Major legislation that authorizes spending for the State Department and many national foreign policy initiatives contains more than a half-dozen amendments authored by Congressman Chris Smith, Vice Chairman of the Committee on International Relations.  After a two-day markup session, the bill was adopted by the full committee and is expected to be on the House floor in early June.

    Smith’s amendments address a wide variety of issues including refugee resettlement, human rights in several locations throughout the globe, and anti-Semitism in Palestinian refugee camps.

    “My provisions cover a cross section of issues under the committee’s jurisdiction and will expand and enhance key operations within the State Department.  My amendments will, among other things, help us provide increased humanitarian relief to refugees, strengthen our commitment to human rights throughout the globe, and help combat anti-Semitic-inspired violence in the Middle East,” Smith said.

The provisions include:

• Adding $310.6 million over two years as well as significant policy changes to help the U.S. provide additional humanitarian relief to refugees – people who have fled their homes to escape persecution, torture, and death threats – while ensuring all candidates are properly screened to meet stringent qualification and security standards.
  
• Investigating several instances of anti-Semitic rhetoric and the glorification of terrorist groups and terror attacks that have been found in textbooks and other education materials provided to Palestinian refugees by a United Nations relief agency (UNRWA).
  
• Doubling to $1 million the scholarship funds available to help students of the new nation of East Timor attend college in the United States. East Timor’s university was destroyed by the Indonesian military in 1999. The additional funds will increase the number of students from five or six to 12 to 15.
  
• Calling upon Indonesia to cooperate with the effort to bring to justice perpetrators of war crimes in East Timor. Also authorizes $50 million in aid to East Timor over the next two years.
  
• Increasing by $1 million ($6 million total) the FY 04 U.S. contribution to the UN Voluntary Fund for the Victims of Torture. Authorizes funding for FY 05 at $7 million and funding for FY 06 at $8 million. 
  
• Portions of the Belarus Democracy Act –  which will increase U.S. support for efforts to promote democracy and human rights by aiding activities promoted by non-governmental organizations, independent media, and other means – was included in the legislation.  It also calls for free and fair elections unlike those held in 2000 and 2001 that were tainted and fixed by the current dictatorial regime of Alexander Lukashenka.
  
• Calling for an increased U.S. role in trying to peacefully resolve the 16-year conflict in Northern Uganda that has resulted in the deaths of nearly 25,000 people, about half of whom were civilians.