Combating the Persecution of Religious Groups in China Act
This bill expresses the sense of Congress that the United States should promote religious freedom in China and makes statements of policy related to such freedom. In particular, the bill states that it is U.S. policy to consider senior Chinese government officials who are responsible for the persecution of Christians or other religious minorities in China to have committed (1) a gross violation of internationally recognized human rights for the purpose of imposing certain sanctions, and (2) a particularly severe violation of religious freedom for the purpose of determining whether such an individual is admissible into the United States.
[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4821 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 4821
To hold accountable senior officials of the Government of the People's
Republic of China who are responsible for, complicit in, or have
directly persecuted Christians in China, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 29, 2021
Mrs. Hartzler (for herself, Mr. Duncan, Mr. Gallagher, Mr. Lamborn, Mr.
Aderholt, Mr. Latta, Mr. Bilirakis, Mr. Weber of Texas, Ms. Salazar,
Mr. Timmons, Mr. Good of Virginia, Mr. Hice of Georgia, Mr. Budd, Mr.
Harris, Mr. Steube, Mr. Guest, Mr. Gohmert, Mrs. Miller-Meeks, Mr.
Gaetz, Mr. Babin, Mr. Mullin, Mr. Brooks, Mrs. Wagner, Mr. Pfluger, Mr.
Reschenthaler, Mr. Grothman, Mr. Johnson of Ohio, Ms. Letlow, Mr. Smith
of New Jersey, Mr. Mann, Mr. Waltz, Mr. Allen, Mr. Owens, Mr. Buck,
Mrs. Miller of Illinois, and Ms. Stefanik) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in
addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, and Ways and Means, for a
period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the
committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To hold accountable senior officials of the Government of the People's
Republic of China who are responsible for, complicit in, or have
directly persecuted Christians in China, 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 ``Combating the Persecution of
Christians in China Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) According to the Department of State's International
Religious Freedom reports, there are an estimated 12,000,000
Chinese Catholics and 60,000,000 to 80,000,000 Chinese
Protestants worshiping in both officially registered and
unregistered churches in China.
(2) The practice of Christianity is overseen by four major
entities: Three-Self Patriotic Movement, the China Christian
Council, the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association, and the
Bishops Conference of Catholic Church in China.
(3) The activities of state-sanctioned religious
organizations are regulated by the Chinese Communist Party,
which manages all aspects of religious life.
(4) The Chinese Communist Party is actively seeking to
control, govern, and manipulate all aspects of faith through
the ``Sinicization of Religion'', a process intended to shape
religious traditions and doctrines so they conform with the
objectives of the Chinese Communist Party.
(5) On February 1, 2018, the Chinese government implemented
new religious regulations that imposed restrictions on Chinese
contacts with overseas religious organizations, required
government approval for religious schools, websites, and any
online religious service, and effectively banned unauthorized
religious gatherings and teachings.
(6) Since February 1, 2018, forced closures of churches,
arbitrary detention, and arrest of Christian clergy and
practitioners have steadily increased, including the arrest and
9-year prison sentence of Pastor Wang Yi of the Early Rain
Covenant Church.
(7) In September 2018, the Holy See announced that a
Provisional Agreement on the appointment of bishops had been
signed with the Chinese government; however, several news
sources have reported that since the agreement was signed
Chinese authorities have detained clergy, pressured them to
join an ``independent church'', closed unregistered churches,
and removed children from churches.
(8) There are credible reports of Chinese authorities
raiding house churches, removing crosses, confiscating
religious paraphernalia, installing surveillance cameras on
church property, pressuring churches to sing songs of the
Chinese Communist Party and display the national flag during
community worship, forcing churches to replace images of Jesus
Christ or the Virgin Mary with pictures of President Xi
Jinping, and banning children and students from attending
church services.
(9) It has been reported that China is rewriting and will
issue a version of the Bible with the ``correct understanding''
of the text according to the Chinese Communist Party.
(10) According to the Department of State's International
Religious Freedom reports, the Chinese government has
imprisoned thousands of individuals of all faiths for
practicing their religious beliefs and often labels them as
``cults''.
(11) Prisoners include Pastor Zhang Shaojie, a Three-Self
church pastor from Nanle County in China's central Henan was
sentenced in July 2014 to 12 years in prison for ``gathering a
crowd to disrupt the public order'', and Pastor John Cao, a
United States permanent resident from Greensboro, North
Carolina, who was sentenced for 7 years in prison in March 2018
under contrived charges of organizing illegal border crossings.
(12) Since 1999, the Department of State has designated
China as a country of particular concern under the
International Religious Freedom Act of 1998.
(13) The Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and
Accountability Act of 2015 states that the United States
overall trade negotiating objectives must ``take into account
conditions relating to religious freedom of any party to
negotiations for a trade agreement with the United States''.
(14) The National Security Strategy of the United States
issued in 2017, 2015, 2006, 2002, 1999, 1998, and 1997,
committed the United States to promoting international
religious freedom to advance the security, economic, and other
national interests of the United States.
SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY.
(a) Holding Chinese Officials Responsible for Religious Freedom
Abuses Targeting Chinese Christians.--It is the policy of the United
States to consider senior officials of the Government of the People's
Republic of China who are responsible for, complicit in, or have
directly persecuted Christians in China to have committed--
(1) a gross violation of internationally recognized human
rights for purposes of imposing sanctions with respect to such
officials under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights
Accountability Act (22 U.S.C. 2656 note); and
(2) a particularly severe violation of religious freedom
for purposes of applying section 212(a)(2)(G) of the
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(2)(G)) with
respect to such officials.
(b) Ensuring Trade Negotiations Consider Religious Freedom
Conditions.--It is the policy of the United States to ensure that trade
negotiations with China include religious freedom conditions as
mandated by the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and
Accountability Act of 2015 (19 U.S.C. 4201 et seq.).
(c) Department of State Programming To Promote Religious Freedom
for Chinese Christians.--Consistent with section 401 of the Frank R.
Wolf International Religious Freedom Act (Public Law 114-281; 130 Stat.
1436), of the funds available to the Department of State for
international religious freedom programs, the Ambassador-at-Large for
International Religious Freedom should support efforts to protect and
promote international religious freedom in China and for programs to
protect Christians in China and other religious groups.
(d) Redesignation of China as a Country of Particular Concern.--It
is the policy of the United States to continue to redesignate China as
a ``country of particular concern'', as long as China continues to
engage in systematic and egregious religious freedom violations, as
defined by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (Public Law
105-292).
(e) International Ministerial To Advance Religious Freedom.--It is
the policy of the United States that the Department of State will host
once every two years the Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom in
order to bring together leaders from around the world to discuss the
challenges facing religious freedom, identify means to address
religious persecution and discrimination worldwide, and promote great
respect for and preservation of religious liberty.
SEC. 4. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that the United States should promote
religious freedom in China by--
(1) strengthening religious freedom diplomacy on behalf of
Christians and other religious minorities facing restrictions
in China;
(2) raising cases relating to religious or political
prisoners at the highest levels with Chinese officials because
experience demonstrates that consistently raising prisoner
cases can result in improved treatment, reduced sentences, or
in some cases, release from custody, detention, or
imprisonment;
(3) encouraging Members of Congress to ``adopt'' a prisoner
of conscience in China through the Lantos Human Rights
Commission's ``Defending Freedom Project'', raise the case with
Chinese officials, and work publicly for their release;
(4) calling on the Chinese Government to unconditionally
release religious and political prisoners or, at the very
least, ensure that detainees are treated humanely with access
to family, the lawyer of their choice, independent medical
care, and the ability to practice their faith while in
detention; and
(5) encouraging the global faith community to speak in
solidarity with the persecuted religious groups in China,
including Christians.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, and Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, and Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, and Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Trade.
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.
Mr. Castro (TX) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
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Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H8200-8203; text: CR H8200-8201)
DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 4821.
At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
The title of the measure was amended. Agreed to without objection.
Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 1396, proceedings on H.R. 4821 are considered vacated.
Passed/agreed to in House: Pursuant to section 10 of H. Res. 1396, and the motion offered by Mr. Hoyer, the following bills passed under suspension of the rules: H.R. 1638, as amended; H.R. 3304, as amended; H.R. 4081, as amended; H.R. 4821, as amended; H.R. 6889, as amended; H.R. 6967, as amended; H.R. 8163, as amended; H.R. 8510, as amended; H.R. 8681, as amended; H.R. 8875, as amended; H.R. 8956; S. 1198; and agree to the Senate amendments to H.R. 5641.
Pursuant to section 10 of H. Res. 1396, and the motion offered by Mr. Hoyer, the following bills passed under suspension of the rules: H.R. 1638, as amended; H.R. 3304, as amended; H.R. 4081, as amended; H.R. 4821, as amended; H.R. 6889, as amended; H.R. 6967, as amended; H.R. 8163, as amended; H.R. 8510, as amended; H.R. 8681, as amended; H.R. 8875, as amended; H.R. 8956; S. 1198; and agree to the Senate amendments to H.R. 5641.
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.