Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass Certain Bills and Agree to Certain Resolutions
Floor Speech
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. HOYER. Madam Speaker, pursuant to section 5 of House Resolution 1499, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bills: H.R. 4601, H.R. 4772, H.R. 5943, H.R. 7158, and agree to H. Res. 744 and H. Res. 922.
The Clerk read the title of the bills and the resolutions.
The text of the bills and the resolutions are as follows: Commitment to Veteran Support and Outreach Act H.R. 4601
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 ``Commitment to Veteran Support and Outreach Act''. SEC. 2. AUTHORITY FOR SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS TO AWARD GRANTS TO STATES AND INDIAN TRIBES TO IMPROVE OUTREACH TO VETERANS.
(a) In General.--Chapter 63 of title 38, United States Code, is amended--
(1) by redesignating sections 6307 and 6308 and sections 6308 and 6309, respectively; and
(2) by inserting after section 6306 the following new section 6307: ``Sec. 6307. Grants to States and Indian Tribes to improve
outreach to veterans
``(a) Purpose.--It is the purpose of this section to provide for assistance by the Secretary to States and Indian Tribes to carry out programs that--
``(1) improve outreach and assistance to veterans and the spouses, children, and parents of veterans, to ensure that such individuals are fully informed about any veterans and veterans-related benefits and programs (including veterans programs of a State or Indian Tribe) for which they may be eligible; and
``(2) facilitate opportunities for such individuals to receive competent, qualified services in the preparation, presentation, and prosecution of veterans benefits claims.
``(b) Authority.--The Secretary may award grants under this section to States and Indian Tribes--
``(1) to carry out, coordinate, improve, or otherwise enhance outreach activities;
``(2) to increase the number of county or Tribal veterans service officers serving in the State or Indian Tribe by hiring new, additional such officers; or
``(3) to expand, carry out, coordinate, improve, or otherwise enhance existing programs, activities, and services of the existing organization of the State or Indian Tribe that has been recognized by the Department of Veterans Affairs pursuant to section 5902, in the preparation, presentation, and prosecution of claims for veterans benefits through representatives who hold positions as county or Tribal veterans service officers.
``(c) Application.--(1) To be eligible for a grant under this section, a State or Indian Tribe shall submit to the Secretary an application therefor at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require.
``(2) Each application submitted under paragraph (1) shall include the following:
``(A) A detailed plan for the use of the grant.
``(B) A description of the programs through which the State or Indian Tribe will meet the outcome measures developed by the Secretary under subsection (i).
``(C) A description of how the State or Indian Tribe will distribute grant amounts equitably among counties (or Tribal lands, as the case may be) with varying levels of urbanization.
``(D) A plan for how the grant will be used to meet the unique needs of American Indian or Alaska Native veterans, elderly veterans, women veterans, and veterans from other underserved communities.
``(d) Distribution.--The Secretary shall seek to ensure that grants awarded under this section are equitably distributed among States and Indian Tribes with varying levels of urbanization.
``(e) Priority.--The Secretary shall prioritize awarding grants under this section that will serve the following areas:
``(1) Areas with a critical shortage of county or Tribal veterans service officers.
``(2) Areas with high rates of--
``(A) suicide among veterans; or
``(B) referrals to the Veterans Crisis Line.
``(f) Use of County or Tribal Veterans Service Officers.--A State or Indian Tribe that receives a grant under this section to carry out an activity described in subsection (b)(1) may only carry out the activity through--
``(1) a county or Tribal veterans service officer of the State or Indian Tribe; or
``(2) if the State or Indian Tribe does not have a county or Tribal veterans service officer, or if the county or Tribal veterans service officers of the State or Indian Tribe cover only a portion of that State or Indian Tribe, an appropriate entity of a State, local, or Tribal government, as determined by the Secretary.
``(g) Required Activities.--Any grant awarded under this section shall be used--
``(1) to expand existing programs, activities, and services;
``(2) to hire and maintain new, additional county or Tribal veterans service officers; or
``(3) for travel and transportation to facilitate carrying out paragraph (1) or (2).
``(h) Other Permissible Activities.--A grant under this section may be used to provide education and training, including on-the-job training, for State, county, local, and Tribal government employees who provide (or when trained will provide) veterans outreach services in order for those employees to obtain and maintain accreditation in accordance with procedures approved by the Secretary.
``(i) Outcome Measures.--(1) The Secretary shall develop and provide to each State or Indian Tribe that receives a grant under this section written guidance on the following:
``(A) Outcome measures.
``(B) Policies of the Department.
``(2) In developing outcome measures under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall consider the following goals:
``(A) Increasing the use of veterans and veterans-related benefits, particularly among vulnerable populations.
``(B) Increasing the number of county and Tribal veterans service officers recognized by the Secretary for the representation of veterans under chapter 59 of this title.
``(j) Tracking Requirements.--(1) With respect to each grant awarded under this section, the Secretary shall track the use of veterans benefits among the population served by the grant, including the average period of time between the date on which a veteran or other eligible claimant applies for such a benefit and the date on which the veteran or other eligible claimant receives the benefit, disaggregated by type of benefit.
``(2) Not less frequently than annually during the life of the grant program established under this section, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on--
``(A) the information tracked under paragraph (1);
``(B) how the grants awarded under this section serve the unique needs of American Indian or Alaska Native veterans, elderly veterans, women veterans, and veterans from other underserved communities; and
``(C) other information provided by States and Indian Tribes pursuant to the grant reporting requirements.
``(k) Performance Review.--(1) The Secretary shall--
``(A) review the performance of each State or Indian Tribe that receives a grant under this section; and
``(B) make information regarding such performance publicly available.
``(l) Remediation Plan.--(1) In the case of a State or Indian Tribe that receives a grant under this section and does not meet the outcome measures developed by the Secretary under subsection (i), the Secretary shall require the State or Indian Tribe to submit a remediation plan under which the State or Indian Tribe shall describe how and when it plans to meet such outcome measures.
``(2) The Secretary may not award a subsequent grant under this section to a State or Indian Tribe described in paragraph (1) unless the Secretary approves the remediation plan submitted by the State of Indian Tribe.
``(m) Maximum Amount.--The amount of a grant awarded under this section may not exceed 10 percent of amounts made available for grants under this section for the fiscal year in which the grant is awarded.
``(n) Supplement, Not Supplant.--Any grant awarded under this section shall be used to supplement and not supplant State and local funding that is otherwise available.
``(o) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) The term `county or Tribal veterans service officer' includes a local equivalent veterans service officer.
``(2) The term `Indian Tribe' has the meaning given such term in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304).
``(3) The term `State' includes the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and any territory or possession of the United States.
``(4) The term `Veterans Crisis Line' means the toll-free hotline for veterans established under section 1720F(h) of this title.''.
(b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of chapter 63 of such title is amended by striking the items relating to sections 6307 and 6308 and inserting the following new items: ``6307. Grants to States and Indian Tribes to improve outreach to veterans. ``6308. Outreach for eligible dependents. ``6309. Biennial report to Congress.''.
(c) Modification of Certain Housing Loan Fee.--The loan fee table in section 3729(b)(2) of title 38, United States Code, is amended by striking ``January 14, 2031'' each place it appears and inserting ``February 10, 2031''.
(d) Authorization of Additional Full-time Equivalent Employee.--During fiscal years 2024 through 2028, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs may hire two or more additional full-time equivalent employees in the Office of the General Counsel of the Department of Veterans Affairs, as compared to the number of full-time equivalent employees that would otherwise be authorized for such office, to carry out duties under the accreditation, discipline, and fees program. SEC. 3. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS.
The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, shall be determined by reference to the latest statement titled ``Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation'' for this Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional Record by the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, provided that such statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage. Mark O'Brien VA Clothing Allowance Improvement Act H.R. 4772
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 ``Mark O'Brien VA Clothing Allowance Improvement Act''. SEC. 2. IMPROVEMENTS TO PROCESS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS FOR CLOTHING ALLOWANCE CLAIMS.
(a) Process for Clothing Allowance Claims.--Section 1162 of title 38, United States Code, is amended--
(1) by striking ``The Secretary under'' and inserting:
``(a) Eligibility Requirements.--The Secretary, under'';
(2) in paragraph (2)--
(A) by striking ``which (A) a physician'' and inserting: ``which--''
``(A) a physician''; and
(B) by striking ``, and (B) the Secretary'' and inserting ``; and''
``(B) the Secretary''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following new subsections:
``(b) Continuous Nature of Payments.--Payments made to a veteran under subsection (a) shall continue on an automatically recurring annual basis until the earlier of the following:
``(1) The date on which the veteran elects to no longer receive such payments.
``(2) The date on which the Secretary determines the veteran no longer eligible pursuant to subsection (d).
``(c) Reviews of Claim.--(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2)(B), the Secretary shall conduct reviews of the claim on which the clothing allowance is based to determine the continued eligibility of the veteran as follows:
``(A) Beginning not earlier than five years after the date on which a veteran initially receives a clothing allowance under this section and on a periodic basis thereafter.
``(B) Whenever the Secretary receives notice that the veteran no longer meets the requirements specified in subsection (a).
``(2)(A) The Secretary shall prescribe in regulations standards for determining whether a claim for clothing allowance is based on a circumstance that is not subject to change.
``(B) If the Secretary determines, pursuant to such standards, that a claim for clothing allowance is based on a circumstance that is not subject to change, paragraph (1)(A) shall not apply with respect to the claim.
``(d) Determination Regarding Continued Eligibility.--If the Secretary determines, as the result of a review of a claim conducted under subsection (c)(1), that the veteran who submitted such claim no longer meets the requirements specified in subsection (a), the Secretary shall--
``(1) provide to the veteran notice of such determination that includes a description of applicable actions that may be taken following the determination, including the actions specified in section 5104C of this title; and
``(2) discontinue the clothing allowance based on such claim.''.
(b) Applicability.--The amendments made by subsection (a) shall apply with respect to--
(1) claims for clothing allowance submitted on or after the date of the enactment of this Act; and
(2) claims for clothing allowance submitted prior to the date of the enactment of this Act, if the veteran who submitted such claim is in receipt of the clothing allowance as of the date of the enactment of this Act. SEC. 3. ADJUSTMENTS OF CERTAIN LOAN FEES.
The loan fee table in section 3729(b)(2) of title 38, United States Code, is amended by striking ``January 14, 2031'' each place it appears and inserting ``January 15, 2031''. SEC. 4. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS.
The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, shall be determined by reference to the latest statement titled ``Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation'' for this Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional Record by the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, provided that such statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage. Lance Corporal Dana Cornell Darnell Outpatient Clinic H.R. 5943
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. DESIGNATION OF LANCE CORPORAL DANA CORNELL DARNELL VA CLINIC.
(a) Designation.--The outpatient clinic of the Department of Veterans Affairs in Greenville, South Carolina, shall after the date of the enactment of this Act be known and designated as the ``Lance Corporal Dana Cornell Darnell VA Clinic''.
(b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, or other record of the United States to the facility referred to in subsection (a) shall be deemed to be a reference to the ``Lance Corporal Dana Cornell Darnell VA Clinic''. Long-Term Care Veterans Choice Act H.R. 7158
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 ``Long-Term Care Veterans Choice Act''. SEC. 2. SECRETARY OF VETERANS AFFAIRS CONTRACT AUTHORITY FOR PAYMENT OF CARE FOR VETERANS IN NON-DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS MEDICAL FOSTER HOMES.
(a) Authority.--
(1) In general.--Section 1720 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
``(h)(1) During the five-year period beginning on the date of the enactment of the Long-Term Care Veterans Choice Act, and subject to paragraph (3)--
``(A) at the request of a veteran for whom the Secretary is required to provide nursing home care under section 1710A of this title, the Secretary may place the veteran in a medical foster home that meets Department standards, at the expense of the United States, pursuant to a contract, agreement, or other arrangement entered into between the Secretary and the medical foster home for such purpose; and
``(B) the Secretary may pay for care of a veteran placed in a medical foster home before such date of enactment, if the home meets Department standards, pursuant to a contract, agreement, or other arrangement entered into between the Secretary and the medical foster home for such purpose.
``(2) A veteran on whose behalf the Secretary pays for care in a medical foster home under paragraph (1) shall agree, as a condition of such payment, to accept home health services furnished by the Secretary under section 1717 of this title.
``(3) In any year, not more than a daily average of 900 veterans receiving care in a medical foster home, whether placed before, on, or after the date of the enactment of the Long-Term Care Veterans Choice Act, may have their care covered at the expense of the United States under paragraph (1).
``(4) The prohibition under section 1730(b)(3) of this title shall not apply to a veteran whose care is covered at the expense of the United States under paragraph (1).
``(5) In this subsection, the term `medical foster home' means a home designed to provide non-institutional, long- term, supportive care for veterans who are unable to live independently and prefer a family setting.''.
(2) Effective date.--Subsection (h) of section 1720 of title 38, United States Code, as added by paragraph (1), shall take effect 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.
(b) Ongoing Monitoring of Medical Foster Home Program.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall create a system to monitor and assess the workload for the Department of Veterans Affairs in carrying out the authority under section 1720(h) of title 38, United States Code, as added by subsection (a)(1), including by tracking--
(A) requests by veterans to be placed in a medical foster home under such section;
(B) denials of such requests, including the reasons for such denials;
(C) the total number of medical foster homes applying to participate under such section, disaggregated by those approved and those denied approval by the Department to participate;
(D) veterans receiving care at a medical foster home at the expense of the United States; and
(E) veterans receiving care at a medical foster home at their own expense.
(2) Report.--Based on the monitoring and assessments conducted under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall identify and submit to Congress a report on such modifications to implementing section 1720(h) of title 38, United States Code, as added by subsection (a)(1), as the Secretary considers necessary to ensure the authority under such section is functioning as intended and care is provided to veterans under such section as intended.
(3) Medical foster home defined.--In this subsection, the term ``medical foster home'' has the meaning given that term in section 1720(h) of title 38, United States Code, as added by subsection (a)(1).
(c) Comptroller General Report.--Not later than each of three years and six years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to Congress a report--
(1) assessing the implementation of this section and the amendments made by this section;
(2) assessing the impact of the monitoring and modifications under subsection (b) on care provided under section 1720(h) of title 38, United States Code, as added by subsection (a)(1); and
(3) setting forth recommendations for improvements to the implementation of such section, as the Comptroller General considers appropriate.
(d) Modification of Certain Housing Loan Fee.--The loan fee table in section 3729(b)(2) of title 38, United States Code, is amended by striking ``January 14, 2031'' each place it appears and inserting ``February 15, 2031''. SEC. 3. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS.
The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, shall be determined by reference to the latest statement titled ``Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation'' for this Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional Record by the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, provided that such statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage. Condemning the Government of Iran's State-Sponsored Persecution of its Baha'i Minority and its Continued Violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights H. Res. 744
Whereas in 1982, 1984, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2020, Congress declared that it deplored the religious persecution by the Government of Iran of the Baha'i community and would hold the Government of Iran responsible for upholding the rights of all Iranian nationals, including members of the Baha'i faith;
Whereas since 1979, Iranian authorities have killed or executed more than 200 Baha'i leaders, and more than 10,000 have been dismissed from government and university jobs;
Whereas the Baha'i International Community documented a more than 50-percent increase in hate propaganda directed against the Baha'is in the 12-month period ending in August 2020, compared to prior years, with more than 9,500 such articles, videos, or web pages appearing in Iranian government-controlled or government-sponsored media;
Whereas, on December 16, 2021, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution (A/C.3/76/L.28) criticizing Iran for human rights abuses and calling on Iran to carry out wide-ranging reforms, including--
(1) ``ceasing use of the death penalty and commuting the sentences for child offenders on death row'';
(2) ``ensuring that no one is subjected to torture or other cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment'';
(3) ``ceasing the widespread and systematic use of arbitrary arrests and detention'';
(4) ``releasing persons detained for the exercise of their human rights and fundamental freedoms'';
(5) ``improving conditions inside prisons'';
(6) ``eliminating discrimination against women and girls''; and
(7) ``eliminating discrimination against ethnic, linguistic, and other minorities'';
Whereas in the 2022 Annual Report of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom issued in April 2022, it is reported that the Government of Iran--
(1) ``arrested scores of Baha'is across Iran, many of whom were held incommunicado or taken to undisclosed locations'';
(2) ``sent Ministry of Intelligence agents to search the home of a Baha'i citizen and confiscated her belongings'';
(3) ``continued to deny university education to Baha'is on account of their faith'';
(4) ``closed six Baha'i businesses'';
(5) ``demolished the homes of three Baha'is without warning'';
(6) ``announced the auction of thirteen Baha'i farms''; and
(7) ``continued to deny Baha'is the right to bury their deceased in empty plots at the Golestan Javid cemetery outside Tehran which the community has used for decades. Instead, Baha'is are being forced to use the Khaveran mass grave site where victims of the 1988 prison massacres are buried'';
Whereas the Iran section of the Department of State's 2021 Report on International Religious Freedom issued in June 2022 provides, in part--
(1) ``Security forces in Shiraz and Mazandaran Province conducted multiple arrests of Baha'is in their homes or workplaces in the last week of September without providing reasons or charges.'';
(2) ``Authorities continued to confiscate Baha'i properties as part of an ongoing state-led campaign of economic persecution against Baha'is. Authorities issued an order in April denying Baha'is permission to bury their dead in empty plots at the Tehran-area cemetery designated for Baha'is, forcing them to bury them at a mass grave site.'';
(3) ``Authorities reportedly continued to deny the Baha'i, Sabean-Mandaean, and Yarsani religious communities, as well as members of other unrecognized religious minority groups, access to education and government employment unless they declared themselves as belonging to one of the country's recognized religions on their application forms.''; and
(4) ``Government officials continued to disseminate anti- Baha'i and antisemitic messages using traditional and social media.'';
Whereas, on July 4, 2022, the Baha'i International Community noted ``The Iranian government's systematic campaign to persecute the Baha'i religious minority accelerated again this past week with the arrest, court hearing or imprisonment of at least 18 more Baha'i citizens across the country, bringing the June total to 44 people. Hundreds of others, meanwhile, also await summonses to court or to prison.'';
Whereas, on July 21, 2022, the Baha'i International Community announced ``More than 20 Baha'is in Shiraz, Tehran, Yazd and Bojnourd, have been arrested, jailed or subjected to home searches and business closures since the beginning of July. Last month 44 Baha'is were arrested, arraigned or imprisoned, suggesting an escalating crisis in the Iranian government's systematic campaign against the country's largest non-Muslim religious minority. . .'';
Whereas Iran is a member of the United Nations and a signatory to both the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, among other international human rights treaties, without reservation;
Whereas section 105 of the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010 (22 U.S.C. 8514) authorizes the President to impose sanctions on individuals who are ``responsible for or complicit in, or responsible for ordering, controlling, or otherwise directing, the commission of serious human rights abuses against citizens of Iran or their family members on or after June 12, 2009''; and
Whereas the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012 (Public Law 112-158) amends and expands the authorities established under the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-195) to sanction Iranian human rights abusers: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) condemns the Government of Iran's state-sponsored persecution of its Baha'i minority and its continued violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR);
(2) calls on the Government of Iran--
(A) to immediately release the imprisoned or detained Baha'is and all other prisoners held solely on account of their religion;
(B) to end its state-sponsored campaign of hate propaganda against the Baha'is; and
(C) to reverse state-imposed policies denying Baha'is and members of other religious minorities equal opportunities to higher education, earning a livelihood, due process under the law, and the free exercise of religious practices;
(3) calls on the President and the Secretary of State, in cooperation with responsible nations, to immediately condemn the Government of Iran's continued violation of human rights, and demand the immediate release of prisoners held solely on account of their religion; and
(4) urges the President and the Secretary of State to utilize available authorities to impose sanctions on officials of the Government of Iran and other individuals directly responsible for serious human rights abuses, including abuses against the Baha'i community of Iran.
Condemning the Use of Hunger as a Weapon of War and Recognizing the Effect of Conflict on Global Food Security and Famine H. Res. 922
Whereas, in 2021, 193,000,000 people experienced crisis levels of food insecurity, with nearly 139,000,000 people living in environments where conflict was the main driver of this crisis, and the COVID-19 pandemic has worsened rising global food insecurity;
Whereas conflict acutely impacts vulnerable populations such as women and children, persons with disabilities, refugees, and internally displaced persons;
Whereas armed conflict's impacts on food security can be direct, such as displacement from land, destruction of livestock grazing areas and fishing grounds, or destruction of food stocks and agricultural assets, or indirect, such as disruptions to food systems, leading to increased food prices, including water and fuel, and the breakdown of a government's ability to enforce regulations or perform its judiciary functions;
Whereas aerial bombing campaigns targeting agricultural heartlands, scorched earth methods of warfare, and the use of landmines and other explosive devices have direct impacts on the ability of vulnerable populations to feed themselves;
Whereas effective humanitarian response in armed conflict, including in the threat of conflict-induced famine and food insecurity in situations of armed conflict, requires respect for international humanitarian law by all parties to the conflict, and allowing and facilitating the rapid and unimpeded movement of humanitarian relief to all those in need;
Whereas efforts to restrict humanitarian aid and the operational integrity and impartiality of humanitarian aid works and distribution efforts, including through blockades, security impediments, or irregular bureaucratic requirements is another means by which combatants employ starvation and food deprivation as a weapon of war; and
Whereas the United States Government has the tools to fight global hunger, provide and protect lifesaving assistance, and promote the prevention of conflict, including through the Global Fragility Act of 2019 (title V of division J of Public Law 116-94), the Global Food Security Act of 2016 (Public Law 114-195), and the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-334), and has the potential to hold accountable those using hunger as a weapon in conflict through the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act (subtitle F of title XII of Public Law 114-328) and other means: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) condemns--
(A) the use of starvation of civilians as a weapon of warfare;
(B) the intentional and reckless destruction, removing, looting, blocking, or rendering useless objects necessary for food production and distribution such as farmland, markets, mills, food processing and storage areas, such as ports and hubs containing grain terminals, foodstuffs, crops, livestock, agricultural assets, waterways, water systems, drinking water installations and supplies, and irrigation works;
(C) the denial of humanitarian access and the deprivation of objects indispensable to people's survival, such as food supplies and nutrition resources; and
(D) the willful interruption of market systems to affected populations in need in conflict environments by preventing travel and manipulating currency exchange;
(2) calls on the United States Government to--
(A) prioritize diplomatic efforts to call out and address instances where hunger and intentional deprivation of food is being utilized as a weapon of war, including efforts to ensure that security operations do not undermine livelihoods of local populations to minimize civilian harm;
(B) continue efforts to address severe food insecurity through humanitarian and development response efforts, including in-kind food assistance, vouchers, and other flexible modalities, and long-term programming focused on agriculture support and resilient livelihoods;
(C) ensure existing interagency strategies, crisis response efforts, and ongoing programs consider, integrate, and adapt to address conflict by utilizing crisis modifiers in United States Agency for International Development programming to respond to rapid shocks and stress such as the willful targeting of food systems; and
(D) ensure that the use of hunger as a weapon in conflict is considered within the employment of tools to hold individuals, governments, militias, or entities responsible such as the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act (22 U.S.C. 2656), where appropriate, and taking into consideration the need for humanitarian exemptions and the protection of lifesaving assistance.
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