Washington, D.C. – Today, the House Foreign Affairs Committee, chaired by Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), passed five bipartisan measures, including H.R. 3694, Strategy to Oppose Predatory Organ Trafficking Act.  The legislation, introduced by Rep. Dave Trott (R-MI), combats trafficking in human organs.

Upon passage of H.R. 3694, as amended, Chairman Royce said:  “Organ trafficking has been reported in over 20 countries in all regions of the world.  Criminal organizations and terrorist groups are increasingly engaging in this black market industry, valued at more than $1 billion.  ISIS recently issued a ‘fatwa’ sanctioning forced organ harvesting from captives and apostates, and traffickers smuggling refugees into Europe have reportedly coerced organ donations as payment for travel.  

“The U.S. has led the fight against human trafficking, with help from this committee and its members.  Rep. Trott’s bill continues that leadership, by closing the gap in U.S. law that currently fails to recognize organ trafficking as a form of human trafficking.  The legislation also supports voluntary organ donation systems, authorizes the president to revoke passports or deny visas for anyone convicted of organ trafficking crimes, and requires annual reporting to Congress on actions by the U.S. and other countries to combat organ trafficking.”

Additionally, the Committee passed the following measures: 

  • As amended, H.R. 1150, Frank R. Wolf International Religious Freedom Act of 2015, introduced by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) amends the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 to improve the ability of the United States to advance religious freedom globally through enhanced diplomacy, training, counterterrorism, and foreign assistance efforts, and through stronger and more flexible political responses to religious freedom violations and violent extremism worldwide;
  • H.R. 4939, Caribbean Strategic Engagement Act of 2016, introduced by Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY),  increases engagement with the governments of the Caribbean region, the Caribbean diaspora community in the United States, and the private sector and civil society in both the United States and the Caribbean;
  • As amended, H. Con. Res. 88, introduced by Rep. Steve Chabot (R-OH), reaffirms the Taiwan Relations Act and the Six Assurances as the cornerstone of United States-Taiwan relations;
  • S. 2143, introduced by Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) provides for the authority for the successors and assigns of the Starr-Camargo Bridge Company to maintain and operate a toll bridge across the Rio Grande near Rio Grande City, Texas, and for other purposes.

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

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