IIB 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4270 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
OCTOBER 16, 2019 
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and 
Urban Affairs 
AN ACT 
To prohibit commercial exports of certain nonlethal crowd 
control items and defense articles and services to the 
Hong Kong Police, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Placing Restrictions 
on Teargas Exports and Crowd Control Technology to 
Hong Kong Act’’ or the ‘‘PROTECT Hong Kong Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) The United Nations High Commissioner for 
Human Rights, along with human rights organiza-
tions, has called for an investigation of the use of 
crowd control tactics used in Hong Kong which fall 
short of international standards, including the 
United Nations Code of Conduct for Law Enforce-
ment Officials and the Basic Principles on the Use 
of Force and Firearms for Law Enforcement Offi-
cials. 
(2) United States companies have reportedly 
provided the Hong Kong Police Force with muni-
tions and non-lethal crowd control equipment that 
were reportedly used by the police. 
(3) Hong Kong citizens and the international 
community have called for changes to the Hong 
Kong Police’s crowd control tactics and these re-
quests have gone unheeded by the Hong Kong Spe-
cial Administrative Region Government. 
SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 
It is the policy of the United States— 
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(1) to restrict the export of security assistance 
and crime control and detection instruments and 
equipment to any government that engages in a con-
sistent pattern of gross violations of internationally 
recognized human rights, consistent with the re-
quirements of section 502B(a) of the Foreign Assist-
ance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2304(a)); and 
(2) to use export controls on crime control and 
detection instruments and equipment to deter the 
development of a consistent pattern of human rights 
abuses, distance the United States from such 
abuses, and avoid contributing to civil disorder in a 
country or region, in accordance with section 
742.7(b) of part 774 of subtitle B of title 15, Code 
of Federal Regulations. 
SEC. 4. PROHIBITION ON COMMERCIAL EXPORT OF COV-
ERED DEFENSE ARTICLES AND SERVICES 
AND COVERED MUNITIONS ITEMS TO THE 
HONG KONG POLICE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Beginning on the date that is 30 
days after the date of the enactment of this Act, except 
as provided in subsection (b), the President shall prohibit 
the issuance of licenses to export covered defense articles 
and services and covered munitions items to the Hong 
Kong Police. 
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(b) WAIVER.—The prohibition under subsection (a) 
shall not apply to the issuance of a license with respect 
to which the President submits to the appropriate congres-
sional committees, not fewer than 30 days before the date 
of such issuance, a written certification that the exports 
to be covered by such license are important to the national 
interests and foreign policy goals of the United States, in-
cluding a description of the manner in which such exports 
will promote such interests and goals. 
(c) TERMINATION.—The prohibition under sub-
section (a) shall terminate on the date on which the Presi-
dent certifies to the appropriate congressional committees 
that— 
(1) the Hong Kong Police have not engaged in 
gross violations of human rights during the 1-year 
period ending on the date of such certification; and 
(2) there has been an independent examination 
of human rights concerns related to the crowd con-
trol tactics of the Hong Kong Police and the Gov-
ernment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative 
Region has adequately addressed those concerns. 
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SEC. 5. REPORT ON COVERED DEFENSE ARTICLES AND 
SERVICES AND COVERED MUNITIONS ITEMS 
EXPORTED TO THE HONG KONG POLICE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State 
and the Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the 
heads of other relevant Federal departments and agencies, 
shall jointly submit to the appropriate congressional com-
mittees a report that lists and provides a description of 
all covered defense articles and services and covered muni-
tions items exported to the Hong Kong Police during the 
5-year period ending on such date of enactment. 
(b) FORM.—The report required by subsection (a) 
shall be submitted in unclassified form but may include 
a classified annex. 
SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) APPROPRIATE
CONGRESSIONAL
COMMIT-
TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com-
mittees’’ means— 
(A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of 
the House of Representatives; 
(B) the Committee on Foreign Relations of 
the Senate; and 
(C) the Committee on Banking, Housing, 
and Urban Affairs of the Senate. 
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(2) COVERED DEFENSE ARTICLES AND SERV-
ICES.—The term ‘‘covered defense articles and serv-
ices’’ means defense articles and defense services 
designated by the President under section 38(a)(1) 
of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 
2778(a)(1)). 
(3) COVERED
MUNITIONS
ITEMS.—The term 
‘‘covered munitions items’’ means— 
(A) items controlled under section 742.7 of 
part 742 of subtitle B of title 15, Code of Fed-
eral Regulations (relating to crime control and 
detection instruments and equipment and re-
lated technology and software); and 
(B) items listed under the ‘‘600 series’’ of 
the Commerce Control List contained in Sup-
plement No. 1 to part 774 of subtitle B of title 
15, Code of Federal Regulations. 
(4) HONG KONG.—The term ‘‘Hong Kong’’ has 
the meaning given such term in section 3 of the 
United States-Hong Kong Policy Act of 1992 (22 
U.S.C. 5702). 
(5) HONG
KONG
POLICE.—The term ‘‘Hong 
Kong Police’’ means— 
(A) the Hong Kong Police Force; and 
(B) the Hong Kong Auxiliary Police Force. 
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SEC. 7. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS. 
The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of 
complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, 
shall be determined by reference to the latest statement 
titled ‘‘Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation’’ for this 
Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional Record 
by the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, pro-
vided that such statement has been submitted prior to the 
vote on passage. 
Passed the House of Representatives October 15, 
2019. 
Attest: 
CHERYL L. JOHNSON, 
Clerk. 
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