Vietnam Human Rights Act of 2008
Latest action · Oct 1, 2008 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedOct 1, 2008
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Vietnam Human Rights Act of 2008 - Prohibits the federal government from providing the government of Vietnam with nonhumanitarian development, trade, economic, and security assistance during any fiscal year that exceeds the amount of such assistance provided during FY2008, unless such increases are matched or exceeded by additional funding for programs focusing on human rights and democracy promotion.
Authorizes the President to waive such requirements if increased U.S. nonhumanitarian assistance would promote the purposes of this Act or it is otherwise in the U.S. national interest.
Prohibits the President from providing certain duty-free treatment for Vietnam until the President certifies to Congress that the government of Vietnam protects freedom of association and does not engage in violations of workers' rights.
Authorizes the President to provide U.S. assistance through appropriate nongovernmental organizations and the Human Rights Defenders Fund for the support of individuals and organizations to promote human rights in Vietnam.
Expresses the sense of Congress regarding diplomacy with the government of Vietnam.
Declares it is U.S. policy: (1) to take such measures as are necessary to overcome the jamming of Radio Free Asia by the government of Vietnam; and (2) that educational and cultural exchange programs with Vietnam should promote progress toward freedom and democracy.
Declares it is U.S. policy to offer refugee resettlement to Vietnam nationals (including members of the Montagnard ethnic minority groups) who were eligible for the Humanitarian Resettlement program, the Orderly Departure program, the Resettlement Opportunities for Vietnamese Returnees program, the Amerasian Homecoming Act of 1988, or any other U.S. refugee program, but who were deemed ineligible for reasons of administrative error or certain circumstances beyond their control.
Cosponsors
Members who signed on, in the order they did.
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Oct 1, 2008Introduced in Senate
- Oct 1, 2008Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
- Oct 1, 2008Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S10338-10339)
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 3096 | Vietnam Human Rights Act of 2007 | Related bill | Sep 19, 2007 |
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: International Affairs.
- Arts, Culture, Religion
- Churches
- Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
- Congress
- Congress and foreign policy
- Congressional oversight
- Congressional reporting requirements
- Cultural relations
- Democracy
- Diplomacy
- Dissenters
- East Asia
- Economic assistance
- Education
- Educational exchanges
- Employee rights
- Exchange of persons programs
- Expropriation
- Foreign Trade and International Finance
- Freedom of speech
- Freedom of the press
- Government Operations and Politics
- Higher education
- Human rights
- Immigration
- International Affairs
- International broadcasting
- Labor and Employment
- Law
- Legislators
- Military assistance
- Negotiations
- Political prisoners
- Public demonstrations
- Radio broadcasting
- Refugees
- Religion
- Religious liberty
- Right of assembly
- Right of property
- Right to travel
- Rule of law
- Science, Technology, Communications
- Smuggling
- Tariff preferences
- Vietnam
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Oct 1, 2008Introduced in Senate
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov.
