To provide for United States participation in the Inter-Parliamentary Union, and for other purposes.

I 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 4682 To provide for United States participation in the Inter-Parliamentary Union, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OCTOBER 15, 2019 Ms. LEE of California introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs A BILL To provide for United States participation in the Inter- Parliamentary Union, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. UNITED STATES PARTICIPATION IN THE INTER- 3 PARLIAMENTARY UNION. 4 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 5 (1) The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), 6 founded in 1889, is the world organization of na- 7 tional parliaments comprising 170 parliaments (in- 8 cluding all the major allies of the United States) and 9 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:16 Oct 17, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4682.IH H4682 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 4682 IH working closely with the regional parliamentary or- 1 ganizations on all continents. 2 (2) The core mission of the IPU is the pro- 3 motion of parliamentary democracy, the elaboration 4 of standards and criteria for democratic parliamen- 5 tary practice, the protection of human rights, inter- 6 national peace and security, the political empower- 7 ment of women, sustainable international develop- 8 ment, and greater transparency and accountability 9 at the global level, which are in line with United 10 States interests and priorities. 11 (3) Congress was a founding member of the 12 IPU, and played an active and prominent role for 13 many decades. 14 (4) The main concerns of Congress, including 15 the scheduling of main assembly and arrears, have 16 been fully addressed by the IPU. 17 (5) Through the activities of the IPU, the 18 United States can usefully promote its core values of 19 freedom, democracy, and human rights, and help 20 build stronger parliaments around the world. 21 (b) UNITED STATES PARTICIPATION IN THE INTER- 22 PARLIAMENTARY UNION.—Notwithstanding section 2503 23 of the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:16 Oct 17, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4682.IH H4682 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 4682 IH 1998 (division G of Public Law 105–277; 22 U.S.C. 276 1 note)— 2 (1) the Secretary of State is authorized to— 3 (A) facilitate the readmission and partici- 4 pation of the United States in the Inter-Par- 5 liamentary Union; and 6 (B) pay expenses to meet the annual obli- 7 gations of membership in the Inter-Parliamen- 8 tary Union, in accordance with the assessments 9 determined by the Governing Council; and 10 (2) the majority leader of the Senate, in con- 11 sultation with the minority leader of the Senate, and 12 the Speaker of the House of Representatives, in con- 13 sultation with the minority leader of the House of 14 Representatives, are authorized to designate Mem- 15 bers of Congress to serve as delegates to the Assem- 16 bly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union. 17 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:16 Oct 17, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H4682.IH H4682 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS