I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8125 

To designate the area between the intersections of 18th Street Northwest 

and Church Street Northwest, and 18th Street Northwest and P Street 

Northwest, in the District of Columbia as ‘‘Jimmy Lai Way’’, and for 

other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 23, 2024 

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey (for himself and Mr. SUOZZI) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Accountability, and in addition to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, for a 

period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 

consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To designate the area between the intersections of 18th 

Street Northwest and Church Street Northwest, and 

18th Street Northwest and P Street Northwest, in the 

District of Columbia as ‘‘Jimmy Lai Way’’, and for 

other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. CONDEMNING THE JAILING OF JIMMY LAI IN 

4 HONG KONG. 

5 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 


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1 (1) In 1997, the United Kingdom transferred 

2 sovereignty over Hong Kong to the People’s Repub3 lic of China (PRC) with guarantees that funda4 mental rights are protected under both the 1984 

5 Sino-British Joint Declaration and the Basic Law, 

6 which enumerate specific rights and freedoms in7 cluding those of speech, of the press, and of assem8 bly. 

9 (2) The Government of the People’s Republic of 

10 China has repeatedly undermined Hong Kong’s au11 tonomy since the 1997 handover, and in particular 

12 since the Umbrella Movement protests in 2014, the 

13 mass pro-democracy protests in 2019, and the impo14 sition of the draconian National Security Law in 

15 2020, which is vaguely defined and broadly applied 

16 to punish people for peacefully exercising their fun17 damental rights and freedoms. 

18 (3) Since its enactment in June 2020, the Na19 tional Security Law, unilaterally passed by the Na20 tional People’s Congress Standing Committee and 

21 enforced by officials in Hong Kong as a pretext to 

22 repress legitimate and peaceful speech, assembly, 

23 and expression of political opinions. 

24 (4) Jimmy Lai, a 76-year-old Hong Kong de25 mocracy advocate, media entrepreneur, and a British 


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1 citizen, has been in prison since December 2020 on 

2 multiple fabricated charges, and is currently serving 

3 a sentence of almost six years in prison under politi4 cally motivated fraud charges, having already served 

5 two other sentences, one for joining a vigil to mark 

6 the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre, and another 

7 for participating in peaceful protests in 2019. 

8 (5) The Apple Daily newspaper which Jimmy 

9 Lai founded and published was forced by the au10 thorities in Hong Kong to close in June 2021, and 

11 his Next Media company was delisted from the 

12 Hong Kong Stock Exchange under government coer13 cion in January 2023. 

14 (6) The trial of Jimmy Lai on charges of ‘‘con15 spiracy to collude with foreign forces’’ under the Na16 tional Security Law and ‘‘conspiracy to publish sedi17 tious publications’’ under the sedition law began on 

18 December 18, 2023, and resumed on January 2, 

19 2024. 

20 (7) Jimmy Lai pleaded not guilty to all charges. 

21 (8) The minimum sentence required under the 

22 National Security Law is 10 years imprisonment, 

23 and therefore it is possible that he could spend the 

24 rest of his life behind bars. 


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1 (9) A group of United Nations experts, being 

2 alarmed by ‘‘multiple and serious violations’’ of his 

3 rights, including the right to a fair trial and access 

4 to a lawyer of his own choosing, called for Jimmy 

5 Lai’s immediate release. 

6 (10) Jimmy Lai’s meetings with United States 

7 Government officials and public figures, including 

8 the former Vice President and Secretary of State, 

9 the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, 

10 and the former Consul-General in Hong Kong, as 

11 well as others, have been cited by the prosecution in 

12 the court proceedings. 

13 (11) Jimmy Lai stands for the values of democ14 racy, human rights, respect for the rule of law, reli15 gious freedom, freedom of expression, and media 

16 freedom, and is prosecuted and persecuted by the 

17 PRC’s proxies in Hong Kong solely because of his 

18 opinions and activities in pursuit of these values. 

19 (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—Congress— 

20 (1) condemns the unjust imprisonment and the 

21 show trial of Jimmy Lai; 

22 (2) calls upon the Hong Kong authorities to re23 lease Jimmy Lai immediately and unconditionally 

24 and cease prosecuting him and others charged under 

25 the National Security Law; 


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1 (3) reaffirms the importance of media freedom 

2 and the right of publishers, journalists, and media 

3 workers in Hong Kong and around the world to op4 erate free from intimidation, harassment, repression, 

5 censorship, and fear; 

6 (4) recognizes that the severe restrictions on 

7 the free flow of news and information from Hong 

8 Kong impacts the ability of individuals, corporations, 

9 and diplomats to make decisions about travel, invest10 ments, and political conditions in Hong Kong; 

11 (5) urges the Secretary of State and other rel12 evant Department of State officials to advocate for 

13 the release of Jimmy Lai by raising his case with of14 ficials of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Re15 gion and People’s Republic of China; 

16 (6) urges the United Nations High Commis17 sioner for Human Rights to hold a special session 

18 and appoint an impartial and independent United 

19 Nations mechanism to evaluate, monitor, and report 

20 on a range of human rights violations in the Peo21 ple’s Republic of China, including the impact of the 

22 National Security Law on human rights in Hong 

23 Kong, as requested by over 50 United Nations Spe24 cial Experts in 2020; and 


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1 (7) urges all governments that value democracy, 

2 human rights, and the rule of law to call for all 

3 charges against Jimmy Lai to be dropped, the trial 

4 to end, and for the immediate and unconditional re5 lease of Jimmy Lai. 

6 SEC. 2. DESIGNATION OF ‘‘JIMMY LAI WAY’’ IN THE DIS7 TRICT OF COLUMBIA. 

8 (a) DESIGNATION OF STREET NAME.— 

9 (1) IN GENERAL.—The area between the inter10 sections of 18th Street Northwest and Church Street 

11 Northwest, and 18th Street Northwest and P Street 

12 Northwest in the District of Columbia shall be 

13 known and designated as ‘‘Jimmy Lai Way’’. 

14 (2) REFERENCE.—Any reference in a law, map, 

15 regulation, document, paper, or other record of the 

16 United States to the area referred to in paragraph 

17 (1) shall be deemed to include ‘‘Jimmy Lai Way.’’ 

18 (b) DESIGNATION OF ADDRESS.— 

19 (1) DESIGNATION.—The address of 1520 18th 

20 Street Northwest in the District of Columbia shall 

21 be redesignated as 1 Jimmy Lai Way Northwest. 

22 (2) REFERENCES.—Any reference in a law, 

23 map, regulation, document, paper, or other record of 

24 the United States to the address referred to in paraVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:17 May 17, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8125.IH H8125

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1 graph (1) shall be deemed to be a reference to 1 

2 Jimmy Lai Way Northwest. 

3 (c) SIGNS.—The Administrator of General Services 

4 shall construct street signs that shall— 

5 (1) contain the phrase ‘‘Jimmy Lai Way NW’’; 

6 (2) be similar in design to the signs used by the 

7 District of Columbia to designate the location of 

8 Metro stations; and 

9 (3) be placed on— 

10 (A) the parcel of Federal property that is 

11 closest to 1 Jimmy Lai Way Northwest (as re12 designated by subsection (b)(1)) in the District 

13 of Columbia; and 

14 (B) the street corners of 18th Street 

15 Northwest and Church Street Northwest, and 

16 18th Street Northwest and P Street Northwest, 

17 in the District of Columbia. 

18 SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING MAIL DELIVERY 

19 BY THE UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE. 

20 It is the sense of Congress that the Postmaster Gen21 eral should recognize any mail which is addressed to the 

22 Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office at ‘‘1 Jimmy Lai 

23 Way’’ in San Francisco, California, or New York, New 

24 York, with the appropriate postal codes, and should deliver 

25 such mail to— 


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1 (1) 130 Montgomery Street, San Francisco, 

2 California 94104; or 

3 (2) 115 East 54th Street, New York, New York 

4 10022, 

5 as the case may be. 

Æ 


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