The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the Senate section on pages S3057-S3059 on March 22, 1999.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
By Mr. CAMPBELL (for himself, Mr. McCain, Mr. Smith of New
Hampshire, Mr. Kerry, Mr. Lugar, Mr. Coverdell, Mr. Lieberman,
Mr. Lautenberg, Mr. Ashcroft, Mr. Torricelli, Mr. Kennedy, Mr.
Schumer, Mr. Allard, and Mr. Santorum):
S. 676. A bill to locate and secure the return of Zachary Baumel, a citizen of the United States, and other Israeli soldiers missing in action; to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
Mr. CAMPBELL. Mr. President, today I continue to voice my support for the Middle East peace process and my work on behalf of soldiers Missing in Action and Prisoners of War. During the last Congress, I introduced the Missing Service Personnel Act, provisions of which were signed into law to restore critical Department of Defense procedures for identifying and recovering POW/MIAs. The Act ensures that our government is and will do everything in its power to return those lost during times of conflict. Last month, I introduced S. 484, the ``Bring Them Home Alive Act of 1999'' which creates a significant incentive for foreign nationals to return any possibly surviving American POW/MIAs.
Mr. President, today I introduce legislation that continues my support for POW/MIAs and assists our Israeli allies in their efforts to learn the fate of several soldiers who were overtaken by Syrian forces in June 1982. I am pleased to be joined in this effort by Senators Torricelli, McCain, Kerry of Massachusetts, Smith of New Hampshire, Lugar, Coverdell, Lieberman, Lautenberg, Ashcroft, Kennedy, Schumer, Allard, and Santorum. This bill is a companion to legislation which Congressmen Lantos, Gilman, and 65 other members introduced in the House.
Reports indicate that three soldiers of an Israeli tank crew were captured by Syrian forces at the 1982 battle of Sultan Yaqub in northern Lebanon. These men were later paraded through the streets of the Syrian capital of Damascus. They were never seen nor heard from again. Zachary Baumel, an American citizen and sergeant in the Israeli Defense Forces was one of those men. For over sixteen years, the Syrian government and the leadership of the PLO have failed to cooperate in the effort to determine their fate. In 1993, Yasser Arafat produced the most tangible link to the missing men, returning half of Baumel's identification dog tag. For the last five years, however, no additional information has been forthcoming.
The bill I introduce today requires the State Department to raise this issue with the Syrian government and leaders of the Palestinian Authority and provide the Congress with a report on the information that has been uncovered. It also requires that Palestinian and Syrian cooperation in this effort be a factor in the consideration for future U.S. assistance.
This legislation is a targeted approach to address the unique and compelling merits of this case in which an American-born Israeli soldier and his comrades remain unaccounted for in a time of war. As Americans know all too well, the bitter legacy of missing soldiers and POWs can haunt a nation and interfere with efforts to build better relations between former enemies. Clearly, resolving the issue of the MIAs can only strengthen American efforts to make Middle East peace into a reality.
This is the first week of the Jewish month of Nissan--the month of the Jewish holiday of Passover--the ancient festival that celebrates freedom. I can think of no time that is more appropriate to propose this legislation, and to hopefully begin a process that will help to resolve the fate of Zachary Baumel and his comrades after so many years.
I ask unanimous consent that the bill be printed in the Record and I urge my colleagues to support passage of this bill.
There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows:
S. 676
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. CONGRESSIONAL FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Zachary Baumel, a citizen of the United States serving in the Israeli military forces, has been missing in action since June 1982 when he was captured by forces affiliated with the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) following a tank battle with Syrian forces at Sultan Ya'akub in Lebanon.
(2) Yehuda Katz and Zvi Feldman, Israeli citizens serving in the Israeli military forces, have been missing in action since June 1982 when they were also captured by these same forces in a tank battle with Syrian forces at Sultan Ya'akub in Lebanon.
(3) These three soldiers were last known to be in the hands of a Palestinian faction splintered from the PLO and operating in Syrian-controlled territory, thus making this a matter within the responsibility of the Government of Syria.
(4) Diplomatic efforts to secure their release have been unsuccessful, although PLO Chairman Yasir Arafat delivered one-half of Zachary Baumel's dog tag to Israeli government authorities.
(5) In the Gaza-Jericho agreement between the Palestinian Authority and the Government of Israel of May 4, 1994, Palestinian officials agreed to cooperate with Israel in locating and working for the return of Israeli soldiers missing in action.
SEC. 2. ACTIONS BY THE SECRETARY OF STATE.
(a) Responsibility of Secretary of State.--The Secretary of State shall raise the matter of Zachary Baumel, Yehuda Katz, and Zvi Feldman on an urgent basis with appropriate government officials of Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, and with other governments in the region and other governments elsewhere which in the Secretary's view may be helpful in locating and securing the return of these soldiers.
(b) Cooperation as a Factor in Determinations of Assistance.--Decisions with regard to United States economic and other forms of assistance to Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, and other governments in the region, and United States policy towards these governments and authorities, should take into consideration the willingness of these governments and authorities to assist in locating and securing the return of these soldiers.
SEC. 3. REPORTS BY THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE.
(a) Initial Report.--Ninety days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall submit a report in writing to Congress detailing the Secretary's consultations with governments pursuant to section 2(a) and the changes in United States policies made pursuant to section 2(b). The report shall be a public document and may include a classified annex.
(b) Subsequent Reports.--After the initial report to Congress, the Secretary of State shall submit a report in writing to Congress within 15 days whenever any additional information from any source relating to these individuals arises. The report shall be a public document and may include a classified annex.
(c) Congressional Recipients of Reports.--The reports to Congress identified in subsections (a) and (b) shall be made to the Committee on International Relations of the House of Representatives and to the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate.
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By Mr. LUGAR:
S. 677. A bill to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide a limited waiver of a requirement for reimbursement of local educational agencies for the costs of foreign students' education in certain cases; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Limited Waiver of Cost Requirements for Foreign Students
Mr. LUGAR. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce a bill that will permit local school officials the opportunity to waive the cost requirements of foreign students studying in our public high schools in the United States on F-1 visas. The law now mandates that all foreign students who are not in a government-funded exchange program pay or reimburse the local school district the cost of their education.
In those public school districts flooded with foreign students who pay no taxes, this requirement makes good sense. However, in those school districts which enroll a small number of foreign students or experience little or no burden, there may be no desire for tuition reimbursement. The decision to enroll and to require cost reimbursement should be made at the local level. Current law, however, does not permit this local discretion. The bill I am introducing today will allow local school districts the chance to waive the requirement that foreign students pay for the cost of their education. The decision to waive or not waive this requirement should be made at the grassroots level where the problem, if any, exist, not in Washington. My bill seeks to preserve this principle. It would amend the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (IIRIRA).
Foreign exchange students bring knowledge, cultural exposure and understanding to American students, schools and communities. I have been a proponent of cultural and educational exchanges and have supported most international exchange programs over the years--both those which bring foreign visitors here and those which send American students, scholars and practitioners abroad. Most recently, my office participated in the Congress-Bundestag program. An intern from Germany worked in my office for several weeks and learned about how a Senate office functions. I remain committed to these exchange programs. They bring enormous benefits to our country as well as to the individuals.
In 1996, I supported the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act. This law states that as of November 30, 1996, IIRIRA prohibits any alien from receiving an F-1 student visa to attend a public elementary school, grades K-8, or a publicly-funded adult education program unless they pay the unsubsidized, per capita cost of their education in advance. My bill would not change current law relating to elementary schools or adult education. It would not pertain to students on formal, government-funded international exchanges such as those managed by the State Department, the USIA and many other federal government agencies. It would simply allow high school officials to waive the cost of the education of high school-level foreign students if that was their own choice.
Several municipalities have ``Sister City'' arrangements between American cities and cities in foreign countries. One valuable component of these arrangements is an exchange program for high school students enabling American youth to spend a year in a foreign high school while students from abroad spend a year in a high school here. No tuition is generally exchanged under the sister city agreement, but current U.S. law states that visitors to our country must pay the unsubsidized cost of their education, even though American students attending schools abroad are exempted from the cost requirement.
Along the Alaska-Yukon, Alaska-British Columbia and U.S.-Mexican borders there are schools serving very remote communities on both sides of the border. After enactment of the 1996 law, Canadian or Mexican students were no longer eligible to enter the United States to attend local public schools even though governments and the local school districts agreed to enroll the students.
Many school districts choose to enroll one or two exchange students a year. Reciprocal exchange agreements are beneficial and host families enjoy these students in their homes. American exchange students attending schools in Germany, for example, are not subjected to the same tuition requirements for their schooling, yet they gain an understanding of German history and culture and benefit from their travels. Currently, U.S. law requires foreign students to pay their tuition before they arrive in the United States. The extra paper work, the up-front costs and the extra burden these requirements place on foreign students tend to undermine the purpose of cultural exchanges.
I remain mindful to past abuses of F-1 visas and am sympathetic to the burden that large enrollments of foreign students place on American public schools. My purpose in introducing this bill today is not to weaken the law as it currently reads, but to provide an outlet for our schools to have an opportunity for enrolling international exchange students.
Last year, I was successful in getting similar legislation passed in the Senate. Unfortunately, it was dropped in conference. This bill has the support of many Senators, of the Department of Education, Department of State and the USIA as well as most U.S. non-governmental organizations interested in immigration, student exchanges, public education. It is my hope that the Senate will once again pass this bill.
Mr. President, I ask that the bill be included in the Congressional Record.
There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows:
S. 677
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. LIMITED WAIVER OF REIMBURSEMENT REQUIREMENT FOR
CERTAIN FOREIGN STUDENTS.
Section 214(l)(1) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1184(l)(1)), as added by section 625(a)(1) of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (110 Stat. 3009-699), is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (B), by redesignating clauses (i) and
(ii) as subclauses (I) and (II), respectively;
(2) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) and (B) as clauses
(i) and (ii), respectively;
(3) by striking ``(l)(1)'' and inserting ``(l)(1)(A)''; and
(4) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
``(B) The Attorney General shall waive the application of subparagraph (A)(ii) for an alien seeking to pursue a course of study in a public secondary school served by a local educational agency (as defined in section 14101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 8801) if the agency determines and certifies to the Attorney General that such waiver will promote the educational interest of the agency and will not impose an undue financial burden on the agency.''.
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