IV 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 515 
Commemorating the 90th birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama on July 
6, 2025, as ‘‘A Day of Compassion’’, and expressing support for the 
human rights, religious freedom, and cultural and linguistic protection 
of the Tibetan people. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 13, 2025 
Mr. MCCAUL (for himself, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. WILSON of South Carolina, 
Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI, Mr. LAWLER, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mrs. KIM, and 
Mr. RASKIN) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
RESOLUTION 
Commemorating the 90th birthday of His Holiness the Dalai 
Lama on July 6, 2025, as ‘‘A Day of Compassion’’, 
and expressing support for the human rights, religious 
freedom, and cultural and linguistic protection of the 
Tibetan people. 
Whereas July 6, 2025, marks the 90th birthday of His Holi-
ness the 14th Dalai Lama; 
Whereas the 14th Dalai Lama was born in north-eastern 
Tibet in 1935, was enthroned as the 14th incarnation in 
1940, and was called upon to assume temporal leadership 
of Tibet in 1950 in response to a tumultuous time as the 
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•HRES 515 IH 
newly established People’s Republic of China sent its 
military to seize control of Tibet; 
Whereas Communist Party of China Chairman Mao Zedong 
assured the Dalai Lama that Tibet would have autonomy 
under Chinese rule and conveyed to the Dalai Lama that 
Tibet’s unique religious and cultural traditions would be 
respected, and even formalized these assurances in the 17 
Point Agreement of 1951; 
Whereas the Government of the People’s Republic of China, 
led by the Chinese Communist Party, steadily eroded Ti-
bet’s autonomy to which it committed in the Seventeen 
Point Agreement through repressive political and military 
actions, leading to tension, resistance, and ultimately the 
Dalai Lama’s exile in 1959; 
Whereas, in March 1959, the Dalai Lama had to flee Tibet 
after the People’s Liberation Army began shelling Lhasa 
and has since then been residing in India, along with tens 
of thousands of Tibetan refugees; 
Whereas, for more than seven decades, His Holiness the 14th 
Dalai Lama has significantly advocated for interfaith dia-
logue, emphasizing tolerance, harmony, and respect 
among major world religions; 
Whereas the Dalai Lama has led the effort to preserve the 
rich and unique cultural, religious, historical, and lin-
guistic heritage of the people of Tibet while working to 
safeguard other endangered cultures throughout the 
world; 
Whereas the Dalai Lama has been gravely concerned by the 
degraded state of the environment of Tibet and the un-
checked exploitation of the natural resources of Tibet, in-
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cluding fresh water, because they have implications not 
only for the people of Tibet, but for the whole of Asia; 
Whereas, beginning in 1979, the Dalai Lama has visited var-
ious parts of the United States and subsequently gained 
the admiration of all levels of society in the United 
States; 
Whereas the people of the United States have consistently ex-
pressed their appreciation for the culture and Tibetan 
Buddhism, including through their support of its preser-
vation, and political and diplomatic support for the Dalai 
Lama in his capacity as a spiritual leader; 
Whereas there is strong bipartisan support from successive 
Congresses and Administrations for the Dalai Lama and 
his vision for Tibet and the world and for a negotiated 
resolution between Tibet and China that leads to mean-
ingful autonomy for Tibetans that ensures they are able 
to freely practice their religion, culture, and language 
without repercussions; 
Whereas, on October 17, 2007, Congress awarded the Con-
gressional Gold Medal to the Dalai Lama, finding in the 
Fourteenth Dalai Lama Congressional Gold Medal Act 
(Public Law 109–287) that he is recognized around the 
world as ‘‘a leading figure of moral and religious author-
ity’’ and is ‘‘the unrivaled spiritual and cultural leader of 
the Tibetan people’’; 
Whereas followers of Tibetan Buddhists in Tibet, the United 
States, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Mongolia, Russia, and else-
where look to the Dalai Lama for religious leadership 
and spiritual guidance; 
Whereas the Universal Declaration of Human Rights holds 
that ‘‘[e]veryone has the right to freedom of thought, 
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conscience and religion,’’ including the freedom to change 
religion or belief and to practice it in private or public; 
Whereas at least 159 Tibetans in Tibet are known to have 
self-immolated, with statements or records left by many 
of them calling for freedom for Tibet and the return of 
the Dalai Lama; 
Whereas, in 1991, section 355 of the Foreign Relations Au-
thorization Act, Fiscal Years 1992 and 1993 (Public Law 
102–138) expressed the sense of Congress that Tibet ‘‘is 
an occupied country under the established principles of 
international law’’ and that ‘‘Tibet’s true representatives 
are the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government in exile 
as recognized by the Tibetan people’’; 
Whereas, in 1961, with the support of the United States, the 
United Nations General Assembly recognized the Tibetan 
people’s ‘‘fundamental human rights and freedoms, in-
cluding the right to self-determination’’; 
Whereas the Government of the People’s Republic of China 
has interfered in the identification and installation of re-
incarnated leaders of Tibetan Buddhism, as part of its 
efforts to maintain control over Tibet, including in 1995 
arbitrarily detaining the then-recently identified 11th 
Panchen Lama, then a six-year-old boy, and purporting 
to install China’s own candidate, Gyaltsen Norbu, as 
Panchen Lama; 
Whereas, in 2011, the 14th Dalai Lama declared that the re-
sponsibility for identifying a future 15th Dalai Lama will 
rest with officials of Gaden Phodrang, the Dalai Lama’s 
office, and that ‘‘apart from the reincarnation recognized 
through such legitimate methods, no recognition or ac-
ceptance should be given to a candidate chosen for polit-
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•HRES 515 IH 
ical ends by anyone, including those in the People’s Re-
public of China’’; 
Whereas, in 2011, the 14th Dalai Lama initiated a historic 
devolution of power to the Central Tibetan Administra-
tion (CTA) in which he formally renounced his political 
role, transferring full democratic governance to an elected 
Tibetan leadership, thereby ensuring a democratic and 
secular political system for the Tibetan people; 
Whereas the Tibetan Policy and Support Act of 2020 (sub-
title E of title III of division K of Public Law 116–260) 
was passed, strengthening the landmark Tibetan Policy 
Act of 2002 (22 U.S.C. 6901 note on December 21, 
2020, the Tibetan Policy and Support Act of 2020), in-
cluding by— 
(1) addressing the issue of water security and envi-
ronmental destruction in Tibet; 
(2) providing humanitarian assistance and support 
for Tibetans in Tibet and in exile; 
(3) stipulating that the objectives of the United 
States Special Coordinator for Tibet include promoting 
‘‘substantive dialogue without preconditions between the 
Government of the People’s Republic of China and the 
Dalai Lama, his or her representatives, or democratically 
elected leaders of the Tibetan community’’; 
(4) stating that it is the policy of the United States 
that ‘‘decisions regarding the selection, education, and 
veneration of Tibetan Buddhist religious leaders are ex-
clusively spiritual matters that should be made by the ap-
propriate religious authorities within the Tibetan Bud-
dhist tradition and in the context of the will of practi-
tioners of Tibetan Buddhism’’ and that the wishes of the 
14th Dalai Lama ‘‘should play a key role’’ in the selec-
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•HRES 515 IH 
tion, education, and veneration of a future 15th Dalai 
Lama; and 
(5) stating that it is the policy of the United States 
to hold accountable, including through the imposition of 
sanctions, any officials of the People’s Republic of China 
or the Chinese Communist Party who directly interfere 
with the identification and installation of a future Dalai 
Lama; 
Whereas, on July 12, 2024, the Promoting a Resolution to 
the Tibet-China Dispute Act (Public Law 118–70) was 
signed into law, with the Act affirming that it is the pol-
icy of the United States that the Tibet issue must be re-
solved in accordance with international law by peaceful 
means, through dialogue without preconditions, and that 
China should cease propagating disinformation about Ti-
bet’s history, and stating that it is the sense of Congress 
that the People’s Republic of China’s claims that Tibet 
has been part of the People’s Republic of China since 
‘‘ancient times’’ are ‘‘historically inaccurate’’; 
Whereas the Central Tibetan Administration, the institution 
that represents and reflects to the greatest extent the as-
pirations of the Tibetan diaspora around the world, has 
officially decided to celebrate the 14th Dalai Lama’s 90th 
birth year as the ‘‘Year of Compassion’’; and 
Whereas the Dalai Lama has highlighted the oneness of hu-
manity and has dedicated his life for the promotion of 
compassion and human values, and is considered a leader 
of compassion by the international community: Now, 
therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) recognizes ‘‘A Day of Compassion’’; 
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(2) congratulates His Holiness the Dalai Lama 
on his 90th birthday and affirms its recognition of 
his outstanding contributions to peace, nonviolence, 
human rights, and religious understanding; 
(3) affirms the Tibetan people’s fundamental 
human rights and freedoms, including their right to 
self-determination and the protection of their dis-
tinct religious, cultural, linguistic, and national iden-
tity; 
(4) reiterates as outlined in the Tibetan Policy 
and Support Act that the identification and installa-
tion of Tibetan Buddhist religious leaders are within 
the authority of the Tibetan Buddhist faith commu-
nity, in accordance with their inalienable right to re-
ligious freedom and a future 15th Dalai Lama is a 
matter that should be determined solely by the 
present 14th Dalai Lama; 
(5) reiterates that any attempt by the Govern-
ment of the People’s Republic of China to identify 
or install Tibetan Buddhist religious leaders, includ-
ing a future 15th Dalai Lama, is invalid interference 
in the right to religious freedom of Tibetan Bud-
dhists around the world, including in Tibet and in 
the United States; and 
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