Sierra Leone Peace Support Act of 2000
Latest action. Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
Sierra Leone Peace Support Act of 2000 - Urges the President to: (1) vigorously promote efforts to end further degradation of conditions in the Republic of Sierra Leone; (2) dramatically increase U.S. assistance to demobilization, demilitarization, and reintegration (DDR) efforts and humanitarian initiatives; (3) assist in the collection of documentation about human rights abuses by all parties; and (4) engage in diplomatic initiatives aimed at consolidating the peace and protecting human rights. (Sec. 3) Authorizes appropriations to the President for FY 2001 for certain assistance under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to the Sierra Leone DDR Trust Fund of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development for demobilization, demilitarization, and reintegration assistance in Sierra Leone (but not for stipends to ex-combatants of the civil war in that country). (Sec. 4) Authorizes appropriations to the President for FY 2001 for assistance to: (1) rebuild and strengthen the capacity of the judiciary in Sierra Leone; and (2) assist efforts to establish the rule of law and maintain law and order there. Authorizes the President, beginning one year after the conclusion of free and fair elections in Sierra Leone, to provide expanded international military education and training assistance to the military forces and related civilian personnel of Sierra Leone under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 solely for the purpose of providing training relating to defense management, civil-military relations, law enforcement cooperation, and military justice. (Sec. 5) Declares the sense of Congress in favor of a thorough and nonpartisan initiative to collect comprehensive and detailed information on human rights abuses by all parties to the conflict in Sierra Leone, including the identification of specific units, individuals, and commanders found to have been especially abusive. Calls upon the administration strongly to support: (1) an independent process of data collection on human rights abuses in Sierra Leone, for use by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission when it has been established; and (2) any future initiatives of international accountability for Sierra Leone. Authorizes the President to provide assistance for the establishment and support of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) to establish accountability for human rights abuses in Sierra Leone. Authorizes the Secretary of State, acting through the Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, to collect human rights data with respect to Sierra Leone and assist the TRC. Authorizes appropriations for FY 2001 for: (1) establishment and support of the TRC; and (2) human rights data collection. (Sec. 6) Directs the President to report to specified congressional committees information, including measurable, credible, and verifiable evidence, concerning: (1) the extent to which countries neighboring on Sierra Leone are involved in arms flows into that country; and (2) illicit sales of Sierra Leonean gold and diamonds through neighboring countries. Declares that, if such a report contains measurable, credible, or verifiable evidence that a country is involved in arms flows into Sierra Leone, or that a country is involved in illicit sales of Sierra Leonean gold or diamonds through that country, then the Secretary of State shall: (1) take all necessary steps to initiate diplomatic efforts to bring about the termination of such activities by the country; and (2) inform the country, if it has not ceased the proscribed activity within three months after initiation of such diplomatic efforts, that U.S. foreign assistance may be terminated or suspended if it does not cease such activity. Authorizes U.S. assistance to the Central Government of a neighboring country if such government: (1) provides demonstrated support for the peace process in Sierra Leone in accordance with the Lome Convention of July 7, 1999; and (2) does not provide training or other support for the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) and the former Sierra Leonean army (AFRC) forces, or any other forces proscribed under the Lome Convention. Conditions assistance on such Government's cooperation with efforts to monitor arms flows to Sierra Leone.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Passed House amended" stage on May 3, 2000. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on May 4, 2000: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 106th Congress (1999-00), 580 of the 9,158 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 6.3 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
SAMUEL GEJDENSON (D-CT) introduced it on March 9, 2000, and 8 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They are 8 Democrats.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on March 9, 2000, 9681 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 9625 days ago, on May 4, 2000.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 106th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2001 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers