I 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION H. R. 10385 
To provide clarification of assistance related to safeguarding and the elimi-
nation of landmines, other explosive remnants of war, and conventional 
arms. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 12, 2024 
Mr. BERA (for himself and Ms. BALINT) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
A BILL 
To provide clarification of assistance related to safeguarding 
and the elimination of landmines, other explosive rem-
nants of war, and conventional arms. 
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 ‘‘Conventional Weapons 
Destruction and Legacy of Senator Patrick Leahy Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Landmines and other unexploded ordnance 
threaten the safety, health, and lives of civilian pop-
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ulations and create humanitarian and development 
challenges that have serious and lasting social, eco-
nomic, and security consequences for affected popu-
lations. 
(2) During his 48 years serving in the Senate, 
Senator Patrick Leahy, of Vermont, was a leading 
voice in United States foreign policy and cham-
pioned numerous humanitarian causes, including 
working to rid the world of the scourge of landmines 
and other explosive remnants of war. 
(3) Senator Leahy’s legacy on this issue in-
cludes numerous achievements, including in 1989 
what was later named the Patrick J. Leahy War 
Victims Fund which provides medical and other as-
sistance to victims of landmines and other war-re-
lated disabilities, section 1365 of the National De-
fense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1994 (Pub-
lic Law 103–160; 22 U.S.C. 2778 note) (commonly 
referred to as the ‘‘Landmine Export Moratorium 
Act’’), which prohibits the export and transfer of 
antipersonnel landmines, and working to make the 
United States the world leader in humanitarian 
demining funding—all of which have saved countless 
lives and made real improvements in the livelihoods 
of people recovering from conflict. 
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(4) The United States has provided more than 
$4,600,000,000 in conventional weapons destruction 
assistance to more than 120 countries and areas 
since 1993, including humanitarian demining and 
weapons security programs by the Department of 
State, the Department of Defense, and the United 
States Agency for International Development. 
(5) Conventional weapons destruction assistance 
has saved countless lives around the world, improves 
stability and prosperity by clearing landmines and 
other explosive remnants of war and returning land 
to productive use, builds trust and deepens relation-
ships with key partners to accelerate achievement of 
broader United States foreign policy objectives, plays 
an important role in addressing other global issues 
and United States interests, including food security 
and combatting displacement and migration, and 
provides employment opportunities to women. 
(6) United States humanitarian demining pro-
grams, notably those devoted to clearing unexploded 
bombs and other munitions from the Vietnam War, 
have played a crucial role in building new partner-
ships in regions of geopolitical importance. 
(7) Globally, in fiscal year 2022, it is estimated 
that approximately— 
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(A) 200,100 explosive remnants of war 
were destroyed, allowing for 60,200 acres of 
land to be cleared and returned to public use; 
(B) 37,500 landmines and 9,000 impro-
vised explosive devices were destroyed; and 
(C) 53,700 civilian survivors of explosive 
remnants of war injuries were provided assist-
ance and 3,400,000 civilians were provided life- 
saving risk education to help avoid injury. 
(8) Many countries lack the equipment and 
technical capacity to properly manage government- 
held weapons and ammunition stockpiles, and con-
ventional weapons destruction assistance enhances 
United States and international security by destroy-
ing and securing small arms and light weapons, in-
cluding 
man-portable 
air 
defense 
systems 
(MANPADS), at risk of accidental explosions as well 
as proliferation to terrorists, insurgents, and other 
violent non-state actors. 
(9) In fiscal year 2022, approximately 14,100 
small arms and light weapons, 223 MANPADS and 
anti-tank guided missiles systems (ATGMs), and 
3,900 metric tons of ammunition were destroyed. 
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SEC. 3. CLARIFICATION OF ASSISTANCE RELATING TO 
SAFEGUARDING AND ELIMINATION OF CON-
VENTIONAL WEAPONS. 
The Department of State Authorities Act of 2006 
(Public Law 109–472) is amended by inserting after sec-
tion 11 (22 U.S.C. 2349bb–6) the following new section: 
‘‘SEC. 11A. PURPOSES OF ASSISTANCE FOR HUMANITARIAN 
DEMINING AND ELIMINATION OR SECURING 
OF CONVENTIONAL WEAPONS. 
‘‘(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
‘‘(1) Landmines and other explosive remnants 
of war threaten populations after conflicts end, and 
humanitarian demining is a fundamental part of re-
covery from conflict. 
‘‘(2) Clearing the land of explosive remnants of 
war provides quantifiable threat reduction and al-
lows affected persons to return to their homes and 
utilize the land. 
‘‘(3) Agriculture is disproportionately impacted 
by unexploded ordnance, endangering farmers and 
exacerbating food security. Subsistence farming, 
larger-scale agriculture, grazing, and other related 
activities 
are 
improved 
through 
humanitarian 
demining. 
‘‘(4) Decontaminated land can be returned to 
use for critical infrastructure development, and 
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