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Trans-Atlantic Religious Protection Act (TARPA) of 2001 (Introduced in
House)

HR 3145 IH



107th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. R. 3145
To promote greater cooperation between the United States and its
European allies toward religious tolerance and to require the
imposition of punitive measures with respect to entities that
discriminate against individuals or groups on the basis of religion or
belief.



IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

October 16, 2001
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN (for herself and Mr. GILMAN) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations,
and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, and Ways and
Means, for a period subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each
case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the
jurisdiction of the committee concerned





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



A BILL
To promote greater cooperation between the United States and its
European allies toward religious tolerance and to require the
imposition of punitive measures with respect to entities that
discriminate against individuals or groups on the basis of religion or
belief.



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 `Trans-Atlantic Religious Protection Act
(TARPA) of 2001'.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress makes the following findings:

(1) Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states
that `[e]veryone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and
religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or
belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in
public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching,
practice, worship and observance'.

(2) Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights states that `[n]o one shall be subject to coercion which would
impair his freedom to have or adopt a religion or belief of his
choice'.

(3) The member countries of the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) have undertaken a series of specific
commitments designed to ensure the freedom of the individual to
profess and practice religion or belief, including a commitment by
those countries to ensure the full and effective exercise of the
freedom of thought, conscience, religion, or belief, in their laws and
regulations.

(4) Principle VII of the Helsinki Final Act commits the OSCE member
countries to `recognize and respect the freedom of the individual to
profess and practice, alone or in community with others, religion or
belief acting in accordance with the dictates of his own conscience'.

(5) The 1989 Vienna Concluding Document commits the OSCE member
countries to `take effective measures to prevent and eliminate
discrimination against individuals or communities on the grounds of
religion or belief in the recognition, exercise and enjoyment of human
rights and fundamental freedoms in all fields of civil, political,
economic, social and cultural life'.

(6) In the 1991 Moscow Document, the OSCE member countries
`categorically and irrevocably declare that the commitments undertaken
in the field of the human dimension . . . are matters of direct and
legitimate concern to all participating States and do not belong
exclusively to the internal affairs of the State concerned'.

(7) Freedom of thought, conscience, religion, or belief is
inextricably linked to the exercise of other rights, including the
right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association, the right to
freedom of association with others, and the right to freedom of
expression, and the recognition that all persons are equal before the
law and are entitled without any discrimination to the equal
protection of the law, including in employment.

(8) The United States Department of State's annual reports on
religious freedom and human rights have documented numerous instances
of government discrimination in Western Europe based on religion or
belief, including discriminatory acts against American members of
several different religious denominations and beliefs.

(9) Both the Office of the United States Trade Representative and the
Department of State have objected to the use of discriminatory
procurement practices by German Federal, state and local governmental
agencies and private entities which have the potential to discriminate
against United States firms in procurement decisions by permitting
agencies and firms to reject bids and terminate contracts with firms
that do not attest that the firm and its employees are not affiliated
with certain religious beliefs.

(10) In France, Federal and local governmental agencies, as well as
private businesses responding to French Government actions, have
terminated contracts with a United States-owned software firm solely
because of the religious beliefs of the firm's founder.

(11) A law enacted by the French Parliament on May 30, 2001, contains
repressive measures which would have a chilling effect on the freedom
religion and belief, including the dissolution of targeted religious
associations, the imprisonment of members of such groups, and
infringement upon freedom of speech, including speech intended to
persuade another person to a particular point of view, whether
philosophical or religious.

(12) His Holiness Pope John Paul II has spoken out against the new
French law as potentially devastating. While formally accepting the
credentials of the new French Ambassador to the Holy See, the Pope
reminded the ambassador that `religious liberty in the full sense of
the term, is the first human right . . . [t]his means a liberty which
is not reduced to the private sphere only . . . [t]o discriminate
[against] religious beliefs, or to discredit one or another form of
religious practices is a form of exclusion contrary to the respect of
fundamental human values and will eventually destabilize society,
where a pluralism of thought and action should exist, as well as a
benevolent and brotherly attitude . . . [t]his
will necessarily create a climate of tension, intolerance, opposition
and suspect, not conducive to social peace'.



(13) United States Department of State officials testifying on the new
French law before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on May 1,
2001, and the House Committee on International Relations on July 11,
2001, underscored that `[t]he United States is concerned that such
policies are becoming institutionalized in some parts of Europe and
are having the effect of appearing to justify restrictive laws
elsewhere such as Russia, Central Asia, and even China'.

(14) A 1996 French National Assembly report listed 173 organizations
as suspect, including independent evangelical Christian churches,
Scientologists, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Unificationists and this
report has been used by both private and official entities to harass,
intimidate, deny employment, and deny commercial loans to listed
groups, and members of other religious groups, such as Southern
Baptists, Seventh Day Adventists, the Catholic Charismatic Renewal
movement, Opus Dei, and the Society of Jesus, have also been subject
to recent discrimination and harassment at the hands of the French
Government.

(15) The Parliament of Austria passed a law in 1997 which codified a
tiered system of government recognition and preferential treatment and
which requires religious groups seeking recognition to undergo
government surveillance for at least 10, or up to 20, years to prove
legitimacy to government officials.

(16) The Austrian law on religion is cited as justification for more
repressive laws being proposed in nascent democracies further east,
such as Hungary and Romania, and has been cited by Russian officials
as justification for an oppressive 1997 Russian religion law.

(17) The Government of Austria has instituted a `sect' office which
disseminates official propaganda on religious groups not recognized by
the government and leading to a chilling effect on religious liberty.

(18) The Parliament of Belgium issued a report in 1997 on `sects' with
a widely circulated informal appendix listing 189 groups as suspect,
including many Protestant and Catholic groups, Quakers, Hasidic Jews,
Buddhists, and members of the Young Women's Christian Association
(YWCA), based on rumor and speculation found in police files, and
implicitly warning the public to avoid such `dangerous' groups.

(19) The Parliament of Belgium has established a government Center for
Information and Advice on Harmful Sectarian Organizations which
disseminates official views on groups considered `sects' as defined by
the list in the appendix to the 1997 Belgian Parliament report.

(20) On April 29, 1998, the Italian Ministry of Internal Affairs sent
a report to the lower house of the Italian Parliament entitled `Cults
and New Magical Movements in Italy'. This report mentions that the
Ministry of Internal Affairs monitors 137 groups--76 of which are
categorized as `new religions' and 61 as `new magical movements'. This
report, according to Dr. Massimo Introvigne of CESNUR in Italy, notes
that `the real danger is that, because of the media event created
around the report, respectable and law-abiding citizens who happen to
be members of movements mentioned, but explicitly exonerated from any
charge in the report may be discriminated against or maligned'.

(21) Some evangelical and charismatic Christian churches have been
targeted in parliamentary investigations in France, Belgium, and
Germany.

(22) Jehovah's Witnesses have been subjected in France to various
forms of harassment, have been informed by German state tax
authorities that the long-standing exemption from property taxation
for their houses of worship may be canceled in the near future,
continue to suffer from employment discrimination in Austria, France,
and Germany, and have been discriminated against in foster parent
proceedings in Germany and in some child custody matters in Belgium.

(23) Muslims have been subjected to harassment, including police
brutality and attacks by extremist groups, particularly in Germany and
France, and Muslim women are subject to frequent discrimination and
other forms of abuse and harassment because they wear a head covering.

(24) Adherents to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have
been subject to continued acts of harassment, including confiscation
of religious materials, and are prevented from freely sharing their
beliefs in several Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
(OSCE) member countries.

(25) Members of the Church of Scientology have been subject to
pervasive civil, political, and economic discrimination, harassment,
surveillance, and orchestrated boycotts in Germany, France, Belgium,
and Austria.

(26) The Law of Sects in Spain, passed in 1989, authorizes the police
to investigate `sects' with a `destructive' character. As a result, a
special unit was created within the police to investigate these
allegedly dangerous sects.

(27) The Government of the Canary Islands, one of Spain's 17 regions,
has refused to grant permission to the Salvation Army to open a center
for needy children on the grounds that the Salvation Army is
categorized as a `destructive sect'.

(28) Actions by Western European governments have contributed to
intolerance by public and private actors who have discriminated in
hiring practices or terminated employment based on an individual's
religious affiliation.

(29) The September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks against the United
States have intensified fears of infringement and violations of
religious freedom,
with experts cautioning against the use of the antiterrorism effort as
an excuse for arbitrary abuses and proliferation of anti-sect laws and
lists such as those used by European countries to monitor or restrict
particular religious groups.



SEC. 3. DIPLOMATIC EFFORTS.

(a) GENERAL EFFORTS- The President and the Secretary of State--

(1) shall raise violations of freedom of thought, conscience,
religion, or belief at every appropriate level with representatives of
European countries that have failed to implement their international
commitments and obligations in this regard;

(2) shall make full use of existing meetings and structures of
international organizations and multilateral fora to raise violations
by Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) member
countries of freely undertaken international commitments both to
protect and to provide for the full and effective exercise of the
freedom of thought, conscience, religion, or belief under their
respective jurisdictions; and

(3) to the maximum extent practicable, shall appoint experts on
religious liberty to United States delegations to appropriate meetings
of international organizations.

(b) UNITED STATES-EU INTER-PARLIAMENTARY MEETINGS- United States
representatives to the United States-European Union
Inter-Parliamentary meetings, should raise at such meetings the issue
of laws, regulations, and other practices in the members countries
which infringe upon freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief
and take concrete steps to address these violations.

SEC. 4. ACTIONS BY DEPARTMENT OF STATE.

(a) DIVERSITY AND TOLERANCE EXCHANGES- The Secretary of State, through
the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Exchange, shall promote
educational and cultural workshops and forums among academics,
religious leaders, and human rights organizations in the United States
and their European counterparts in an effort to promote a better
understanding of religious and philosophical diversity and a tolerant
society.

(b) HUMAN RIGHTS MONITORS- The Secretary of State, through the Bureau
of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor and the Bureau of Diplomatic and
Consular Affairs, shall train United States human rights monitors
stationed at European posts to identify, investigate, and monitor
persecution and discrimination on the basis of religion or belief.

(c) DENIAL OF VISAS- The Secretary of State may not issue a visa to,
and the Attorney General shall exclude from the United States, any
alien who the Secretary of State determines is a high-ranking official
of the government of a country, or a commercial or other entity of a
government, which is in violation of international obligations to
guarantee and ensure the full and effective exercise of freedom of
thought, conscience, religion, or belief.

(d) TRAVEL ADVISORIES- The Secretary of State shall issue travel
advisories on countries which discriminate on the basis of religion or
belief advising Americans of the potential dangers faced by
individuals who are members of targeted groups.

SEC. 5. ACTIONS BY UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVE.

The President shall, in accordance with section 301(a)(1) of the Trade
Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2411(a)(1)), direct the United States Trade
Representative--

(1) to take all appropriate action authorized under section 301(c) of
such Act against each European country the government of which engages
in or tolerates violations of religious freedom (as determined under
section 401 of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998),
including the imposition of duties or other import restrictions on
goods of such country that are similar to the goods of a United States
individual or United States business (or its subsidiary) that is
subject to such violations of religious freedom; and

(2) to initiate appropriate action at the World Trade Organization
against each European country described in paragraph (1).

SEC. 6. ACTIONS BY DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE.

The President shall direct the Secretary of Commerce--

(1) to incorporate into the programs and assistance of the
International Trade Administration guidelines and warnings regarding
the discriminatory practices of European countries against United
States products or businesses (and their subsidiaries) on the basis of
religion or belief; and

(2) to make it a priority to advocate on behalf of United States
businesses being discriminated against by European countries on the
basis of religion or belief to ensure full market access and achieve
full compliance by such countries with international trade agreements
and accords entered into with the United States.

SEC. 7. PRESIDENTIAL WAIVER.

(a) WAIVER- Subject to subsection (b), the President may waive any
provision of this Act with respect to a country if the President
determines and so reports to Congress that--

(1) the government of the country has ceased the violations giving
rise to the action under this Act;

(2) the exercise of the waiver would further the purposes of this Act;

or

(3) it is important to the national interests of the United States to
do so.

(b) CONGRESSIONAL NOTIFICATION- Prior to exercising his authority to
waive any provision of this Act pursuant to subsection (a), the
President shall notify Congress of the waiver together with a detailed
justification thereof.

From: Tilman Hausherr <tilman@berlin.snafu.de>
Date: Thu, 20 Jun 2002 21:56:36 +0200
Organization: Xenu's Ranch
Message-ID: <1mc4huk0u3dfhrkrjnddpv2f3akkj24eh1@4ax.com>

On Thu, 20 Jun 2002 19:11:27 GMT, alerma@nospam.bellatlantic.net (arnie lerma - www.lermanet.com) wrote in <3d1228d1.198206340@news.verizon.net>:

>enter scientology in search terms here:
>
>http://thomas.loc.gov/home/c107query.html
>
>Trans-Atlantic Religious Protection Act (TARPA) of 2001 (Introduced in
>House)
>
>HR 3145 IH

It is a "'deny Caberta a visa' law". It has gone nowhere for over 6 months now. Same for this one:

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d107:h.r.03151:

-- Tilman Hausherr [KoX, SP5.55] Entheta * Enturbulation * Entertainment tilman@berlin.snafu.de http://www.xenu.de

Resistance is futile. You will be enturbulated. Xenu always prevails.

Find broken links on your web site: http://home.snafu.de/tilman/xenulink.html The Xenu bookstore: http://home.snafu.de/tilman/bookstore.html

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