been
assessed for contamination;
(iv) data on the origin of any
antipersonnel mines cleared, to the extent
possible;
(v) a description of collaboration between
the United States and the governments of
Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia including past and
current progress in establishing nationwide
contamination databases in such countries to
refine landmine, UXO, and other explosive
remnants of war locations and target clearance
efforts; and
(vi) an assessment of the efforts of the
Department of State to work with the Government
of the Lao People's Democratic Republic
regarding the repatriation of, and the efforts
to reintegrate into Laotian society, those of
Hmonh, Lao, Khmu, lu Mien, or Yao descent who
arrived in the United States as refugees, but
have since been removed from the United States.
(2) Briefings.--The President shall provide an annual
briefing to the appropriate committees of Congress regarding
the activities undertaken pursuant to this section for each
year for which amounts are authorized to be appropriated under
subsection (d).
(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated to the President $100,000,000 for each of the fiscal years
2025 through 2029 to carry out this section.
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