IV 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 416 

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 7, 2009 

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia (for himself, Mr. MARKEY of Massachusetts, Ms. 

BORDALLO, Ms. LEE of California, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. HONDA, 

Ms. MATSUI, Mr. MORAN of Virginia, Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. JACKSON-LEE

of Texas, and Mr. RANGEL) 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 country’s 

inception; 

Whereas the United States Bill of Rights, the first ten 

amendments to the U.S. Constitution, are among the 


jbell on PROD1PC69 with BILLS
2 

•HRES 416 IH 

guiding principles which 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 (UN) in drafting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; 

Whereas, December 10, 2008, marked the 60th anniversary 

of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; 

Whereas the United Nations General Assembly also 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 201st anniversary of the 

abolition of the transatlantic slave trade on May 1, 2008; 

Whereas, on January 1, 2008, the United States recognized 

the 145th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation; 

Whereas the United States continues to make legislative 

amendments that improve the rights of all Americans; 

these include 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; 


jbell on PROD1PC69 with BILLS
3 

•HRES 416 IH 

Whereas the development of human and civil rights standards 

and protections requires constant review and attention; 

Whereas the UN Millennium Development Goals set forth a 

fifteen-year plan to combat poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy, environmental degradation and discrimination; 

Whereas there are as many as 27 million people around the 

world who remain 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 that include 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 (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 is expected to be a regional and 

global leader in the international civil and human rights 

movement; and 


jbell on PROD1PC69 with BILLS
4 

•HRES 416 IH 

Whereas the United Nations headquarters are located in New 

York City, and the Organization of American States is 

headquartered in Washington, DC: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep2 resentatives that— 

3 (1) the United States recommits to fighting dis4 crimination, xenophobia, human and civil rights 

5 abuses in both domestic and foreign policy; 

6 (2) the United States reaffirms its commitment 

7 to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; 

8 (3) the United States should give thorough re9 view to domestic policy and legislative proposals that 

10 would improve the economic, social, political, cul11 tural, and civil rights and lives of marginalized com12 munities within the United States; 

13 (4) the United States Senate should give its ad14 vice and consent to the ratification of the UN Cov15 enant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the 

16 UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of 

17 Discrimination Against Women and its Optional 

18 Protocol, the UN Convention on the Rights of the 

19 Child, the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons 

20 with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol, the UN 

21 Convention for the Protection of All Persons from 

22 Enforced Disappearance, the First Optional Protocol 

23 to the UN Covenant on Civil and Political Rights 


jbell on PROD1PC69 with BILLS
5 

•HRES 416 IH 

1 and the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention 

2 Against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or De3 grading Treatment or Punishment; 

4 (5) the United States Senate should give its ad5 vice and consent to the ratification of the ILO Con6 vention on Forced or Compulsory Labour, the ILO 

7 Convention on Freedom of Association and Protec8 tion of the Right to Organise, the ILO Convention 

9 on the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining, 

10 the ILO Convention on Equal Remuneration, the 

11 ILO Convention on Discrimination in Respect of 

12 Employment and Occupation, and the ILO Conven13 tion on the Minimum Age for Admission to Employ14 ment; 

15 (6) the United States should fully support the 

16 Inter-American human rights system, especially 

17 hemispheric conventions regarding the rights of all 

18 persons, women, children, the disabled, marginalized 

19 communities, and the right to freedom of expression; 

20 and 

21 (7) it is the policy of the United States to op22 pose slavery, torture, racism, discrimination, and 

23 xenophobia in all forms. 

Æ 


jbell on PROD1PC69 with BILLS