,i #aacth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #chhi ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,january #ae1 #bjad,mr4 ,crowley 7for himself and ,mr4 ,chabot7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,armed ,services1 and in addition to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs1 for a period to be subsequently determined by the ,speaker1 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned ,a ,,bill ,to place conditions on assistance to the ,government of ,burma4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,burma ,human ,rights and ,democracy ,act of #bjad4 #b4 ,assistance for the ,government of ,burma 7a7 ,limitation 7#a7 ,in general ,except as provided in paragraph 7#b71 no funds authorized to be appropriated or otherwise made available for fiscal year #bjad for the ,department of ,defense may be made available for assistance to the ,government of ,burma unless the ,secretary of ,state certifies to the appropriate congressional committees that-- 7,a7 the ,government of ,burma has taken concrete steps toward-- 7i7 establishing civilian oversight of the armed forces2 7ii7 addressing human rights abuses by the ,burmese military1 including publicly acknowledging that human rights abuses have been and continue to be committed by the ,burmese military1 and committing to a zero tolerance policy against such human rights abuses2 and 7iii7 terminating military relations with ,north ,korea2 7,b7 the ,government of ,burma has taken concrete steps to establish a fair1 transparent and inclusive process to amend the ,constitution of ,burma1 including the full participation of the political opposition and all ethnic minority groups1 and the constitutional reform process will provide the basis for free1 fair1 and competitive elections in ,burma2 7,c7 the ,government of ,burma has amended its constitution and laws to ensure civilian control of the military and implemented reforms to increase the transparency and accountability of the military's budget and operations1 and the ,burmese military has taken substantial and meaningful steps to divest itself from ownership of commercial businesses2 7,d7 the ,government of ,burma is showing meaningful and well-documented efforts to promote peace agreements or political reconciliation and equal and fair treatment of all ethnic groups in conflict areas or areas of unrest1 and to actively address the resettlement and humanitarian situation of displaced persons2 and 7,e7 the ,burmese military is-- 7i7 improving its human rights record1 as measured by consistent decreases in reports of forced labor1 indefinite detention1 torture1 or cruel1 inhumane1 and degrading treatment of detainees1 and use in armed conflict of indiscriminate or disproportionate methods and means of attack2 7ii7 demonstrating a genuine interest in reform by ceasing attacks against ethnic minority groups in both ceasefire and non-ceasefire areas2 7iii7 taking steps to withdraw forces from conflict zones1 including by halting the use of soldiers in economic development projects2 7iv7 adhering to the conditions of ceasefire agreements2 and 7v7 signing and implementing a code of conduct4 7#b7 ,exception ,the restriction in paragraph 7#a7 does not apply to consultation and basic training on human rights and disaster response for the ,burmese military1 including training for the ,burmese military and civilian leadership on international law1 civilian control of the military1 and justice and accountability mechanisms both through the chain of command and civilian authority1 except that such consultation and training shall occur in conjunction with engagement with ethnic armed groups and conducted in a manner that will not enhance the ,burmese military's capabilities against ethnic minorities4 7b7 ,report 7#a7 ,in general ,not later than #abj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 and annually thereafter1 the ,secretary of ,defense1 in concurrence with the ,secretary of ,state1 shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the strategy for1 and plans and status of1 military-to-military engagement between the ,united ,states ,armed ,forces and the ,burmese military4 7#b7 ,elements ,the report required under paragraph 7#a7 shall include the following elements3 7,a7 ,a description and assessment of the ,government of ,burma's strategy for security sector reform1 an identification and comprehensive analysis of those reform elements that the ,united ,states ,government should support1 and a multi-year cost estimate for providing such support4 7,b7 ,the ,united ,states strategy for the military-to-military relationship between the ,united ,states and ,burma1 including a description of how and why such engagements are necessary for ,united ,states national security4 7,c7 ,an assessment of the human rights record of the ,burmese military over the past decade1 including-- 7i7 an account of violations of human rights and laws of armed conflict by the ,burmese military and all paramilitary and security forces under its command1 including against ethnic minority groups2 7ii7 a description of efforts by the ,burmese military to implement human rights reforms2 and 7iii7 a description of the relationship between progress in the ,united ,states-,burma military-to-military relationship and such reforms4 7,d7 ,an assessment of-- 7i7 any substantial and meaningful steps taken by the ,burmese military to implement reforms to increase transparency and accountability of the military's budget and operations and to divest itself from ownership of commercial business2 and 7ii7 the relationship between progress in the ,united ,states-,burma military-to-military relationship and such reforms4 7,e7 ,a list of ongoing military-to-military activities conducted by the ,united ,states ,government and other international donors1 including a description of each such activity4 7,f7 ,an update on activities that were listed in previous reporting4 7,g7 ,a list of activities that are planned to occur over the upcoming year1 with a written description of each4 7,h7 ,a description of progress on the peaceful settlement of armed conflicts between the ,government of ,burma and ethnic minority groups1 including the steps taken by the ,burmese military to demonstrate respect for ceasefires1 laws of armed conflict1 and human rights provisions prohibiting rape1 torture1 forced labor1 trafficking1 and the use of child soldiers4 7,i7 ,a description of the concrete steps the ,government of ,burma has taken-- 7i7 to establish a fair1 transparent1 and inclusive process to amend the ,constitution of ,burma2 7ii7 to promote peace agreements or political reconciliation and equal and fair treatment of all ethnic groups in conflict areas or areas of unrest2 and 7iii7 to actively address the resettlement and humanitarian situation of displaced persons4 7,j7 ,an assessment of the status of the ,burmese military's cooperation with civilian authorities to investigate and resolve cases of human rights violations4 7#c7 ,form ,the report required under paragraph 7#a7 shall be submitted in unclassified form1 but may contain a classified annex as necessary4 7c7 ,appropriate congressional committees defined ,in this section1 the term appropriate congressional committees means the congressional defense committees and the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations and the ,committee on ,appropriations of the ,senate and the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs and the ,committee on ,appropriations of the ,house of ,representatives4