SUMMARY OF AMENDMENTS SUBMITTED TO THE RULES COMMITTEE ON   H.R. 2601 - FOREIGN RELATIONS AUTHORIZATION ACT, FISCAL YEAR 2006 AND 2007

(in alphabetical order)


SUMMARY OF AMENDMENTS
(summaries derived from information provided by sponsors)

Ackerman/King (NY) #19
Raises the authorized level for the State Department program which provides for reimbursement to localities for services provided for the protection of foreign missions and officials to $15 million. Authorizes the State Department to pay $19.58 million in “back payments” to NYC for expenses incurred since 2002.

Allen #50
Adds a statement of policy and a sense of Congress stating that it is the policy of the United States not to maintain a long-term or permanent military presence in Iraq.

Berkley #56
Contains a declaration of policy that states that the U.S. should promote the emergence of a democratic Palestinian government that denounces and combats terrorism; has agreed to disarm terrorists; has agreed to work to eliminate terrorist incitement; has agreed to respect the boundaries and sovereignty of its neighbors; and respects the human rights of all people. Adds a limitation of not more than 25 percent of the total funds available for use within the territories controlled by the PA can be obligated and expended during any calendar quarter to section 932.

Biggert #68
Makes a technical correction to section 1106 to reflect existing responsibilities regarding World Bank policy. Clarifies that the Financial Services Committee is an “appropriate committee” to receive any reports prepared by the Department of the Treasury regarding the World Bank’s activities in Iran. LATE.

Blunt #47
Declares that it is U.S. policy to use the voice, vote, and influence of the U.S. to oppose the creation of any international or global taxation by the UN or its affiliated agencies. Declares that no U.S. person shall be subject to an international tax if it is levied.

Bordallo #69
Provides for equal treatment of employees of the Department of State who are residents of the territories of the U.S. in the personnel policies of the Department. Permits the same reimbursements for the travel of dependents of Department employees from overseas stations to public colleges and universities in the territory of the employee’s legal residence as provided in law for residents of the 50 states and the District of Columbia.  LATE.

Burton #27
Requires the Secretary of State to conduct a cost-benefit analysis in conjunction with all appropriate Federal departments and agencies, including DHS, and the U.S. Coast Guard, on how to best use American security assistance dollars to thwart alien smuggling, trafficking in person, and possible terrorists entering from Ecuador.

Burton/Souder #21
Authorizes the transfer to the government of Colombia two tactical, unpressurized marine patrol aircraft for use by the Colombian Navy in order to disable ships laden with cocaine and heroin closer to the Colombian shore before they hit open water.

Capuano/McCollum/ Blumenauer #41
Takes several measures to stop the genocide in Darfur, Sudan and bring the perpetrators to justice, including: calling on the African Union to expand their mandate in Sudan to include the protection of civilians, urging the President to work with NATO to deploy a bridging force to accelerate the African Union Mission in Sudan’s Phase III deployment of 12,300 troops, calling on the U.S. to share all of its intelligence of the perpetrators with the International Criminal Court, directing the U.S. Permanent Representative to the UN to call on the UN Security Council to establish a sanctions committee to implement the adopted sanctions and encouraging the President to appoint a Special Envoy to Sudan.

Capuano/McCollum/ Blumenauer #42
Authorizes the President to use any necessary means to stop the genocide in Darfur, Sudan.

Crowley #8
Expresses concern about language in the declaration of the Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization calling for the anti-terrorist coalition to set a deadline for the temporary use of the infrastructure facilities of the SCO Member States and for their military presence in these countries and calls on the President, and the Secretaries of State and Defense to open a dialogue with the SCO concerning the importance of the use of bases in the SCO Member States and report to Congress on the outcome of such dialogue.

Delahunt #44
Prohibits U.S. assistance to the Government of Uzbekistan until the President certifies to Congress that the Government of Uzbekistan has allowed an independent investigation into the massacre in Andijan and has accelerated democratic reforms and fulfilled its human rights of obligations. Exempts humanitarian and non-proliferation assistance and aid. Requires denial of visas and freezing of assets of officials of the Government of Uzbekistan involved in human rights abuses. Prohibits licensing and export to Uzbekistan of dual-use items or certain controlled items on the Munitions or Commerce Control Lists. Provides for expedited admission to the U.S. of pro-democracy refugees from Uzbekistan. Requires a plan to move U.S. military operations out of Uzbekistan.

DeLauro #23
Makes the Navy’s VXX helicopter program subject to the same export licensing requirements in the Arms Export Control Act as other defense projects built jointly buy the U.S. and foreign manufacturers.

Dreier #9
Provides that the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Administrator of the USAID, is authorized to establish an Active Response Corps to provide assistance in support of stabilization and reconstruction activities in foreign countries or regions that are in, are in transition from, or are likely to enter into, conflict or civil strife. Provides that the Corps shall be available if the President determines that is in the national security interests of the United States to engage in stabilization and reconstruction activities in such a country or region. Provides that the Coordinator for Stabilization and Reconstruction (Department of State) is authorized to conduct and arrange for training of the Active Response Corps. Outlines specific areas of potential training. Provides that training programs should be coordinated with and utilize to the extent possible existing programs and facilities. Provides that the Secretary is authorized to establish and maintain a volunteer roster of Federal, State, local, and non-governmental personnel to serve as a reserve component of the Corps. Provides that not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the status of efforts to establish the Active Response Corps.

Eshoo #17
Expresses the sense of Congress that special attention should be paid to the welfare of ChaldoAssyrians and other indigenous Christians in Iraq.

Filner #15
Establishes a study to address transboundary air pollution in the United States-Mexico border region.

Filner #62
Sense of Congress that the Secretary of State should establish a United States-Mexico Office of Border Infrastructure. LATE.

Foley #6
Establishes the Haiti Economic and Infrastructure Reconstruction Program within USAID that is designed to recruit and deploy qualified participants to Haiti for up to three years. Establishes the Haiti Healthcare Assistance Program within USAID which will distribute grants to qualified non-governmental organizations to establish infectious diseases prevention programs. Authorizes $30 million over 5 years for both programs.

Fossella #13
Withholds funding to the UN for any of its agencies or committees headed by nations on the State Department’s terrorist watch list. Prohibits money being used to fund delegations to such groups.

Fossella #28
Authorizes the U.S. Interests Sections in Havana to disseminate the names of fugitives who are enjoying safe haven in Cuba and any rewards for their capture.

Franks #2
Strikes section 1019 of the bill, relating to consular and visa services in Pristina, Kosova.

Hooley/Souder/Baird #52
Directs the Bureau for international Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) to make a priority of stemming the influx of methamphetamine from Mexico into the U.S. Directs INL to improve border security and coordinate with Mexican law enforcement as well as the Mexican government.

Hyde #36
Adds the Henry J. Hyde United Nations Reform Act of 2005 as passed by the House to H.R. 2601.

Hyde/Lantos #10
Managers Amendment. Contains technical revisions and minor, non-controversial changes and amendments to clarify certain provisions and correct oversights and errors found after H.R. 2601 was reported.

Hyde/Lantos/Hunter/Manzullo #11
Authorizes measures to deter arms transfers by foreign countries to the Peoples Republic of China. Requires the submission of an annual report to Congress on European companies who are aiding China’s military buildup and on European governments whose policies support those sales. Expands U.S. export license requirements and increases Congressional oversight to those countries. Gives the President new authority to help deter future European arms-related sales.

Issa #48
Requires the Secretary of State to submit a report that describes the weakness of identification documents, including birth certificates, required for the issuance of passports.  Establishes a requirement that all passport acceptance agents undergo background investigations and a comprehensive training program to improve document fraud detection efforts.  Expands the authority of the government to investigate cases of the illegal sale of passports and visas by government personnel.  Authorizes that Federal District Court for the District of Colombia to issue warrants in such cases and authorizes special agents under the direction of the Director of the Diplomatic Security Service to execute such warrants.

Issa #49
Eliminates language that would transfer over $240 million away from the existing U.S. foreign military financing program for Egypt and place it in the economic support fund. It also eliminates a proposed restructuring of economic assistance to Egypt. Amendment adds a Sense of Congress supporting political and economic reform in Egypt. It also contains a Statement of Policy urging the development of an economic assistance disbursement strategy for Egypt that places an emphasis on strengthening democratic institutions and individual freedoms, reducing corruption in the public and private sectors, promoting economic growth including economic freedom, and improving education and health systems for the people of Egypt.

Kennedy (MN)/ Hooley/Osborne/Souder #51
Requires the State Department to annually certify that the five biggest exporters and the five biggest importers of certain methamphetamine precursors are “fully cooperating” with U.S. law enforcement to prevent diversion of these chemicals for illicit purposes. If not so certified, these countries would be subject to foreign aid eligibility provisions already in law (the Foreign Assistance Act).

King (IA) #45
Requires the Secretary of State to submit a report to the appropriate congressional committees identifying each nongovernmental organization that receives funding under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the date on which the funding was provided to the NGO, and the date on which the NGO filed a statement with the U.S. government certifying that the NGO has in effect a policy explicitly opposing prostitution and sex trafficking.

King (IA) #46
Inserts the text of H. Con. Res. 144, condemning the attacks on U.S. citizens by Palestinian terrorists and lists all 53 victims. Encourages the Palestinian leaders to work with Israel to end all terrorist acts on innocent individuals, regardless of citizenship.

Kucinich #67
Requires the President to direct the U.S. representatives to the United Nations to commence negotiations for an international treaty banning space-based weapons. LATE.

Lantos #20
Requires the Department of State to develop a strategy to counter widespread perceptions among foreign students that the U.S. is no longer a welcoming place for them; undertake annual consultations with non-governmental organizations, university officials, foreign students, and other interested parties to seek input on the development of this strategy; identify and report on priority posts where important declines in visa application rates have occurred and best practice posts which have developed to improve application rates; and provide enhance training for processing and facilitating student visas.

Lee #33
Mandates that 40 percent of Andean Counterdrug Initiative funds allocated through the Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement be dedicated for alternative economic and social development in rural areas, strengthening civilian governance, encouraging human rights protections, maintaining the rule of law, and protecting democratic institutions.

Lee #34
Expresses the sense of Congress that the President offers a plan for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq as soon as possible.

Lee #35
Makes it a statement of policy that the U.S. will not enter into any agreements with the Iraqi government that will create permanent U.S. military presence in Iraq.

Lee #66
Clarifies that any distribution of U.S. funding and program assistance to Haiti must flow through a democratically elected government of Haiti or be distributed through civil society and international nongovernmental organizations in the event there is no democratically elected government. Establishes a standard for the Government of Haiti to meet to be considered democratic. LATE.

Mack #24
Authorizes the Broadcasting Board of Governors to initiate radio and television broadcasts to Venezuela for at least 30 minutes a day of balanced, objective, and comprehensive news programming.

Markey #58
Prohibits funds to be used for transferring or rendering persons to countries where they are likely to face torture and restricts the U.S. from relying on diplomatic assurances from countries know to practice torture as a basis for transferring a person to that country. LATE. REVISED.

Markey #59
Prohibits nuclear cooperation with or exports or transfers of controlled nuclear goods with any state that is not a member of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and which has exploded a nuclear device, or with any state sponsor of terrorism. LATE. 

McCaul #12
Establishes a surcharge on passports, to be used to support Department of State expenses such as increased passport direct hire and contractor staff, staff training, outreach programs, additional passport facilities and related systems support.

McCotter #7
Withholds funds from the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) until the ICTY dismisses all criminal charges against journalists reporting the work of the ICTY, and until the ICTY commits to taking no further action to curtail the freedom of the press.

McGovern #63
Substitutes the certification language adopted by the Senate Appropriations Committee on H.R. 3057 regarding U.S. funds that may be made available to support the Government of Colombia’s demobilization of paramilitary forces for the certification language under section 944 in H.R. 2601. REVISED. LATE.

Menendez #40
Recognizes evidence that human activities contribute to global climate change and that the U.S. should demonstrate international leadership in reducing the risks posed by global climate change by taking responsible action to reduce greenhouse gases and participating in international negotiations with the objective of securing U.S. participation in a future binding treaty on global climate change. REVISED

Poe #1
Authorizes $3 million for FY06 and $3 million for FY07 to provide emergency aid to the internally displaced people of Burma. Funding is through the Migration and Refugee Assistance account.

Poe #61
Amends the Foreign Service Act to strengthen the statutory basis of the Department's requirement for worldwide availability for new entrants to the Foreign Service, and also to make clear that the Department's Office of Medical Services sets medical standards for admission to the Service's medical program. Also allows each agency to continue to exercise its own hiring authority, and to utilize its discretion in situations where a Foreign Service applicant who is not worldwide available but nonetheless has skills that are so needed it is in the agency's best interests to waive the requirement. Requires the Secretary to establish an internal administrative review process for medical ineligibility determinations. LATE.

Reyes #64
Urges the President and Secretary of State to boost efforts that would aid Mexican authorities in their struggle to pinpoint the identities of yet unidentified remains of murdered young women in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. LATE.

Rogers (MI) #54
States that Congress recognizes and affirms the efforts of the Great Lakes Governors and Canadian Premiers in developing a common standard for decisions relating to the withdrawal of water from the Great Lakes and urges that the management authority over the waters of the Great Lakes should remain vested with the Governors or Premiers of the eight Great Lakes States and two Canadian Provinces that share stewardship over the Great Lakes.

Rohrabacher #55
Sense of Congress that the capture, detention and interrogation of international terrorist are essential to the successful prosecution of the Global War on Terrorism and to the defense of the U.S., its citizens, and coalition partners from future terrorist attacks; and, the detention and lawful, humane interrogation by the U.S. of detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba is essential to the defense of the U.S. and its coalition partners and to the successful prosecution of the Global War on Terrorism.

Ros-Lehtinen #57
Enhances the security of the U.S. by making it the policy of the U.S. to pursue a transfer of responsibility for Iraqi forces only when they are ready to assume such responsibility and not to withdraw prematurely the U.S. Armed Forces from Iraq. Requires any withdrawal to be done only with careful coordination with a decision by the elected government of Iraq which shall be reached jointly when it is clear that the aim of the establishment of a free and stable Iraq that is at peace and not a threat to its neighbors has been or is about to be achieved.

Smith (NJ) #18
Expands activities to treat women suffering from obstetric fistula to include increased access to emergency obstetrical care. Expands activities for the prevention of fistula from providing access to contraceptive services to providing access to family planning services. Makes these prevention activities discretionary rather than obligatory. Increases the FY07 authorization from $5 million to $7.5 million.

Souder #3
Requires the Secretary of State to submit to Congress an unclassified cable identified as “Kabul 1785” relating to the destruction of poppy acreage in Afghanistan. WITHDRAWN

Souder #4
Requires a report on extradition requests for Afghans who have committed violations of narcotics laws in the .Souder #5
Requires the Secretary of State to submit to Congress a cable identified as “State Cable 72426” and “Bogotá Cable 5167” relating to efforts to assist the Government of Colombia to demobilize former members of narcoterrorist groups. WITHDRAWN

Souder #14
Authorizes up to $25 million to enable the State Department’s Bureau for International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) to purchase or lease a maritime refueling support vessel capable of refueling U.S. and allied vessels engaged in drug interdiction in the Eastern Pacific transit zone.

Souder #16
Seeks information that has been requested in writing from the Department of State: Section 1027 seeks a report on extradition requests for Afghans who have committed violations of narcotics laws in the U.S. Section 1028 seeks information concerning compliance with statutory requirements for HIV/AIDS programs. Section 1111 seeks information requested in writing on May 26, 2005, regarding a cable concerning opium poppy eradication in Afghanistan. Section 1112 seeks copies of two cables regarding efforts to assist the Government of Colombia to demobilize former members of insurgent, drug trafficking groups. WITHDRAWN

Souder #21
Authorizes the transfer to the government of two tactical, unpressurized marine patrol aircraft for use by the Colombian Navy in order to disable ships laden with cocaine and heroin closer to the Colombian shore before they hit open water. WITHDRAWN

Souder #22
Seeks information that the Government Reform Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy, and Human Resources requested from the State Department on which non-governmental organizations received funding under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief after it was required that organizations seeking funding have a statement on file certifying that the organization has in effect a policy opposing prostitution and sex trafficking. WITHDRAWN

Spratt #29
Enhances language already included in H.R. 2601 regarding the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Adds provisions to reaffirm the support of the U.S. toward the NPT and expresses a desire to strengthen the treaty. Codifies U.S. policy regarding the NPT on nuclear weapons reductions, security, and accounting. REVISED.

Tancredo #25
Expresses the sense of Congress that recent comments made by Chinese Major General Zhu Chenghu’s openly advocating the use of nuclear weapons against the United States damages U.S.-China relations and violates China’s commitment to resolve its differences with Taiwan peacefully. Expresses further that the government of the People’s Republic of China should renounce the use of force against Taiwan, disavow General Zhu’s statements, and remove Zhu from his position. Tancredo #26
Expresses the Sense of Congress that the government of the should recognize that radical Islam is the enemy and eradicating it should be the goal of the and her allies. 

Tauscher #60
Provides exemptions from financial controls applicable to ordinary government donor organizations to the Southern Africa Enterprise Development Fund (SAEDF), similar to the exemptions granted to other U.S. Government enterprise funds. LATE. Van

Hollen #37
Prohibits the Broadcasting Board of Governors from locating any employment responsibilities of the Voice of America, or contracting any such responsibilities, in the People’s Republic of China or any territory under China’s control, including Hong Kong.

Velazquez #53
Ensures that small businesses have access to prime and subcontracting opportunities for State Department contracts performed overseas by ensuring that small business goals are applied to these efforts.

Waters #43
Expresses the sense of Congress that national elections should not be held in the Republic of Haiti until the extreme violence in the country has been significantly reduced, security has been established, and conditions have been established to ensure that the elections will be free and fair.

Watson #38
States that it shall be the policy of the U.S. Government to seek the expeditious transfer of Charles Ghankay Taylor, former President of the Republic of Liberia, to the jurisdiction of the Special Court for Sierra Leone to undergo a fair and open trial for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and other serious violations of international humanitarian law.

Watson #39
Authorizes $5 million for the State Department to improve intellectual property law and enforcement in developing countries.

Weiner #65
Requires the State Department to keep track of donations from foreign governments and foreign-government controlled entities to U.S. institutions of higher education and make a record of those donations public. LATE.

Woolsey #30
Expresses the sense of Congress that the U.S. should implement and execute a Sensible, Multilateral, American Response to Terrorism for the 21st Century.

Woolsey #31
Expresses the sense of Congress that the President should implement and observe all NPT obligations and commitments and work to verifiably and irreversibly reduce U.S. nuclear weapons systems.

Woolsey #32
Expresses the sense of Congress that the President should develop a plan for the withdrawal of U.S. military forces from Iraq, and submit this plan to the congressional defense committees.

* Summaries derived from information submitted by the amendment sponsors.