US Congress House Bill 2140 (Prior Session Legislation)

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Sponsorship: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 13-6)
Status: Introduced on April 30 2015 - 25% progression, died in committee
Action: 2015-05-20 - Referred to the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific.
Pending: House Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific Committee
Text: Latest bill text (Introduced) [PDF]

Vietnam Human Rights Act of 2015 This bill prohibits U.S. nonhumanitarian assistance to the government of Vietnam in excess of FY2014 amounts unless the President certifies to Congress that the government of Vietnam has made substantial progress respecting political, civil, media, Internet, and religious freedoms, minority rights, access to U.S. refugee programs, and actions to end trafficking in persons and the release of religious and political prisoners. The President may waive such requirements: if increased U.S. nonhumanitarian assistance would promote the purposes of this Act or is otherwise in the U.S. national interest, with respect to all U.S. nonhumanitarian assistance to Vietnam, or to one or more programs or projects. It is the sense of Congress that: it shall be U.S. policy that further easing of the prohibition on the sale of lethal military equipment to Vietnam shall require Vietnam to take additional and sustained steps to advance human rights protections; the United States should take measures to overcome the jamming of Radio Free Asia by Vietnam and that the Broadcasting Board of Governors should not cut staffing, funding, or broadcast hours for the Vietnamese language services of the Voice of America and Radio Free Asia; U.S.-Vietnam educational and cultural exchange programs should promote freedom and democracy in Vietnam; Vietnam should be designated as a country of particular concern for religious freedom; and Vietnam does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to bring itself into compliance.

Vietnam Human Rights Act of 2015

Rep. Christopher Smith [R-NJ]	Rep. Zoe Lofgren [D-CA]	Rep. Dana Rohrabacher [R-CA]	Rep. Gerald Connolly [D-VA]
Rep. Loretta Sanchez [D-CA]	Rep. Edward Royce [R-CA]	Rep. Alan Lowenthal [D-CA]	Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen [R-FL]
Rep. Tom Emmer [R-MN]	Rep. Mark Meadows [R-NC]	Rep. Ted Poe [R-TX]	Rep. Michael Fitzpatrick [R-PA]
Rep. Lloyd Doggett [D-TX]	Rep. Steve Russell [R-OK]	Rep. Michael McCaul [R-TX]	Rep. Bill Posey [R-FL]
Rep. David Trott [R-MI]	Rep. Barbara Comstock [R-VA]	Sen. Chris Van Hollen [D-MD]

Date	Chamber	Action
2015-05-20	House	Referred to the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific.
2015-05-14	House	Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by Unanimous Consent .
2015-05-14	House	Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
2015-05-07	House	Referred to the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations.
2015-04-30	House	Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
2015-04-30	House	Introduced in House

SB2632 (Related) 2016-03-03 - Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.

Type	Source
Summary	https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/2140/all-info
Text	https://www.congress.gov/114/bills/hr2140/BILLS-114hr2140ih.pdf