102nd Congress > House > Vote 86

Date: 1991-05-15

Result: 223-185 (Agreed to)

Clerk session vote number: 90

Vote Subject Matter: Foreign and Defense Policy / Foreign Policy Budget

Bill number: HR1415

Question: On Agreeing to the Amendment

Description: BERMAN TO SNOWE (EN

Bill summary: Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1992 and 1993 - Title I: Department of State - Part A: Authorization of Appropriations - Authorizes appropriations for FY 1992 and 1993 for the Department of State for: (1) administration of foreign affairs; (2) the diplomatic security program; (3) international organizations and conferences; (4) international peacekeeping activities; (5) international commissions; (6) migration and refugee assistance; (7) bilateral science and technology (...show more) agreements; (8) Soviet-East European research and training; and (9) the Asia Foundation. Limits the amounts authorized to be appropriated for specified emergency activities under the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956. Earmarks a specified amount of funds for Department of State salaries and expenses for counterterrorism, the Foreign Service Institute, the Geographic Bureaus for language training programs, preparations and related travel for the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) and for contributions to the Trust Fund for Preparatory Activities, and for contracts with the International Career Program for students from historically black colleges to enter into recruitment and training programs for careers in the Foreign Service and other areas of international affairs. Limits the amount of such funds that may be available for: (1) procurement of ADP equipment for the Beltsville Information Management Center; (2) shared costs of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) parliamentary meetings and assessments; and (3) the promotion of participation in the UNCED. Limits the amount of funds for the acquisition and maintenance of buildings abroad to be available for administration. Limits the amount of such funds and funds authorized to be appropriated for the diplomatic security program under the Omnibus Diplomatic Security and Antiterrorism Act of 1986 to be available for capital programs. Prohibits the disbursement of funds for arrearages for the United Nations or any affiliated organization until the President reports to the Congress on how the United Nations intends to use such funds. Limits the amount of international peacekeeping activities funds to be available for arrearages. Earmarks a specified amount of migration and refugee assistance for displaced ethnic Armenians resettling in Armenia. Authorizes appropriations for: (1) refugees resettling in Israel; (2) unaccompanied minor children and other cases of humanitarian concern that have been referred to special committees established pursuant to the Comprehensive Plan of Action for Indochinese Refugees in first asylum countries in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong; and (3) humanitarian assistance for Burmese displaced as a result of civil conflict. Part B: Department of State Authorities and Activities - Amends the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 to prohibit any funds authorized to be appropriated for the Department of State to be used for: (1) any expense related to the closing of a U.S. consular or diplomatic post abroad; and (2) any expenses related to the Bureau of Administration of the Department of State if any post is closed. Requires the Secretary of State to notify the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations prior to the closing of any post. Treats expenses related to post closings as a reprogramming of funds. Exempts from such prohibition posts closed because of: (1) a break or downgrading of diplomatic relations between the United States and the country in which the post is located; or (2) a threat to U.S. personnel in the city where the post is located and the issuance of a travel advisory against travel by U.S. citizens in the city. Repeals a provision of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1988 and 1989 concerning consular and diplomatic posts. Prohibits the denial of, or limitations on, a passport because of any belief or activity, which, if held or conducted in the United States, would be protected by the first amendment to the Constitution. Amends the Foreign Service Buildings Act, 1926 to raise the limit on the amount of a lease authorized to be entered into by the Secretary of State for Foreign Service buildings abroad. Permits the Secretary to make advance payments for long-term leases and lease-purchase agreements. Authorizes the Secretary, subject to certain conditions, to enter into a multiyear (not to exceed five years) contract for the acquisition of property and construction of diplomatic facilities in Moscow. Sets forth contract provisions. Amends the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 to authorize the transfer into the Buying Power Maintenance Account of unobligated balances from accounts for the administration of foreign affairs. Prohibits the balance of the Account from exceeding $100 million. Treats such transfers as a reprogramming of funds. Prohibits, unless the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations are notified, the reprogramming of Department of State funds in excess of $500,000 (currently, $250,000). Permits funds appropriated for the Department of State in the Department of State Appropriations Act to be transferred to any other appropriations account in an emergency situation. Prohibits an account from being increased by more than ten percent (five percent for the salaries and expenses account and the acquisition of foreign buildings account) through such a transfer. Revises provisions concerning accounts subject to percentage limitations to permit funds authorized to be appropriated for the Department of State in the Department of State Appropriations Act, for the second fiscal year of a two-year authorization, to be appropriated for the second fiscal year for any other account. Applies account increase limitations for funds transferred for emergency purposes to such transfers of appropriations. Requires Federal agencies that obtain administrative services from the Department of State to make full and prompt payment for such services through an advance of funds or reimbursement. Directs the Secretary to suspend or terminate services to agencies that have not made payment within a specified deadline. Waives such suspension or termination as necessary to protect life and Government property. Authorizes the Secretary to pay the expenses of any international meeting or conference in the United States that is hosted by the U.S. Government. Authorizes the Secretary to use funds to pay obligations arising under international agreements, conventions, and binational contracts. Extends the authorization of appropriations for grants to child care facilities at certain posts abroad. Establishes an Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs in the Department of State. Requires the Assistant Secretary to have responsibility with respect to India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Afghanistan, and the Maldives. Permits funds received by the Department of State in connection with the Blair House (currently, funds received during FY 1990 and 1991) to be credited to the appropriate Department of State account. Amends the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1986 and 1987 to increase the amount authorized to be made available for the construction of Foreign Service Institute training facilities. Requires the Director of the Office of Foreign Buildings Operations to: (1) direct overseas posts to make annual building condition assessments of facilities used by such posts; (2) revise the Foreign Affairs Manual to require the Buildings and Maintenance Handbook to be used by posts to identify maintenance needs, standardize maintenance operations, and conduct annual assessments; (3) direct the Office to provide training and assistance to ensure that annual surveys are completed; and (4) direct posts to ensure that all maintenance program fiscal transactions are properly encoded in the Department of State accounting system. Amends the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 to redesignate the Office of Munitions Control of the Department of State as the Office of Defense Trade Controls and increases the amount of registration fees collected by the Office that is required to be credited to a Department of State account. Directs the Secretary to report to the appropriate congressional committees each time a consular post denies a visa on the grounds of terrorist activities or foreign policy. Prohibits the Secretary from including in the Automated Visa Lookout System or in any system that maintains information about the excludability of aliens the name of any alien who is not excludable under the Immigration and Nationality Act. Requires the Secretary to correct such systems by deleting the names of aliens who are not excludable under such Act. Authorizes the Secretary to add to or retain in such system the names of aliens who are not excludable only if they are included for law enforcement purposes or lawful purposes of the Department of State. Directs the Secretary to: (1) immediately undertake negotiations to seek an end to the policy of the majority of Arab League nations of rejecting passports of, and denying entrance visas to, persons whose passports or other documents reflect that they have visited Israel; and (2) report to specified congressional committees on the status of efforts to secure an end to such policy. Prohibits the Secretary from issuing any passport that is designated for travel only to Israel. Requires the Secretary to promulgate regulations for the cancellation of existing passports designated for travel only to Israel. Prohibits the Secretary from issuing more than one official or diplomatic passport to any U.S. Government official for purposes of enabling such official to acquiesce in or comply with the Arab League's passport policy concerning persons who have visited Israel. Part C: Diplomatic Reciprocity and Security - Amends the Omnibus Diplomatic Security and Antiterrorism Act of 1986 to raise the threshold (from $5,000,000 to $10,000,000) on diplomatic construction or design projects on which only U.S. persons may bid. Directs the Secretary to: (1) submit to specified congressional committees a plan which sets forth current and future space requirements for the U.S. mission in Moscow; and (2) make available to such committees copies of all agreements necessary to implement such plan. Requires the Secretary and the Director of Central Intelligence to report to the appropriate congressional committees on alternative approaches to the reconstruction of the new chancery building at the U.S. embassy in Moscow. Directs the Secretary, in carrying out the reconstruction project, to ensure that extraordinary security safeguards are implemented. Prohibits the Soviet Union from using any new chancery building in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area until: (1) the new chancery building at the U.S. embassy in Moscow is ready for occupancy; (2) the Secretary and the Director certify that such building provides a secure working environment for all sensitive diplomatic activities, provides adequate office space for future mission needs, and can be safely and securely occupied by the United States and used for its intended purpose; and (3) the Soviet Union agrees to provide full reimbursement to the United States for costs incurred as a result of noncompliance with specified reciprocal allocation of land agreements and other activities that have impeded use of the unfinished new office building. Directs the Secretary to report to the Congress on: (1) plans for the establishment of additional U.S. missions in the former Soviet Union; and (2) the extent to which U.S. assets were compromised by Soviet firefighters in the March 1991 fire at the U.S. embassy in Moscow. Requires the Attorney General and the Secretary to submit to specified congressional committees a report and recommendations regarding whether special agents of the Diplomatic Security Service should be authorized to make arrests without warrants for offenses against the United States committed in their presence or for any felony if they have grounds to believe that the person to be arrested has committed or is committing a felony. Increases the amount authorized to be appropriated for the reimbursement of State and local governments in connection with Secret Service functions with respect to foreign diplomatic missions located in metropolitan areas. Adds to the list of authorized Secret Service functions the protection of visits of foreign government officials to metropolitan areas (other than the District of Columbia) where at least 20 consular or diplomatic missions are located. Requires the Secretary to: (1) report to the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the Speaker of the House on security needs for diplomatic construction; and (2) review the Inman Report and address whether changing budgetary and foreign policy priorities continue to justify the Report's recommendations. Part D: Personnel - Amends the Foreign Service Act of 1980 to permit members of the Senior Foreign Service who are appointed to positions in the executive branch to continue to receive the Foreign Service salary, performance pay, and leave in lieu of the salary and leave of the appointed position. Revises provisions concerning the salaries of chiefs of mission. Permits the Secretary to suspend without pay a Foreign Service member who has been convicted of a crime. (Current law permits such suspensions if there is reasonable cause to believe that a member has committed a crime.) Amends the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 to grant access to commissaries to American citizens hired to serve as teaching staff for dependents of employees abroad. Amends the Foreign Service Act of 1980 to extend the period of temporary storage of personal effects of Foreign Service employees for an additional 90 days in extraordinary circumstances. Authorizes the Secretary to pay for the transport of the remains of a Foreign Service member to the designated home in the United States if the death of such member occurs in the United States. (Current law authorizes payment only for the transport of the remains of a member or family member who dies while abroad or in travel status.) Provides for payment for up to 60 days to Federal employees whose families or dependents are required to evacuate a post (even if the employee remains at such post). Revises Federal provisions regarding quarters, education, and cost-of-living allowances for Federal employees stationed in foreign countries. Amends the Foreign Service Act of 1980 to offer former presidential appointees reassignment to the Foreign Service. Directs the Secretary to appoint seven individuals to: (1) examine and report to specified congressional committees on personnel issues affecting Foreign Service and civil service employees at the Department of State; and (2) report to such committees on compliance by the Department of State with recommendations of a commission established to study the Foreign Service personnel system. Establishes in the Treasury a fund for separation pay for foreign national employees for agencies other than the Department of Defense. Requires local compensation plans to be established for U.S. citizens employed in the Foreign Service abroad who were hired while residing abroad. Includes within the definition of "grievance" under the Foreign Service Act of 1980 certain discrimination prohibited by the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967. Bars a grievance based solely on allegations of discrimination under such Acts unless filed within 180 days after the occurrence giving rise to the grievance. Sets forth remedies, filing procedures, and judicial review provisions with respect to grievances based on discrimination. Directs the Department of State to report to the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the Speaker of the House on a mechanism to compensate Department employees who have claims resulting from loss of personal property under circumstances set forth in the Military Personnel and Civilian Employees Claims Act of 1964 whose losses exceed the amounts covered in such Act. Requires the Department of State, the Department of Commerce, and the U.S. Information Agency (USIA) to ensure that the precepts for promotion of Foreign Service employees provide that end-of-training reports for employees in full-time language training shall be weighed as heavily as the annual employee efficiency reports to ensure that employees in such training are not disadvantaged in the promotion process. Part E: International Organizations - Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations should ensure that in-kind contributions to the United Nations peacekeeping forces are included at their full value when calculating contributions to such forces. Authorizes the President to withhold 20 percent of the funds appropriated for the U.S. contribution to the United Nations if the United Nations has failed to implement decision-making procedures on budgetary matters which assure that attention is paid to the views of the United States and other major financial contributors. Requires the President to notify the Congress when a decision is made to withhold a contribution to the United Nations or to pay any previously withheld contribution. Permits payments of assessed contributions for prior years to the United Nations if such payment would further U.S. interests in such organization. Repeals provisions of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1986 and 1987 and the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1990 and 1991 concerning United Nations budget procedures. Repeals a provision of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1988 and 1989 that requires the Secretary to report on the status of secondment within the United Nations by the Soviet Union and Soviet-bloc member nations. Repeals a provision limiting the annual authorization amount for U.S. membership in the Permanent International Association of Road Congresses. Authorizes the President to maintain membership in the Association. Amends the American-Mexican Treaty Act of 1950 to authorize funds to be made available for entertainment and representation expenses of the U.S. section of the International Boundary and Water Commission. Amends the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 to add to the list of the Secretary's authorities the authority to make payments, in advance, of the U.S. share of expenses for international fisheries commissions. Amends the Japan-United States Friendship Act to revise provisions concerning administrative expenses of the Japan-United States Friendship Commission. Requires up to 24 members of the Congress to be appointed to meet with representatives of the Parliament of Great Britain to discuss common problems in the interest of relations between the United States and Great Britain. Authorizes appropriations. Amends a specified joint resolution to authorize additional appropriations for FY 1994 to meet expenses incurred by the U.S. group in hosting the fortieth annual meeting of the North Atlantic Assembly. Requires at least 17 members of the Congress to be appointed to meet with representative parliamentary groups from other CSCE member nations. Authorizes appropriations for the U.S. delegation of the CSCE. Directs the Secretary to report to the Congress on the activities (after April 30, 1990) of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Expresses the sense of the Congress regarding the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee and a framework convention on global climate change. Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1969 to authorize appropriations for the Inter-American Foundation for FY 1992 and 1993. Requires the Foundation to maintain its principal office in Washington, D.C. Requires the Secretary to review and report to the Speaker of the House and the chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on policies for the provision of housing benefits to U.S. Government personnel assigned to the U.S. mission to the United Nations. Declares that the Secretary, through the U.S. representative to the United Nations, should propose to the United Nations Secretary General that the United Nations should explore means for expediting the implementation of peacekeeping operations authorized by the Security Council. Requires the Secretary to report to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and the House Committee on Foreign Affairs on changes in U.S. law which would enhance U.S. participation in United Nations peacekeeping operations. Releases a specified amount of funds for Department of State salaries and expenses only after the Secretary reports to the Speaker of the House and the chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on specified issues concerning special purpose international organizations. Earmarks amounts from funding authorized for international fisheries commissions for the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. Sets forth U.S. policy with respect to Inter-American organizations. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the President should give the highest priority to the interests of U.S. consumers in shaping U.S. policy toward a new international coffee agreement. Requires the Secretary to designate a special coordinator to: (1) coordinate the U.S. Government response to international water resource disputes and needs; (2) represent the U.S. Government in fora in discussions concerning access to fresh water; and (3) formulate U.S. policy to assist in the resolution of international problems posed by the lack of fresh water supplies. Directs the Secretary to report to the Congress on whether each international organization which had a geographic distribution formula in effect on January 1, 1991, is taking steps to increase the staffing of U.S. citizens and has met its geographic distribution formula. Part F: Miscellaneous Provisions - Repeals a provision of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1986 and 1987 concerning a travel advisory warning for Jalisco, Mexico. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Secretary should submit to the United Nations Secretary General by the 1995 deadline the report on the U.S. implementation of the Nairobi Forward-Looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women. Sets forth congressional reporting requirements with respect to the Strategies. Directs the Department of State Inspector General to study and report to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on the overseas technical security and counterintelligence capabilities of the Department of State. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Department of State has been negligent in carrying out its study of sexual harassment. Makes ineligible to receive any Department of State contract any person who has intentionally affixed a "Made in America" label to any product sold in or shipped to the United States that is not made in the United States. Requires Department of State employees to whom a question is addressed by a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee or the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to respond to such question within 15 days unless the Secretary explains why a timely response cannot be made. Directs the Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs to report to the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the Speaker of the House on criteria for bilateral loans by which the United States can determine the likelihood of repayment by a country seeking to receive U.S. loans. Requires the Secretary to report to such individuals annually on actual repayments by country and by program for the previous five years and scheduled repayments for the next five years. Amends the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 to set forth provisions concerning the "Foreign Relations of the United States" historical series, a documentary record of major U.S. foreign policy decisions and diplomatic activity. Requires the series to be published within 30 years after the events recorded. Makes the Historian of the Department of State responsible for the preparation of the series. Establishes an Advisory Committee on Historical Diplomatic Documentation to review and make recommendations concerning the preparation and publication of the series. Directs all Federal agencies engaged in foreign policy to develop procedures for their historical offices to coordinate with the Department of State in selecting and permitting access to records for purposes of inclusion in the series. Requires selected records to be submitted to the originating agency, if a record is not declassifiable, to make deletions in the text to make the record declassifiable. Requires the Advisory Committee or the Historian, if the meaning of a record would be so altered by such deletions that it would be misleading, to take steps to resolve the issue. Provides for notations to be made in the series when a record is deleted as a result of such reviews. Excludes visa records from publication in the series. Requires declassification of Department of State records within 30 years after such records were prepared. Makes such records available to the public at the National Archives. Exempts specified records (for security or privacy reasons) from such requirements. Sets forth deadlines for compliance with declassification and publication requirements. Expresses the sense of the Congress that any American firm that receives contracts pursuant to this Act should employ U.S. workers to carry out such contract. Requires the Secretary to so notify recipients. Title II: United States Informational, Educational, and Cultural Programs - Part A: United States Information Agency - Authorizes appropriations for USIA for FY 1992 and 1993. Amends the United States Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948 to prohibit funds in excess of $500,000 (currently, $250,000) from being made available to USIA through a reprogramming unless the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations are notified. Adds to the authorities of the USIA Director the authority to purchase, rent, construct, improve, and operate facilities for television transmission and reception. Permits the USIA Director or other authorized Government agencies to: (1) incur expenses authorized by the Foreign Service Act of 1980; and (2) furnish living quarters and provide specified allowances for Government employees in foreign countries. Authorizes the Director or such agencies to pay to or for participants in programs under the United States Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948 the costs of: (1) emergency medical expenses; (2) the preparation and transportation of remains of participants' dependents who die while away from home during such participation; and (3) health and accident insurance premiums. Prohibits USIA funds from being used for the closing of a USIA post abroad. Requires the Director to notify the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations prior to the closing of a post. Exempts from such prohibition posts closed because of: (1) a break or downgrading of diplomatic relations between the United States and the country in which the post is located; or (2) a threat to U.S. diplomats in the city where the post is located and the issuance of a travel advisory against travel by U.S. citizens in the city. Makes amendments to a joint resolution regarding the implementation of the Beirut Agreement. North/South Center Act of 1991 - Requires the Director to operate an educational institution in Florida to be known as the North/South Center. Declares that the purpose of such Center is to promote better relations between the United States, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Canada through cooperative study, training, and research. Authorizes appropriations. Repeals a provision of the Soviet-East European Research and Training Act of 1983 that terminates Soviet-East European training by a specified date. Requires the Director to make grants to the Claude and Mildred Pepper Scholarship Program of the Washington Workshops Foundation for purposes of enabling high school and college students from emerging democracies to study the workings of government in Washington, D.C. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes appropriations for the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). Sets forth specified reporting requirements with respect to NED grant management. Amends the National Endowment for Democracy Act to require (currently, authorizes) USIA to audit NED financial transactions. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the NED should make efforts to solicit private contributions. Sets forth provisions concerning USIA grant policies. Requires the Director to make available to the Schomburg Center for Black Studies in New York master copies of USIA photographic works of Richard Saunders. Provides that the Center shall reimburse USIA for expenses in making such copies available. Establishes the Israeli Arab Scholarship Fund to enable Israeli Arabs to attend institutions of higher education in the United States. Prohibits NED Board members, after January 31, 1993, from serving as board members or officers of any NED grantee that receives more than five percent of NED funds for any fiscal year. Requires the USIA Director to establish an office in Vientiane, Laos, to assist in the propagation of American economic and political values. Part B: Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs - Authorizes appropriations to the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs for FY 1992 and 1993 for: (1) salaries and expenses; (2) the Fulbright Academic Exchange programs; (3) the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program; (4) the International Visitors Program; (5) East European training projects; (6) citizen exchange programs; (7) the Congress-Bundestag Exchange Program; (8) cultural and exchange-related activities associated with the World University Games in Buffalo, New York; (9) Near and Middle East programs; (10) the Vietnam Scholarship Program; (11) Soviet-American interparliamentary exchanges; and (12) Fulbright exchange programs involving Latin America, Asia, and Africa. Requires the USIA Director to establish a cultural center in the capital of the province of Kosovo in Yugoslavia when the Secretary of State determines that the physical security of the center and the safety of its employees may be reasonably assured. Amends the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1990 and 1991 to extend the authorization of appropriations for scholarships for Tibetan and Burmese students and professionals. Authorizes (currently, requires) a specified amount of such scholarships to be made available. Authorizes the Director to establish an Endowment Fund to support an exchange program among secondary school students from the United States and from former Warsaw Pact countries in Eastern Europe. Authorizes appropriations. Provides for an increase in the number of USIA scholarships for foreign and U.S. students and scholars. Makes such scholarships available only to: (1) foreign students and scholars from Eastern European democracies and the Soviet Union; (2) students from economic, social, or ethnic backgrounds not adequately represented in the U.S. foreign student population; and (3) U.S. students and scholars for study, research, and teaching in Eastern European democracies, the Soviet Union, and non-European countries. Authorizes appropriations. Directs the President, acting through the USIA, to provide scholarships for study at U.S. institutions of higher education, together with private and public internships, by nationals of the Soviet Union, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, who have completed their undergraduate education and could not otherwise study in the United States. Sets forth scholarship program guidelines. Limits scholarship opportunities to fields that are critical to economic reform and political development in the Soviet Union, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, particularly business administration, economics, law, or public administration. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the USIA Director to expend from amounts authorized for the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs appropriate sums to assist graduate and postdoctoral studies by U.S. scholars on the Near and Middle East. Requires the Director to submit to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and the House Committee on Foreign Affairs recommendations concerning the conduct of USIA educational and cultural exchange programs. Directs the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs to make available 15 scholarships during FY 1992 and 1993 to enable Vietnamese residents in Vietnam to study at a U.S. college or university. Gives preference to candidates intending to pursue studies in economics and commercial law. Part C: Bureau of Broadcasting - Authorizes appropriations for FY 1992 and 1993 to the USIA Bureau of Broadcasting for: (1) salaries and expenses; (2) television and film service; (3) acquisition and construction of radio facilities; and (4) broadcasting to Cuba. Requires the Director to establish Croatian and Serbian programs within the Yugoslavian section of Voice of America (VOA). Requires the Director, through VOA, to provide Kurdish language programming. Authorizes the Director to hire Kurdish language speakers subject to certain conditions. Directs the Chairman of the Board for International Broadcasting to submit a plan and budget to the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the Speaker of the House for the establishment of a surrogate home service under the auspices of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) for the Kurdish people. Directs the President to submit to the chairmen of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee the report of the Policy Coordinating Committee on International Broadcasting. Directs the President's Task Force on United States Government International Broadcasting to submit to such individuals its report to the President on U.S. Government broadcasting. Part D: Board for International Broadcasting - Amends the Board for International Broadcasting Act to authorize appropriations for FY 1992 and 1993 to carry out such Act and the Inspector General Act of 1978. Provides that certain amounts of appropriations placed in reserve due to upward fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates shall be used to make payments to RFE/RL's U.S. and German pension plans to avoid future pension liabilities. Establishes a Commission on Broadcasting to the People's Republic of China to examine the feasibility, effect, and implications for U.S. foreign policy of instituting a radio broadcasting service to China, as well as to other Communist countries in Asia, to promote the dissemination of information and ideas. Expresses the sense of the Congress that RFE should continue to broadcast to Eastern Europe and maintain broadcasts to any nation until: (1) new sources of domestic and international information have supplanted and rendered redundant RFE broadcasts to such nation; and (2) such nation has demonstrated the successful consolidation of democratic rule. Title III: Miscellaneous Foreign Policy Provisions - Part A: Foreign Policy Provisions - Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the President, acting through the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, should propose to the Security Council the establishment of an international criminal tribunal for the prosecution of Persian Gulf war criminals; and (2) the President should work with the coalition of nations participating in Operation Desert Storm to establish such tribunal if the Security Council fails to take action to do so. Directs the Secretary of State to designate a high level official to be responsible for matters concerning the prosecution of Persian Gulf war criminals. Requires the President to report to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee on: (1) the proposal developed by such official for the establishment of an international criminal tribunal; (2) evidence of crimes under international law that justifies the prosecution of Persian Gulf war criminals; and (3) Iraqi authorities who should be prosecuted for committing such crimes. Amends the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 1991 to provide that the period of entitlement to benefits for U.S. hostages in Lebanon shall be the period of an individual's hostage status and the 60 months following the termination of such status. Directs the President to report to the appropriate congressional committees on progress by China in the area of human rights, weapons proliferation, restrictions on trade between China and the United States, which are not described in the National Trade Estimate Report required under the Trade Act of 1974, and certain actions taken after the Tiananmen Square massacre, as well as on actions taken by the U.S. Government to underscore U.S. concerns about Chinese policies. Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to report annually to specified congressional committees on the nature and extent of assets held in the United States by terrorist countries, nationals of such countries, and organizations and individuals engaged in terrorist activities. Part B: Arms Control and Proliferation - Sets forth U.S. policy with respect to arms sales to the Middle East. Amends the Arms Export Control Act to impose sanctions on foreign persons who knowingly engage in the trade of Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) equipment or technology that contributes to the acquisition of missiles in a country that is not an MTCR adherent. Directs the President to report to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Chinese nuclear, chemical, biological, and missile proliferation practices (such report shall describe China's actions to improve the military capabilities of nations in the Middle East and South Asia). Requests the President, before submitting a Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty to the Senate for ratification, to provide a report on whether SS-23 INF missiles of Soviet manufacture (which the Soviets have confirmed existed in East Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Bulgaria) constitute a violation of the INF Treaty and whether the United States has reliable assurances that the missiles will be destroyed. Part C: Declarations of Congress - Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) all U.S. law enforcement personnel serving in Mexico should be accorded the same status as diplomatic and consular personnel serving at U.S. posts in Mexico; and (2) all Mexican narcotics law enforcement personnel serving in the United States should be accorded the same diplomatic and consular status as Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) personnel serving in Mexico. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the United States should establish an embassy in, and provide cultural and information officers and commercial trade representatives for, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. Expresses the sense of the Congress with respect to accounting for American prisoners of war or missing in action in Southeast Asia. Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) Tibet is an occupied country under the principles of international law whose true representatives are the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Government in exile; and (2) it is U.S. policy to oppose aggression by one country against the sovereignty of another and that numerous U.S. declarations have recognized Tibet's right to self-determination and the illegality of China's occupation of Tibet. Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the President should not lift economic sanctions against the Iraqi Government and should continue to ensure that the multinational coalition maintains the full range of sanctions; and (2) such sanctions should remain in effect until the Iraqi Government has released all individuals held prisoner and has accounted for those missing as a result of Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. Requires the Secretary of State to: (1) continue to consult with the International Committee of the Red Cross on the status of a list of Kuwaiti citizens and Kuwait residents believed to have been captured or detained by the Iraqi Government; and (2) report to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee on actions to effect the release of remaining prisoners. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the United States should encourage the Government of the United Kingdom to provide the people of Hong Kong all civil liberties to bequeath a self-governing democracy to China in 1997. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the United States should support Taiwan's role in international and regional economic organizations. Expresses the sense of the Congress with respect to human rights abuses in East Timor. Declares that it is U.S. policy to: (1) support democratization within the Soviet Union and support self-determination and independence for all republic-level governments which seek such status; (2) shape foreign assistance and other programs to support republics that pursue a democratic and market-oriented course of development and demonstrate a commitment to abide by the rule of law; (3) support peaceful resolution of conflicts within the Soviet Union and between the central Soviet Government and the Baltic States and republic-level governments; (4) condemn the use of force to suppress democracy and self-determination; and (5) view the use of force for such purposes as an obstacle to fully normalized U.S.-Soviet relations. Declares that it is U.S. policy that: (1) assistance to the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia, including successor entities, shall be conditioned on steps toward political pluralism, economic reform, respect for human rights, and a willingness to build a friendly relationship with the United States; and (2) expanded trade with the Soviet republics and Yugoslavia or their successor entities should be encouraged. Expresses the sense of the Congress with respect to the release of political prisoners in South Africa. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the U.S. Government should not proceed with the research or development of any tactical nuclear system designed solely for deployment in Europe until the NATO Council has announced how, when, and where such systems will be deployed. Expresses the sense of the Congress with respect to U.S. support for United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. Title IV: Arms Transfers Restraint Policy for the Middle East and Persian Gulf Region - Requires the President to continue negotiations among the five members of the United Nations Security Council and to commit the United States to a multilateral arms transfer and control regime for the Middle East and Persian Gulf region. States that the President, in the context of such negotiations, should propose a temporary moratorium on the sale and transfer of major military equipment to nations in such region until the members agree to a regime. Declares that the purpose of such regime should be to: (1) limit the proliferation of conventional weapons in such region with the aim of preventing destabilizing transfers; (2) halt the proliferation of unconventional weapons and ballistic missile technologies and systems; and (3) maintain the military balance and promote arms control in such region. Lists actions to be taken to achieve such purposes. Prohibits the sale of defense articles or services, or the issuance of export licenses for such articles or services, to any nation in the Middle East and Persian Gulf region unless the President: (1) certifies that he has undertaken to convene the conference for the establishment of an arms supplier regime; and (2) submits a report setting forth a U.S. plan for establishing such regime. Requires the President to report to the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on a quarterly basis (until October 15, 1993) on: (1) the progress in implementing the regime; and (2) efforts by the United States and progress made to induce other countries to curtail arms sales to such region. Directs the President to report annually to such committees on: (1) all transfers for arms to the Middle East and Persian Gulf region over the previous five years; (2) the current military balance in the region; (3) the progress in implementing the regime; and (4) supplier nations that have refused to participate in such regime or that have engaged in conduct that violates or undermines such regime. Title V: Chemical and Biological Weapons Control - Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act of 1991 - Declares it is U.S. policy to: (1) seek multilaterally coordinated efforts with other countries to control the proliferation of chemical and biological weapons; and (2) strengthen efforts to control chemical agents, precursors, and equipment. Requires the President to use the U.S. export control laws to control the export of defense articles, defense services, goods, and technologies that he determines would assist a country in acquiring the capability to produce or use such weapons. Amends the Export Administration Act of 1979 to require the Secretary of Commerce to establish a list of goods and technology that would assist a foreign government or group in acquiring chemical or biological weapons. Requires a validated export license for the export of such items to another country. Requires the President to prohibit procurement of goods or services from foreign persons who knowingly contributed to the efforts of a country to acquire, use, or stockpile chemical or biological weapons. Authorizes the President to waive imposition of such sanction if he determines that is in the national security interests of the United States. Amends the Arms Export Control Act to set forth similar provisions. Requires the President to make a determination with respect to whether a country has used chemical or biological weapons in violation of international law or against its own nationals. Authorizes specified congressional committees to request the President to make such determination with respect to the use of such weapons. Requires the President to impose certain sanctions against foreign countries that have been found to have used such weapons. Declares such sanctions to include: (1) termination of assistance under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (except humanitarian assistance and agricultural commodities); (2) termination of arms sales and arms sales financing; (3) denial of U.S. credit; and (4) prohibition of the export of certain goods and technology. Imposes at least three of the following additional sanctions on such countries unless the President certifies to the Congress that the government is no longer using such weapons in violation of international law or against its own nationals and has provided assurances that it will not engage in such activities in the future: (1) opposition to the extension of multilateral development bank assistance; (2) prohibition of U.S. bank loans (except for loans for purchasing agricultural commodities); (3) further export restrictions; (4) suspension of diplomatic relations; and (5) suspension of air carrier landing rights. Provides for the removal and waiver of such sanctions. Requires the President to submit to the Congress annual reports on the efforts of countries to acquire chemical or biological weapons.

Click to hide full description.

Bill titles: To authorize appropriations for fiscal years 1992 and 1993 for the Department of State, and for other purposes.; Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act of 1991; North-South Center Act of 1991

Links for more info on the vote: congress.gov

Loading graphics...

Error!

Member Vote Map

Vote Ideological Breakdown

This chart describes how members voted on the rollcall. Members are placed according to their NOMINATE ideological scores. A cutting line divides the vote into those expected to vote "Yea" and those expected to vote "Nay". The shaded heatmap reflects the expected probability of voting "Yea". You can select points or regions to subset the members listed above and below.

Votes

Votes
Selected: of from including with NOMINATE scores within . Remove Filter