II 

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. 

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


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Legacies of War Rec3 ognition and Unexploded Ordnance Removal Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

5 In this Act: 

6 (1) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CON7 GRESS.—The term ‘‘appropriate committees of Con8 gress’’ means— 

9 (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations of 

10 the Senate; 

11 (B) the Committee on Armed Services of 

12 the Senate; 

13 (C) the Committee on Appropriations of 

14 the Senate; 

15 (D) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of 

16 the House of Representatives; 

17 (E) the Committee on Armed Services of 

18 the House of Representatives; and 

19 (F) the Committee on Appropriations of 

20 the House of Representatives. 

21 (2) ARMED FORCES.—The term ‘‘Armed 

22 Forces’’ means the United States Armed Forces. 

23 (3) UNEXPLODED ORDNANCE; UXO.—The 

24 terms ‘‘unexploded ordnance’’ and ‘‘UXO’’ have the 

25 meaning given the term ‘‘unexploded ordnance’’ in 

26 section 101 of title 10, United States Code. 


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1 SEC. 3. RECOGNITION OF THE COMMUNITIES THAT SUP2 PORTED AND DEFENDED THE UNITED 

3 STATES ARMED FORCES IN SOUTHEAST ASIA. 

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

5 (1) During the conflict in Southeast Asia dur6 ing the 1960s and 1970s, many Hmong, Cham, 

7 Cambodians, Iu Mien, Khmu, Lao, Montagnard, and 

8 Vietnamese people— 

9 (A) supported the Armed Forces; 

10 (B) rescued United States pilots shot down 

11 in enemy-controlled territory and returned the 

12 pilots to safety; 

13 (C) gathered and provided intelligence to 

14 the Armed Forces about enemy troop positions, 

15 movement, and strength; and 

16 (D) provided food, shelter, and support to 

17 members of the Armed Forces. 

18 (2) The national armed forces of Cambodia fa19 cilitated the evacuation of the United States Em20 bassy in Phnom Penh on April 12, 1975, by fighting 

21 Khmer Rouge forces that advanced upon the capital. 

22 (3) A tragic legacy of this conflict in Southeast 

23 Asia is the lethal risk posed by landmines, 

24 unexploded ordnance, and explosive remnants of war 

25 in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia that still litter for26 ests, rice fields, villages, school grounds, roads, and 


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1 other populated areas, which hinders development 

2 and efforts to reduce poverty. 

3 (4) Vietnam remains one of the world’s most 

4 contaminated countries, with an estimated 800,000 

5 tons of UXO left over from the conflict in Southeast 

6 Asia that ended more than 40 years ago. Since 

7 1975, UXO accidents have caused more than 

8 105,000 casualties, including more than 38,000 

9 deaths of Vietnamese civilians. 

10 (5) In Laos, much of the country’s land re11 mains contaminated with tens of millions of small, 

12 unexploded cluster munitions. Since 1964, UXO and 

13 other explosive remnants of war have injured or 

14 killed more than 50,000 civilians in Laos. 

15 (6) Cambodia has experienced one of the high16 est rates of landmine and UXO casualties in the 

17 world. Since 1979, more than 64,000 Cambodians 

18 have been injured or killed by landmines, UXO, or 

19 other explosive remnants of war. 

20 (7) The United States is the world’s leading fi21 nancial supporter of demining and programs to re22 move UXO. Since 1993, the United States has pro23 vided more than $4,200,000,000 in assistance for lo24 cating and destroying UXO and other explosive rem25 nants of war and related programs in more than 100 


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1 countries, including more than $185,000,000 in 

2 Vietnam, $310,000,000 in Laos, and $180,000,000 

3 in Cambodia. 

4 (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con5 gress that— 

6 (1) the Hmong, Cham, Cambodian, Iu Mien, 

7 Khmu, Lao, Montagnard, and Vietnamese people de8 serve recognition for their support and defense of 

9 the Armed Forces during the conflict in Southeast 

10 Asia; and 

11 (2) the United States should continue to sup12 port activities to clear landmines, UXO, and other 

13 explosive remnants of war and to provide related as14 sistance in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, while 

15 strengthening people-to-people ties and reaffirming 

16 the long-standing commitment of the United States 

17 to Southeast Asia. 

18 SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF ASSISTANCE FOR VIETNAM, 

19 LAOS, AND CAMBODIA. 

20 (a) IN GENERAL.—The President may provide hu21 manitarian assistance to Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia 

22 for programs to support— 

23 (1) the development or updating of national 

24 surveys of landmines, UXO, and other explosive 

25 remnants of war; 


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1 (2) the clearance of such landmines, UXO, and 

2 other explosive remnants of war; 

3 (3) stockpile management of small arms, light 

4 weapons, and ammunition; 

5 (4) capacity building, risk education, destruc6 tion, and physical security related to landmines, 

7 UXO, and other explosive remnants of war; and 

8 (5) survivors of incidents involving landmines, 

9 UXO, and other explosive remnants of war, includ10 ing by providing medical assistance and prosthetic 

11 devices related to landmines, UXO, and other explo12 sive remnants of war. 

13 (b) COORDINATION.—In carrying out this section, the 

14 President shall seek to consult, partner, and coordinate 

15 with international organizations, civil societies, donor gov16 ernments, and other stakeholders, as the President deter17 mines appropriate, to leverage the expertise, financial sup18 port, and resources of such entities to minimize duplica19 tion of efforts and maximize the efficient and effective pro20 vision of assistance from the United States. 

21 (c) REPORT AND BRIEFINGS.— 

22 (1) REPORT.— 

23 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days 

24 after the date of enactment of this Act, the 


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1 President shall submit a report to the appro2 priate committees of Congress regarding— 

3 (i) the activities undertaken pursuant 

4 to this section; and 

5 (ii) the amounts made available from 

6 the Nonproliferation, Anti-terrorism, 

7 Demining, and Related Programs account 

8 for demining and clearance of landmines, 

9 UXO, and other explosive remnants of war 

10 in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. 

11 (B) CONTENTS.—The report required 

12 under subparagraph (A) shall include— 

13 (i) the status of— 

14 (I) amounts made available from 

15 the Nonproliferation, Anti-terrorism, 

16 Demining, and Related Programs ac17 count that are obligated pursuant to 

18 authorities provided by prior Acts; 

19 and 

20 (II) unallocated amounts made 

21 available to such account as of the 

22 date of the enactment of this Act; 

23 (ii) a description of how funds from 

24 such account have contributed to landmine, 

25 UXO, and other explosive remnants of war 


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1 clearance efforts in Vietnam, Laos, and 

2 Cambodia; 

3 (iii) estimates of how much— 

4 (I) contaminated land has been 

5 cleared; 

6 (II) land that still contains land7 mines, UXO, and other explosive rem8 nants of war; and 

9 (III) land that has not been as10 sessed for contamination; 

11 (iv) data on the origin of any anti12 personnel mines cleared, to the extent pos13 sible; 

14 (v) a description of collaboration be15 tween the United States and the govern16 ments of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia in17 cluding past and current progress in estab18 lishing nationwide contamination databases 

19 in such countries to refine landmine, UXO, 

20 and other explosive remnants of war loca21 tions and target clearance efforts; and 

22 (vi) an assessment of the efforts of 

23 the Department of State to work with the 

24 Government of the Lao People’s Demo25 cratic Republic regarding the repatriation 


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1 of, and the efforts to reintegrate into Lao2 tian society, those of Hmonh, Lao, Khmu, 

3 lu Mien, or Yao descent who arrived in the 

4 United States as refugees, but have since 

5 been removed from the United States. 

6 (2) BRIEFINGS.—The President shall provide 

7 an annual briefing to the appropriate committees of 

8 Congress regarding the activities undertaken pursu9 ant to this section for each year for which amounts 

10 are authorized to be appropriated under subsection 

11 (d). 

12 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

13 authorized to be appropriated to the President 

14 $100,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2025 through 

15 2029 to carry out this section. 

Æ 


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