Washington, D.C. – Today, the House Foreign Affairs Committee, chaired by Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), passed three bipartisan measures to address urgent threats posed by North Korea’s Kim Jong Un regime.  Specifically, these measures enhance North Korea sanctions, condemn its ICBM development, and urge the State Department to designate North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism.

Prior to the passage of bills targeting North Korea, Chairman Royce said:  “Earlier this month, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the State Department is considering a range of measures to respond to Kim Jong Un’s dangerous provocations in the region.  A good place to start is better enforcement of existing sanctions.  In fact, a report last month made clear that Pyongyang is using ‘increasingly sophisticated’ techniques to evade existing sanctions.  That is why the committee is taking steps today to target these front companies and enablers that fund the Kim regime’s nuclear program and human rights abuses.  Today’s measures also push the State Department to determine whether North Korea should be re-listed as a State Sponsor of Terrorism.   This takes on new urgency as the regime has reportedly carried out targeted assassinations of North Korean defectors, including the recent, widely reported assassination of Kim Jong-Un’s half-brother, who had been living in exile.”

The North Korea-related measures passed by the Committee include:

  • as amended, H.R. 1644, Korean Interdiction and Modernization of Sanctions Act, introduced by Chairman Royce (R-CA), which enhances North Korea sanctions;
  • as amended, H. Res. 92, introduced by Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC), which condemns North Korea’s development of multiple intercontinental ballistic missiles; and
  • as amended, H.R. 479, North Korea State Sponsor of Terrorism Designation Act, introduced by Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX), which requires a report on whether North Korea should be listed as a state sponsor of terrorism.

Additionally, the Committee passed the following measures:

  • as amended, H. Res. 54, introduced by Rep. Albio Sires (D-NJ), reaffirms the United States-Argentina partnership and recognizes Argentina’s economic reforms;
  • H. Res. 137, introduced by Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI), honors the life of Shimon Peres;
  • as amended, H. Res. 145, introduced by Rep. Norma Torres (D-CA), expresses the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the fight against corruption in Central America;
  • as amended, H. Res. 187, introduced by Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA), relates to efforts to respond to the famine in South Sudan;
  • as amended, H.R. 390, Iraq and Syria Genocide Emergency Relief and Accountability Act, introduced by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), which provides for emergency relief to victims of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes in Iraq and Syria, and provides accountability for perpetrators of these crimes; and
  • as amended, H.R. 672, Combating European Anti-Semitism Act of 2017, introduced by Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY), which requires increased reporting on anti-Semitic incidents in Europe, collaborative efforts between U.S. and European law enforcement, and efforts to improve security for Jewish communities.

A summary of the Committee action, including adopted amendments, will be available HERE.

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