119-hr4140

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4140 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 4140

To provide protection, support, and humanitarian assistance to Rohingya 
 refugees and internally displaced people in Burma as well as promote 
 accountability and a path out of genocide and crimes against humanity 
 for Rohingya.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 June 25, 2025

 Mr. Meeks (for himself, Mr. McCaul, Mr. Bera, and Mr. Huizenga) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
 Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

To provide protection, support, and humanitarian assistance to Rohingya 
 refugees and internally displaced people in Burma as well as promote 
 accountability and a path out of genocide and crimes against humanity 
 for Rohingya.

 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

 This Act may be cited as the ``Burma Genocide Accountability and 
Protection Act'' or the ``Burma GAP Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

 Congress finds the following:

    (1) In its report dated September 17, 2018, the United 
 Nations Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on 
 Myanmar

    (FFM) found that impunity was a ``root cause of 
 continued human rights violations in Myanmar'' that ``has 
 significantly and demonstrably contributed to the validation of 
 deeply oppressive and discriminatory conduct, enabled 
 recurrence of human rights violations and atrocity crimes, and 
 emboldened perpetrators and silenced victims'', and concluded 
 that ``ensuring accountability for crimes'' was ``the key to 
 disrupting patterns of oppression and cycles of violence'' as 
 well as a legal obligation for Burma.

    (2) On December 13, 2018, the United States House of 
 Representatives passed H. Res. 1091, by an overwhelming 
 majority of 394 to 1, expressing the sense of the House of 
 Representatives that atrocities committed against Rohingya by 
 members of the Burma military and security forces since August 
 2017 constitute crimes against humanity and genocide.

    (3) On September 16, 2019, the FFM reported that it ``has 
 reasonable grounds to conclude that the evidence that infers 
 genocidal intent on the part of the state, identified in its 
 last report, has strengthened that there is a serious risk that 
 genocidal actions may occur or recur''.

    (4) On February 1, 2021, the Burma military conducted a 
 coup d'etat, derailing Burma's transition to democracy and 
 disregarding the will of the people of Burma.

    (5) Since the February 2021 military coup, the Burma 
 military and certain local armed groups have continued to 
 commit crimes and abuses against Rohingya. In Rakhine state, 
 over 600,000 Rohingya, including at least 130,000 confined in 
 internally displaced persons

    (IDP) camps face heightened risks. 
 The military continues to target Rohingya with laws and 
 policies that criminalize the exercise of human rights, as well 
 as with arbitrary arrest and detention, torture, sexual 
 violence, and murder.

    (6) On March 21, 2022, Secretary of State Antony Blinken 
 announced the Secretary had determined that ``members of the 
 Burmese military committed genocide and crimes against humanity 
 against Rohingya''.

    (7) The United States has been the leading contributor of 
 humanitarian assistance in response to the Rohingya crisis.

    (8) The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights 
 said in a June 2023 report that the Burma military's 
 restrictions on aid access by local and international 
 organizations seeking to respond to Cyclone Mocha in Rakhine 
 state in May 2023 may amount to gross violations of 
 international human rights law, and serious violations of 
 international humanitarian law.

    (9) According to the World Food Program, over 15 percent of 
 young children in the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh are 
 suffering from malnutrition. The World Food Program estimates 
 that it needs another $83,000,000 in funding to maintain full 
 rations and meet the basic minimum nutritional needs of 
 refugees through May 2026.

    (10) Funding cuts and rising commodity prices have 
 exacerbated protection concerns for Rohingya refugees in 
 Bangladesh, especially with respect to gender-based violence 
 and child protection, worsening health outcomes and fueling 
 unsafe and irregular migration throughout the surrounding 
 region.

    (11) Combined with rising food insecurity, Rohingya are 
 increasingly unsafe in Bangladesh as a result of growing 
 competition between armed and criminal groups in the refugee 
 camps. These factors have driven thousands of Rohingya to flee 
 to maritime Southeast Asia by boat only to face obstacles from 
 regional navies and growing resentment from local populations.

    (12) The long, systemic denial of the exercise of certain 
 rights, including education, freedoms of expression, movement, 
 and rights related to nationality have had enduring effects on 
 many Rohingya persons' mental and physical well-being and 
 perpetuate the risk of future genocidal violence until these 
 root causes are addressed.

SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY.

 It is the policy of the United States--

    (1) to uphold Article I of the Convention on the Prevention 
 and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, to which the United 
 States is a party, to prevent the crime of genocide and punish 
 its perpetrators;

    (2) to prevent and end atrocities committed against 
 Rohingya by addressing the root causes of the genocide and 
 crimes against humanity committed against them, holding the 
 perpetrators of these crimes accountable, supporting solutions 
 to respect the human rights and uphold the dignity of Rohingya, 
 and to ensure Rohingya involvement and representation in 
 decision making and implementation processes to address these 
 needs;

    (3) to support the empowerment of Rohingya civilian 
 leadership in diaspora communities, refugee camps in 
 Bangladesh, and inside Burma through consultation and 
 collaboration with Rohingya community representatives;

    (4) to provide holistic support to the Rohingya community 
 to overcome decades of systematic persecution and 
 discrimination and to best support the desires of all 
 communities in Burma to achieve lasting peace and an inclusive, 
 Federal democracy including through credible transitional 
 justice processes;

    (5) to collaborate with other countries to pursue and 
 implement coordinated, comprehensive, and sustained measures 
 for upholding the dignity and protecting the human rights of 
 Rohingya;

    (6) to engage in a coordinated manner with the United 
 Nations High Commissioner for Refugees other relevant United 
 Nations agencies, governments, and intergovernmental entities 
 to establish protocols and respond to protection concerns and 
 to prevent and protect Rohingya from further atrocities; and

    (7) to isolate the Burma military junta diplomatically and 
 economically until such time that there is a return to civilian 
 rule in Burma.

SEC. 4. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

 It is the sense of Congress that--

    (1) the United States has a moral and legal responsibility 
 to prevent and punish genocide, including against Rohingya;

    (2) the Secretary of State's determination in March 2022 
 that genocide and crimes against humanity have been committed 
 against Rohingya by members of the Burma military should lead 
 to support for Rohingya to overcome decades of systemic 
 persecution, marginalization, and violence;

    (3) the Rohingya crisis and the broader Burma crisis must 
 be addressed simultaneously to ensure that history does not 
 repeat itself;

    (4) the United States should work with other donor nations 
 to ensure that Rohingya refugees in refugee camps in Bangladesh 
 receive a ration sufficient to meet the humanitarian minimum 
 standards for food and nutrition needs;

    (5) the United States should encourage other countries to 
 contribute additional assistance and follow United States 
 leadership in protecting Rohingya through humanitarian 
 assistance, political and economic empowerment, accountability 
 for genocide, crimes against humanity, and any other 
 international crimes committed by the Burma military and other 
 armed groups in Burma, as well as supporting the voluntary 
 resettlement or eventual safe repatriation of Rohingya refugees 
 to Burma when conditions allow; and

    (6) the United States should continue not to recognize the 
 Burma military junta as the legitimate political representative 
 of the Burmese people given the genocide, crimes against 
 humanity, and coup that it has perpetrated.

SEC. 5. UNITED STATES SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE AND POLICY COORDINATOR FOR 
 BURMA.

    (a) In General.--In the absence of a United States Ambassador to 
Burma, the Secretary of State is authorized to appoint a career Foreign 
Service Officer of Senior Foreign Service rank as Special 
Representative and Policy Coordinator for Burma.

    (b) Duties.--The Special Representative shall--

    (1) promote a comprehensive international effort, including 
 multilateral sanctions, direct dialogue with all parties, 
 including democracy advocates, and support for nongovernmental 
 organizations operating in Burma and neighboring countries, 
 designed to restore civilian democratic governance to Burma and 
 address the urgent humanitarian needs in the region;

    (2) consult broadly, including with the Governments of 
 Thailand, Bangladesh, India, the Republic of Korea, Japan, the 
 member states of ASEAN, the European Union, and other nations 
 to coordinate policies toward Burma;

    (3) assist efforts by the United Nations Special Envoy to 
 secure the release of all political prisoners in Burma and to 
 promote dialogue among all parties, including leaders of 
 Burma's democracy movement;

    (4) consult with Congress on policies relevant to Burma and 
 the future and welfare of all the Burmese people, including 
 refugees;

    (5) coordinate multilateral sanctions efforts against Burma 
 among United States allies and partners; and

    (6) support protection, humanitarian assistance, and 
 accountability efforts for Rohingya and other Burmese ethnic 
 minorities in Burma and the surrounding region.
            (c) Sunset.--This section shall terminate on the date that is 5 
years after the date of the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 6. SUPPORT FOR PROTECTION EFFORTS AND DURABLE SOLUTIONS WITH 
 RESPECT TO ROHINGYA.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of State, in consultation with the 
Special Representative (if so designated under 

section 5

    (a) ), should 
support efforts to protect Rohingya and prevent further atrocities 
against Rohingya and other Burmese ethnic minorities.

    (b) Protection Efforts.--In carrying out subsection

    (a) , the 
Secretary should seek to engage in crisis response efforts and efforts 
to maximize the safety, security, and well-being of Rohingya in Burma 
and throughout South Asia and Southeast Asia, by--

    (1) supporting Rohingya refugees access to international 
 protection as well as international asylum and refugee 
 mechanisms, and preventing indefinite detention and 
 nonrefoulement;

    (2) facilitating greater access for Rohingya facing ongoing 
 abuse, including human trafficking and gender-based violence, 
 to appropriate legal support services;

    (3) supporting a monitoring mechanism, rapid response team, 
 legal assistance, and communication mechanisms to overcome 
 military-imposed internet and telecommunication restrictions 
 for Rohingya living in Burma;

    (4) working with other governments in the region to 
 strengthen regional mechanisms and overall coordination on 
 lifesaving search and rescue, safe disembarkation, effective 
 receiving and comprehensive assistance for Rohingya refugees;

    (5) supporting host communities to facilitate a safer, more 
 supportive, and welcoming environment for Rohingya refugees 
 through the provision of technical assistance and cooperation 
 with local organizations and governments; and

    (6) engaging the Government of Bangladesh and the 
 international community to establish the necessary mechanisms 
 for Rohingya refugees to file protection claims, and seek 
 accountability by--
        (A) improving Rohingya refugees ability to access 
 justice within Bangladesh through legal aid, 
 simplifying the process for filing cases, facilitating 
 the access of lawyers involved in international legal 
 proceedings involving Rohingya, and enabling Rohingya 
 to travel abroad to participate in legal proceedings in 
 other courts;
        (B) supporting enhanced coordination among 
 Bangladesh security forces on investigations and 
 accountability;
            (C) supporting training for Bangladesh's Armed 
 Police Battalion

    (APBn) and any other units providing 
 security for Rohingya refugee camps on humanitarian 
 protection principles and community safety; and
            (D) encouraging the Government of Bangladesh and 
 other host governments to allow safe houses for 
 Rohingya human rights activists, as well as defectors, 
 insider witnesses to atrocities against Rohingya and 
 other refugees facing imminent threats.
            (c) Promoting Durable Solutions.--In carrying out subsection

    (a) , 
the Secretary should seek to promote durable solutions with respect to 
Rohingya by--

    (1) supporting the inclusion of Rohingya across various 
 sectors in Burma;

    (2) facilitating training and capacity building on atrocity 
 prevention for the National Unity Government

    (NUG) , the 
 National Unity Consultative Council

    (NUCC) , the Committee 
 Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw

    (CRPH) , ethnic armed 
 organizations, and other political stakeholders;

    (3) in consultation with Rohingya community 
 representatives, including women and civil society leaders, 
 collaborating with and supporting key non-military stakeholders 
 to take preparatory steps for--
        (A) ensuring the safe and voluntary return of 
 Rohingya, which should include those individuals 
 displaced in the 1990s or born as internally displaced 
 persons or refugees to their places of origin in Burma;
        (B) restoring and protecting Rohingyas rights and 
 providing them full and equal citizenship;
            (C) recognizing Rohingya as an official ethnic 
 group in Burma, and securing equal social and political 
 power sharing under a Federal democratic Constitution;
            (D) promoting convenings and engagement among 
 Rohingya, non state actors, civil society groups, and 
 other key stakeholders in Rakhine state to promote 
 trust building and reconciliation;
        (E) including Rohingya across administration and 
 governance mechanisms of Burma, including Rakhine 
 state; and
        (F) developing a comprehensive transitional justice 
 strategy;

    (4) working with United States allies and partners to 
 broaden resettlement programs and supporting the voluntary 
 resettlement of the most vulnerable individuals within Rohingya 
 populations, as well as defectors, deserters, and insider 
 witnesses participating in justice processes; and

    (5) supporting repatriation of Rohingya refugees only when 
 conditions are conducive for a safe, voluntary, and sustainable 
 return with full rights restored.

SEC. 7. HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE AND SUPPORT FOR ROHINGYA REFUGEES AND 
 INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of State, in consultation with the 
Special Representative (if so designated under 

section 5

    (a) ) and other 
relevant United States Government agencies, should continue to provide 
assistance to Rohingya refugees, internally displaced persons, and host 
communities receiving such refugees and persons.

    (b) Activities Supported.--Assistance provided under subsection

    (a) shall include the following:

    (1) Protection programming, including interventions focused 
 on Rohingya civil society leaders, human rights activists, and 
 others threatened by armed groups.

    (2) Support for Rohingya civil society and community-based 
 organizations, including diplomatic engagement to encourage the 
 Government of Bangladesh to allow the operation of Rohingya-led 
 civil society and community-based organizations in the refugee 
 camps in Bangladesh.

    (3) Programs to prevent and respond to gender-based 
 violence, trafficking, forced marriage, as well as specialized 
 training programs for vulnerable groups.

    (4) Support for education, including higher education, for 
 Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.

    (5) Support for displaced Rohingya to access livelihoods 
 through vocational training and volunteer programs organized by 
 international organizations and nongovernmental organizations.

    (6) Support for meeting basic needs, including food, 
 nutrition, health care, protection, shelter, water, sanitation, 
 and hygiene support.

    (7) Support to Rohingya in Burma, refugee camps in 
 Bangladesh, and the diaspora to preserve Rohingya culture, 
 history, and memory.

SEC. 8. PROMOTING ACCOUNTABILITY FOR GENOCIDE AND CRIMES AGAINST 
 HUMANITY COMMITTED AGAINST ROHINGYA IN BURMA.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of State, in consultation with the 
Special Representative (if so designated under 

section 5

    (a) ) and other 
relevant United States Government agencies, should take the actions 
described in subsection

    (b) to promote accountability for genocide and 
crimes against humanity committed against Rohingya in Burma.

    (b) Actions Described.--The actions described in this subsection 
are the following:

    (1) Support comprehensive justice and accountability for 
 genocide and crimes against humanity committed against 
 Rohingya, including through consultation with and participation 
 by the Rohingya community.

    (2) Support for the efforts of entities, including the 
 Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar, in their work 
 to safely collect and preserve evidence of genocide and crimes 
 against humanity committed against Rohingya, including through 
 open-source research and by cultivating insider, defector, 
 deserter, and survivor witnesses, and to develop the chain of 
 evidence, for potential use in prosecutions in domestic, 
 hybrid, and international courts.

    (3) Provide assistance, particularly financial and 
 technical assistance, to efforts led by Rohingya to monitor and 
 document evidence to lead, assist, or inform other 
 investigative mechanisms and justice processes.

    (4) Encourage the development of an intergovernmental fund 
 to support reparative justice for Rohingya victims and 
 survivors and identify sources of funding from foreign 
 governments and within the United States Government that have 
 already been appropriated.

    (5) Engage with Burma's civilian leadership and any 
 subsequent democratic leadership in Burma to officially 
 acknowledge genocide and crimes against humanity committed by 
 members of the Burma military, restore Rohingya's citizenship 
 and equal rights in Burma, and ensure compensation by the 
 Government of Burma and restitution for their land and 
 property, and by providing support, including technical and 
 financial assistance, for efforts to memorialize genocide and 
 crimes against humanity in Burma, particularly those efforts 
 led by the affected communities.

    (6) Provide support for institutional reform and other 
 guarantees of nonrecurrence by civilian leadership in Burma, 
 including the security sector, legislature, and education 
 system, and the inclusion and equal participation of Rohingya 
 in all areas of administration and governance, under an 
 eventual Federal democratic system.

    (7) Use convening authority to directly bring together 
 various ethnic groups and other related stakeholders in Burma 
 to promote truth, justice, nonrecurrence, and reconciliation, 
 to support facilitation of related efforts by civilian 
 leadership in Burma, and to provide both technical and 
 financial support to entities, especially the civil society of 
 Burma, to implement work aimed at strengthening rule of law and 
 initiatives aimed at atrocity prevention.

SEC. 9. REPORT.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter for 5 years, the 
Secretary of State, in consultation with the Special Representative (if 
so designated under 

section 5

    (a) ), shall submit to the appropriate 
congressional committees a report that includes--

    (1) a description of and an assessment of the effectiveness 
 of the efforts of the United States Government, during the year 
 prior to the submission of such report, to--
        (A) identify and respond to atrocity risk factors 
 that concern Rohingya;
        (B) deter future atrocities against Rohingya and 
 other Burmese ethnic minorities;
            (C) respond to the need for humanitarian assistance 
 for and protection of Rohingya and other Burmese ethnic 
 minorities;
            (D) document the nature of and responsibility for 
 atrocity crimes committed against Rohingya and other 
 Burmese ethnic minorities; and
        (E) promote justice and accountability for atrocity 
 crimes committed against Rohingya and other Burmese 
 ethnic minorities;

    (2) a detailed description of the actions taken pursuant to 
 sections 6, 7, and 8;

    (3) an assessment of the effect of the actions described in 
 paragraph

    (2) on the advancement of the policies described in 
 

section 3;

    (4) a list of activities and programs initiated pursuant to 
 this Act;

    (5) the number of Rohingya refugees resettled in the United 
 States in the year preceding the submission of such report, 
 segmented by the country from which such refugees were 
 resettled;

    (6) the number of Rohingya refugees resettled in countries 
 other than the United States in the year preceding the 
 submission of such report;

    (7) a description of any new challenges facing Rohingya in 
 Burma or in refugee camps in the year preceding the submission 
 of such report, including an assessment of early warning 
 indicators and risk factors for atrocities; and

    (8) a list of recommendations to facilitate the 
 implementation of this Act and advance the policies described 
 in 

section 3, which may include recommended--
        (A) legislative action;
        (B) administrative action; and
            (C) provision of additional resources.

    (b) Report Form.--

    (1) Classification.--The report required under subsection

    (a) shall be submitted in unclassified form and may contain a 
 classified annex.

    (2) Public availability of information.--Not later than 45 
 days after the date on which the appropriate congressional 
 committees received such report, the unclassified portion of 
 such report shall be made publicly available on the website of 
 the Department of State.

SEC. 10. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) General Authorizations.--For each of fiscal years 2026 through 
2030, there are authorized to be appropriated, from amounts made 
available to carry out the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 
2151 et seq.), such sums as may be necessary to carry out sections 6, 
7, and 8 of this Act.

    (b) Specific Authorizations of Appropriations.--For each of fiscal 
years 2026 through 2030, there are authorized to be appropriated--

    (1) $5,000,000 for the Department of State to support 
 atrocity crime investigations, documentation, and casework, 
 transitional justice and accountability mechanisms, witness 
 protection measures, and technical support related to Rohingya 
 and other Burmese ethnic minorities; and

    (2) $4,000,000 to support programs that capture, analyze, 
 and make widely available evidence of the ongoing atrocities 
 against the people of Burma through the documentation, 
 verification, and dissemination of open-source evidence.

SEC. 11. DEFINITIONS.

 In this Act:

    (1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
 ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
        (A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House 
 of Representatives; and
        (B) the Committee on Foreign Relations of the 
 Senate.

    (2) Genocide.--The term ``genocide'' means any offense 
 described in 

section 1091

    (a) of title 18, United States Code.

    (3) Special representative.--The term ``Special 
 Representative'' means the United States Special Representative 
 and Policy Coordinator for Burma designated by the President 
 pursuant to 

section 5

    (a) .

    (4) Burma military junta.--The term ``Burma military 
 junta'' means the State Administrative Council of Burma or any 
 successor to such entity.
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