,,ii #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #dfhf ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,september #bd1 #bjbj,ms4 ,baldwin introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations ,a ,,bill ,to recognize the refugee and immigrant communities from ,cambodia1 ,laos1 and ,vietnam including the ,hmong1 ,cham1 ,cambodian1 ,iu-,mien1 ,khmu1 ,lao1 ,montagnard1 and ,vietnamese ,americans who supported and defended the ,armed ,forces during the conflict in ,southeast ,asia1 authorize assistance to support activities relating to clearance of unexploded ordnance and other explosive remnants of war1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,legacies of ,war ,recognition and ,unexploded ,ordnance ,removal ,act4 #b4 ,recognition of the ,hmong1 ,cham1 ,cambodian1 ,iu-,mien1 ,khmu1 ,lao1 ,montagnard1 and ,vietnamese ,american communities who supported and defended the ,armed ,forces in ,southeast ,asia 7a7 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,many ,hmong1 ,cham1 ,cambodian1 ,iu-,mien1 ,khmu1 ,lao1 ,montagnard and ,vietnamese ,americans-- 7,a7 fought and died with ,united ,states ,armed ,forces during the conflict in ,southeast ,asia in the #aifjs and #aigjs2 7,b7 rescued ,united ,states pilots shot down in enemy-controlled territory and returned the pilots to safety2 7,c7 gathered and provided to the ,united ,states ,armed ,forces intelligence about enemy troop positions1 movement1 and strength2 and 7,d7 provided food1 shelter1 and support to the ,united ,states ,armed ,forces4 7#b7 ,the ,national ,armed ,forces of ,cambodia facilitated the evacuation of the ,united ,states ,embassy in ,phnom ,penh on ,april #ab1 #aige1 by continuing to fight ,khmer ,rouge forces as they advanced upon the capital4 7#c7 ,a tragic legacy of the conflict in ,southeast ,asia is the lethal risk posed by unexploded ordnance 7,,uxo7 in ,vietnam1 ,laos1 and ,cambodia that still litter forests1 rice fields1 villages1 school grounds1 roads1 and other populated areas--hindering development and poverty reduction efforts4 7#d7 ,vietnam remains one of the world's most contaminated countries1 with an estimated #hjj1jjj tons of ,,uxo left over from the conflict in ,southeast ,asia that ended more than #dj years ago4 ,since #aige1 mine and ,,uxo accidents have caused more than #ajj1jjj casualties1 including #dj1jjj deaths of ,vietnamese civilians4 7#e7 ,from #aifd-aigc1 the ,united ,states dropped more than #b1jjj1jjj tons of bombs on ,laos during ,american operations to disrupt ,north ,vietnamese military supply routes4 ,as a result1 ,laos is the most heavily bombed country per capita in the world4 ,much of the country's land remains contaminated with tens of millions small1 unexploded cluster munitions4 ,since the end of the conflict1 ,,uxo have injured or killed more than #be1jjj civilians in ,laos4 7#f7 ,cambodia suffers from one of the highest rates of landmine and ,,uxo accidents in the world4 ,over #fd1jjj ,cambodians have been killed or injured by ,,uxo and other explosive remnants of war since #aigi1 with an average of one casualty every week4 7#g7 ,the ,united ,states is the world's leading financial supporter of demining and ,,uxo removal programs4 ,since #aiic1 the ,united ,states has provided more than #c1gjj1jjj1jjj in assistance to locate and destroy ,,uxo and other explosive remnants of war in more than #ajj countries1 including more than #adh1jjj1jjj in ,vietnam1 #bcj1jjj1jjj in ,laos1 and #aej1jjj1jjj in ,cambodia4 7b7 ,sense of ,congress ,it is the sense of ,congress that-- 7#a7 the ,hmong1 ,cham1 ,cambodian1 ,iu-,mien1 ,khmu1 ,lao1 ,montagnard1 and ,vietnamese ,americans deserve recognition for their support and defense of the ,armed ,forces during the conflict in ,southeast ,asia2 and 7#b7 the ,united ,states should continue to support activities to clear ,,uxo and other explosive remnants of war in ,vietnam1 ,laos1 and ,cambodia1 and strengthen people-to-people ties and reaffirm ,america's long-standing commitment to ,southeast ,asia4 #c4 ,authorization of assistance for ,vietnam1 ,laos1 and ,cambodia 7a7 ,in general ,the ,president is authorized to provide humanitarian assistance for programs to support the activities described in subsection 7b74 7b7 ,activities supported ,activities that may be supported by assistance under subsection 7a7 include the following3 7#a7 ,developing national surveys of unexploded ordnance 7,,uxo7 and other explosive remnants of war in ,vietnam1 ,laos1 and ,cambodia4 7#b7 ,providing for clearance of such ,,uxo and other explosive remnants of war4 7#c7 ,providing assistance for capacity building1 risk education1 and assistance to survivors1 including medical assistance and prosthetic devices1 in ,vietnam1 ,laos1 and ,cambodia related to both ,,uxo and other explosive remnants of war4 7c7 ,coordination ,in carrying out this section1 the ,president shall seek to consult1 partner1 and coordinate with international organizations1 civil society1 donor governments1 and other stakeholders1 as appropriate1 to leverage their expertise1 financial support1 and resources to minimize duplication of efforts and maximize the efficient and effective provision of ,united ,states assistance4 7d7 ,briefings 7#a7 ,annual briefings ,the ,president shall provide annual briefings to the appropriate committees of ,congress on activities undertaken in accordance with this section4 7#b7 ,appropriate committees of ,congress defined ,in this subsection1 the term appropriate committees of ,congress means-- 7,a7 the ,committee on ,foreign ,relations1 the ,committee on ,armed ,services1 and the ,committee on ,appropriations of the ,senate2 and 7,b7 the ,committee of ,foreign ,affairs1 the ,committee on ,armed ,services1 and the ,committee on ,appropriations of the ,house of ,representatives4 7e7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated to the ,president to carry out this section #ajj1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjba through #bjbe4