Vietnam Human Rights Act of 2004

Bill: 108-s-2784
Sponsor: Sen. Brownback, Sam [R-KS]
Introduced: 2004-09-09 in the Senate
Policy area: International Affairs
Subjects: Administration of justice
American investments
Armed Forces and National Security
Arms control
Arms sales
Arrest
Arts, Culture, Religion
Cambodia
Charities
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Congress
Congress and foreign policy
Congressional oversight
Congressional reporting requirements
Crime and Law Enforcement
Cultural relations
Democracy
Deportation
Detention of persons
Development credit institutions
Dissenters
Due process of law
East Asia
Economic assistance
Education
Educational exchanges
Elementary and secondary education
Employee rights
Equality before the law
Ethnic relations
Export finance
Expropriation
Foreign Trade and International Finance
Foreign loans
Freedom of association
Freedom of speech
Government Operations and Politics
Government paperwork
Government publicity
Higher education
Human rights
Immigration
International broadcasting
Investment guaranty insurance
Labor and Employment
Law
Legal aid
Legal services
Military assistance
Minorities
Misconduct in office
Nongovernmental organizations
Political persecution
Political prisoners
President and foreign policy
Prosecution
Prostitution
Punishment
Radio broadcasting
Refugees
Religion
Religious liberty
Right of assembly
Right of asylum
Right of property
Right to counsel
Right to travel
Rule of law
Science, Technology, Communications
Slavery
Social Welfare
Suspects' rights
Torture
Transportation and Public Works
Vietnam

Summary:
action_date: 2004-09-09
text: 
Vietnam Human Rights Act of 2004 - Prohibits FY 2005 U.S. nonhumanitarian assistance to the Government of Vietnam in excess of FY 2004 levels unless the President certifies to Congress that the Government of Vietnam has made substantial progress toward: (1) releasing all political and religious prisoners; (2) respecting freedom of religion; (3) allowing Vietnamese nationals access to U.S. refugee programs; and (4) respecting the human rights of members of ethnic minority groups in the Central Highlands and elsewhere in Vietnam.
 
Prohibits U.S. post-FY 2005 nonhumanitarian assistance to the Government of Vietnam in excess of FY 2004 levels unless the President certifies to Congress that the Government of Vietnam has met the above requirements and, in addition, neither any official of the Government of Vietnam nor any of its agencies was complicit in a severe form of trafficking in persons, unless the Government of Vietnam took all appropriate steps to end any such complicity and hold any such official, agency, or entity accountable for such conduct.
 
 Authorizes the President to waive such requirements if increased U.S. nonhumanitarian assistance would promote the purposes of this Act or is otherwise in the U.S. national interest. 
 
Authorizes the President to provide U.S. assistance through appropriate nongovernmental organizations for the support of individuals and organizations to promote human rights and nonviolent democratic change in Vietnam. 
Declares it is U.S. policy: (1) to take necessary measures to overcome the jamming of Radio Free Asia by the Government of Vietnam; (2) that educational and cultural exchange programs with Vietnam should promote progress toward freedom and democracy; and (3) to offer refugee resettlement to nationals of Vietnam, including the Montagnard ethnic groups, who were unable to apply or who were incorrectly deemed ineligible for certain refugee programs.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2004-09-09
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
action_date: 2004-09-09
text: Introduced in Senate