I
105TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 2539
To prohibit the use of United States funds to provide for the participation
of certain Chinese officials in international conferences, exchanges, pro-
grams, and activities, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
SEPTEMBER 24, 1997
Mr. BEREUTER introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on International Relations
A BILL
To prohibit the use of United States funds to provide for
the participation of certain Chinese officials in inter-
national conferences, exchanges, programs, and activities,
and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
TITLE I—PROHIBITION ON USE
OF FUNDS FOR THE PARTICI-
PATION 
OF 
CERTAIN 
CHI-
NESE 
OFFICIALS 
IN 
CON-
FERENCES, EXCHANGES, PRO-
GRAMS, AND ACTIVITIES
SEC. 101. PROHIBITION ON USE OF FUNDS.
(a) PROHIBITION.—Notwithstanding any other provi-
sion of law, for fiscal years after fiscal year 1997, no funds
appropriated or otherwise made available for the Depart-
ment of State, the United States Information Agency, and
the United States Agency for International Development
may be used for the purpose of providing travel expenses
and per diem for the participation of nationals of the Peo-
ple’s Republic of China described in paragraphs (1) and
(2) in conferences, exchanges, programs, and activities:
(1) The head or political secretary of any of the
following Chinese Government-created or approved
organizations:
(A) The Chinese Buddhist Association.
(B) The Chinese Catholic Patriotic Asso-
ciation.
(C) The National Congress of Catholic
Representatives.
(D) The Chinese Catholic Bishops’ Con-
ference.
(E) The Chinese Protestant ‘‘Three Self’’
Patriotic Movement.
(F) The China Christian Council.
(G) The Chinese Taoist Association.
(H) The Chinese Islamic Association.
(2) Any military or civilian official or employee
of the Government of the People’s Republic of China
who is directly involved in any of the following poli-
cies or practices or who was responsible for the su-
pervision of persons directly involved in such policies
or practices:
(A) Formulating, drafting, or implement-
ing repressive religious policies.
(B) Imprisoning, detaining, or harassing
individuals on religious grounds.
(C) Promoting or participating in policies
or practices which hinder religious activities or
the free expression of religious beliefs.
(b) CERTIFICATION.—
(1) Each Federal agency subject to the prohibi-
tion of subsection (a) shall certify in writing to the
appropriate congressional committees no later than
120 days after the date of enactment of this Act,
and every 90 days thereafter, that it did not pay, ei-
ther directly or through a contractor or grantee, for
travel expenses or per diem of any national of the
People’s Republic of China described in subsection
(a).
(2) Each certification under paragraph (1) shall
be supported by the following information:
(A) The name of each employee of any
agency of the Government of the People’s Re-
public of China whose travel expenses or per
diem were paid by funds of the reporting agen-
cy of the United States Government.
(B) The procedures employed by the re-
porting agency of the United States Govern-
ment to ascertain whether each individual
under subparagraph (A) did or did not partici-
pate in activities described in subsection (a)(2).
(C) The reporting agency’s basis for con-
cluding that each individual under subpara-
graph (A) did not participate in such activities.
(c) DEFINITION OF APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL
COMMITTEES.—For purposes of this section the term ‘‘ap-
propriate congressional committees’’ means the Commit-
tee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee