Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Legacies of War Recognition and Unexploded Ordnance Removal Act”.
Legacies of War Recognition and Unexploded Ordnance Removal Act
A BILL
To authorize assistance to support activities relating to the clearance of landmines, unexploded ordnance, and other explosive remnants of war in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam, to recognize the refugee and immigrant communities that supported and defended the United States Armed Forces during the conflict in Southeast Asia in the 1960s and 1970s, including Hmong, Cham, Cambodian, Iu Mien, Khmu, Lao, Montagnard, and Vietnamese Americans, and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 Definitions
In this Act:
Appropriate committees of Congress— The term appropriate committees of Congress means—
the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate;
the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate;
the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate;
the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives;
the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives; and
the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives.
Armed forces— The term Armed Forces means the United States Armed Forces.
Unexploded ordnance; UXO— The terms unexploded ordnance and UXO have the meaning given the term “unexploded ordnance” in section 101 of title 10, United States Code.
Sec. 3 Recognition of the communities that supported and defended the United States Armed Forces in Southeast Asia
Findings— Congress finds the following:
During the conflict in Southeast Asia during the 1960s and 1970s, many Hmong, Cham, Cambodians, Iu Mien, Khmu, Lao, Montagnard, and Vietnamese people—
supported the Armed Forces;
rescued United States pilots shot down in enemy-controlled territory and returned the pilots to safety;
gathered and provided intelligence to the Armed Forces about enemy troop positions, movement, and strength; and
provided food, shelter, and support to members of the Armed Forces.
The national armed forces of Cambodia facilitated the evacuation of the United States Embassy in Phnom Penh on April 12, 1975, by fighting Khmer Rouge forces that advanced upon the capital.
A tragic legacy of this conflict in Southeast Asia is the lethal risk posed by landmines, unexploded ordnance, and explosive remnants of war in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia that still litter forests, rice fields, villages, school grounds, roads, and other populated areas, which hinders development and efforts to reduce poverty.
Vietnam remains one of the world’s most contaminated countries, with an estimated 800,000 tons of UXO left over from the conflict in Southeast Asia that ended more than 40 years ago. Since 1975, UXO accidents have caused more than 105,000 casualties, including more than 38,000 deaths of Vietnamese civilians.
In Laos, much of the country’s land remains contaminated with tens of millions of small, unexploded cluster munitions. Since 1964, UXO and other explosive remnants of war have injured or killed more than 50,000 civilians in Laos.
Cambodia has experienced one of the highest rates of landmine and UXO casualties in the world. Since 1979, more than 64,000 Cambodians have been injured or killed by landmines, UXO, or other explosive remnants of war.
The United States is the world’s leading financial supporter of demining and programs to remove UXO. Since 1993, the United States has provided more than $4,200,000,000 in assistance for locating and destroying UXO and other explosive remnants of war and related programs in more than 100 countries, including more than $185,000,000 in Vietnam, $310,000,000 in Laos, and $180,000,000 in Cambodia.
Sense of Congress— It is the sense of Congress that—
the Hmong, Cham, Cambodian, Iu Mien, Khmu, Lao, Montagnard, and Vietnamese people deserve recognition for their support and defense of the Armed Forces during the conflict in Southeast Asia; and
the United States should continue to support activities to clear landmines, UXO, and other explosive remnants of war and to provide related assistance in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, while strengthening people-to-people ties and reaffirming the long-standing commitment of the United States to Southeast Asia.
Sec. 4 Authorization of assistance for Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia
In general— The President may provide humanitarian assistance to Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia for programs to support—
the development or updating of national surveys of landmines, UXO, and other explosive remnants of war;
the clearance of such landmines, UXO, and other explosive remnants of war;
stockpile management of small arms, light weapons, and ammunition;
capacity building, risk education, destruction, and physical security related to landmines, UXO, and other explosive remnants of war; and
survivors of incidents involving landmines, UXO, and other explosive remnants of war, including by providing medical assistance and prosthetic devices related to landmines, UXO, and other explosive remnants of war.
Coordination— In carrying out this section, the President shall seek to consult, partner, and coordinate with international organizations, civil societies, donor governments, and other stakeholders, as the President determines appropriate, to leverage the expertise, financial support, and resources of such entities to minimize duplication of efforts and maximize the efficient and effective provision of assistance from the United States.
Report and briefings—
Report—
In general— Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the President shall submit a report to the appropriate committees of Congress regarding—
the activities undertaken pursuant to this section; and
the amounts made available from the Nonproliferation, Anti-terrorism, Demining, and Related Programs account for demining and clearance of landmines, UXO, and other explosive remnants of war in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.
Contents— The report required under subparagraph (A) shall include—
the status of—
amounts made available from the Nonproliferation, Anti-terrorism, Demining, and Related Programs account that are obligated pursuant to authorities provided by prior Acts; and
unallocated amounts made available to such account as of the date of the enactment of this Act;
a description of how funds from such account have contributed to landmine, UXO, and other explosive remnants of war clearance efforts in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia;
estimates of how much—
contaminated land has been cleared;
land that still contains landmines, UXO, and other explosive remnants of war; and
land that has not been assessed for contamination;
data on the origin of any antipersonnel mines cleared, to the extent possible;
a description of collaboration between the United States and the governments of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia including past and current progress in establishing nationwide contamination databases in such countries to refine landmine, UXO, and other explosive remnants of war locations and target clearance efforts; and
an assessment of the efforts of the Department of State to work with the Government of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic regarding the repatriation of, and the efforts to reintegrate into Laotian society, those of Hmonh, Lao, Khmu, lu Mien, or Yao descent who arrived in the United States as refugees, but have since been removed from the United States.
Briefings— The President shall provide an annual briefing to the appropriate committees of Congress regarding the activities undertaken pursuant to this section for each year for which amounts are authorized to be appropriated under subsection (d).
Authorization of appropriations— There is authorized to be appropriated to the President $100,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2025 through 2029 to carry out this section.