S. 1838: Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019

116th Congress · Sponsored from Florida · Became law

What this bill does

Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019 This bill directs various departments to assess whether political developments in Hong Kong justify changing Hong Kong's unique treatment under U.S. law. (Hong Kong is part of China but has a largely separate legal and economic system.) The Department of State shall report and certify annually to Congress as to whether Hong Kong is sufficiently autonomous from China to justify its unique treatment. The report shall address issues including (1) demands for universal suffrage; (2) law enforcement cooperation, including extradition requests; (3) sanctions enforcement and export controls; (4) decision-making within the Hong Kong government; (5) judicial independence; (6) civil liberties in Hong Kong, including freedom of assembly and freedom of the press; and (7) how any erosion to Hong Kong's autonomy impacts areas of U.S.-Hong Kong cooperation. The Department of Commerce shall report annually to Congress on China's efforts to use Hong Kong to evade U.S. export controls and sanctions and the extent of such violations occurring in Hong Kong generally. The report shall also (1) identify any items that were improperly reexported from Hong Kong, (2) assess whether dual-use items subject to U.S. export laws are being transshipped through Hong Kong, and (3) assess whether such dual-use items are being used to develop various mass-surveillance and predictive-policing tools or the social-credit system proposed for deployment in China. If the President determines that Hong Kong has proposed or enacted legislation that puts U.S. citizens at risk of extradition to mainland China or to another country that lacks defendants' rights protections, the President shall report to Congress on (1) a strategy for protecting U.S. citizens and businesses in Hong Kong, and (2) whether Hong Kong is legally competent to administer various law-enforcement agreements between Hong Kong and the United States. The State Department may not deny work- or student-visa applications from an otherwise qualified Hong Kong resident due to a politically motivated adverse action by the Hong Kong government against the applicant. The State Department shall encourage other democratic countries to take a similar approach. The President shall report to Congress a list of individuals responsible for committing acts that violate internationally recognized human rights in Hong Kong, including the extrajudicial rendition or torture of any person in Hong Kong. The bill bars such individuals from entering the United States and imposes sanctions on them.

Key facts

• Status Became law
• Introduced 2019-06-13
• Policy area International Affairs
• Cosponsors 56
• Latest action Became Public Law No: 116-76.

Sponsor

Sen. Rubio, Marco [R-FL]

Lead sponsor · Florida

R

Who funds the sponsor?

Sen. Rubio, Marco [R-FL] introduced S. 1838. On Voterly you can see their top campaign donors from public Federal Election Commission records — individuals, PACs, and industry groups (follow the money) — and compare that with how they vote.

See Sen. Rubio, Marco [R-FL]'s donors & voting record →

Campaign donations show who helps fund the sponsor's election; they are not the same as who drafted or lobbied for the bill text. Lobbying disclosures are separate public records.

Take a position & compare alignment

Agree or disagree with S. 1838? Go to the homepage to record your view and compare your stance with how your representatives vote. See Sen. Rubio, Marco [R-FL]'s profile to vote on their bills and check your alignment % with the sponsor.

Read the official text on Congress.gov →