Title: Legacies of War Recognition and Unexploded Ordnance Removal Act
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 victims of the explosive remnants of war in the region. The President shall annually brief Congress on such assistance activities.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2097 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2097

    To recognize the Hmong, Khmer, Laotian, and other ethnic groups 
  commonly referred to as Montagnards, who supported and defended the 
     Armed Forces during the conflict in Southeast Asia, authorize 
 assistance to support activities relating to clearance of unexploded 
 ordnance and other explosive remnants of war, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 4, 2019

Mr. Duffy (for himself, Mr. McCaul, Ms. Eshoo, Mr. Castro of Texas, and 
 Ms. Speier) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                      Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To recognize the Hmong, Khmer, Laotian, and other ethnic groups 
  commonly referred to as Montagnards, who supported and defended the 
     Armed Forces during the conflict in Southeast Asia, authorize 
 assistance to support activities relating to clearance of unexploded 
 ordnance and other explosive remnants of war, 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 HMONG, KHMER, LAOTIAN, MONTAGNARDS, AND OTHER 
              ETHNIC GROUPS WHO SUPPORTED AND DEFENDED THE ARMED FORCES 
              IN SOUTHEAST ASIA.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) Many Hmong, Khmer, Laotian, and Montagnards--
                    (A) fought and died with United States Armed Forces 
                during the conflict in Southeast Asia in the 1960s and 
                1970s;
                    (B) rescued United States pilots shot down in 
                enemy-controlled territory and returned the pilots to 
                safety;
                    (C) captured and destroyed enemy supplies and 
                prevented enemy forces from using the supplies to kill 
                members of the United States Armed Forces;
                    (D) gathered and provided to the United States 
                Armed Forces intelligence about enemy troop positions, 
                movement, and strength; and
                    (E) provided food, shelter, and support to the 
                United States 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 continuing to fight Khmer Rouge forces as they 
        advanced upon the capital.
            (3) A tragic legacy of the conflict in Southeast Asia is 
        the lethal risk posed by unexploded ordnance (UXO) in Vietnam, 
        Laos, and Cambodia that still litter forests, rice fields, 
        villages, school grounds, roads, and other populated areas--
        hindering development and poverty reduction efforts.
            (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. It has caused more than 100,000 casualties, including 
        40,000 deaths.
            (5) From 1964-1973, the United States dropped more than 
        2,000,000 tons of bombs on Laos during American operations to 
        disrupt North Vietnamese military supply routes. As a result, 
        Laos is the most heavily bombed country per capita in the 
        world. Much of the country's land remains contaminated with 
        more than 80,000,000 small, unexploded cluster munitions. Since 
        the end of the conflict, UXO have injured or killed more than 
        25,000 civilians in Laos.
            (6) Cambodia suffers from one of the highest rates of 
        landmine and UXO accidents in the world. Over 64,000 Cambodians 
        have been killed or injured by unexploded ordnance and other 
        explosive remnants of war since 1979, with an average of one 
        casualty every week.
            (7) The United States is the world's leading financial 
        supporter of conventional weapons destruction worldwide. Since 
        1993, the United States has provided more than $3,400,000,000 
        in assistance to more than 100 countries, including more than 
        $132,000,000 in Vietnam, $200,000,000 in Laos, and $140,000,000 
        in Cambodia.
    (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) the Hmong, Khmer, Laotian, and Montagnard Freedom 
        Fighters deserve recognition for their support and defense of 
        the Armed Forces and freedom during the conflict in Southeast 
        Asia; and
            (2) the United States should continue to support activities 
        to clear unexploded ordnance and other explosive remnants of 
        war in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, and strengthen people-to-
        people ties and reaffirm America's long-standing commitment to 
        Southeast Asia.

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

    (a) In General.--The President is authorized to provide 
humanitarian assistance for programs to support the activities 
described in subsection (b).
    (b) Activities Supported.--Activities that may be supported by 
assistance under subsection (a) include the following:
            (1) Developing national surveys of unexploded ordnance and 
        other explosive remnants of war in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.
            (2) Providing for clearance of such unexploded ordnance.
            (3) Providing assistance for capacity building, risk 
        education, and victims in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia related 
        to both unexploded ordnance and other explosive remnants of 
        war.
    (c) Coordination.--In carrying out this section, the President 
shall seek to consult, partner, and coordinate with international 
organizations, civil society, donor governments through the Mine Action 
Support Group, and other stakeholders, as appropriate, to leverage 
their expertise, financial support, and resources to minimize 
duplication of efforts and maximize the efficient and effective 
provision of United States assistance.
    (d) Briefing.--The President shall provide annual briefings to the 
Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Appropriations of the 
House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations and the 
Committee on Appropriations of the Senate on activities undertaken in 
accordance with this section.
    (e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the President to carry out this section $50,000,000 for 
each of fiscal years 2020 through 2024.
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