July 8, 1997
To: Tibet Support Groups, USA
From: Mary Beth Markey, Director of Government Relations, ICT
Re: Legislation Update -- Action Needed
Post-MFN (most-favored-nation trading status for China) grassroots lobbying efforts are immediately needed. A variety of pending or proposed legislation will impact Tibet. I would appreciate your input and look forward to discussing these legislative initiatives with you. These bills are broad in scope, and only thumbnail sketches follow. If you wish to consider them in their entirety, check the internet or contact ICT.
Your efforts, especially aimed at your own Senators and Representatives, are fundamental to our success on the Hill. Remember, if you don't know your Member of Congress' (MOC) name or phone number, you can call the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and they will gladly assist -- all you need to know is your zip code. Write or call.
The Wolf-Specter "Freedom from Religious Persecution Act." This bill would create a White House office charged with monitoring religious persecution abroad and would require its director to issue an annual report naming countries that either carry out or tolerate religious persecution. The bill is global in reach but, significantly for Tibet, it would ban U.S. exports to Chinese entities carrying out religious persecution or exports that facilitate persecution; would require the U.S. to vote against all multilateral development bank loans to China if it is found to be engaging in religious persecution; and would require the U.S. to consider China's record on religious persecution in deciding whether to support its membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO).
This legislation was introduced in May by Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) and Rep. Frank Wolf (R-10th VA) as S.772 and H.R.1685, respectively. The sponsors are hoping to postpone a vote in both bodies until Christian organizations, primarily concerned about Catholic and Protestant Chinese, develop sufficient national support to successfully lobby for the legislation. Towards this end, they will be holding a National Day of Prayer on November 16. The Clinton administration wants to appear sympathetic to the cause of religious freedom and refers to the newly created Advisory Committee on Religious Freedom Abroad in the State Department as an indication of its concern. Nonetheless, the coalition in support of the Wolf-Specter legislation is confident that their bill will
pass. After all, who in Congress wants to be recorded as being for religious persecution?
Three other packages of bills are floating around Capitol Hill that put the heat on China for its human rights record.
The Cox initiative.* Rep. Chris Cox (R-47th-CA) will soon introduce a package of discreet bills to address a range of U.S. China policy issues. Taken together the bills would deny MFN to the People's Liberation Army (PLA); increase penalties for importers of slave labor products; increase Radio Free Asia (RFA) funding; require regular reports on Chinese intelligence activities in the U.S.; cut U.S. contributions to international lending institutions by the amount of the U.S. share of subsidies given to China; support Taiwan to the WTO regardless of China's entry date; deny visas to Chinese officials involved in religious
repression or population control; increase human rights monitors in the U.S. Embassy in Beijing.
"China Human Rights and Democracy Act," H.R.2095. The Clinton administration favors a less punitive approach to China legislation and has given its support to this bill, prepared at the request of Speaker Newt Gingrich and introduced by Rep. John Edward Porter (R-10th-IL) and Rep. David Dreier (R-28th-CA) with 35 other orignial co-sponsors. H.R.2095 would increase student exchanges; require the State Department to keep a list of political prisoners and publish a list of U.S. companies that do business with the PLA; increase RFA funding; increase National Endowment for Democracy funding; deny visas to Chinese officials involved in human rights abuses or selling high-tech weapons.
S.810, introduced by Senator Spencer Abraham (R-MI) in May is a multi-faceted bill that would deny visas to human rights abusers; require the U.S. to vote against international credit for China; ban PLA companies from commercial activity in the U.S.; and increase foreign exchanges.
Take Action!
Please contact your Members of Congress and request support for these bills. Craft your talking points on the impact or benefits for Tibet associated with the legislation. All of these initiatives provide us with an important opportunity to raise Tibet in the Congress, and while one may more vigorously impact Tibet than another, none are guaranteed passage.
* Stay tuned for more information, bill numbers, etc. on the Cox package of
legislation.
How to Contact Your Member of Congress (MOC)
Letter and phone calls from constituents let the MOC know what issues are important to the people he/she represents. If you don't have time to write a letter, pick up the phone. State you name and affiliation and ask for the foreign affairs aide. Be brief. If you don't get to talk to the foreign affairs aide and you want to ask your MOC for a concrete favor (such as co-sponsoring or voting for legislation), inform the person who picks up the phone about the matter and ask him/her to relay the message to the MOC and the aide. It could go something like this:
Dial (202) 224-3121.
Ring, Ring! Capitol.
Hello, can you help me? I don't know my Member of Congress' name, but my zip code is 25555.
Hold on please...You are in the 10th District and your Representative is Congressman Jack Flash.
Thank you. May I have that number for my record. 225-2222. I'll connect you.
Ring, Ring! Congressman Jack Flash's Office.
Hello. My name is Ed Jones. I am with Students for Free Tibet at the University of Virginia. Could you please tell me the name of the Congressman's foreign affairs aide?
Her name is Jean Smart. I'll see if she's in.
Ring, Ring! Hello. This is Jean Smart.
Ms. Smart, my name is Ed Jones. I'm calling from Students for Free Tibet
at the University of Virginia. We are concerned about continuing repression in Tibet. On behalf of our membership, we'd like to ask Congressman Flash to vote for the "China Human Rights and Democracy Act," H.R.2095, and we'd like to ask him also to vote to pass the "Freedom from Religious Persecution Act," when it comes up this fall.
Well, Congressman Flash is aware of your cause, and I will convey your concern and support for his efforts. Please keep in touch. You may want to send us some information about your organization.
Thanks. I will.
Good-bye.
Follow-up with a brief, focused letter. Address your letter to the MOC.
(It will be forwarded to the foreign affairs aide and office correspondent.)
The Honorable (full name) The Honorable (full name)
United States Senate U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20510 Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Senator__________: Dear Representative __________:
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The International Campaign for Tibet
1825 K St. N.W, Suite 520
Washington, D.C. 20006
Phone: +1 (202) 785-1515 / Fax: +1 (202) 785-4343
E-mail: ict@peacenet.org / Internet: http://www.peacenet.org/ict
Non-profit, Tibet advocacy group
"Any society that is alive is a society with a history."
-- Vaclav Havel quoted in Jasper Becker's book, Hungry Ghosts.
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