SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Tibetan Policy and 
Support Act of 2019’’. 
SEC. 2. MODIFICATIONS TO AND REAUTHORIZATION OF TI-
BETAN POLICY ACT OF 2002. 
(a) TIBETAN NEGOTIATIONS.—Section 613 of the Ti-
betan Policy Act of 2002 (22 U.S.C. 6901 note) is amend-
ed— 
(1) in subsection (a)— 
(A) in paragraph (1)— 
(i) 
by 
inserting 
‘‘without 
pre-
conditions’’ after ‘‘a dialogue’’; 
(ii) by inserting ‘‘or democratically- 
elected leaders of the Tibetan community’’ 
after ‘‘his representatives’’; and 
(iii) by adding at the end before the 
period the following: ‘‘and should coordi-
nate with other governments in multilat-
eral efforts toward this goal’’; 
(B) by redesignating paragraph (2) as 
paragraph (3); and 
(C) by inserting after paragraph (1) the 
following: 
‘‘(2) POLICY COMMUNICATION.—The President 
shall direct the Secretary of State to ensure that, in 
accordance with this Act, United States policy on
Tibet, as coordinated by the United States Special 
Coordinator for Tibetan Issues, is communicated to 
all Federal departments and agencies in contact with 
the Government of the People’s Republic of China.’’; 
(2) in subsection (b)— 
(A) in the matter preceding paragraph 
(1)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘until December 31, 
2021’’; and 
(ii) by inserting ‘‘and direct the De-
partment of State to make public on its 
website’’ after ‘‘appropriate congressional 
committees’’; 
(B) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 
the end; 
(C) in paragraph (2), by striking the pe-
riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’ ; and 
(D) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(3) the steps taken by the United States Gov-
ernment to promote the human rights and distinct 
religious, cultural, linguistic, and historical identity 
of the Tibetan people, including the right of the Ti-
betan people to select, educate, and venerate their 
own religious leaders in accordance with their estab-
lished religious practice and system.’’.
(b) TIBET PROJECT PRINCIPLES.—Section 616 of 
such Act (22 U.S.C. 6901 note) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (d), by striking paragraphs 
(1) through (9) and inserting the following: 
‘‘(1) neither provide incentive for, nor facilitate 
the migration and settlement of, non-Tibetans into 
Tibet; 
‘‘(2) neither provide incentive for, nor facilitate 
the transfer of ownership of, Tibetan land or natural 
resources to non-Tibetans; 
‘‘(3) neither provide incentive for, nor facilitate 
the involuntary or coerced relocation of, Tibetan no-
mads from their traditional pasture lands into con-
centrated settlements; 
‘‘(4) be implemented in consultation with the 
Tibetan people and, as appropriate, after the con-
duct of cultural and environmental impact assess-
ments; 
‘‘(5) foster self-sufficiency and self-reliance of 
Tibetans; 
‘‘(6) respect human rights and Tibetan culture 
and traditions; 
‘‘(7) be subject to ongoing monitoring and eval-
uation; and
‘‘(8) be conducted, as much as possible, in the 
Tibetan language.’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(e) UNITED STATES ASSISTANCE.—The President 
shall provide funds to nongovernmental organizations to 
support sustainable development, cultural and historical 
preservation, health care, education, and environmental 
sustainability projects for Tibetan communities in Tibet, 
in accordance with the principles specified in subsection 
(d) and with the concurrence of the United States Special 
Coordinator for Tibetan Issues under section 621(d).’’. 
(c) DIPLOMATIC REPRESENTATION RELATING
TO 
TIBET.—Section 618 of such Act (22 U.S.C. 6901 note) 
is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘SEC. 618. DIPLOMATIC REPRESENTATION RELATING TO 
TIBET. 
‘‘(a) UNITED
STATES
CONSULATE
IN
LHASA, 
TIBET.—The Secretary should seek to establish a United 
States consulate in Lhasa, Tibet— 
‘‘(1) to provide consular services to United 
States citizens traveling in Tibet; and 
‘‘(2) to monitor political, economic, and cultural 
developments in Tibet. 
‘‘(b) POLICY.—The Secretary may not authorize the 
establishment in the United States of any additional con-
sulate of the People’s Republic of China until such time 
as a United States consulate in Lhasa, Tibet, is estab-
lished under subsection (a).’’. 
(d) RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION
IN TIBET.—Section 
620(b) of such Act (22 U.S.C. 6901 note) is amended by 
adding at the end before the period the following: ‘‘, in-
cluding with respect to the reincarnation system of Ti-
betan Buddhism’’. 
(e) UNITED STATES SPECIAL COORDINATOR FOR TI-
BETAN ISSUES.—Section 621 of such Act (22 U.S.C. 6901 
note) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (c) to read as follows: 
‘‘(c) OBJECTIVES.—The objectives of the Special Co-
ordinator are to— 
‘‘(1) promote substantive dialogue without pre-
conditions between the Government of the People’s 
Republic of China and the Dalai Lama or his rep-
resentatives or democratically-elected leaders of the 
Tibetan community leading to a negotiated agree-
ment on Tibet and coordinate with other govern-
ments in multilateral efforts toward this goal; 
‘‘(2) encourage the Government of the People’s 
Republic of China to address the aspirations of the 
Tibetan people with regard to their distinct histor-
ical, cultural, religious, and linguistic identity;
‘‘(3) promote the human rights of the Tibetan 
people; 
‘‘(4) promote activities to preserve environment 
and water resources of the Tibetan plateau; 
‘‘(5) encourage sustainable development in ac-
cordance with section 616(d), cultural and historical 
preservation, health care, education, and environ-
mental sustainability projects for Tibetan commu-
nities in Tibet; and 
‘‘(6) promote access to Tibet in accordance with 
the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act of 2018 (Public 
Law 115–330).’’; 
(2) in subsection (d)— 
(A) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 
the end; 
(B) by redesignating paragraph (6) as 
paragraph (8); and 
(C) by inserting after paragraph (5) the 
following: 
‘‘(6) provide concurrence with respect to all 
projects carried out pursuant to assistance provided 
under section 616(e); 
‘‘(7) seek to establish international diplomatic 
coalitions to—
‘‘(A) oppose any effort by the Government 
of the People’s Republic of China to select, edu-
cate, and venerate Tibetan Buddhist religious 
leaders in a manner inconsistent with Tibetan 
Buddhism in which the succession or identifica-
tion of Tibetan Buddhist lamas, including the 
Dalai Lama, should occur without interference, 
in a manner consistent with Tibetan Buddhists’ 
beliefs; and 
‘‘(B) ensure that the identification and in-
stallation of Tibetan Buddhist religious leaders, 
including any future Dalai Lama, is determined 
solely within the Tibetan Buddhist faith com-
munity, in accordance with the universally-rec-
ognized right to religious freedom; and’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(e) PERSONNEL.—The Secretary shall ensure that 
the Office of the Special Coordinator is adequately staffed 
at all times to assist in the management of the responsibil-
ities of this section.’’. 
SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY REGARDING THE SUCCES-
SION OR REINCARNATION OF THE DALAI 
LAMA. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following:
(1) Notwithstanding that Tibetan Buddhism is 
practiced in many countries including Bhutan, India, 
Mongolia, Nepal, the People’s Republic of China, the 
Russian Federation, and the United States, the Gov-
ernment of the People’s Republic of China has re-
peatedly insisted on its role in managing the selec-
tion of Tibet’s next spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, 
through actions such as those described in the 
‘‘Measures on the Management of the Reincarnation 
of Living Buddhas’’ in 2007. 
(2) On March 19, 2019, Chinese Ministry of 
Affairs spokesperson reiterated that the ‘‘reincarna-
tion of living Buddhas including the Dalai Lama 
must comply with Chinese laws and regulations and 
follow religious rituals and historical conventions’’. 
(3) The Government of the People’s Republic of 
China has interfered in the process of recognizing a 
successor or reincarnation of Tibetan Buddhist lead-
ers, including in 1995 by arbitrarily detaining 
Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, a 6-year old boy who was 
identified as the 11th Panchen Lama, and pur-
porting to install its own candidate as the Panchen 
Lama. 
(4) The 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, 
issued a statement on September 24, 2011, explain-
ing the traditions and spiritual precepts of the selec-
tion of Dalai Lamas, setting forth his views on the 
considerations and process for selecting his suc-
cessor, and providing a response to the Chinese gov-
ernment’s claims that only the Chinese government 
has the ultimate authority in the selection process of 
the Dalai Lama. 
(5) The 14th Dalai Lama said in his statement 
that the person who reincarnates has sole legitimate 
authority over where and how he or she takes re-
birth and how that reincarnation is to be recognized 
and if there is a need for a 15th Dalai Lama to be 
recognized, then the responsibility shall primarily 
rest with the officers of the Dalai Lama’s Gaden 
Phodrang Trust, who will be informed by the written 
instructions of the 14th Dalai Lama. 
(6) Since 2011, the 14th Dalai Lama has reit-
erated publicly on numerous occasions that decisions 
on the successions, emanations, or reincarnations of 
the Dalai Lama belongs to the Tibetan Buddhist 
faith community alone. 
(7) On June 8, 2015, the United States House 
of Representatives unanimously approved House 
Resolution 337 which calls on the United States 
Government to ‘‘underscore that government inter-
ference in the Tibetan reincarnation process is a vio-
lation of the internationally recognized right to reli-
gious freedom * * * and to highlight the fact that 
other countries besides China have long Tibetan 
Buddhist traditions and that matters related to rein-
carnations in Tibetan Buddhism are of keen interest 
to Tibetan Buddhist populations worldwide’’. 
(8) On April 25, 2018, the United States Sen-
ate unanimously approved Senate Resolution 429 
which ‘‘expresses its sense that the identification 
and installation of Tibetan Buddhist religious lead-
ers, including a future 15th Dalai Lama, is a matter 
that should be determined solely within the Tibetan 
Buddhist faith community, in accordance with the 
inalienable right to religious freedom’’. 
(9) The Department of State’s Report on Inter-
national Religious Freedom for 2018 reported on 
policies and efforts of the Government of the Peo-
ple’s Republic of China to exert control over the se-
lection of Tibetan Buddhist religious leaders, includ-
ing reincarnate lamas, and stated that ‘‘U.S. offi-
cials underscored that decisions on the reincarnation 
of the Dalai Lama should be made solely by faith 
leaders.’’.
(b) STATEMENT OF POLICY.—It is the policy of the 
United States that— 
(1) decisions regarding the selection, education, 
and veneration of Tibetan Buddhist religious leaders 
are exclusively spiritual matters that should be made 
by the appropriate religious authorities within the 
Tibetan Buddhist tradition and in the context of the 
will of practitioners of Tibetan Buddhism; 
(2) the wishes of the 14th Dalai Lama, includ-
ing any written instructions, should play a deter-
minative role in the selection, education, and vener-
ation of a future 15th Dalai Lama; and 
(3) interference by the Government of the Peo-
ple’s Republic of China or any other government in 
the process of recognizing a successor or reincarna-
tion of the 14th Dalai Lama and any future Dalai 
Lamas would represent a clear violation of the fun-
damental religious freedoms of Tibetan Buddhists 
and the Tibetan people. 
(c) HOLDING CHINESE OFFICIALS RESPONSIBLE 
FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM ABUSES TARGETING TIBETAN 
BUDDHISTS.—It is the policy of the United States to con-
sider senior officials of the Government of the People’s 
Republic of China who are responsible for, complicit in, 
or have directly or indirectly engaged in the identification
or installation of a candidate chosen by China as the fu-
ture 15th Dalai Lama of Tibetan Buddhism to have com-
mitted— 
(1) a gross violation of internationally recog-
nized human rights for purposes of imposing sanc-
tions with respect to such officials under the Global 
Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act (22 
U.S.C. 2656 note); and 
(2) a particularly severe violation of religious 
freedom 
for 
purposes 
of 
applying 
section 
212(a)(2)(G) of the Immigration and Nationality 
Act (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(2)(G)) with respect to such 
officials. 
(d) DEPARTMENT OF STATE PROGRAMMING TO PRO-
MOTE RELIGIOUS FREEDOM FOR TIBETAN BUDDHISTS.— 
Consistent with section 401 of the Frank R. Wolf Inter-
national Religious Freedom Act (Public Law 114–281; 
130 Stat. 1436), of the funds available to the Department 
of State for international religious freedom programs, the 
Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom 
should support efforts to protect and promote inter-
national religious freedom in China and for programs to 
protect Tibetan Buddhism in China and elsewhere.
SEC. 4. POLICY REGARDING THE ENVIRONMENT AND 
WATER RESOURCES ON THE TIBETAN PLA-
TEAU. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) The Tibetan Plateau contains glaciers, riv-
ers, grasslands, and other geographical and ecologi-
cal features that are crucial for supporting vegeta-
tion growth and biodiversity, regulating water flow 
and supply for an estimated 1.8 billion people. Glob-
al warming threatens the glaciers in Tibet that feed 
the major rivers of South and East Asia, which sup-
ply freshwater to an estimated 1.8 billion people. 
(2) Rising global temperatures—especially in 
the Tibetan Plateau where the average temperature 
has increased at twice the global average—will result 
in variable water flows in the future. 
(3) The construction in Tibet of large hydro-
electric power dams intended to be used in part to 
transmit power to Chinese provinces outside of 
Tibet, as well as other infrastructure projects, in-
cluding the Sichuan-Tibet railroad, may also lead to 
the resettlement of thousands of Tibetans and trans-
form the environment. 
(4) The grasslands of Tibet play a significant 
role in carbon production and sequestration and Ti-
bet’s rivers support wetlands that play a key role in
water storage, water quality, and the regulation of 
water flow, support biodiversity, foster vegetation 
growth, and act as carbon sinks. 
(5) Rising temperatures and intensifying evapo-
ration, 
can 
affect 
the 
water 
supply, 
cause 
desertification, and destabilize infrastructure on the 
Tibetan Plateau and beyond. 
(6) Traditional Tibetan grassland stewardship 
practices, which can be key to mitigating the nega-
tive effects of warming on the Tibetan Plateau, are 
undermined by the resettlement of nomads from Ti-
betan grasslands. 
(7) The People’s Republic of China has ap-
proximately 20 percent of the world’s population but 
only around 7 percent of the world’s water supply, 
while many countries in South and Southeast Asia 
rely on the rivers flowing from the Himalayas of the 
Tibetan Plateau. 
(8) The People’s Republic of China has already 
completed water transfer programs diverting billions 
of cubic meters of water yearly and has plans to di-
vert more waters from the Tibetan plateau in China. 
(b) WATER RESOURCES IN TIBET AND THE TIBETAN 
WATERSHED.—The Secretary of State, in coordination
with relevant agencies of the United States Government, 
should— 
(1) pursue collaborative efforts with Chinese 
and international scientific institutions, as appro-
priate, to monitor the environment on the Tibetan 
Plateau, including glacial retreat, temperature rise, 
and carbon levels, in order to promote a greater un-
derstanding of the effects on permafrost, river flows, 
grasslands and desertification, and the monsoon 
cycle; 
(2) engage with the Government of the People’s 
Republic of China, the Tibetan people, and non-
governmental organizations to encourage the partici-
pation of Tibetan nomads and other Tibetan stake-
holders in the development and implementation of 
grassland management policies, in order to utilize 
their indigenous experience in mitigation and stew-
ardship of the land and to assess policies on the 
forced resettlement of nomads; and 
(3) encourage a regional framework on water 
security, or use existing frameworks, such as the 
Lower Mekong Initiative, to facilitate cooperative 
agreements among all riparian nations that would 
promote transparency, sharing of information, pollu-
tion regulation, and arrangements on impounding
and diversion of waters that originate on the Ti-
betan Plateau. 
SEC. 5. DEMOCRACY IN THE TIBETAN EXILE COMMUNITY. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) The 14th Dalai Lama advocates the Middle 
Way Approach, which seeks genuine autonomy for 
the six million Tibetans in Tibet. 
(2) The 14th Dalai Lama has overseen a proc-
ess of democratization within the Tibetan polity, be-
ginning in Tibet in the 1950s and continuing in exile 
from the 1960s to the present and to address the 
needs of the Tibetan people until such time as gen-
uine autonomy in Tibet is realized, the 14th Dalai 
Lama devolved his political responsibilities to the 
elected representatives of the Tibetan people in exile 
in 2011. 
(3) In 2011 and again in 2016, members of the 
Tibetan exile community across some 30 countries 
held elections to select political leaders to serve in 
the Central Tibetan Administration parliament and 
as chief executive, elections which were monitored by 
international observers and assessed to be free and 
fair. 
(4) The Dalai Lama has said that the Central 
Tibetan Administration will cease to exist once a ne-
gotiated settlement has been achieved that allows Ti-
betans to freely enjoy their culture, religion and lan-
guage in Tibet. 
(b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that— 
(1) Tibetan exile communities around the world 
should be commended for the adoption of a system 
of self-governance with democratic institutions to 
choose their leaders; 
(2) the Dalai Lama should be commended for 
his decision to devolve political authority to elected 
leaders in accordance with democratic principles; 
and 
(3) as consistent with section 621(d)(3) of the 
Tibetan Policy Act of 2002 (22 U.S.C. 6901 note), 
the United States Special Coordinator for Tibetan 
Issues should continue to maintain close contact 
with the religious, cultural, and political leaders of 
the Tibetan people. 
SEC. 6. SUSTAINABILITY IN TIBETAN COMMUNITIES SEEK-
ING TO PRESERVE THEIR CULTURE, RELI-
GION, AND LANGUAGE. 
The Secretary of State should urge the Government 
of Nepal to honor the Gentleman’s Agreement with the 
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and to
provide legal documentation to long-staying Tibetan resi-
dents in Nepal who fled a credible threat of persecution 
in Tibet in order to allow them to more fully participate 
in the economy and society of Nepal. 
SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
(a) OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES SPECIAL COOR-
DINATOR FOR TIBETAN ISSUES.—There is authorized to 
be appropriated $1,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 
2021 through 2025 for the Office of the United States 
Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues. 
(b) 
TIBETAN
SCHOLARSHIP
PROGRAM
AND 
NGAWANG CHOEPHEL EXCHANGE PROGRAMS.— 
(1) TIBETAN SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM.—There 
is authorized to be appropriated $675,000 for each 
of the fiscal years 2021 through 2025 to carry out 
the Tibetan scholarship program established under 
section 103(b)(1) of the Human Rights, Refugee, 
and Other Foreign Relations Provisions Act of 1996 
(Public Law 104–319; 22 U.S.C. 2151 note). 
(2) NGAWANG
CHOEPHEL
EXCHANGE
PRO-
GRAMS.—There is authorized to be appropriated 
$575,000 for each of the fiscal years 2021 through 
2025 to carry out the ‘‘Ngwang Choepel Exchange 
Programs’’ (formerly known as ‘‘programs of edu-
cational and cultural exchange between the United
States and the people of Tibet’’) under section 
103(a) of the Human Rights, Refugee, and Other 
Foreign Relations Provisions Act of 1996. 
(c) HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE AND SUPPORT TO 
TIBETAN REFUGEES IN SOUTH ASIA.—Amounts author-
ized to be appropriated to carry out chapter 9 of part I 
of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the Migration 
and Refugee Assistance Act of 1962 for each of the fiscal 
years 2021 through 2025 are authorized to be made avail-
able for humanitarian assistance, including food, medicine, 
clothing, and medical and vocational training, for Tibetan 
refugees in South Asia who have fled facing a credible 
threat of persecution in the People’s Republic of China. 
(d) TIBETAN AUTONOMOUS REGION AND TIBETAN 
COMMUNITIES IN CHINA.—There is authorized to be ap-
propriated $8,000,000 for each year of the fiscal years 
2021 through 2025 under chapter 4 of part II of the For-
eign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2346 et seq.) to 
support activities which preserve cultural traditions and 
promote sustainable development, education, and environ-
mental conservation in Tibetan communities in the Tibet 
Autonomous Region and in other Tibetan communities in 
China. 
(e) ASSISTANCE
FOR
TIBETANS
IN
INDIA
AND 
NEPAL.—There 
is 
authorized 
to 
be 
appropriated
$6,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2021 through 2025 
under part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 
U.S.C. 2151 et seq.) for programs to promote and pre-
serve Tibetan culture and language development, and the 
resilience of Tibetan communities in India and Nepal, and 
to assist in the education and development of the next gen-
eration of Tibetan leaders from such communities. 
(f) TIBETAN GOVERNANCE.—There is authorized to 
be appropriated $3,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 
2021 through 2025 for programs to strengthen the capac-
ity of Tibetan institutions and strengthen democracy, gov-
ernance, information and international outreach, and re-
search. 
(g) VOICE OF AMERICA AND RADIO FREE ASIA.— 
(1) VOICE OF AMERICA.—There is authorized to 
be appropriated $3,344,000 for each of the fiscal 
years 2021 through 2025 to Voice of America for 
broadcasts described in paragraph (3). 
(2) RADIO FREE ASIA.—There is authorized to 
be appropriated $4,060,000 for each of the fiscal 
years 2021 through 2025 to Radio Free Asia for 
broadcasts described in paragraph (3). 
(3) BROADCASTS DESCRIBED.—Broadcasts de-
scribed in this paragraph are broadcasts to provide
uncensored news and information in the Tibetan lan-
guage to Tibetans, including Tibetans in Tibet. 
SEC. 8. 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 January 28, 
2020. 
Attest: 
Clerk.
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4331 
AN ACT 
To modify and reauthorize the Tibetan Policy Act 
of 2002, and for other purposes.