IV 

108TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 193

Reaffirming support of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment 

of the Crime of Genocide and anticipating the 15th anniversary of 

the enactment of the Genocide Convention Implementation Act of 1987 

(the Proxmire Act) on November 4, 2003. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 10, 2003

Mr. RADANOVICH (for himself, Mr. SCHIFF, Mr. KNOLLENBERG, Mr. 

PALLONE, Mr. ACKERMAN, Mr. ANDREWS, Ms. BERKLEY, Mr. BERMAN, 

Mr. BILIRAKIS, Mr. BRADLEY of New Hampshire, Mr. CAPUANO, Mr. 

CARDOZA, Mr. COSTELLO, Mr. CROWLEY, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. 

DOGGETT, Mr. DOOLEY of California, Mr. DREIER, Mr. EMANUEL, Ms. 

ESHOO, Mr. FILNER, Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts, Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN, Mr. HINCHEY, Mr. HOEFFEL, Mr. HOLDEN, Mr. HOLT, Mr. 

ISRAEL, Mr. KILDEE, Ms. KILPATRICK, Mrs. KELLY, Mr. KENNEDY of 

Rhode Island, Mr. KUCINICH, Mr. LANGEVIN, Ms. LEE, Mr. LEVIN, Mr. 

LYNCH, Mrs. MALONEY, Mr. MARKEY, Mrs. MCCARTHY of New York, 

Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. MCNULTY, Mr. MEEHAN, Mr. 

MEEKS of New York, Mr. MENENDEZ, Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Ms. NORTON, Mr. NUNES, Mr. OLVER, Ms. 

PELOSI, Mr. ROTHMAN, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, Mr. SHAYS, Mr. SHERMAN, Mr. SMITH of New Jersey, Ms. SOLIS, Mr. SOUDER, Mr. STARK, 

Mr. SWEENEY, Mr. UPTON, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. VISCLOSKY, Ms. 

WATSON, and Mr. WEINER) submitted the following resolution; which 

was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

RESOLUTION

Reaffirming support of the Convention on the Prevention 

and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and anticipating the 15th anniversary of the enactment of the 
2

•HRES 193 IH 

Genocide Convention Implementation Act of 1987 (the 

Proxmire Act) on November 4, 2003.

Whereas in 1948, in the shadow of the Holocaust, the international community responded to Nazi Germany’s methodically orchestrated acts of genocide by approving the 

Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the 

Crime of Genocide; 

Whereas the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment 

of the Crime of Genocide confirms that genocide is a 

crime under international law, defines genocide as certain 

acts committed with intent to destroy a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, and provides that parties 

to the Convention undertake to enact domestic legislation 

to provide effective penalties for persons who are guilty 

of genocide; 

Whereas the United States, under President Harry Truman, 

stood as the first nation to sign the Convention on the 

Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide; 

Whereas the United States Senate ratified the Convention on 

the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide 

on February 19, 1986; 

Whereas the Genocide Convention Implementation Act of 

1987 (the Proxmire Act) (Public Law 100–606), signed 

into law by President Ronald Reagan on November 4, 

1988, amended title 18, United States Code, to criminalize genocide under United States law (18 U.S.C. 

1091); 

Whereas the enactment of the Genocide Convention Implementation Act marked a principled stand by the United 

States against the crime of genocide and an important 

step toward ensuring that the lessons of the Holocaust, 
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•HRES 193 IH 

the Armenian Genocide, and the genocides in Cambodia 

and Rwanda, among others, will be used to help prevent 

future genocides; 

Whereas despite the international community’s consensus 

against genocide, as demonstrated by the fact that 133 

nations are party to the Convention on the Prevention 

and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and through 

other instruments and actions, denial of past instances of 

genocide continues and many thousands of innocent people continue to be victims of genocide; and 

Whereas November 4, 2003, is the 15th anniversary of the 

enactment of the Genocide Convention Implementation 

Act of 1987 (the Proxmire Act): Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives—

2 (1) anticipates the 15th anniversary of the en3 actment of the Genocide Convention Implementation 

4 Act of 1987 (the Proxmire Act); and 

5 (2) encourages the people and Government of 

6 the United States to rededicate themselves to the 

7 cause of bringing an end to the crime of genocide.

Æ