Torture Victims Relief Reauthorization Act of 1999 - Authorizes appropriations for FY 2001 through 2003 to: (1) the President to provide assistance in the form of grants to treatment centers and programs in foreign countries that are carrying out projects or activities specifically designed to treat victims of torture for the physical and psychological effects of such torture; (2) the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide grants to programs in the United States to cover the costs of services provided by domestic treatment centers in the rehabilitation of victims of torture (including treatment of the physical and psychological effects of torture); and (3) the President for the U.S. contribution to the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture.
Expresses the sense of Congress that the President should: (1) request the Fund to find new ways to support, and to encourage the development of new, treatment centers and programs carrying out rehabilitative services for victims of torture; (2) use the vote of the United States to support the work of the Special Rapporteur on Torture and the Committee Against Torture established under the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment; and (3) use the U.S. vote to establish a country rapporteur or similar mechanism to investigate human rights violations in a country if either the Special Rapporteur or the Committee Against Torture indicates that a systematic practice of torture is prevalent there.
Directs the Secretary of State to report to specified congressional committees on required specialized training with regard to victims of torture for Foreign Service officers.
[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1491 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
106th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1491
To authorize a comprehensive program of support for victims of torture
abroad.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
August 4, 1999
Mr. Grams (for himself and Mr. Wellstone) introduced the following
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign
Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To authorize a comprehensive program of support for victims of torture
abroad.
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 ``Torture Victims Relief
Reauthorization Act of 1999''.
SEC. 2. FOREIGN TREATMENT CENTERS FOR VICTIMS OF TORTURE.
(a) Authorization of Appropriations.--Of the amounts authorized to
be appropriated for fiscal years 2001, 2002, and 2003 pursuant to
chapter 1 of part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, there are
authorized to be appropriated to the President $10,000,000 for fiscal
year 2001, $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2002, and $10,000,000 for fiscal
year 2003 to carry out section 129 of the Foreign Assistance Act of
1961.
(b) Availability of Funds.--Amounts appropriated pursuant to this
section shall remain available until expended.
SEC. 3. DOMESTIC TREATMENT CENTERS FOR VICTIMS OF TORTURE.
(a) Authorization of Appropriations.--Of the amounts authorized to
be appropriated for the Department of Health and Human Services for
fiscal years 2001, 2002, and 2003, there are authorized to be
appropriated to carry out subsection (a) of section 5 of the Torture
Victims Relief Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 2152) $10,000,000 for fiscal year
2001, $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2002, and $10,000,000 for fiscal year
2003.
(b) Availability of Funds.--Amounts appropriated pursuant to this
section shall remain available until expended.
SEC. 4. MULTILATERAL ASSISTANCE.
(a) Funding.--Of the amounts authorized to be appropriated for
fiscal years 2001, 2002, and 2003 pursuant to chapter 3 of part I of
the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, there are authorized to be
appropriated to the President for contribution to the United Nations
Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture (in this section referred to as
the ``Fund'') the following amounts for the following fiscal years:
(1) Fiscal year 2001.--For fiscal year 2001, $5,000,000.
(2) Fiscal year 2002.--For fiscal year 2002, $5,000,000.
(3) Fiscal year 2003.--For fiscal year 2003, $5,000,000.
(b) Availability of Funds.--Amounts appropriated pursuant to
subsection (a) shall remain available until expended.
(c) Sense of the Congress.--It is the sense of the Congress that
the President, acting through the United States Permanent
Representative to the United Nations, should--
(1) request the Fund--
(A) to find new ways to support and protect
treatment centers and programs that are carrying out
rehabilitative services for victims of torture; and
(B) to encourage the development of new such
centers and programs;
(2) use the voice and vote of the United States to support
the work of the Special Rapporteur on Torture and the Committee
Against Torture established under the Convention Against
Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or
Punishment; and
(3) use the voice and vote of the United States to
establish a country rapporteur or similar procedural mechanism
to investigate human rights violations in a country if either
the Special Rapporteur or the Committee Against Torture
indicates that a systematic practice of torture is prevalent in
that country.
SEC. 5. REPORTING REQUIREMENT.
Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the
Secretary of State shall submit a report to the Committee on Foreign
Relations of the Senate and the Committee on International Relations of
the House of Representatives on the specialized training for Foreign
Service officers required by section 7 of the Torture Victims Relief
Act of 1998 (Public Law 105-320). The report shall include detailed
information regarding--
(1) efforts by the Department of State to implement the
specialized training requirement;
(2) the curriculum that is being used in the specialized
training;
(3) the number of Foreign Service officers who have
received the specialized training as of the date of the report;
and
(4) the nongovernmental organizations that have been
involved in the development of the specialized training
curriculum or in providing the specialized training, and the
nature and extent of that involvement.
<all>
Introduced in Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
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