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[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 285 Introduced in House (IH)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 285

 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United 
States should become an international human rights leader by ratifying 
        and implementing certain core international conventions.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 21, 2015

Mr. Lewis submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
 Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on the 
 Judiciary, 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

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United 
States should become an international human rights leader by ratifying 
        and implementing certain core international conventions.

Whereas the United States has played a leading role in developing global human 
        rights standards since the inception of the country;
Whereas the first 10 amendments to the Constitution are among the guiding 
        principles that helped develop the Universal Declaration of Human 
        Rights;
Whereas Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, led the 
        United States delegation and the United Nations (in this resolution 
        referred to as the ``UN'') in drafting the Universal Declaration of 
        Human Rights;
Whereas December 10, 2014, marked the 66th anniversary of the Universal 
        Declaration of Human Rights;
Whereas the General Assembly of the UN adopted the International Covenant on 
        Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on 
        Civil and Political Rights in 1966;
Whereas the world celebrated the 208th anniversary of the abolition of the 
        transatlantic slave trade on May 1, 2015;
Whereas, on January 1, 2013, the United States recognized the 150th anniversary 
        of the Emancipation Proclamation;
Whereas the United States continues to make legislative amendments that improve 
        the rights of all persons in the United States, including the 13th 
        Amendment in 1865, the Civil Rights Act of 1866, the 14th Amendment, the 
        19th Amendment, the Social Security Act of 1935, the Fair Labor 
        Standards Act of 1938, the Housing Act of 1949, the Equal Pay Act of 
        1963, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the 
        Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, the Age Discrimination 
        in Employment Act of 1967, the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 
        1987, the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1988, the Americans with 
        Disabilities Act of 1990, the Civil Rights Act of 1991, and the Voting 
        Rights Act Reauthorization of 2006;
Whereas human and civil rights standards and protections require constant review 
        and attention;
Whereas the UN Millennium Development Goals set forth a 15-year plan to combat 
        poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy, environmental degradation, and 
        discrimination;
Whereas the 43rd General Assembly of the Organization of American States adopted 
        the Inter-American Convention against Racism, Racial Discrimination and 
        Related Forms of Intolerance on June 5, 2013;
Whereas there are as many as 27,000,000 people around the world who are 
        enslaved;
Whereas the United States has supported the adoption of the Universal 
        Declaration of Human Rights in the UN General Assembly and has ratified 
        significant international human rights treaties, including the 
        International Conventions on the Elimination of Racism and 
        Discrimination, on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of 
        Genocide, and against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading 
        Treatment or Punishment and the International Covenant on Civil and 
        Political Rights;
Whereas the United States has ratified two of the eight fundamental conventions 
        outlined by the International Labor Organization (in this resolution 
        referred to as the ``ILO'') including the Abolition of Forced Labour and 
        the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst 
        Forms of Child Labour;
Whereas the United States has also ratified the Optional Protocol to the 
        Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Sale of Children, Child 
        Prostitution and Child Pornography and the Optional Protocol to the 
        Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in 
        Armed Conflicts;
Whereas the United States signed the Convention on the Rights of Persons with 
        Disabilities on July 30, 2009; and
Whereas the United States is expected to be a regional and global leader in the 
        international civil and human rights movement: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives 
that--
            (1) the United States recommits to fighting discrimination, 
        xenophobia, and human and civil rights abuses in both domestic 
        and foreign policy;
            (2) the United States reaffirms its commitment to the 
        Universal Declaration of Human Rights;
            (3) the United States should give thorough review to 
        domestic policy and legislative proposals that would improve 
        the economic, social, political, cultural, and civil rights and 
        lives of marginalized communities within the United States;
            (4) the Senate should give its advice and consent to the 
        ratification of the UN Covenant on Economic, Social and 
        Cultural Rights, the UN Convention on the Elimination of All 
        Forms of Discrimination Against Women and its Optional 
        Protocol, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the UN 
        Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its 
        Optional Protocol, the UN Convention for the Protection of All 
        Persons from Enforced Disappearance, the First Optional 
        Protocol to the UN Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and 
        the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention Against Torture and 
        other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment;
            (5) the Senate should give its advice and consent to the 
        ratification of the ILO Convention on Forced or Compulsory 
        Labour, the ILO Convention on Freedom of Association and 
        Protection of the Right to Organise, the ILO Convention on the 
        Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining, the ILO Convention 
        on Equal Remuneration, the ILO Convention on Discrimination in 
        Respect of Employment and Occupation, and the ILO Convention on 
        the Minimum Age for Admission to Employment;
            (6) the United States should fully support the Inter-
        American human rights system, especially hemispheric 
        conventions regarding the rights of all persons, women, 
        children, the disabled, marginalized communities, and the right 
        to freedom of expression; and
            (7) it is the policy of the United States to oppose 
        slavery, torture, racism, discrimination, and xenophobia in all 
        forms.
                                 <all>
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