A resolution commemorating March 17, 2020, as the 40th anniversary of the Refugee Act of 1980, including 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.

III 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION S. RES. 545 Commemorating March 17, 2020, as the 40th anniversary of the Refugee Act of 1980, including 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 SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES MARCH 17, 2020 Mr. COONS (for himself and Mr. LANKFORD) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations RESOLUTION Commemorating March 17, 2020, as the 40th anniversary of the Refugee Act of 1980, including 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 Sen- ate and the House of Representatives, the Refugee Act of 1980, S. 643 (96th Congress), including the amend- ments made by that Act, 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— (1) the Convention Relating to the Status of Refu- gees, done at Geneva July 28, 1951 (as made applicable VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:36 Mar 17, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR545.IS SR545 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •SRES 545 IS by the Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees, done at New York January 31, 1967 (19 U.S.T. 6223), to 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, to 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 (Public Law 96–212; 94 Stat. 102), in- cluding the amendments made by that Act, is consistent with the best values of the United States, such as judg- ing people not ‘‘by the color of their skin but by the con- tent of their character’’, championing religious liberty, standing up for one’s beliefs, standing up for those who are being mistreated, championing democracy, and up- holding 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; Whereas the refugee resettlement program of the United States authorized under the Refugee Act of 1980 (Public Law 96–212; 94 Stat. 102), including the amendments VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:36 Mar 17, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR545.IS SR545 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •SRES 545 IS made by that Act, is a life-saving solution critical to glob- al humanitarian efforts that— (1) strengthens global security; (2) advances the foreign policy goals and national security interests of the United States; (3) supports countries that host hundreds of thou- sands, or even millions, of refugees; (4) collaborates with and supports the efforts of the international community to support and resettle vulner- able populations; (5) stabilizes sensitive conflicts and regions around the globe; and (6) encourages other countries to contribute through humanitarian support, resettlement, and finding strate- gies to address existing conflict and prevent future con- flict; 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 Department of State acknowledged the partner- ship between the admission of refugees and the protection of inherent human rights in the 2018 Report on Inter- national Religious Freedom and the 2018 Country Re- ports 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- ting population decline and boosting economic growth throughout the United States by opening businesses, pay- ing taxes, and buying homes; VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:36 Mar 17, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR545.IS SR545 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •SRES 545 IS 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 3,000,000 refugees in 49 States over more than 40 years, and the program has received support from Republican and Democratic Presidential administrations and bipartisan congressional support, as Presidents have set, through Presidential de- terminations, an average annual refugee admissions goal of 95,000 refugees; Whereas, in collaboration with the Department of State and 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 1⁄2 of whom are children, according to estimates from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees; Whereas, in 2018, global resettlement needs were not met de- spite the high number of refugees in need of third-coun- try resettlement; VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:36 Mar 17, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR545.IS SR545 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •SRES 545 IS Whereas a decline in refugee resettlements has had adverse impacts on the infrastructure of refugee resettlement in the United States, 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 national security and strategic 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 leader, the United States should operate its refugee reset- tlement program in a manner consistent with global ref- ugee resettlement need, the historical commitment of the United States to refugee resettlement since the enact- ment of the Refugee Act of 1980 (Public Law 96–212; 94 Stat. 102), and the critical humanitarian leadership role of the United States on the world stage: Now, there- fore, be it Resolved, That the Senate— 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 cution, or torture in search of religious liberty, 6 democracy, peace, hope, and freedom; and 7 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:36 Mar 17, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR545.IS SR545 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 6 •SRES 545 IS (B) to recognize the importance of the ref- 1 ugee resettlement program of the United States 2 as a critical tool for saving lives and as a crit- 3 ical function of United States global leader- 4 ship— 5 (i) to leverage foreign policy; 6 (ii) to strengthen national and re- 7 gional security; 8 (iii) to support allies of the United 9 States; and 10 (iv) to demonstrate international sup- 11 port of refugees; and 12 (2) calls upon the United States Government— 13 (A) to provide robust funding for refugee 14 protection overseas and resettlement in the 15 United States; 16 (B) to uphold its international leadership 17 role in responding to displacement crises with 18 humanitarian assistance and protection of the 19 most vulnerable populations; 20 (C) to work in partnership with the inter- 21 national community to find solutions to existing 22 conflicts and prevent new conflicts from begin- 23 ning; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:36 Mar 17, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR545.IS SR545 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 7 •SRES 545 IS (D) to ensure the refugee resettlement pro- 1 gram of the United States is equipped to pro- 2 tect and support refugees, especially allies who 3 need the support of the United States, as well 4 as the international refugee assistance commu- 5 nity that needs United States leadership, and 6 local communities across the United States who 7 want to welcome refugees and continue together 8 to build the American dream. 9 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:36 Mar 17, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\SR545.IS SR545 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS