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“TEXT OF AMENDMENTS” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the Senate section on pages S5379-S5380 on Sept. 8, 2014.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
TEXT OF AMENDMENTS
SA 3783. Mr. PORTMAN submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the resolution S. Res. 530, expressing the sense of the Senate on the current situation in Iraq and the urgent need to protect religious minorities from persecution from the Sunni Islamist insurgent and terrorist group the Islamic State, formerly known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), as it expands its control over areas in northwestern Iraq; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations; as follows:
Strike the preamble and insert the following:
Whereas Iraq is currently embroiled in a surge of violence arising from an ISIL-led offensive that began in Anbar province and has spread to key locations such as Mosul, Tikrit, and Samarra and continues to engulf the region in violence and instability;
Whereas, on June 29, 2014, ISIL leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi renamed the group the Islamic State and pronounced himself Caliph of a new Islamic caliphate encompassing the areas under his control, and Mr. al-Baghdadi has a stated mission of spreading the Islamic State and caliphate across the region through violence against Shiites, non-Muslims, and unsupportive Sunnis;
Whereas Iraq's population is approximately 31,300,000 people, with 97 percent identifying themselves as Muslim and the approximately 3 percent of religious minorities groups comprising of Christians, Yezidis, Sabean-Mandaeans, Bahais, Shabaks, Kakais, and Jews;
Whereas the Iraqi Christian population is estimated to be between 400,000 and 850,000, with two-thirds being Chaldean, one-fifth Assyrian, and the remainder consisting of Syriacs, Protestants, Armenians, and Anglicans;
Whereas the Iraqi constitution provides for religious freedom by stating that ``no law may be enacted that contradicts the principles of democracy,'' ``no law may be enacted that contradicts the rights and basic freedoms stipulated in this Constitution,'' and ``[this Constitution] guarantees the full religious rights to freedom of religious belief and practice of all individuals such as Christians, Yazidis, and Mandean Sabeans'';
Whereas the fall of Mosul in particular has sparked enough anxiety among the Christian population that, for the first time in 1,600 years, there was no Mass in that city;
Whereas over 50 percent of Iraq's Christian population has fled since the fall of Saddam Hussein, and the government under Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki did not uphold its commitment to protect the rights of religious minorities;
Whereas the United States Government has provided over
$73,000,000 of cumulative assistance to Iraq's minority populations since 2003 through economic development, humanitarian services, and capacity development;
Whereas 84,902 Iraqis have resettled to the United States between 2007 and 2013 and over 300,000 Chaldean and Assyrians currently reside throughout the country, particularly in Michigan, California, Arizona, Illinois, and Ohio; and
Whereas President Barack Obama recently declared on Religious Freedom Day, ``Foremost among the rights Americans hold sacred is the freedom to worship as we choose . . . we also remember that religious liberty is not just an American right; it is a universal human right to be protected here at home and across the globe. This freedom is an essential part of human dignity, and without it our world cannot know lasting peace.'': Now, therefore, be it
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SA 3784. Mr. PORTMAN submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the resolution S. Res. 530, expressing the sense of the Senate on the current situation in Iraq and the urgent need to protect religious minorities from persecution from the Sunni Islamist insurgent and terrorist group the Islamic State, formerly known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), as it expands its control over areas in northwestern Iraq; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations; as follows:
Strike all after the resolving clause and insert the following: ``That the Senate--
(1) reaffirms its commitment to promoting and to protecting religious freedom around the world;
(2) calls on the Department of State to work with the Government of Iraq, the Kurdistan Regional Government, neighboring countries, the diaspora community in the United States, and other key stakeholders to address the urgent plight of those Iraqi minority groups seeking safety and protection from persecution in Iraq;
(3) respectfully requests the Government of Iraq to prioritize the issue of protecting religious minorities and take concrete action to enact and enforce laws protecting religious freedom; and
(4) urges the President to ensure the timely processing of visas for Iraq's minority groups fleeing religious persecution, in accordance with existing United States immigration law and national security screening procedures.
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SA 3785. Mr. PORTMAN submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the resolution S. Res. 530, expressing the sense of the Senate on the current situation in Iraq and the urgent need to protect religious minorities from persecution from the Sunni Islamist insurgent and terrorist group the Islamic State, formerly known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), as it expands its control over areas in northwestern Iraq; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations; as follows:
Amend the title so as to read: ``A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate on the current situation in Iraq and the urgent need to protect religious minorities from persecution from the terrorist group the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).''.
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SA 3786. Mr. VITTER submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the joint resolution S.J. Res. 19, proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States relating to contributions and expenditures intended to affect elections; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:
Strike all after the resolving clause and insert the following:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This resolution may be cited as the ``No Exemption for Washington from Obamacare Act''. SEC. 2. HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR CERTAIN CONGRESSIONAL
STAFF AND MEMBERS OF THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH.
Section 1312(d)(3)(D) of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (42 U.S.C. 18032(d)(3)(D)) is amended--
(1) by striking the subparagraph heading and inserting the following:
``(D) Members of congress, congressional staff, and political appointees in the exchange.--'';
(2) in clause (i), in the matter preceding subclause (I)--
(A) by striking ``and congressional staff with'' and inserting ``, congressional staff, the President, the Vice President, and political appointees with''; and
(B) by striking ``or congressional staff shall'' and inserting ``, congressional staff, the President, the Vice President, or a political appointee shall'';
(3) in clause (ii)--
(A) in subclause (II), by inserting after ``Congress,'' the following: ``of a committee of Congress, or of a leadership office of Congress,''; and
(B) by adding at the end the following:
``(III) Political appointee.--In this subparagraph, the term `political appointee' means any individual who--
``(aa) is employed in a position described under sections 5312 through 5316 of title 5, United States Code, (relating to the Executive Schedule);
``(bb) is a limited term appointee, limited emergency appointee, or noncareer appointee in the Senior Executive Service, as defined under paragraphs (5), (6), and (7), respectively, of section 3132(a) of title 5, United States Code;
``(cc) is employed in a position in the executive branch of the Government of a confidential or policy-determining character under schedule C of subpart C of part 213 of title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations; or
``(dd) is employed in or under the Executive Office of the President in a position that is excluded from the competitive service by reason of its confidential, policy-determining, policy-making, or policy-advocating character.''; and
(4) by adding at the end the following:
``(iii) Government contribution.--No Government contribution under section 8906 of title 5, United States Code, shall be provided on behalf of an individual who is a Member of Congress, a congressional staff member, the President, the Vice President, or a political appointees for coverage under this paragraph.
``(iv) Limitation on amount of tax credit or cost-sharing.--An individual enrolling in health insurance coverage pursuant to this paragraph shall not be eligible to receive a tax credit under section 36B of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 or reduced cost sharing under section 1402 of this Act in an amount that exceeds the total amount for which a similarly situated individual (who is not so enrolled) would be entitled to receive under such sections.
``(v) Limitation on discretion for designation of staff.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a Member of Congress shall not have discretion in determinations with respect to which employees employed by the office of such Member are eligible to enroll for coverage through an Exchange.''.
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