Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives on the protection of members of vulnerable religious and ethnic minority communities in Iraq.

Bill: 111-hres-944
Sponsor: Rep. Peters, Gary C. [D-MI-9]
Introduced: 2009-12-03 in the House
Policy area: International Affairs
Subjects: Elections, voting, political campaign regulation
Employment discrimination and employee rights
Foreign aid and international relief
Government studies and investigations
Human rights
International organizations and cooperation
Iraq
Law enforcement officers
Middle East
Property rights
Racial and ethnic relations
Refugees, asylum, displaced persons
Religion
Sovereignty, recognition, national governance and status
Voting rights

Summary:
action_date: 2009-12-03
text: 
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) the United States remains deeply concerned about the plight of specified vulnerable religious and ethnic minorities of Iraq; (2) the U.S. government and the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) should urge the government of Iraq to enhance security at places of worship in Iraq, particularly where religious minorities are known to be at risk;
 
Urges the U.S. government to continue to work with the government of Iraq to: (1) train and deploy into the Iraqi police and security forces members of vulnerable minority communities in Iraq; and (2) ensure that members of such communities suffer no discrimination in recruitment, employment, or advancement in such forces, and be assigned to their locations of origin, rather than transferred to other areas.
 
Urges the government of Iraq, with U.S. government assistance, to: (1) ensure that the upcoming national elections in Iraq are safe, fair, and free of intimidation and violence so that all Iraqis, including religious minorities, can participate in them; and (2) permit and facilitate election monitoring by experts from local and international nongovernmental organizations, the international community, and the United Nations, particularly in minority areas.
 
Encourages the government of Iraq and the Kurdistan regional government to work towards a peaceful and timely resolution of disputes over territories.
 
Encourages the U.S. government and UNAMI to urge the government of Iraq to work with minority communities and their representatives to develop measures to implement article 125 of the Iraq Constitution.
 
Urges the government of Iraq to take affirmative measures to reverse the legal, political, and economic marginalization of religious minorities in Iraq.
 
Urges the U.S. government to: (1) direct assistance to projects that develop the ability of ethnic and religious minorities in Iraq to organize themselves civically and politically to effectively convey their concerns to government; and (2) continue to fund capacity-building programs for the Iraqi Ministry of Human Rights (IMHR), the independent national Human Rights Commission, and a new independent minorities committee whose membership is selected by minority communities of Iraq.
 
Urges the government of Iraq to: (1) direct the IMHR to investigate and report on abuses against and the marginalization of minority communities in Iraq, making recommendations to address such abuses; and (2) help ensure that displaced Iraqis considering return to Iraq have the proper information needed to make informed decisions regarding such return.
 
Urges the U.S. government and international organizations to continue to work with the government of Iraq to develop the legal framework necessary to address property disputes resulting when displaced Iraqis attempt to return to their homes in Iraq.

action_date: 2010-02-24
text: 
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) the United States remains deeply concerned about the plight of members of vulnerable religious and ethnic minority communities of Iraq; (2) the Secretary of State should develop and report to Congress on a comprehensive strategy to encourage the protection of the rights of such members; and (3) the U.S. government should urge the Iraqi government to enhance security at places of worship in Iraq, particularly where members of religious minority communities are known to be at risk.
 
Urges the U.S. government to continue to work with the government of Iraq to integrate religious and ethnic minorities into the Iraqi government and the Iraqi Security Forces, with the goal of ensuring that members of such communities: (1) suffer no discrimination in recruitment, employment, or advancement; and (2) are initially assigned in reasonable numbers to their locations of origin.
 
Urges the government of Iraq, with U.S. government assistance, to: (1) ensure that the upcoming national elections in Iraq are safe, fair, and free of intimidation and violence; and (2) permit and facilitate election monitoring by experts from local and international nongovernmental organizations, the international community, and the United Nations.
 
Urges the U.S. government: (1) to encourage the Iraqi government to work with religious and ethnic minority communities to develop and implement effective measures to protect their rights and reverse their marginalization; (2) in providing assistance to Iraq, to continue to take into account the needs of religious and ethnic minority communities and expand efforts to work with local organizations that serve those communities; (3) to continue to fund capacity building programs for the Iraqi Ministry of Human Rights, the independent national Human Rights Commission, and the newly-created independent minorities committee; and (4) to strongly encourage the Iraqi government to direct the Iraqi Ministry of Human Rights to investigate, report on, and make recommendations to address abuses against, and the marginalization of, members of religious and ethnic minority communities in Iraq.
 
Urges the Iraqi government, with the assistance of the U.S. government and international organizations, to help ensure that displaced Iraqis considering returning to Iraq have the information needed to make informed decisions.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2010-02-24
text: The title of the measure was amended. Agreed to without objection.
action_date: 2010-02-24
text: Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
action_date: 2010-02-24
text: On motion to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, as amended Agreed to by recorded vote (2/3 required): 415 - 3 (Roll no. 62). (text: CR 2/23/2010 H676)
action_date: 2010-02-24
text: Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, as amended Agreed to by recorded vote (2/3 required): 415 - 3 (Roll no. 62).(text: CR 2/23/2010 H676)
action_date: 2010-02-24
text: Considered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H770-771)
action_date: 2010-02-23
text: At the conclusion of debate, the chair put the question on the motion to suspend the rules. Mr. McMahon objected to the vote on the grounds that a quorum was not present. Further proceedings on the motion were postponed. The point of no quorum was withdrawn.
action_date: 2010-02-23
text: DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H. Res. 944.
action_date: 2010-02-23
text: Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H675-679)
action_date: 2010-02-23
text: Mr. McMahon moved to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, as amended.
action_date: 2009-12-03
text: Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
action_date: 2009-12-03
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E2880-2881)
action_date: 2009-12-03
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2009-12-03
text: Introduced in House