Legacies of War Recognition and Unexploded Ordnance Removal Act
Bill: H.R.9540 | Sponsor: Rep. Chabot, Steve (R-OH)
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
Legacies of War Recognition and Unexploded Ordnance Removal Act
This bill authorizes the President to provide humanitarian aid to Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia for (1) the clearance of unexploded ordnance, and (2) assistance for survivors of the explosive remnants of war in the region. The President must annually brief Congress on such activities.

To authorize assistance to support activities relating to the clearance 
of landmines, unexploded ordnance, and other explosive remnants of war 
   in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam, and to recognize the refugee and 
   immigrant communities who supported and defended the Armed Forces 
     during the conflict in Southeast Asia, including Hmong, Cham, 
 Cambodian, Iu-Mien, Khmu, Lao, Montagnard, and Vietnamese Americans, 
                        and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Legacies of War Recognition and 
Unexploded Ordnance Removal Act''.

SEC. 2. RECOGNITION OF THE COMMUNITIES WHO SUPPORTED AND DEFENDED THE 
              ARMED FORCES IN SOUTHEAST ASIA.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) During the conflict in Southeast Asia during the 1960s 
        and 1970s, many Hmong, Cham, Cambodians, Iu-Mien, Khmu, Lao, 
        Montagnard, and Vietnamese people--
                    (A) fought and died with the Armed Forces;
                    (B) rescued United States pilots shot down in 
                enemy-controlled territory and returned the pilots to 
                safety;
                    (C) gathered and provided intelligence to the Armed 
                Forces about enemy troop positions, movement, and 
                strength; and
                    (D) provided food, shelter, and support to members 
                of the Armed Forces.
            (2) The national armed forces of Cambodia facilitated the 
        evacuation of the United States Embassy in Phnom Penh on April 
        12, 1975, by fighting Khmer Rouge forces that advanced upon the 
        capital.
            (3) A tragic legacy of the conflict in Southeast Asia is 
        the lethal risk posed by landmines, unexploded ordnance (in 
        this Act, referred to as ``UXO''), and explosive remnants of 
        war in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia that still litter forests, 
        rice fields, villages, school grounds, roads, and other 
        populated areas, hindering development and efforts to reduce 
        poverty.
            (4) Vietnam remains one of the world's most contaminated 
        countries, with an estimated 800,000 tons of UXO left over from 
        the conflict in Southeast Asia that ended more than 40 years 
        ago. Since 1975, UXO accidents have caused more than 105,000 
        casualties, including more than 38,000 deaths of Vietnamese 
        civilians.
            (5) In Laos, much of the country's land remains 
        contaminated with tens of millions of small, unexploded cluster 
        munitions. Since 1964, UXO and other explosive remnants of war 
        have injured or killed more than 50,000 civilians in Laos.
            (6) Cambodia has experienced one of the highest rates of 
        landmine and UXO casualties in the world. Over 64,000 
        Cambodians have been injured or killed by landmines, UXO, or 
        other explosive remnants of war since 1979.
            (7) The United States is the world's leading financial 
        supporter of demining and programs to remove UXO. Since 1993, 
        the United States has provided more than $3,700,000,000 in 
        assistance to locate and destroy UXO and other explosive 
        remnants of war in more than 100 countries, including more than 
        $148,000,000 in Vietnam, $230,000,000 in Laos, and $154,000,000 
        in Cambodia.
    (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) the Hmong, Cham, Cambodian, Iu-Mien, Khmu, Lao, 
        Montagnard, and Vietnamese people deserve recognition for their 
        support and defense of the Armed Forces during the conflict in 
        Southeast Asia; and
            (2) the United States should continue to support activities 
        to clear landmines, UXO, and other explosive remnants of war in 
        Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, while strengthening people-to-
        people ties and reaffirming the long-standing commitment of the 
        United States to Southeast Asia.

SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF ASSISTANCE FOR VIETNAM, LAOS, AND CAMBODIA.

    (a) In General.--The President may provide humanitarian assistance 
to Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia for programs to support the following:
            (1) The development or updating of national surveys of 
        landmines, UXO, and other explosive remnants of war.
            (2) Clearance of such landmines, UXO, and other explosive 
        remnants of war.
            (3) Stockpile management of small arms, light weapons, and 
        ammunition.
            (4) Capacity building, risk education, destruction, and 
        physical security related to landmines, UXO, and other 
        explosive remnants of war.
            (5) Survivors of incidents involving landmines, UXO, and 
        other explosive remnants of war, including by providing medical 
        assistance and prosthetic devices related to landmines, UXO, 
        and other explosive remnants of war.
    (b) Coordination.--In carrying out this section, the President 
shall seek to consult, partner, and coordinate with international 
organizations, civil societies, donor governments, and other 
stakeholders, as the President determines appropriate, to leverage the 
expertise, financial support, and resources of such entities to 
minimize duplication of efforts and maximize the efficient and 
effective provision of assistance from the United States.
    (c) Reporting and Briefing.--
            (1) Reporting.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the President shall provide a report to 
        the appropriate committees of Congress on activities undertaken 
        in accordance with this section on the progress of amounts made 
        available from the Nonproliferation, Anti-terrorism, Demining, 
        and related programs account for demining and clearance of 
        landmines, UXO, and other explosive remnants of war in Vietnam, 
        Laos, and Cambodia. Such reports shall also include--
                    (A) the status of amounts made available from the 
                Nonproliferation, Anti-terrorism, Demining, and related 
                programs account that are obligated pursuant to 
                authorities provided by prior Acts and the status of 
                unallocated amounts made available to such account as 
                of the date of enactment of this Act;
                    (B) a description of how Nonproliferation, Anti-
                terrorism, Demining, and related programs account funds 
                have contributed to landmine, UXO, and other explosive 
                remnants of war clearance efforts in Vietnam, Laos, and 
                Cambodia;
                    (C) estimates of contaminated land that has been 
                cleared, land that still contains landmines, UXO, and 
                other explosive remnants of war, land that has not been 
                assessed for contamination, and data on the origin of 
                any antipersonnel mines cleared, to the extent 
                possible;
                    (D) a description of collaboration between the 
                United States and the governments of Vietnam, Laos, and 
                Cambodia including past and current progress to date in 
                establishing nationwide contamination databases in such 
                countries to refine landmine, UXO, and other explosive 
                remnants of war locations and target clearance efforts; 
                and
                    (E) an assessment on the efforts of the Department 
                of State to work with the Lao People's Democratic 
                Republic regarding repatriation and the efforts and 
                effectiveness of reintegration of Hmonh, Lao, Khmu, and 
                Mien or Yao descent who arrive in the United States as 
                refugees fleeing persecution in the Lao People's 
                Democratic Republic.
            (2) Briefings.--The President shall annually brief the 
        appropriate committees of Congress on activities undertaken in 
        accordance with this section for each year for which amounts 
        are authorized under subsection (d).
    (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the President $100,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 
2023 through 2027 to carry out this section.

SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) The term ``appropriate committees of Congress'' means--
                    (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations, the 
                Committee on Armed Services, and the Committee on 
                Appropriations of the House of Representatives; and
                    (B) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee 
                on Armed Services, and the Committee on Appropriations 
                of the Senate.
            (2) The term ``unexploded ordnance'' or ``UXO'' has the 
        meaning given such term in section 101 of title 10, United 
        States Code.
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