What This Bill Does
This bill puts restrictions on how the United States participates in the United Nations Human Rights Council. It requires the Secretary of State to work toward specific reforms at the United Nations and demands regular reports to Congress about votes and foreign aid related to Human Rights Council member countries.
Who It Affects
The Secretary of State, the President, Congress (specifically the Foreign Affairs, Foreign Relations, and Appropriations committees), and indirectly the United Nations Human Rights Council and its member countries.
Key Provisions
* The United States cannot provide money to United Nations Commissions of Inquiries that are about Israel, whether the money is voluntary or required by the United Nations Human Rights Council (Sec. 2)
* The Secretary of State must use U.S. influence at the United Nations to try to eliminate Agenda Item 7 of the Human Rights Council, eliminate secret-ballot elections for council membership, and create baseline criteria for who can join the council (Sec. 3)
* The President must report to Congress every 90 days (then annually) on whether the actions in the previous provision are being implemented (Sec. 3)
* The Secretary of State must give Congress a briefing at least 30 days before each Human Rights Council session about the agenda and any special appointments or accreditation requests (Sec. 4)
* The Secretary of State must submit yearly reports to Congress listing all votes about Israel and Palestinian territories at the Human Rights Council and showing how each member country voted, plus details about U.S. foreign aid given to each council member country (Sec. 5)
What Changes
If this becomes law, the United States stops funding UN Commissions of Inquiries related to Israel and begins a process of advocating for three specific reforms to how the Human Rights Council operates. Congress will receive regular briefings and detailed annual reports about council activities and U.S. aid to member countries.
Important Definitions
* "Appropriate congressional committees" means the House Foreign Affairs Committee, House Appropriations Committee, Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Senate Appropriations Committee (Sec. 6)
Effective Date
Not specified in bill text
I
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 687
To require certain actions relating to the United Nations Human Rights
Council, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JANUARY 31, 2023
Mr. STEUBE (for himself and Mr. TIFFANY) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
A BILL
To require certain actions relating to the United Nations
Human Rights Council, 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,
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
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This Act may be cited as the ‘‘United Nations
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Human Rights Council Reform Act’’.
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SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON VOLUNTARY AND ASSESSED CON-
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TRIBUTIONS TO UNITED NATIONS COMMIS-
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SIONS
OF
INQUIRIES
THAT
RELATE
TO
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ISRAEL.
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The United States may not make any voluntary or
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assessed contributions to United Nations Commissions of
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Inquiries that relate to Israel as mandated by the United
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Nations Human Rights Council.
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SEC. 3. ACTIONS RELATING TO UNITED NATIONS HUMAN
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RIGHTS COUNCIL.
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(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of State shall take
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such actions as may be necessary to use the voice, vote,
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and influence of the United States in the United Nations
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Human Rights Council and the United Nations General
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Assembly to seek to—
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(1) eliminate Agenda Item 7 of the Human
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Rights Council;
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(2) eliminate secret-ballot elections for member-
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ship to the Human Rights Council; and
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(3) institute baseline criteria for membership in
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the Human Rights Council.
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(b) REPORT.—Not later than 90 days after the date
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of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the
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President shall submit to the appropriate congressional
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committees a report on the implementation of the actions
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described in subsection (a).
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SEC. 4. CONGRESSIONAL BRIEFING RELATING TO UNITED
1
NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL.
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Not later than 30 days before the start of each ses-
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sion of the United Nations Human Rights Council, the
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Secretary of State shall provide to the appropriate con-
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gressional committees a briefing on—
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(1) the session agenda of the Human Rights
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Council; and
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(2) reports, appointments of mandate holders of
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special procedures and expert mechanisms, and ac-
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creditation requests relating to the Human Rights
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Council.
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SEC. 5. REPORT.
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The Secretary of State shall submit to the appro-
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priate congressional committees, on an annual basis, a re-
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port on—
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(1) each vote related to Israel and Palestinian
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territories taken by the United Nations Human
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Rights Council in the preceding calendar year, indi-
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cating—
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(A) the agenda item under which the vote
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was taken; and
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(B) how each member state of the Human
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Rights Council voted; and
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(2) the amount of bilateral United States for-
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eign assistance, by account and program area, pro-
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•HR 687 IH
vided under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to
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each member state of the United Nations Human
2
Rights Council in the preceding calendar year.
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SEC. 6. APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES DE-
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FINED.
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In this Act, the term ‘‘appropriate congressional com-
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mittees’’ means—
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(1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the
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Committee on Appropriations of the House of Rep-
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resentatives; and
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(2) the Committee on Foreign Relations and
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the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate.
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Æ
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