I
107TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 948
To express the sense of Congress that the Department of Defense should
field currently available weapons and other technologies, and use tactics
and operational concepts, that provide suitable alternatives to anti-per-
sonnel mines and mixed anti-tank mine systems and that the United
States should end its use of such mines and join the Convention on
the Prohibition of Anti-Personnel Mines as soon as possible, to expand
support for mine action programs including mine victim assistance, and
for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 8, 2001
Mr. EVANS (for himself, Mr. QUINN, Mr. MCGOVERN, Ms. BALDWIN, Mrs.
MALONEY of New York, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. LUTHER, Mr. LAHOOD, Mr.
BARRETT, Mr. UDALL of Colorado, Ms. WATERS, Mr. MEEHAN, Mr.
GUTIERREZ, Mr. CAPUANO, Mr. FILNER, Mr. TIERNEY, Mr. HALL of
Ohio, Ms. PELOSI, Mr. BOUCHER, Mr. SANDERS, Mr. ALLEN, Mrs.
MORELLA, Mrs. ROUKEMA, Mr. MORAN of Virginia, Mr. HOEFFEL, Mr.
COOKSEY, Mr. NADLER, Mr. ABERCROMBIE, Ms. WOOLSEY, Mrs. MINK
of Hawaii, and Mr. MOAKLEY) introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on International Relations, and in addition to
the Committee on Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently deter-
mined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions
as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
A BILL
To express the sense of Congress that the Department of
Defense should field currently available weapons and
other technologies, and use tactics and operational con-
cepts, that provide suitable alternatives to anti-personnel
mines and mixed anti-tank mine systems and that the
United States should end its use of such mines and
join the Convention on the Prohibition of Anti-Personnel
Mines as soon as possible, to expand support for mine
action programs including mine victim assistance, and
for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Landmine Elimination
and Victim Assistance Act of 2001’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) The threat posed by tens of millions of
unexploded landmines to innocent civilians is a glob-
al problem requiring strong United States leadership
in cooperation with other governments.
(2) Landmines continue to maim and kill thou-
sands of people, mostly civilians, each year, and
most mine victims lack the care and rehabilitation
services they need.
(3) Landmines, which remain active for hours,
days or years, impede the mobility and threaten the
safety of United States Armed Forces, North Atlan-
tic Treaty Organization forces, and other friendly
forces in combat and other military operations.
(4) At least 139 countries have signed, and 110
countries have ratified, the Convention on the Prohi-
bition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and
Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their De-
struction (opened for signature at Ottawa, Canada,
on December 3 and 4, 1997, and at the United Na-
tions Headquarters beginning December 5, 1997).
Many of these countries are former producers, ex-
porters, and users of anti-personnel mines. World-
wide adherence to the Convention would greatly re-
duce the threat to future generations from anti-per-
sonnel mines.
(5) It is United States Government policy that
the United States will search aggressively for alter-
natives to anti-personnel mines and mixed anti-tank
mine systems and that the United States will join
that convention if suitable alternatives are fielded by
then.
(6) Since 1992, United States law has prohib-
ited the export or transfer of anti-personnel mines.
(7) Since 1997, the United States has capped
its inventory of anti-personnel mines and has not
produced anti-personnel mines.
(8) The United States Government has contrib-
uted hundreds of millions of dollars to the costly,
dangerous, and arduous task of humanitarian
demining around the world.
SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that—
(1) the Department of Defense should field cur-
rently available weapons and other technologies, and
use tactics and operational concepts, that provide
suitable alternatives to anti-personnel mines and
mixed anti-tank mine systems; and
(2) the United States should end its use of such
mines and join the Convention on the Prohibition of
the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of
Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction as
soon as possible.
SEC. 4. PERMANENT PROHIBITION ON TRANSFER OF ANTI-
PERSONNEL LANDMINES.
Section 1365(c) of the National Defense Authoriza-
tion Act for Fiscal Year 1993 (22 U.S.C. 2778 note) is
amended by striking ‘‘During’’ and all that follows
through ‘‘1992—’’ and inserting ‘‘Beginning on October
23, 1992—’’.
SEC. 5. INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP ON MINE ACTION
PROGRAMS.
Not later than 90 days after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the President shall establish an inter-
agency working group to develop a comprehensive plan for
expanded mine action programs, including mine victim re-
habilitation, social support, and economic reintegration.
The working group shall be composed of the Secretaries
of State, Health and Human Services, Veterans Affairs,
Defense, and Education and the Administrator of the
Agency for International Development. The comprehensive
plan shall be developed in close consultation with relevant
nongovernmental organizations. As part of the develop-
ment of the comprehensive plan, the working group shall
determine an estimated cost of carrying out the plan.
SEC. 6. REPORT BY THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE ON AL-
TERNATIVES TO MINES.
(a) REQUIREMENT FOR REPORT.—Not later than
120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the
Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional de-
fense committees a report describing actions taken by the
Department of Defense to field currently available weap-
ons and other technologies, and to use tactics and oper-
ational concepts, that provide suitable alternatives to anti-
personnel mines and mixed anti-tank mine systems.
(b) CONGRESSIONAL DEFENSE COMMITTEES DE-
FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘congressional defense
committees’’ means the following:
(1) The Committee on Armed Services and the
Committee on Appropriations of the Senate.
(2) The Committee on Armed Services and the
Committee on Appropriations of the House of Rep-
resentatives.
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