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Senator McCain Bill: Saffron Revolution Support Act of 2007
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:s.02172: Or Download PDF

Senator Biden Bill: Burma Democracy Promotion Act of 2007
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:s.02257: Or Download PDF

Congressman Lantos Bill: Block Burmese JADE (Junta's Anti-Democratic Efforts) Act of 2007
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:h3890: Or Download PDF

Congressman Crowley Bill: To award a congressional gold medal to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:h.r.04286:

Previous Burma Bill: Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act 2003 and Executive Order
http://www.state.gov/p/eap/rls/rm/2003/22851.htm

Read here why Burma is a thread to peace and A more urgent issue:
http://www.badasf.org/2007/burma-thread-to-peace.htm

Below are press releases on the congress bills:

October 17, 2007

SENATOR McCAIN INTRODUCES SAFFRON REVOLUTION SUPPORT ACT OF 2007
Imposes Strict Sanctions on Junta; Targets Individuals Responsible for Horrific Attacks; Increases Aid to Burmese Democratic Opposition
 
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) introduces the Saffron Revolution Support Act of 2007:

"The world has reacted with horror and revulsion at the Burmese junta's brutal crackdown against peaceful demonstrators," Senator McCain stated.  "In crushing the Saffron Revolution, killing hundreds and jailing thousands - including countless Buddhist monks - the junta has left no doubt about its blatant disregard for basic human decency.  We, as Americans, stand on the side of freedom, not fear; of peace, not violence; and of the millions in Burma who aspire to a better life, not those who would keep them isolated and oppressed."

Senator McCain continued, "Our response must go beyond statements of condemnation, and the time to act is now.  That is why today I am introducing the Saffron Revolution Support Act of 2007 in the United States Senate.  This legislation imposes meaningful and effective punitive action against the cruel, thuggish, and illegitimate Burmese government.  We must not sit idly by while the junta continues to deprive the Burmese people of their fundamental human rights."

The legislation would impose targeted sanctions against Burmese officials who played a direct role in the violent repression of peaceful political dissent, and also against those who provide, or have provided, substantial political and economic support for the junta.  These individuals would be subject to a visa ban and a ban on business dealings with any United States entity or person.  This legislation would also close a loophole that exists in current U.S. import policy that allows imports of Burmese gems and hardwoods, which together add tens of millions of dollars to the junta's coffers.  It would eliminate the remaining U.S. energy investment in Burma's gas sector and significantly increase U.S. Government support for democracy in Burma.

Specifically, the Saffron Revolution Support Act of 2007:

    * States that it is the policy of the United States to condemn the Burmese junta's continued repression, support the democratic aspirations of the Burmese people, provide support to aid a democratic transition in Burma, and hold accountable those individuals responsible for the ongoing repression;
    * Imposes targeted financial sanctions against Burmese officials who have played a direct role in the violent repression of peaceful political dissent, against the junta government itself, and also against those who provide, or have provided, substantial political and economic support for the junta;
    * Imposes a visa ban on these individuals;
    * Prohibits the importation of Burmese gems and hardwoods, including materials that are mined or harvested in Burma but shaped, cut, or assembled in other countries not subject to current U.S. sanctions;
    * Prohibits investment in Burma by U.S. companies, including investment agreements reached prior to the imposition of the May 20, 1997 sanctions;
    * Permits the President to terminate sanctions once the Government of Burma has:
          o unconditionally released all political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi and other members of the National League for Democracy;
          o entered into a substantive dialogue with democratic forces on a transition to democratic government under the rule of law;
          o allowed humanitarian access to populations affected by armed conflict in all regions of Burma;
    * Authorizes $20 million for FY 2008 and FY 2009 in aid to democracy activists in Burma, for the expansion of radio and television broadcasting into Burma, and for support to individuals and groups compiling evidence of the junta's crimes;
    * Expresses the sense of Congress that the Director of National Intelligence should target intelligence resources to identify those responsible for the crackdown and for other human rights abuses;
    * Authorizes the Secretary of State to fund the establishment of an independent, searchable, Internet database that would compile evidence of human rights abuses in Burma, permitting increased international research aimed at holding human rights abusers accountable;
    * Requires a report by the Secretary of State on international sources of military aid to the Burmese regime.

"The next phase of political life in Burma has begun," said McCain.  "The junta's thugs cannot forever postpone the blossoming of freedom and democracy.   By enacting the Saffron Revolution Support Act of 2007, the Congress can help ensure that they do not."
####

Joe Biden: Biden Bill Promotes Democracy in Burma

Wed, 10/31/2007 - 15:06 — newsdesk

October 30, 2007 -- Washington, DC — Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE) introduced the Burma Democracy Promotion Act to promote the restoration of civilian, democratic rule to the troubled state of Burma. Today's legislation will help create the right conditions for the peaceful, negotiated transfer of power from the generals who have ruled Burma for almost two decades to a newly-constituted civilian, democratic government.

"We need to bring pressure to bear on the Burmese generals directly responsible for the violence against the peaceful protestors last month, but unilateral sanctions alone will not get the job done," Sen. Biden said. "We need a coordinated, international diplomatic strategy that combines pressure with dialogue."

The Burma Democracy Promotion Act imposes new financial sanctions and travel restrictions on the leaders of the junta and their associates. In addition, the legislation tightens the economic sanctions Congress imposed in 2003 by outlawing the importation of Burmese gems and timber to the United States. The bill also creates a new position of Special Representative and Policy Coordinator for Burma. The Special Representative will work with Burma's neighbors and other interested countries, including the members of the European Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, to develop a comprehensive approach to the problem, including sanctions, dialogue, and support for non-governmental organizations providing humanitarian relief to the Burmese people.

"It is time for Burma to begin a new day in which all of the people, including Burma's many minority groups, work together to rebuild what nearly 20 years of disastrous military rule have destroyed," said Sen. Biden.

Sens. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Chris Dodd (D-CT), Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) are cosponsors of this bipartisan bill. In addition, the bill was written in consultation with Sen. McCain's office.

Source: Senator Joe Biden
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McCain, Lantos draft Burma-crackdown legislation
By Elana Schor
October 16, 2007
The outpouring of support for Burma's pro-democracy protests is poised for a congressional full-court press this month, including new legislation from House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Tom Lantos (D-Calif.) and GOP presidential hopeful Sen. John McCain (Ariz.).

As partisanship on the Hill grows ever sharper, few issues inspire the depth of solidarity as has the cause of Buddhist monks who have led thousands of dissidents in demonstrations against Burma's repressive regime. The built-in accord could make room on this fall's crowded floor schedule for tightening current U.S. sanctions on the isolated nation.

"Usually it's very hard to pass stand-alone legislation, but on Burma there is such strong bipartisan support that I could see a package getting enough consensus that it wouldn't need to be attached to an appropriations bill," the Washington advocacy director at Human Rights Watch, Tom Malinowski, said.

Lantos and McCain are preparing to offer separate bills, likely this week, aimed at closing loopholes in existing Burmese import bans, according to their offices. Lantos leads the House's annual sanctions push against Burma, while McCain — who said on the trail this weekend that the Burmese monks, not former Vice President Al Gore, should have won this year's Nobel Peace Prize — called for a multilateral arms embargo after scores of peaceful protesters were arrested, beaten and fired upon by the regime soldiers.

"The danger is that this will slide into the background now that the images of monks being shot and taken away are off the media headlines," said Michael Green, a former senior Asia director at the National Security Council now with the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "[Congress is] not going to let this one go, and more power to them."

The Bush administration announced financial sanctions targeting 14 senior members of Burma's ruling military last month, earning kudos from Congress as well as calls from McCain and others to go further still. Eight senators wrote to the leaders of the European Union on Friday urging them to join that effort. Among them were Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Joseph Biden (D-Del.), also in the White House hunt, and the upper chamber's sanctions leaders, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.).

"Coordinated action by the United States and Europe would increase the likelihood that banks throughout the world will cooperate, and make it impossible for Burma to evade sanctions by conducting financial transactions in Euros," the senators wrote.

The strongest push to close sanctions loopholes deals with precious gems and timber that are harvested in Burma and sold through a third country, enriching the regime in the process. The trade association Jewelers of America asked Congress to ban that practice last week, while Cartier and Bulgari barred sales of Burmese jewels.

Another loophole catching activists' attention allows Chevron to maintain its investment in a Burmese natural-gas field that provides vital cash reserves for the ruling regime. Chevron defends its stake and contends that the project helps employ impoverished locals, but Human Rights Watch, EarthRights International and other groups are turning up the heat on the energy giant.

McCain's bill would add new financial sanctions and increase aid to democracy activists in Burma, although how his and Lantos's plans will approach sanctions loopholes remains to be seen. Chevron likely would lobby against any bill that would imperil its gas deal.

Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), one of several senators who attended a pre-recess meeting on Burma with the Chinese ambassador, said beefed-up U.S. sanctions inadvertently could encourage Asian neighbors to bolster their ties to the regime.

"Our focus ought to be on multilateral" sanctions, Kerry said. "If we just do our American business piece, and we're all alone, it won't have an impact. It will help, but it will be quickly replaced by Chinese companies or Indian companies."

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), No. 2 in the Senate and chairman of the Judiciary Committee's new human rights panel, said in a recent interview that he would support such attempts to tighten sanctions. Durbin expressed concern that Beijing is downplaying its ability to influence the Burmese junta.

"They diminished their power in the situation," Durbin said. "They have more power than they're acknowledging. We can't allow this [situation in Burma] to descend any further."

Jeremy Woodrum, director of the U.S. Campaign for Burma, cast doubt on predictions that China and India could easily take over projects such as Chevron's.

"There is a lot of Chinese investment but they're nowhere near approaching the level of being able to replace U.S. and E.U. investment in the country," Woodrum said.

Other efforts to press for democratic change in Burma have caught fire in the capital this month.

House members from both parties have begun linking Burma to their call for a boycott of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, an effort once identified chiefly with protests against the genocide in Sudan's Darfur region. In addition, a new grassroots group co-founded by MoveOn.org and dubbed Avaaz.org has launched an ad campaign and multinational petition backing the protests.

Compared with the Darfur movement, Malinowski said, "Burma has fewer hot movie stars … but I think there are quite a few suffering places around the world that would envy the attention Burma is getting right now."