Commemorating March 17, 2020, as the 40th anniversary of the Refugee Act of 1980, and the amendments made by that Act, at a time when the need for bipartisan support of the refugee resettlement program of the United States is critical to the survival of the program.

IV 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. RES. 902 Commemorating March 17, 2020, as the 40th anniversary of the Refugee Act of 1980, and the amendments made by that Act, at a time when the need for bipartisan support of the refugee resettlement program of the United States is critical to the survival of the program. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MARCH 13, 2020 Ms. GARCIA of Texas (for herself and Mr. CURTIS) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subse- quently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned RESOLUTION Commemorating March 17, 2020, as the 40th anniversary of the Refugee Act of 1980, and the amendments made by that Act, at a time when the need for bipartisan support of the refugee resettlement program of the United States is critical to the survival of the program. Whereas after receiving bipartisan support in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, the Refugee Act of 1980, and the amendments made by that Act, S. 643 (96th Congress), was signed into law on March 17, 1980, to provide a domestic framework for the United States to align with the international obligations of the United States, including under— VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:16 Mar 14, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR902.IH HR902 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 902 IH (1) the Convention Relating to the Status of Refu- gees, done at Geneva July 28, 1951 (as made applicable by the Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees, done at New York January 31, 1967 (19 U.S.T. 6223)), of which the United States is a party; (2) the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, done at New York December 10, 1984, of which the United States is a party; (3) the Convention relating to the Status of State- less Persons, done at New York September 28, 1954; and (4) the Convention on the Reduction of Stateless- ness, done at New York August 30, 1961; Whereas the humanitarian protection provided by the Ref- ugee Act of 1980, and the amendments made by that Act (Public Law 96–212; 94 Stat. 102), is consistent with the best values of the United States, such as judging peo- ple not ‘‘by the color of their skin but by the content of their character’’, championing religious liberty, standing up for one’s beliefs, standing up for those who are being mistreated, championing democracy, and upholding the rights and practices of self-governance and free speech regardless of race, ethnicity, or nationality; Whereas refugees are courageous, hard-working people of conviction and values, defenders of democracy and faith, and people who face persecution on account of race, reli- gion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion, and in some cases, face perse- cution because they allied with the United States in cru- cial missions, such as in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Iraq, and Afghanistan; VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:16 Mar 14, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR902.IH HR902 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 902 IH Whereas the refugee resettlement program of the United States authorized under the Refugee Act of 1980, and the amendments made by that Act (Public Law 96–212; 94 Stat. 102), is a lifesaving solution critical to global humanitarian efforts that serves to— (1) strengthen global security; (2) advance the United States foreign policy goals and national security interests; (3) support countries that host hundreds of thou- sands, or even millions, of refugees; (4) collaborate with and support the efforts of the international community to support and resettle vulner- able populations; (5) stabilize sensitive conflicts and regions around the globe; and (6) encourage other nations to contribute to this cause through humanitarian support, resettlement, and finding strategies to address existing conflict and prevent future conflict; Whereas the refugee resettlement program provides protec- tion and resettlement opportunities to individuals from Iraq and Afghanistan who worked side by side with mem- bers of the United States Armed Forces and peace build- ers; Whereas the administration acknowledges the partnership be- tween refugee admission and protection of inherent human rights in both the 2018 Report on International Religious Freedom and the 2018 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices; Whereas refugees are major contributors to local economies, pay an average of $21,000 more in taxes than they re- ceive in benefits, and revitalize cities and towns by offset- VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:16 Mar 14, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR902.IH HR902 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HRES 902 IH ting population decline and boosting economic growth throughout the United States by opening businesses, pay- ing taxes, and buying homes; Whereas several industries rely heavily on refugee workers to support the economic stability of those industries, and low rates of arrivals of refugees, especially in towns that rely on refugee populations to revitalize the industries in those towns, have had serious effects on economic growth; Whereas through the refugee resettlement program, the United States has proudly pursued strategic and humani- tarian interests, resettling more than 3 million refugees in all 50 States for over 40 years, and the program has received support from Republican and Democratic Presi- dential administrations and bipartisan congressional sup- port, as Presidents have set, through Presidential deter- minations, an average annual refugee admissions goal of 95,000 refugees; Whereas in collaboration with the Department of State, through the Office of Refugee Resettlement, faith com- munities, civic leaders, local social service agencies, em- ployers, and refugee resettlement agencies provide essen- tial services and welcome refugees who bring new life and vitality to local communities; Whereas, in 2020, the world is in the midst of the worst glob- al displacement crisis in history, with more than 70,800,000 forcibly displaced persons, including more than 25,900,000 refugees worldwide, more than half of whom are children, according to estimates from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees; VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:16 Mar 14, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR902.IH HR902 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •HRES 902 IH Whereas, in 2018, global resettlement needs were not met de- spite the high number of refugees in need of third-coun- try resettlement; Whereas a decline in refugee resettlements has had adverse impacts on the infrastructure of refugee resettlement in the United States, thus creating challenges for future in- creases in resettlement; Whereas many Presidents have made changes and improve- ments to the refugee resettlement program while con- tinuing to support and nurture its crucial role in humani- tarian protection and in promoting the strategic and na- tional security interests of the United States; Whereas refugees are the most thoroughly vetted class of for- eign nationals to enter the United States and are subject to extensive screening checks, including in-person inter- views, biometric data checks, and multiple interagency checks; and Whereas as the major global humanitarian and strategic lead- er, the United States should operate its refugee resettle- ment program in a manner consistent with global refugee resettlement need, the United States historic commitment to refugee resettlement since the enactment of the Ref- ugee Act of 1980, and its critical humanitarian leader- ship role on the world stage: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 (1) reaffirms its bipartisan commitment— 2 (A) to abide by the cherished domestic and 3 international legal obligations of the United 4 States to protect refugees who flee war, perse- 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:16 Mar 14, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR902.IH HR902 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 6 •HRES 902 IH cution, or torture in search of religious liberty, 1 democracy, peace, hope, and freedom; and 2 (B) to recognize the importance of the ref- 3 ugee resettlement program of the United States 4 as a critical tool for saving lives and as a crit- 5 ical function of United States global leader- 6 ship— 7 (i) to leverage foreign policy; 8 (ii) to strengthen national and re- 9 gional security; 10 (iii) to support allies of the United 11 States; and 12 (iv) to demonstrate international sup- 13 port of refugees; and 14 (2) calls upon the United States Government— 15 (A) to provide robust funding for refugee 16 protection overseas and resettlement in the 17 United States; 18 (B) to uphold its international leadership 19 role in responding to displacement crises with 20 humanitarian assistance and protection of the 21 most vulnerable populations; 22 (C) to work in partnership with the inter- 23 national community to find solutions to existing 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:16 Mar 14, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR902.IH HR902 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 7 •HRES 902 IH conflicts and prevent new conflicts from begin- 1 ning; and 2 (D) to ensure the United States refugee 3 resettlement program is equipped to protect and 4 support refugees, especially allies who need the 5 support of the United States, as well as the 6 international refugee assistance community that 7 needs United States leadership, and local com- 8 munities across the United States who want to 9 welcome refugees and continue together to build 10 the American dream. 11 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:16 Mar 14, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR902.IH HR902 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS