Title: South China Sea Freedom of Navigation Act
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
South China Sea Freedom of Navigation Act
This bill extends updates of the Department of Defense Freedom of Navigation Report under the Freedom of Navigation Operations (FONOPS) program through December 31, 2025. The bill requires (1) the report to be submitted on a biannual basis, and (2) each report to document the types and locations of excessive maritime claims that the Armed Forces of the United States have challenged in the previous six months in order to preserve the rights, freedoms, and uses of the sea and airspace guaranteed to all countries by international law. The bill modifies elements of the report to include a summary of each excessive maritime claim challenged jointly with international partners and allies.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7675 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7675

To modify and extend the update of the Department of Defense Freedom of 
                           Navigation Report.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 20, 2020

  Mr. Brindisi (for himself, Mr. Byrne, Mr. Balderson, and Mr. Waltz) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                             Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To modify and extend the update of the Department of Defense Freedom of 
                           Navigation Report.

    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 ``South China Sea Freedom of 
Navigation Act''.

SEC. 2. MODIFICATION AND EXTENSION OF UPDATE OF DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 
              FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION REPORT.

    (a) In General.--Subsection (a) of section 1275 of the National 
Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 (Public Law 114-328; 130 
Stat. 2540) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``an annual basis'' and inserting ``a 
        biannual basis''; and
            (2) by striking ``the previous year'' and inserting ``the 
        previous 6 months''.
    (b) Elements.--Subsection (b) of such section is amended--
            (1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking 
        ``the year'' and inserting ``the period'';
            (2) in paragraph (1), by inserting ``the number of maritime 
        and overflight challenges to each such claim and'' before ``the 
        country'';
            (3) in paragraph (5), by inserting ``have been protested by 
        the United States but'' before ``have not been challenged''; 
        and
            (4) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(6) A summary of each excessive maritime claim challenged 
        jointly with international partners and allies.''.
    (c) Form.--Subsection (c) of such section is amended by adding at 
the end before the period the following: ``and made publicly 
available''.
    (d) Sunset.--Subsection (d) of such section is amended by striking 
``December 31, 2021'' and inserting ``December 31, 2025''.
    (e) Conforming Amendment.--The heading of such section is amended 
by striking ``annual'' and inserting ``biannual''.
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