S.Amdt. 993

SA 993. Mr. MERKLEY submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by
him to the bill S. 2226, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year
2024 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy,
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

At the appropriate place, insert the following:

SEC. ___. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY AND DEPARTMENT OF
JUSTICE INITIATIVES TO COMBAT TRANSNATIONAL
REPRESSION IN THE UNITED STATES.

(a) In General.--The Secretary of Homeland Security and the
Attorney General, in consultation with the Director of the
Federal Bureau of Investigation, shall--
(1) dedicate resources to ensure that a tip line for
victims and witnesses of transnational repression--
(A) is staffed by people who are--
(i) equipped with cultural and linguistic ability to
communicate effectively with diaspora and exile communities;
and
(ii) knowledgeable of the tactics of transnational
repression; and
(B) is encrypted and, to the maximum extent practicable,
protects the confidentiality of the identifying information
of individuals who may call the tip line;
(2) not later than 270 days after the date of the enactment
of this Act--
(A) identify existing Federal resources to assist and
protect individuals and communities targeted by transnational
repression in the United States; and
(B) in cooperation with the Secretary of Health and Human
Services and the heads of other Federal agencies, publish
such resources in a toolkit or guide;
(3) continue to conduct proactive outreach so that
individuals in targeted communities--
(A) are aware of the tip line described in paragraph (1);
and
(B) are informed about the types of incidents that should
be reported to the Federal Bureau of Investigation;
(4) support data collection and analysis undertaken by
Federal research and development centers regarding the needs
of targeted communities in the United States, with the goal
of identifying priority needs and developing solutions and
assistance mechanisms, while recognizing that such mechanisms
may differ depending on geographic location of targeted
communities, language, and other factors;
(5) continue to issue advisories to, and engage regularly
with, communities that are at particular risk of
transnational repression, including specific diaspora
communities--
(A) to explain what transnational repression is and clarify
the threshold at which incidents of transnational repression
constitute a crime; and
(B) to identify the resources available to individuals in
targeted communities to facilitate their reporting of, and to
protect them from, transnational repression, without placing
such individuals at additional risk; and
(6) conduct annual trainings with caseworker staff in
congressional offices regarding the tactics of transnational
repression and the resources available to their constituents.
(b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized
to be appropriated $1,000,000 for each of the fiscal years
2024 through 2027, for the research, development, outreach,
and training activities described in subsection (a).
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