American Values and Security in International Athletics Act
Bill: H.R.1211 | Sponsor: Rep. McCaul, Michael T. (R-TX)
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
American Values and Security in International Athletics Act
This bill requires the Department of State to distribute specified briefing materials to individuals representing the United States at international athletic competitions. These materials must contain information on human rights concerns and personal privacy and security risks posed by certain host countries (e.g., specified communist countries and countries that do not meet certain minimum standards with respect to human trafficking and are not making significant efforts to do so).

To direct the Department of State to ensure persons representing the 
    United States in international athletic competitions in certain 
     countries are appropriately informed, 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 ``American Values and Security in 
International Athletics Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) In 2017, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) 
        revised its Host City Contract to require host countries to 
        ``protect and respect human rights and ensure any violation of 
        human rights is remedied in a manner consistent with 
        international agreements, laws, and regulations applicable in 
        the Host Country and in a manner consistent with all 
        internationally recognised human rights standards and 
        principles, including the United Nations Guiding Principles on 
        Business and Human Rights, applicable in the Host Country''.
            (2) The Olympic Charter states the goal of Olympism is ``to 
        place sport at the service of the harmonious development of 
        humankind, with a view to promoting a peaceful society 
        concerned with the preservation of human dignity''.
            (3) The IOC set up an advisory committee on human rights in 
        December 2018, and IOC President Thomas Bach said, ``Promoting 
        humanistic values in sport has been a core feature of the IOC 
        since its beginning. Our mission, to put sport at the service 
        of humanity, goes hand-in-hand with human rights, which is part 
        of our DNA.''.
            (4) In the report, ``The Cybersecurity of Olympic Sports: 
        New Opportunities, New Risks'', the UC Berkley Center for Long-
        Term Cybersecurity listed the ``hacking and release of 
        sensitive athletic data'' as one of the four significant 
        categories of cyberattacks on major sporting events.
            (5) According to the State Department's 2019 Country 
        Reports on Human Rights Practices, the People's Republic of 
        China's Ministry of Public Security employs ``tens of millions 
        of surveillance cameras'' to monitor the general public, as 
        well as ``political dissidents, religious leaders and 
        adherents, Tibetans, and Uyghurs''.
            (6) The People's Republic of China (PRC) Government's 
        extensive use of artificial intelligence surveillance 
        technology, including facial and voice pattern recognition 
        technology, poses grave humanitarian, privacy, and security 
        concerns. PRC authorities have used surveillance technology to 
        monitor, control, and repress an estimated 1.8 million Uyghurs 
        and other Muslim minorities in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous 
        Region. PRC State media has confirmed that ``voice, image, 
        position and behavior recognition technologies'' will be used 
        in the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

SEC. 3. HUMAN RIGHTS AWARENESS FOR AMERICAN ATHLETIC DELEGATIONS.

    (a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that 
individuals representing the United States at international athletic 
competitions in foreign countries should have the opportunity to be 
informed about human rights and security concerns in such countries and 
how best to safeguard their personal security and privacy.
    (b) In General.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 120 days after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall devise 
        and implement a strategy for disseminating briefing materials, 
        including information described in subsection (c), to 
        individuals representing the United States at international 
        athletic competitions in a covered country.
            (2) Timing and form of materials.--
                    (A) In general.--The briefing materials referred to 
                in paragraph (1) shall be offered not later than 180 
                days prior to the commencement of an international 
                athletic competition in a covered country.
                    (B) Form of delivery.--Briefing materials related 
                to the human rights record of covered countries may be 
                delivered electronically or disseminated in person, as 
                appropriate.
                    (C) Special consideration.--Information briefing 
                materials related to personal security risks may be 
                offered electronically, in written format, by video 
                teleconference, or prerecorded video.
            (3) Consultations.--In devising and implementing the 
        strategy required under paragraph (1), the Secretary of State 
        shall consult with the following:
                    (A) The Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House 
                of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign 
                Relations in the Senate, not later than 90 days after 
                the date of the enactment of this Act.
                    (B) Leading human rights nongovernmental 
                organizations and relevant subject-matter experts in 
                determining the content of the briefings required under 
                this subsection.
                    (C) The United States Olympic and Paralympic 
                Committee and the national governing bodies of amateur 
                sports that play a role in determining which 
                individuals represent the United States in 
                international athletic competitions, regarding the most 
                appropriate and effective method to disseminate 
                briefing materials.
    (c) Content of Briefings.--The briefing materials required under 
subsection (b) shall include, with respect to a covered country hosting 
an international athletic competition in which individuals may 
represent the United States, the following:
            (1) Information on the human rights concerns present in 
        such covered country, as described in the Department of State's 
        Annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices.
            (2) Information, as applicable, on risks such individuals 
        may face to their personal and digital privacy and security, 
        and recommended measures to safeguard against certain forms of 
        foreign intelligence targeting, as appropriate.
    (d) Covered Country Defined.--In this section, the term ``covered 
country'' means, with respect to a country hosting an international 
athletic competition in which individuals representing the United 
States may participate, any of the following:
            (1) Any Communist country specified in subsection (f) of 
        section 620 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 
        2370(f)).
            (2) Any country ranked as a Tier 3 country in the most 
        recent Department of State's annual Trafficking in Persons 
        Report.
            (3) Any other country the Secretary of State determines 
        present serious human rights concerns for the purpose of 
        informing such individuals.
            (4) Any country the Secretary of State, in consultation 
        with other cabinet officials as appropriate, determines 
        presents a serious counterintelligence risk.
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