H.R. 3461: Confronting CCP Human Rights Abusers Act (119th Congress) Bill Summary

This bill, known as the "Confronting CCP Human Rights Abusers Act," aims to include the Ministry of Public Security’s Institute of Forensic Science of China on a specific list known as the "entity list." This list is maintained by the Bureau of Industry and Security under the Department of Commerce in the United States. Here are the key points regarding the bill:

Inclusion on the Entity List

Within 60 days of the bill becoming law, the Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security is required to add the Ministry of Public Security’s Institute of Forensic Science of China to the entity list. This entity is associated with various operations of the Ministry of Public Security in China, including:

The Forensic Identification Center of the Ministry of Public Security of the People’s Republic of China
The Material Identification Center of the Ministry of Public Security of the People’s Republic of China

Presidential Waiver

The bill also outlines conditions under which the President, through the Secretary of Commerce, can waive the inclusion of this institute on the entity list. For the waiver to be granted, the President must certify that:

The institute is not engaging in activities that go against the foreign policy interests of the United States.
The institute is not implicated in or contributing to human rights abuses. This includes any actions related to the repression, mass arbitrary detention, forced labor, or high-technology surveillance targeting Uyghurs, Kazakhs, and other Muslim minority groups within the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

Definition of Entity List

The term "entity list" refers to a list defined by the Bureau of Industry and Security, which includes specific entities that are subject to export restrictions due to national security and foreign policy concerns.

Implications

This legislation primarily institutionalizes the scrutiny of the mentioned Chinese forensic institute due to its alleged involvement in human rights abuses and aims to prevent trade or export relationships that could enable such activities.