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Newsroom: Press Releases

Lautenberg Provisions Included in Foreign-Ops Funding Bill

Lautenberg Amendment for Refugees; Libya Policy on Pan Am Bombing; Protections for Women in Peace Corps Included

Lautenberg Press Office, 202-224-3224
Thursday, May 24, 2012

WASHINGTON, DC—U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) authored three critical provisions included in the FY 2013 State and Foreign Operations funding measure approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee today.  The provisions would extend expedited refugee status for certain persecuted religious minorities under the Lautenberg Amendment; call on the Libyan government to cooperate with ongoing investigations of terrorist attacks during the Qaddafi regime; and provide abortion coverage for Peace Corps volunteers who have been sexually assaulted.  The FY 2013 State and Foreign Operations appropriations bill now goes to the full Senate for consideration.
 
The following three measures authored by Lautenberg were included in the bill:
 
Extend the Lautenberg Amendment:  The bill extends a program, known as the Lautenberg Amendment, that protects foreign victims of religious persecution. The Lautenberg Amendment, originally enacted in 1990, originally provided a presumption of eligibility for refugee status for certain categories of people from the Former Soviet Union and Southeast Asia.  Today, the Lautenberg Amendment mostly serves to facilitate the resettlement of Jews, Christians, Baha’is, and other religious minorities fleeing Iran, which was added to the Lautenberg Amendment in 2004.  The program has historically been extended in appropriations legislation each year.  This legislation would extend the program through the end of FY 2013.

“The Lautenberg Amendment provides a critical lifeline for religious refugees fleeing persecution,” Lautenberg said. “As President Ahmadinejad maintains his oppressive rule in Iran, we must continue to provide religious minorities with a safe means of exit and access to refugee status in the United States.”  
 
Investigate the Pan Am 103 Terrorist Attack: In its description of aid funding available for Libya, the bill sets an expectation that Libya’s Transitional National Council or any successor government will assist with the ongoing investigation into the bombing of Pan Am 103 and any other terrorist attacks attributable to the government of Muammar Qaddafi against U.S. citizens, including by providing access to documents, witnesses and other information.

“The investigation into the Pan Am 103 bombing must continue and we will not rest until justice has been served,” Lautenberg said.  “The recent death of Abdel Baset al-Megrahi has brought little closure to the families of the victims of this terrible tragedy.  We continue to expect the new Libyan government to help us find the truth and hold accountable all those involved in the terrorist attacks carried out by the Qaddafi regime.”
 
Protect Women in the Peace Corps: The bill protects the reproductive rights of women in the Peace Corps by providing coverage for abortion in cases of rape or incest, or when the life of the mother is endangered. This provides coverage for women’s health services in the same circumstances that are allowed in other federal programs. With an average of more than 100 sexual assaults of Peace Corps volunteers each year over the past decade, the Lautenberg provision would protect the health of women in the Peace Corps.

“Women who serve in the Peace Corps have found themselves at risk of sexual assault, yet their own country has restricted their access to care,” Lautenberg said.  “Peace Corps volunteers selflessly devote themselves to helping underserved populations throughout the world—they should not have to forfeit their rights or jeopardize their health to do so.”

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